There are countless threads on the REAPER forum from current and former Pro Tools users about configuring REAPER to be exactly like Pro Tools. Kenny Gioia said this in a recent thread and it’s just too perfect:

I know it’s hard. But making REAPER behave like Pro Tools is like trying to get your Porsche to behave like your Honda Civic.

You’ll be missing out on so much of what REAPER does better.Kenny Gioia

People will spend months trying to make things the same flawed, broke, workaround way that Pro Tools does most things and don’t even consider that there might be better and faster ways, or simply investing the time to learn or invent new ways to do these tasks.

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18 responses to “Why can’t REAPER be exactly like Pro Tools?”

  1. plasticmusic Avatar

    I really hate getting on lists like this and preaching to the choir, patting the collective self on the back and all, but I did try to get it to “ProTool” for a long time. It wasn’t until I quit that it started to make sense and I found out how much better it was. That takes a while. There needs to be a proper transition tool.
    At one point I nearly convinced the department to switch completely over even after they had the Digi hardware, but it’s too bug a jump at first, when something extant is “good enough”.
    Good enough is the mortal enemy of good.

    On the other hand, the switch is happening all over the place in UK academia finally. But on the other hand again, it’s mostly the instructors that are making the switch. The undergrads are (mostly) still being taught PT.

  2. Robert Auld Avatar

    I think a lot of this “why can’t Reaper work like Pro Tools” is due to the fact that Pro Tools has a set way of working, whereas Reaper is built to be very flexible–you often can find a number of different ways to do something. If you are just trying to pick up Reaper and use it, this can be a liability–you need to spend time learning how to make it work for you, and not just a little time, it really is a major re-learning curve. If all you want to do is finish a particular project, learning a whole new DAW that operates very differently is probably not on your “to do” list.

    What I and other commenters have wanted to see, is a set of pre-sets that, when implemented, make Reaper behave much like Pro Tools with pretty much the same set of commands. This should not be that hard to do, and would really assist long-time PT users in transitioning to Reaper. And since it would just be some pre-sets that could be modified or discarded, there would be no loss of the flexibility and customizability that is unique to Reaper.

    We should also recognize that part of what drives people away from Pro Tools and towards Reaper is Avid’s business model that makes the user pay for unwanted upgrades and planned obsolesence–now especially, it feels like you are just renting the software, and next year will have to pay again…. I happen to like the way Pro Tools works and always have–it suits my production style for the gigs I usually do. It is Avid’s greed-driven business model that has pushed me into using Reaper, even though I have found the learning curve involved to be a little frustrating at times.

  3. K-BooGiE! Avatar
    K-BooGiE!

    Protools is Slowtools

    1. Marc Miller Avatar

      Ah, ProTools. How I hate thee…..let me count the ways.

      Seriously, tho- you do have to understand that, like it or not, it is still the industry “standard”, although that sentiment is fading. What’s always struck me about this problem (moving from one DAW to another) is that the predominance of engineers are really not all that technical as far as computers are concerned. It’s really not in their job description to be so, and I can’t blame them- but from that standpoint and the standpoint of the ubiquity of PT in the industry, I do see that the complaints from these types of users is based largely on not knowing that there are actually other ways to do things. PT’s workflow is extremely rigid and unyielding, in stark contrast to Reaper- who’s workflow is whatever you want it to be. While to many of us, that is what attracts us to it, the rest of the world sees that as “too much work” or “too complicated” and we have this unending argument that is fruitless at best.

      The truth of the matter is also somewhat subjective. I run Reaper in my studio (I also run Studio One as well from time to time) and a lot of the other studios I work in use only PT. I find that PT is very difficult to use, and yet I watch other engineers just fly on it. I guess it’s really chalked up to whatever you use more often.

      I do agree with Robert Auld’s assessment that what would truly set Reaper apart is for someone to come up with a set of menus, shortcuts and toolbars to get PT users closer to what they are familiar with from the outset. That would most likely help, but there will be differences even then- and, as Reaper enthusiasts (I consider myself more of an evangelist) we need to stop bickering with the PT community and just help them out. John did a fabulous job of that in a recent Reaper Blog post with helping a PT user overcome some of his fears about Reaper- we should do more of that.

      For now, I’ll just continue to carry my portable versions on USB sticks and when I go to other studios, I just start Reaper up from that and watch my client’s eyes boggle. It’s actually very enjoyable!

  4. Tristan Young Avatar
    Tristan Young

    Everything I’ve read about ProTools on the net has pretty much scared me away from it. If I had started with ProTools, and later tried Reaper, I’d be asking why ProTools can’t be like Reaper. Reaper just makes sense to me. Reaper wasn’t my first DAW. I’ve used many different systems, and while each have their pros and cons, they just don’t hold up to Reaper.

    Now if we could only get a decent chord browser to help with chord progression. I forget which DAW has a wicked chord browser, I remember seeing a review of it perhaps a couple of months ago.

  5. sunkiss Avatar
    sunkiss

    I really miss area selection (exists as FR for Reaper since maaaany years) and a good FX pack like logic or PT. Then its really at the same Level.

    1. PM Avatar
      PM

      Right-click and drag. If you don’t like that mapping you can of course change it in the preferences.

  6. Teo Oliver Avatar

    I just started to migrating to Reaper from pro tools. The last two weeks i was changing all the shortcuts and mouse modifiers so Reaper feels and work like Pro Tools, but in this process i am discovering a lot of features the don’t exist in Pro Tools that are really handy, and Reaper offers a lot of better and different workflows that i will enjoy to learn and assimilate.

    I’m sure the default workflow of Reaper its great, but In the other hand, for those like myself who have already been working with ProTools and Logic for a while, and are currently working at studios which use these softwares as well, the customization will be of great help in the transition so to reduce the learning curve close to zero.

    1. Marc Miller Avatar

      The default workflow in Reaper is really not that great.

      1. Jama Avatar
        Jama

        What specifically is it lacking? I’m switching over now..

    2. John Deans Avatar
      John Deans

      I think most of post pro people won´t switch until we have omf aaf in the program. for everything else , as a PT users in a comercial studio i will make the switch tomorow…

  7. Frank Arena Avatar
    Frank Arena

    I am still new to mixing and recording so when I was looking for a DAW, I asked people what I should choose. There were a lot of Pro Tools due to the “standard” but the price put me off and the fact that I needed special hardware requirements and even an iLok to try out the software made me just say “no”. I never got familiar with what seems to be a piece of software that is not as good as it claims to be. I then tried Ableton Live since a lite version came with my interface. It was OK but limited me on what I wanted to do (8 tracks). Upgrading that was a butt load of money as well. I came across a video from Ryan “Fluff” Bruce talking about home recording on a budget and how he used Reaper to start with. I began to research this DAW finding great info from many places which in turn led me here to this blog. I was able to trial the software for free in which I GLADLY paid the $60 to legitimately own. Love what it can do and I am ever finding ways to utilize all of its abilities. Love it!

  8. nightowl4272 Avatar

    8-9 year Sonar user here…loved it, hated it, dumped it for Reaper. I’m a key shortcut nut so I immediately re-bond Reaper’s key shortcuts to the ones I’ve always known and I was good to go. I have a feeling this would work with any DAW. I don’t know if Reaper is the best, but I know that anyone willing to invest a little time up front customizing it (one of Reaper’s greatest strengths IMO) will absolutely LOVE IT!

    1. chris Avatar
      chris

      I started years ago with Sonar 1.0, and finally iind of gave up on it after X3. I realized they kept v,changing functions i used regularly, and every couple years they were happy to chqrge me a couple hundred bucks to do it. I think of myself as an advanced hobbyist, i want to focus on making music, not focus on learning a ‘new’ software every couple years.

  9. RuSa Avatar
    RuSa

    PT workflow is “old school” and PT business model (as those of many others) is just unfair and ridiculous in my view. Moreover, Reaper has 1) a much more logical workflow approach 2) much better system stability 3) much more flexibility in every respect while having 4) the same features and possibilities. I am using REAPER in major productions (especially in the classical world) and I am not connected or related to the company in any way – but I wish the philosophy of Reaper took over the “industry standard” for the above mentioned reasons.

    1. rob r (@robbar000) Avatar

      can you scrub on top of a single wave form by clicking over it down to subframe accuracy? this doesnt mean scrubbing action of a jog wheel by moving over the timeline..

  10. Diomar Avatar
    Diomar

    If art and music always sounded as synonymous with freedom, means that the way that we use for production, recording, mixing, obviously should never be dictated only by a standard of the music industry, but we have to admit that the pro tools is padão because pioneered digital recording, but we have to be open and attentive to new tecnoligia and possibilities that could be going unnoticed because of us being tied to an industry standard.

  11. Diomar Avatar
    Diomar

    Edited!

    If art and music have always been synonymous with freedom, it means that the way we use for production, recording, mixing, of course, should never be dictated only by a standard of the music industry, but we have to admit that Pro Tools is standard because it was a pioneer in digital recording. However, we must be attentive to new technology and new possibilities that can make a big difference and not realize it, because we are stuck with an industry standard.

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