Reaper is offering a free license through June

**lukmanohnz** · 05-01-2020, 10:23 AM

If you are looking for a really solid, full featured DAW for Windows, Mac or Linux, Reaper is currently providing a free license that’s good through June. If you’ve never used it, this is a rock solid platform with very good support and routine updates. Cost of a full individual license is $60, which is a pittance when you compare it to Pro Tools or other high-end DAWs. It supports most plug-ins and you can use a control surface like this one for driving the bus (I have a one channel FaderPort that works great). My son recorded an entire EP in his studio apartment last year and it’s pretty amazing. He got a few collaborators to contribute their tracks remotely (just due to logistics - long before COVID-19) and mixed and mastered the whole thing in Reaper. The free license is a great way to test drive Reaper.

NFI.

**MarkRhodes** · 05-01-2020, 10:43 AM

Thanks for the notice!
I've downloaded Reaper and will see what I can do with it. (I have no doubt the software is wonderful. I, however, am not. Indeed, I suck at futzing with recording equipment.)

But I appreciate the opportunity to give it another go.

**OneWatt** · 05-01-2020, 10:49 AM

Thanks! - always good to know what's available. I'll add another thought to the mix...

Tracktion Waveform is full featured, way powerful beyond what most of us would ever need, and 100% free for all time.

If you're into checking out DAW capabilities and doing some test-driving, it's certainly worth a look: Tracktion Music Production Technology | audio editing, virtual instruments, plugins & hardware

FWIW, I've got no skin in the game.

**Alter** · 05-01-2020, 10:59 AM

Reaper is a great DAW, i have it on my laptop. It has always had a kind of a voluntarily payment method, meaning you can evaluate the full edition for as long as you want to, and if so inclined you pay for the license.

I think the only competition for the money now is Cakewalk, which i believe went free a while back? Never got into that though, despite having used cakewalk some years back, mainly because of the extra bandlab software that comes with it, activation every 6 months etc.. didn't actually seem free.

**fep** · 05-01-2020, 11:06 AM

Reaper has a two price structure, a discounted price and a commercial price. The distinction is based on how much you make per year using the Daw. The cutoff is $20,000 . $60 is the lower price and $225 is the higher price. Exact same software for whatever price you pay.

For those of you giving Reaper a try, check out the video tutorials on their website. I believe one of the strong features of Reaper is these excellent video tutorials.

**grahambop** · 05-01-2020, 11:23 AM

I’ve got a Focusrite Scarlett interface arriving soon, so I may well investigate Reaper when I get it, from what I’ve seen it looks good.

**sgosnell** · 05-01-2020, 01:34 PM

I find it mildly amusing that the user guide is more than twice as large as the program itself, at least for the Linux version.

**fep** · 05-01-2020, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

I find it mildly amusing that the user guide is more than twice as large as the program itself, at least for the Linux version.

More of a reference than anything else. I've only referred to it a few times. These videos are the easiest way to learn, at least for someone like me.

REAPER | Videos

**Spook410** · 05-01-2020, 02:21 PM

There is a ton of support available for this product including getting started with it. Strong user group. Lots of active users around the world. Well designed and has evolved with the DAW market over the years.

**TedBPhx** · 05-01-2020, 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by grahambop

I’ve got a Focusrite Scarlett interface arriving soon, so I may well investigate Reaper when I get it, from what I’ve seen it looks good.

I use Reaper with a 4i4. No problems.

**grahambop** · 05-06-2020, 03:38 PM

I’ve now got the Focusrite 2i2 and Reaper, all works well. I also like the fact you can get different ‘themes’ to change the appearance of Reaper. The basic look is quite spartan but you can transform it to look just like a studio mixing desk etc. if you want.

Another good point is that the focusrite will accept my old AKG C1000s mic. I haven’t really used it much because there was always some noise when using it into any computer or device I had previously. (Originally I used it with a portastudio-type cassette 4 track for which it recorded perfectly!).