Ableton Live vs Reaper

You can add curves to automation. Additionally, Ableton lets users duplicate certain automations quickly.

The Ableton DAW offers a great sampling experience, which can be approached in many different ways. Audio can be directly chopped, quantized, warped, and even chopped into MIDI clips. Ableton's built in sampler also allows clean pitching along with useful loop functions.

Ableton's session view gives a much quicker, more flexible way of experimenting with ideas than a typical linear interface. In session view, each instrument part is a separate entity that can be mixed and matched with other parts without having to rearrange anything. Any and every effect is consolidated into one clean looking interface.

It allows users to experiment with effects and other manipulations very quickly. Because of this, Ableton is known as one of the most creative DAWs out there.

While all DAWs are capable of playing music live, Ableton Live is the most DJ friendly DAW out there as it allows mixing and mashing various MIDI or audio clips together in real-time while still making sure that they're in sync.

Ableton's new EQ includes an integrated spectrum analyzer so users can see exactly which frequencies need to be adjusted. Additionally, this EQ cuts by 48 db. Up until Ableton Live 9, the EQ only cut by 12 db.

The browser lets users choose from live Sets, tracks, clips, devices, presets, samples, etc. There is also an auto-play function for audio clips that enables users to browse samples quickly. The search function is also handy, but only for clips that are labeled appropriately.

Starting with Live 9, users can see session and arrangement views at the same time with dual monitor support.

15 software instruments, 55 audio effects and 17 midi effects.

With Max for Live, users can create custom synthesizers, audio effects, sequencers, samplers, and more. Max for Live is a feature that is available starting with Live 9 Suite.

After some training this daw can be used for doing anything. There are basically no limits.

Not everyone realizes this, but anything can be done in multiple ways in Live. Multiple ways of playing samples, multiple ways of slicing samples, multiple ways of sequencing MIDI, etc.

Not only can the time stretching can be done in real-time, there are about a dozen of TC/E algorithms to choose from.

Skeuomorphism is described as retaining antiquated aesthetic features on an updated version of a device. For DAWs, this happens when an interface is littered with analog nobs, wires, and other things that are reminiscent of older technology. While this can be considered a stylistic choice for some DAWs, it tends to block progress towards better practices in music production.

Many MIDI controllers have been developed for the exclusive purpose of being used with Ableton. Some popular Live controllers include Push, APC40, and Launchpad.

The amount of well-versed tutorials and guides online can help you master Live in a few hours. Secret tips and tricks are also widespread. Forums are filled to the brim with support for any issue you can think of.

Maybe not on certain systems, but when used in an normal system it's very stable.

VST3s now run smoothly in Ableton 10.1 and up. However, be careful when loading in CPU-heavy plugins.

In Live V10, you can trigger MIDI notes without having to do so from the start.

You can make your own skin/themes online and use it in "preferences" tab!

Audio to midi, scales on piano roll, etc.

With a simple plugin, Ableton allows the user to pick from a wide variety of scales when triggering notes.

You can easily warp audio with many different modes and resolutions, and change individual warp markers.

You can easily customize a GUI.

Reaper receives high praise for its stability. It's one of the many talking points of the software.

There are no limits to the amount of tracks or effects that Reaper can run. Reaper is stable enough to handle comically dense projects with style.

Reaper's developers add features based on user request at lightspeed. This is what makes Reaper reliable and trustworthy. Fans of Reaper are so adamant about the software because of this.

Contrary to Music Radar's review of FL Studio, Reaper is the true "People's DAW".

Reaper's will tailor itself to fit your computer's processing power by automatically using the "anticipative FX processing" feature.

No complex activation shenanigans. No dongle and such.

Records in WAV, AIFF, FLAC, WAVPACK, OGG and MP3.

In addition to its powerful inbuilt plugins, Reaper comes bundled with about 300 little plugins written in its own EEL2 (aka Jesusonic) scripting language. This is also open-source so the end user can create or edit preexisting ones to get exactly what they want.

When using a 64-bit installation of Reaper, all 32-bit plugins will still work alongside 64-bit plugins. On computers with an x86-64 CPU and an OS that supports multi-architecture, you can also run bridged 64-bit plugins on 32-bit Reaper.

Reaper is lightweight enough to be run off of a flash drive; the installer weights less than 20 MB and the portable installation option is included in it.

Although it may seem otherwise, Reaper is shareware. After your 60-day free trial runs out, the program remains full-featured. Like WinRAR, the only person forcing you to get a license is you.

Reaper has no limitations. Once you understand it, Reaper becomes a mixing, mastering and editing mainstay. Reaper punches way above its price range in terms of sheer brevity.

Without prior experience with DAW, you can install Reaper, set up ASIO drivers, connect to your amp and mikes, get the hang of recording/re-recording tracks, and render an mp3 in just a few hours. You can accomplish the basics very fast.

Thought has been given to many time-saving features and shortcuts which speed up workflow considerably.

Reaper can be purchased in two different ways: A commercial license (225 USD) and a discounted license (60 USD).

You can use Reaper unhindered with either license. You can only get the discount if your salary does not exceed 20,000 USD.

In Reaper, you can record MIDI and Audio onto the same track. As well, there are no distinctions between any form of audio. Surround Sound, Mono, Stereo files, and anything else you can think of; all of this can be recorded onto the same track.

You can have multiple projects open via tabs at the top left. You can then drag and drop clips, instruments or ideas between projects with ease.

If you want to use it as a glorified tape machine and nothing else, you'll still be able to get work done. If you want to learn all the shortcuts, scripts, custom actions and macros and really unlock what Reaper can do, you can do that as well. Either way, you'll still be able to make music.

No need to install Wine, Reaper supports Linux natively!

You can customize Reaper with hundreds of themes, or make them yourself.

A freeze can be applied to a group, and then picked apart track by track.

Miraculously, composition-focused musicians can now find a home in Reaper.

Allows usage of the basic bundled like EQ's and comp plugins in any DAW.

While some may disagree, the GUI has been widely celebrated for its informative nature. Everything you need to see is there or reachable. For more analytical types, Reaper can be of use.

You don't have to go to a separate editor to edit audio files. You can work directly on the track, and drop/drag pieces to other tracks, sew them together. It's a fun sandbox and easy peasy.

You can control almost everything via OSC (and MIDI, too).

Set the cursor, press a key, done. Reaper's cursor is extremely intuitive. A monkey could understand it.

Unlike Cakewalk, Bitwig, etc., there is no need to switch cursor editing modes or work around "smart" cursors.

Running smoothly with 50 tracks on i5 gen3 RAM 4GB laptop (mixing and mastering work done separately).

These two things are the biggest advantage of Reaper. No other DAW can beat it based on CPU efficiency. Some people say Reaper isn't a professional DAW by look, but it's not true. Reaper is a full-featured professional DAW. You can do anything whatever you want for music production.
The price is also reasonable. They are even generous with the evaluation policy. If they offer the simple and intuitive version, I'll be back to Reaper.

While other DAWs drag their feet on Windows, Reaper hits a solid stride even on Linux.

You can have one version and the future version when its out .

Reaper allows editing while you're recording for a performative and fluid workflow. This feature can also help save time when mixing.

Can run edited Script tools programmed by users.

Not like Ableton which forces all master/track plugins chain to 1-core