Software upgrade time (should I jump ship?).. what would you do?

[patrickj]

I really only run Reaper. I don't have a love affair with it, but it works fairly well for what I tend to do. I'm not an engineer type tho and I have gotten extremely frustrated at times when something doesn't seem intuitive.

[I also have licenses for Samplitude Pro X and Samp Music Studio, but meh, I just don't connect with them anymore. Buggy, crash a fair bit, they all just feel a bit long in the tooth if that makes sense.]

I do most of my writing on my ipad with garageband. Love the sounds, love the amp sims, love the drum samples, the process just works great for me. When I'm ready to take my ideas from the small screen to my studio setup, things fall apart. I just don't have 'enough' yet.

My important regularly used plugins: Steven Slate Drums, Magix Vandal, Bias Amp, Peavey Revalver, as well as a bunch of freebie VSTs.

I don't have any samplers, I don't have any of those 'get the creative juices flowing' type of plugins or resources and I really wish I did. The Samplitudes come with the Independence library (~12GB) which is pretty nice, but it's tied to Samplitude. Game over.

AFAICT, I have two paths to take, both ending up around $300.. which would you do?

1) Studio One 4 Pro.. comes with Melodyne Esst, comes with a bunch of sample libraries, comes with more plugins and sounds.. all stuff I wish I had now. I'd be tied into the Presonus eco-system but everything I've seen about it suggests that's not a bad place. $300ish

2) Stick with Reaper and get Komplete Select and Melodyne Esst. Takes care of the sounds + samples things, plus Melodyne. Pro: I could take Komplete and Melodyne to any DAW I want, Con?: Still using Reaper. $300ish

I think mainly my question comes down to whether I'll like Studio One more than Reaper.

Thoughts? Anecdotes? Similar experiences?

PS - Spent years running Logic (before it hit MAS), that's sort of what I'm looking for. I don't Mac anymore (nor do I want to - not an option). Logic love always explains my stints with Samplitude, but it was just meh.

 

[Frank Tuesday]

I'm a big Reaper fan, and voted accordingly.

However, I'd start by using the Studio One 4 Pro demo for a month and see if you like the workflow better than Reaper. Or get the free Studio One (now featuring even more crippleware). The latter doesn't have full capabilities, but you should be able to tell if you like the workflow. Worst case, you can export the stems and finish them in Reaper. Best case, you at least have hands on comparison to let you know which interface you prefer.

 

[bass40hz]

I voted something else...I can not get my head around Reaper for some reason, I use a Mac...tried Ableton, not a fan, its more for beat makers and things not related to writing/recording metal...recently got the free version of ProTols with a new Focusrite Scarlett I just got, always wanted to try ProTools, never really wanted to plunk down the cash to do so...I find ProTools to be a much easier DAW than reaper, more intuitive and easier on the eyes (mind you I am a 52 year old guy who still thinks he is 25 in his head)...you can download ProTools First for free and try it, it limits you to 16 tracks and I am sure there are other pare downs from the full version but it does what I need it to do right now plus you can get yearly subscription licenses from between 70-100 bucks from authorized retailers for the full version.

 

[Frank Tuesday]

Also, if you decide to go Reaper/Komplete, you might look into used Komplete. Just make sure you're buying the license and not just the installation media. I bought Komplete 4 for $60, then bought Komplete 10 Upgrade for $120. I'd make sure you can get to Komplete 8, as that has Kontakt 5, which will run most third party instruments, including freebies. The Komplete Select only comes with Kontakt Player, which has limited third party instrument support. Here's a google sheet someone has put together which compares all the products included in different version of Komplete.

I looked on ebay, and someone is selling Komplete 7, and another seller has the Komplete 11 Upgrade. If you did buy it now on both, you'd be looking at $365. Granted that is a fair bit more Komplete Select, but it is 10x the capabilities. The great thing about used software is that it is identical to new software. You just enter your serial numbers and download everything from NI.

 

[guts]

I also think that you should try out Studio One and see if you like it.

But mainly I think that the best DAW is always the one that you're most familiar with. And that every time you change your DAW you're making everything harder for yourself, and wasting a big part of your ability to focus on making your music good on focusing on making the software do what it's supposed to.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Most DAWs have a free or trial version. Since you're not wed to anything at this time, why not explore and see what you like? Everyone's preferences are different and my opinion means nothing to your own. I've used many DAWs; it's been Studio One for the last six or so years because I like the interface. Lately I've gotten deeply into MIDI and have discovered my DAW is lacking some advanced features so maybe I'll explore again. Or not. Your DAW is just a tool, not a religion.

 

[JRA]

i like reaper because of its low-failure rate for tracking (i use others, too, which are designed to work well with the digital equipment i use), but i use pro tools for mixing and mastering.

i'm with the group who would advise using whatever gives you the most confidence for your own particular workflow. almost anything works for someone, somewhere, sometime. good luck with your recordings/projects!

 

[MasterG]

Ive had them all and Studio One is the one Ive stuck with.