If you have been reading my articles you know that I love Reaper and it’s my favorite DAW. It’s my main recording software.
I have used almost every DAW and all of them were great but once I first tried Reaper I fell in love and use it since then. Although I didn’t like the interface I got used to it quickly.
Some people are skeptical when it comes to Reaper and they prefer other digital audio workstation and I get it.
But perhaps after this post, you will want to at least try it.
6 Reasons Why Reaper Is My Favorite DAW
There are countless reasons why Reaper is an amazing DAW but I will list the six reasons why it’s my favorite digital audio workstation. And if you have been doubtful about it you might change your mind.
1. Reaper Has Free Themes
Reaper has the option to use free themes which change the interface. It works like skin and there are thousands of Reaper themes you can use for free or create your own.
It may not sound like something special and it doesn’t add anything to recording quality but having the option to change the digital audio workstation interface as you like is a nice feature. There are DAW-specific themes too like Pro Tools or Ableton which is great if you switch from them to Reaper but want a familiar interface.
2. It Includes Free Plugins
If themes are not something that might change your mind, plugins are. All digital audio workstation includes plugins but the collection of plugins in Reaper is huge and the quality is superb. The library includes all plugins for mixing, mastering, recording, instruments, utilities, etc.
Each plugin offer controls to tweak the sound in-depth and some plugins come with presets too. I can say that Reaper comes with the best built-in plugins I have ever seen. So, if you are using free plugins you can forget them because Reaper has everything.
3. Reaper Is Easy To Use
Ease of use is very important for me because I want to record and mix songs and if DAW is hard to learn, then it’s not for me. And Reaper is perhaps the easiest DAW to use. First, it might be difficult or awkward to use it but once you get used to it, workflow is very easy and convenient.
Reaper makes it easy to create tracks, add plugins, make bus tracks, and do other recording and mixing-related tasks. You just need very little time to learn it and then it goes without issues.
4. It’s Ultra Customizable
Another reason why I love Reaper is the customization options. I already told you about themes but configuring the DAW as you want is very easy and powerful in Reaper. You can customize how different sections look such as tracks, layers, mixer, and almost everything else.
Also, configuring audio, media, or other options is easy and you can use hotkeys to navigate faster. Again, first, it might look difficult but in reality, it’s very easy to use Reaper.
5. Reaper Almost Never Fails
One of the main issues with digital audio workstations is that many times they crash, especially if you use many plugins. For example, when I was using Pro Tools it was crashing frequently and I had that issue with some other DAWs. But not with Reaper.
It almost never crashes or has no glitches. I don’t even remember if I had that issue ever and that’s the one big plus. We all know how frustrating it is when you record or mix tracks and the software turns off. Perhaps the Reaper is the most consistent DAW in that regard.
6. It’s Very Affordable
And one of my favorite features of Reaper is the price and I’m sure there are no other pro DAW that will go up against it. It costs only $60 which is mindblowing for full-featured digital audio workstations.
I like other DAWs such as Studio One, Ableton, and Reason Studios but prices are too high, especially for home recording engineers.
So, Reaper is the best option in that regard. You get everything plus some unique features for much less money.
Conclusion
These are the reasons why I love Reaper and why it’s my absolute favorite software for recording but it has many other awesome features and options. It’s a lightweight and feature-packed software that is my main DAW for almost 10 years. If you have never used it I recommend trying it, get used to it and I’m sure you will love it too.