It used to be that creating music and other related audio pieces is one slow and tedious task. With the emergence of technology, however, this has changed dramatically as a variety of digital applications are now available for music enthusiasts to use with ease.
Digital Audio Workstation, or DAW for short, is one such application. A DAW is a computer software or an electronic device designed to produce, record, and edit audio often with high precision. This has allowed both established and unknown music artists to conveniently create the kind of music that they love.
Contrary to popular perception, DAW is not a recent creation. It has been around since the late 70s, although in recent years, modern technology has paved the way for the production of updated and highly sophisticated DAWs. One of these is REAPER.
Cockos’ REAPER
Digital audio technology firm Cockos designed REAPER which stands for Rapid Environment for Audio Production, Engineering, and Recording. The software works well with several operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac. This makes REAPER among the more popular DAWs in the market.
Purchasing REAPER is not really a major concern for the ordinary musician. Compared to other DAWs, this Cockos creation is more affordable. This is among the reasons REAPER has become a sought-after music software since it was first made available.
The REAPER Speed
Features-wise, REAPER is tops when it comes to speed. After getting installed on a laptop or a desktop, this application can be launched in just a few seconds, not minutes. The launch speed favors the musician who suddenly finds inspiration and would like to set this down in digital form right away lest he forgets it soon enough.
The reason for the speed in REAPER installation has a lot to do with its size. The application is generally lightweight with the installer portion weighing less than 20MB. The accompanying codes are highly accurate as prepared by the software developers which should also account for the fast REAPER launch.
Crashes
Software crashes happen every now and then and DAWs are no exceptions. When it does take place, a crash can ruin a music artist’s work which is obviously frustrating,
especially when major changes have just been made and these were not saved right away.
With REAPER, crashes are not common occurrences. It remains generally stable even when loaded with tons of music data, including virtual instruments and sophisticated plugins.
Customization
The REPER application is highly customizable. This means the user can easily make changes on the software settings depending on his or her personal preference. The skins, for instance, can be modified with one click with the user given the freedom to choose a skin from any online source. Ultimately, this will make the downloaded REAPER uniquely personal, one that gets easily identified with its owner.
Of course, doing this will involve making a few manual tweaks which some see as one of REAPER’s weaknesses as a music software. However, most musicians are actually among those who love to tweak with their instruments to make these suit their own personal tastes. Given this, REAPER can be considered as the musician’s ideal music companion in his journey towards music perfection.