Jump to content

Cakewalk and Reaper which one and Why?


Aloe Duke

Recommended Posts

After trying most of the major DAWS when Sonar went “dark”, Reaper was the only one I was interested in. That being said, it was only considered as a “fall back” position when Sonar would have completely “quit”. Bear in mind my ‘50 000-28 and ‘68 Paul still fill my needs, and my XP pc’s still run my embroidery machines flawlessly. One of those XP machines is the “leanest”, “meanest” pc I own. So take my nickel98 with a grain of salt...

CbB (Cakewalk by BandLab)

tom

don’t get me started on NOS Mullard GZ-34’s ?

  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally, I prefer Studio One Pro overall these days. Bought the crossgrade when Sonar went "dark". Still a learning curve from Sonar.

But as a Cakewalk user of over 20 years, there are still times that I open CbB first if I need to do something quick. Muscle memory I guess! ?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Strantrickt said:

Can I do all the productions with Cakewalk? 

Yes, Cakewalk is a full featured DAW with many features of a traditional recording studio (emphasis on studio), and is basically the updated version of Sonar Platinum that used to sell for hundreds of dollars. You can do professional recording, arranging, and mixing all within Cakewalk.

But if by productions you mean that you want to do productions for live performances and DJ stuff, you would probably be happier with something like Ableton Live, because of its unique session view for loops, uninterruptible audio engine,  and the live sampling capability. Cakewalk and most other traditional linear DAWs don't excel in that type of thing.

Edited by abacab
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Strantrickt said:

I have no business with live performance right now.  Is the reaper insufficient in live performance?

Most DAWs are not  comparable  to Ableton Live in that regard. Hence the name "Live". Maybe Bitwig, but haven't tried that.

I would head over to the Reaper forum for more info on that program. They have an active user community.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, razor7music said:

Is Reaper free? If not, there's a plus for Cakewalk for ya.

Reaper is free to use for 60 days, then $60.

But I cannot stand the Reaper UI and the user experience.

It has some great tech under the hood that I like, but I'm not interesting in building a DAW (i.e. the endless customization that can be performed to the UI to hack into something pleasant to work with).

Edited by abacab
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're going to be doing a lot of Live Recording and Editing of Audio, then REAPER is better; although I'd probably prefer Samplitude Pro X Suite for that kind of work.

I'd also give it the nod for composition, and it has a much better score editor than Cakewalk with the ability to import and export MusicXML.  The MIDI editing is fine.

You'd just need to get it all set up the way you want it after installation.  Do this first before jumping in, so you don't have to "backtrack" when you actually want to get work done.

It has good documentation, as well.

It's $60 for a Personal License and $225 for a Commercial License.  Personal License is for people who make $20k or less with the software (so, not for Professionals).

I actually prefer Cakewalk over REAPER for EDM and similar genres, as it has tooling that works well for that, and is set up pretty nicely out of the box.  Matrix View, AudioSnap, Loop Construction View, Synth Rack, etc.

If your machine is low spec, then  go REAPER because you're going to need all of the headroom you can get.

Personal Opinion:  I do think REAPER is overrated, and much of this is driven by people who use    the software without paying and convince themselves it is "Free" simply because the trial isn't enforced.  It's the new FL Studio, pretty much.

DAWs like Digital Performer and Logic Pro X are fine for Live Performance - particularly Logic, since the 10.5 update (it's on par with Ableton Live, except for MIDI Sync).  However, DP costs considerably more than REAPER, and Logic Pro X is only on macOS (so, not an option for the OP).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Strantrickt said:

I won't be recording

Not sure what you are doing with it then.....but seriously.  Cakewalk is my preference by a long shot, espectically for someone new to DAWs.    Because I think the interface and tools  and setup are more intuitive.   Both are powerful, but I think Cakewalk offers a better user experience , is free, and comes with a great set of tools.  

And as stated by others, Reaper is not free despite the fact it has a trial that doesn't expire.  If you continue to use it past the trial period, you are obligated under the terms and conditions to pay for it.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The learning curve is more difficult with Reaper. It's not as intuitive or user-friendly. I always felt like it was fighting me every step of the way.

To me, Cakewalk is a no-brainer.  It does everything. It's elegant. and it's free. In my opinion, a newcomer to the world of DAWS would be crazy not to try it first.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course. Cakewalk does everything you need to do in a DAW. It's also one of the oldest, thus has had a lot of time to be perfected. and the developers are not under market pressure. They're free to continue perfecting it without worrying about the bottom line. And Cakewalk users are among the most knowledgeable people on the planet when it comes to using music creation software. 

  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...