Reaper is a DAW (digital audio workstation) that you can use to record, edit and mix audio. There are many other DAWs (Logic, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Garageband, Bandlab), so here are some reasons why you might choose Reaper:
Pros
Reaper is free/low-cost (approx. £50 for a personal license) and offers a 60-day trial period, after which it will prompt you to purchase each time you open it (but it won’t stop you from using it).
Reaper is lightweight, with the core software only taking up approx. 25MB.
Reaper is extremely flexible, with an ‘anything to anywhere’ design that allows you to route audio and MIDI signals in almost any direction. In addition, there are many extensions that allow you to manipulate audio and MIDI signals in novel ways.
Reaper is screen reader friendly.
Cons
Reaper has a limited set of built-in virtual instruments.
Reaper has a steeper learning curve than some other DAWs.
Reaper is not an ideal choice for disabled young people who are starting to make music, because it does not have many in-built instruments/loops and it takes time to learn to navigate (particularly in comparison with Garageband/Bandlab).
Quick Start Guide
What you will need:
A computer and optionally: a USB MIDI keyboard with touch pads (to play chords, melody and beats) and an audio interface (to allow you to connect microphones and other instruments).
Download Reaper from their website: https://www.reaper.fm/download.php
Open up Reaper and you will see a screen like the one below:
At the top of the screen we have the menus. Go to Options/Settings/Audio/Device to specify where the sound should come out (headphones/speakers/audio interface).
At the bottom we have the transport controls (to play, record and move around) plus the metronome (to specify the speed of your track).
On the right-hand side we have the project grid with time on the horizontal axis. This is where your recordings are represented visually and can be moved around and edited.
In the left-hand side we have the tracks, where you can select instruments and fx (by clicking on the ‘fx’ box) and audio/MIDI sources (click on the tab with the drop down arrow).
If you don’t have a MIDI keyboard you can use your computer keyboard by selecting ‘Virtual MIDI Keyboard’ as the source. Then go to the menus and select ‘view/Virtual MIDI Keyboard’ (press Option-B or Alt-B on windows) to see the virtual keyboard to see which letters on your computer keyboard correspond to which notes.
You can ready the track for recording by arming it (click on the red circle to arm/disarm). Then click on the record button at the bottom of the screen to begin recording.
NB these instructions are for the Mac version of Reaper and may differ slightly for Windows.
Further reading
Kenny Gioia videos: there is a large collection of tutorial videos on all aspects of using Reaper created by producer and engineer Kenny Gioia: https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php
The SWS/S&M extension for Reaper is an open-source add-on that increases Reaper’s already impressive flexibility, adding additional options for shortcuts, automation and display to improve workflow: https://sws-extension.org
Reapack is an extension for Reaper that allows you to download and manage user-created scripts and effects. Great for finding solutions to problems that Reaper can’t solve natively. Reapack.com
Having other issues? ask a question
