nowaysj wrote:This is a pointless debate. That is the point. You stupid fuck
futures_untold wrote:Technology is always improved by constant nitpicking over the details and by comparisons against the competition. The end result is we now have amazing music software which wasn't available 5 years ago.
Definitely agree with this. Comparing minute details between programs brings people's attention to where their software is lacking and possibly how to go about fixing that. Like "yeah now that you mention it, that process is kind of time consuming... I use it enough to be bothered so I think I'm going to create a hot-key that does it all for me." By being critical of our work flow, we learn ways to improve it.
Plus it's fun insulting things that other people are incredibly loyal to. Which reminds me, I don't understand why people use Macs when Windows is so obviously better

...Don't really have the heart to argue that debate right now, my windows partition won't boot. Done several restores and a bios update and still getting BSODs. In Billy Gates' defence I'm pretty sure it's not a software problem, but still, my Ubuntu partition works great.
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Now children it's time for my response to criticisms of Reaper!
Just my thoughts after reading Depone's review.
All the things that make it confusing at first are all the things that make it so versatile once you get used to it.
I hated it at first but took a bit of time to figure out its 'have it your way philosophy' and now I really enjoy it.
The menus have a lot of shit in them, yes. But that's so that you can right click on anything and get pretty much any option that you'd want immediately in the drop down menu. There's some add ons for it that organize the menus into more subcategories if you like it more organized. Personally I hate having to hop through a bunch of submenus, I'd just rather have one big long mothermenu that's got most of what I'm looking for.
Also the "this program does this procedure with less clicks" argument does not stand up for reaper. You want some some lengthy complicated process done faster? Boom create a short-cut. Now reaper does it with one button. Yes it might take a bit of time, especially when you're not familiar with the hot-key editor, but ultimately, you'll end up with software that fits your preferences much better.
The zoom scroll and snap settings are different between midi editor and sequencer window yes, but again it's a versatility thing.
Also you can't try to use a new program and immediately go about making it work like your old program. It's like trying to compare new and old girlfriends. If you focus on how the new program works you'll get a lot farther towards building a workflow that works for it. Because, like it or not, the program
is going to influence your work flow. You have to work around it as much as it has to work around you. If this were not the case you'd be able to just think music into a sensor and it would make it for you.
In fact the reason there's a whole thread of people saying "I like mine better, I tried yours but it sucks" is because people have simply developed their work-flow alongside the particular applications they use and have a hard time translating it to something different. Unfortunately we're dealing with computers and programs that need things in very explicit terms, but once we learn how to cooperate with the application, it becomes more intuitive and second nature.
Each program has a slightly different way of dealing with things which may be more or less parallel to the way a person is used to working. The thing I love about Reaper though, is it tries to give you everything and then lets you whittle it down to how you want it. A large part of its philosophy is customization, be it the hot-keys, the custom toolbars and panels, different skins, add on packs, or the ability to make feature requests that will actually get implemented quickly. Depone's review is a great example of some of the things that might set you off it at first, but take some time with it, learn how it does things, read the manual of course, and customize it to your liking and you'll find it will fit you like a glove.
If you're looking for something simple, it might not be the best choice straight out of the box, but versatility is where it really shines.
-SunkLo, the DSF resident novelist
