DAW software are quite expensive, about 300-500$ depending on the version. I was looking to upgrade my Cubase AI 4 which is 32bit only to a 64bit-capable DAW. Cubase Studio 5 was the logical choice with it’s new 64bit version. Then I saw the price: 339$. Not quite what you call a deal, only to get 64bit support. Considering version 5 had no useful new features (only ANOTHER beat maker among the new “features”, as if we needed YET ANOTHER one). So it was clear I wasn’t going to buy this.

Then I read on EastWest forums about Reaper. It’s a DAW that is even more optimized than Cubase, has 64bit support, free routing of MIDI and audio. The price? 60$. But wait, prepare to be shocked, it only does everything Cubase 5 can do and more. Another surprise? It’s less than 5mb and the license is good for another major upgrade in the future. It looks even better than Cubase 5.

But the best thing about Reaper is the workflow. In less than 2 minutes, I was ready to go, VSTis loaded and ready to play. It appears to be much more stable than Cubase as well and an even lower latency.

I’m still using the 30-day evaluation version but I’m definitely getting a license in the next weeks.

Finally an audio product made by audio developers and not a marketing team.