What is "missing" in Reaper DAW?

More of a matter of what is different than "missing". Some different things off topnof my head:

Comes with minimal effects plugins. The instruments included can barely be called that. For people with tons of third party vsts this is no big deal.

I don't believe it has integrated Melodyne support.

No step sequencer

No pro channel

No matrix view

No bus channels per say, bit very flexible routing

I don't think there is an arpeggiator.

I think I'm going to make the switch to Reaper too. I wish I wasn't forced to switch like this, but at least Reaper gets lots of rave reviews, so I hope I enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Sonar.

Chandler
I think I'm going to make the switch to Reaper too. I wish I wasn't forced to switch like this, but at least Reaper gets lots of rave reviews, so I hope I enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Sonar.

 Upgrades are cheap.  The website has video tutorials.  Part of it's popularity came from being a resource friendly app.

cecelius2
For $60 it is a no brainer.
 

Absolutely

For those of you looking into Reaper, here are some resources that make Reaper awesome (to me):
 
My current favorite theme
https://stash.reaper.fm/theme/1719/Imperial_LCS-mod_v2.zip
 
A set of essential extensions
http://www.sws-extension.org/
 
A replacement menu system
https://forum.cockos.com/showpost.php?p=518669
 
 

Another tidbit for Reaper ... if you use the Portable install option, it can go anywhere by simply copying the install folder.  Want to try some some new config options?  Copy the folder and hack away without concern for messing up anything.
 

Matron Landslide 
Try it, you'll either like it or not, the demo is fully functional, and it doesn't expire, 

... then why "buy" it?
 
I've tried Reaper a few times. I too like the Imperial theme, but this and other themes start loosing balance and positioning at certain resolutions. Graphics start covering each other up or get misaligned making it hard to do any work. MIDI isn't as straight forward as Sonar. It'll be a tough change.

In my experimenting with Reaper, I liked the look of the Imperial themes, but was frustrated by the size constraints. So I tried the Default_Commala_5 theme, and I like it. It's a good compromise between having a "hardware" look, which I like, and still being very space efficient and flexible. Give that one a try, if you haven't already.

To help with Reaper:
 
From the EXCELLENT  admiralbumblebee.com   (LOTS of *great* information/tips about many DAWs)
Reaper Script Showcase  admiralbumblebee.com/ReaperScripts.html 
Things that I really dislike about Reaper
admiralbumblebee.com/music/2017/04/04/Things-that-I-really-dislike-about-Reaper.html 
Things that I really like about Reaper
admiralbumblebee.com/studio/2017/03/30/Things-that-I-really-like-about-Reaper.html 


reaperblog.net/
kennymania.com/reaper-videos/
extremraym.com/en/reaper-5-review/

dubdisciple

No matrix view

 
For $20, you can have essentially all of Live's session view functionality in Reaper.  Playtime has been around for years and is consistently adding features and fixes.
 
http://www.helgoboss.org/projects/playtime/

dubdisciple
More of a matter of what is different than "missing". Some different things off topnof my head:

Comes with minimal effects plugins. The instruments included can barely be called that. For people with tons of third party vsts this is no big deal.

I don't believe it has integrated Melodyne support.

No step sequencer

No pro channel

No matrix view

No bus channels per say, bit very flexible routing

I don't think there is an arpeggiator.

I'm still up in the air of which way to go - Cubase / Mixcraft / Reaper, however, I'm very impressed with the notation editor they added:
 
https://youtu.be/dSJW9zcHMLk   - plus save to pdf and xml export
 
Also, there is this for a matrix view in Reaper:
 
https://forums.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=149712
 
I see a lot of folks running Reaper on their Macs.  That's saying something, considering they could be running Logic Pro X for $199.  Just sayin'

Not directly on track of the thread here, but wanted to bump a statement made by a forum member who commented on the time shift power of Reaper, saying it was the best in the industry.
 
Take this to the bank or to the church as gospel. These renegades wrote a function into the code that is available nowhere else, period. So much looking to be educated and corrected if I am wrong.
 
Reaper uses Elastique to stretch out the session without changing pitch. Also has the ability in another control mode to alter the computer's clock rate. Changes both rate and pitch without resampling, and the artifacts that would normally be there. Whether changing pitch or tuning of an entire project, nothing nowhere comes even close. There, I done revealed my secret weapon for doing methodical guitar riffs and speeding them back up without sounding fake.
 
Objective however, if the parameters of both modes are warped to the extreme at the same time, there is co dependency and wave files may not tune exactly without an extra cleanup step. Bug or just the limitation of where we are currently. Under less extreme pressure, the Reaper time and pitch alteration functions are a godsend for the digital musician. Check it out and experience if you can come remotely close with anything else on the market.
 
John