I've been watching the Groove3 videos; almost convinced!
Time to create a Superior Drummer template (now that I "get" how folders and "busses" work),
then do some midi editing.
I must admit this program is very powerful.
The routing at first is intimidating, but the Groove3 video lays it out simply.
Reminders me of the RME Totalmix; once you wrap your head around it, you can't live without it!
 
T

After REAPER announced ARA integration, it is very likely to be my next choice, when that time comes.
As of now, I'm still a SONAR user.
But I like the feel of it, both as a DAW and a community.

DeeringAmps
I've been watching the Groove3 videos; almost convinced!
Time to create a Superior Drummer template (now that I "get" how folders and "busses" work),
then do some midi editing.
I must admit this program is very powerful.
The routing at first is intimidating, but the Groove3 video lays it out simply.
Reminders me of the RME Totalmix; once you wrap your head around it, you can't live without it!

 
If you right click REAPER's mixer and select "Insert virtual instrument on new track", then select Superior Drummer 2, REAPER will ask if you want to create separate audio tracks for the outputs. Selecting yes will build a track with Superior on it, followed by 16 stereo tracks for Superior Drummer's mixer outputs.
 
From here, pick a drum kit in Superior, and then right click Superior Drummer's mixer on "output" and select "Multichannel".
 
That will get everything laced up in short order and may be the same thing you saw in the video, but if not, that's how I do it.
 
One additional thing I do with my kits is pare down the number of outputs to REAPER, doing some grouping within Superior. IOW, instead of using up four tracks for snare top, snare bottom, snare rim, and snare comp, I send all four variations of snare to one output in Superior, so all snare variations are one track in REAPER. If I need to tweak the balance of the four snare parts, I use Superior's mixer, but all FX and mixing of the main components of the drums, I do in REAPER. Most of my kits in REAPER have kick, snare, toms, hihat, overhead, and room.
 
If you need any help setting any of it up, let me know.  I've been using the two together since Superior 1, which was actually called "Drumkit From Hell Superior".
 
 
 

I do not want to create yet another thread. Before bombing Reaper forum, where such discussion can trigger quite some negativity AKA "holy wars", lets compose the list of Sonar features which are NOT available in Reaper. I guess the list will be smaller then the opposite. Gurus are welcome to correct, in case something is just overseen (but without "no one needs that" comments, please...).
 
I will start with my own observations:
* ARA. Already declared as coming.
* Control Surfaces integrations. That I can change
* No "key signature". Loops can follow tempo, but not key. Manual pitch shifting can be used as a workaround.
* Track inspector. Is something in that direction exists? Something in that direction: https://reaper.hector-cor..com/app/track-inspector
* Step sequencer. I have checked Megababy, but that is not even close. May be some 3d party VST can be used for that? Sonar MIDI was DX based only, any MIDI VSTs was a nightmare to route, but in Reaper that should not be a problem. Ideas?
* Matrix view. In Sonar it was more buggy then useful, I guess some VST/Reaper plug-in can do at least the same. Which? Something in this direction: https://www.helgoboss.org/projects/playtime/

azslow3
I do not want to create yet another thread. Before bombing Reaper forum, where such discussion can trigger quite some negativity AKA "holy wars", lets compose the list of Sonar features which are NOT available in Reaper. I guess the list will be smaller then the opposite. Gurus are welcome to correct, in case something is just overseen (but without "no one needs that" comments, please...).
 
I will start with my own observations:
* ARA. Already declared as coming.
* Control Surfaces integrations. That I can change
* No "key signature". Loops can follow tempo, but not key. Manual pitch shifting can be used as a workaround.
* Track inspector. Is something in that direction exists?
* Step sequencer. I have checked Megababy, but that is not even close. May be some 3d party VST can be used for that? Sonar MIDI was DX based only, any MIDI VSTs was a nightmare to route, but in Reaper that should not be a problem. Ideas?
* Matrix view. In Sonar it was more buggy then useful, I guess some VST/Reaper plug-in can do at least the same. Which?

In no particular order . . .
 
One of the cool control surfaces in REAPER is HTML. On my phone, tablet, or any other device that can display web pages that is on the same network as REAPER, you can remotely run it. As for hardware mixer looking things, those are supported pretty well, but I always wonder "why bring back a hardware mixer thing?". Oh well, to each their own. I prefer mixing with envelopes, and no moving parts or space taken up, but that's just me.
 
Loops?  I never use them at all, because I play all the instruments on my songs, unless I have a friend sitting in, so I don't know much about loops.  I do know that you could record say a rhythm guitar that you wanted to repeat, and only record say a measure of it, then snap trim the start and end to perfect time, glue the clip and it becomes an acidized clip that you can drag the end of out as far as you want. You can also hold alt, then drag the end and it will stretch the clip, while retaining the original pitch.
 
Plugins like KT Drum Trigger, which listens on multiple bands to audio, and then creates midi to trigger drum instruments is on that I remember having no luck with in Sonar 5 (maybe it works with later versions), because it is both an audio and a midi plugin. With REAPER, I can put KT Drum Trigger on an audio track, set the bands and thresholds the way I want, and then simply drag from that track's "Send" to another track that has something like Superior Drummer 2 on it. 
 
Hehe, just the other day I did that with one of the famous Buddy Rich bus rants, where he screams and cusses out the members of his band on his bus while on a break. The end result is a sloppy drum solo that is in perfect sync with Buddy Rich's rant.
 
I never used track inspector when I used Sonar, but I've seen videos for REAPER where docking the mixer to the left of track view and reducing it to the size of one mixer strip, makes it so that click selecting a track in track view, causes the one single mixer track that is docked on the left to be sync'd and display the same track as selected.
 
Is that what track inspector was used for in Sonar? I have always in both programs split the screen down the middle, with mixer view on the bottom, and track view on the top.
 
Never used any step sequencing either, but I know that the native midi editor in REAPER has some step recording stuff built in.  This video hits on some of it.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmQEq-dE_pc
 
Matrix view?  Is the the green falling text from that movie?  I have no idea on that one.   ;)
 

"Most of my kits in REAPER have kick, snare, toms, hihat, overhead, and room"
Makes sense!
Thanks Glen
 
T

the_user_formally_known_as_glennbo

azslow3
I do not want to create yet another thread. Before bombing Reaper forum, where such discussion can trigger quite some negativity AKA "holy wars", lets compose the list of Sonar features which are NOT available in Reaper. I guess the list will be smaller then the opposite. Gurus are welcome to correct, in case something is just overseen (but without "no one needs that" comments, please...).
 
I will start with my own observations:
* ARA. Already declared as coming.
* Control Surfaces integrations. That I can change
* No "key signature". Loops can follow tempo, but not key. Manual pitch shifting can be used as a workaround.
* Track inspector. Is something in that direction exists?
* Step sequencer. I have checked Megababy, but that is not even close. May be some 3d party VST can be used for that? Sonar MIDI was DX based only, any MIDI VSTs was a nightmare to route, but in Reaper that should not be a problem. Ideas?
* Matrix view. In Sonar it was more buggy then useful, I guess some VST/Reaper plug-in can do at least the same. Which?

 
Matrix view?  Is the the green falling text from that movie?  I have no idea on that one.   ;)
 

Matrix view => PlayTime
 
I'm researching some loop pitch options.

pbognarI'm researching some loop pitch options.

Is it to transpose one single clip out of many, or all clips on a track?
 
If it's one single clip, you can add any FX you want to individual clips in REAPER, and I've used the plugin ReaPitch to transpose clips within songs where I wanted to ease into a key change, by having the last bit of a clip change to the new key before the whole song changes key. Sort of like an introduction to the new key. I used some of that on the vocal in my song Asymmetric Image.
 
Clip FX are real good for other stuff too, like compressing the snot out of a vocal that sticks out too much in the mix. There is also the ability to put a pitch envelope on individual clips, but that is really more for things like vocal pitch correction.

I’ve been using Reaper for a week and a half now.Somethings about it are great, mostly the flexibility. The region markers are really useful also. Other things like routing and frustrating, but all and all it has been good. I imagine once I get used to the work flow it will be fine. I’ve started working on a song and everything is going well so far. I just reached the mixing stage, so after that’s over I’ll really be able to judge.

Chandler,
 
Comment on final mix down in Reaper. Can be a mess depending. My voice not to be a brain dead fan boy. Reaper incredible but like all DAW's, not beyond problems.
 
When ready to be mixed down to a final wav, the project has a quick processing "Render" option. This may work well, but on occasion, the speed of processing breaks a vst's ability to keep up, and the "rendered" file may deviate from what you hear in the original session. Some deep and arcane threads about what to check etc if rendered waves deviate from what you otherwise hear in the active session..
 
If you don't have hundreds of files to process, take the "bounce to disc" option one by one. This is done in real time and has no deviation in the final mix from what you hear in the project.
 
John