Just another chart

UPDATE: Please see the new DAW Feature Chart for more up-to-date information and a way cooler chart.

It’s time for another DAW Chart!

I’ve spent some time thinking about how I had this setup. Having experienced DAWs that are deficient in some areas, and learning the wonders of other features, I’ve re-evaluated what I feel is important. There’s features that I’ve come to rely on heavily in Reaper, and some features I’ve realized (analytically) that I don’t use as often as I thought.

My time spent in each DAW as a percentage, according to Time Sink has been:

Reaper - 61%
DP - 39%

Actual chart after the break…

Nothing has changed too much, however this is the result of me doing a good bit of analysis on how I use(d) these products. I find it surprising how little I rely on some features that I thought were important to me (like transport mapping).

Then there’s some things that I can’t remember how I dealt without them. VCA, Snapshot automation and Multitrack Freewarp are the big 3. I’ve lived without these in Digital Performer for years, (after having them in PT for years!). Using these features constantly in Reaper, then going back to DP is a rather painful experience. I really never want to live with VCAs again, and snapshot automation is a big part of that too.

Something I’ve not added is latch preview automation. This is a feature in a few DAWs, but I never really used it much. After using it with Reaper’s automation system, I’m totally hooked. It really speeds up the process of automating things. You simply turn on latch preview, loop your part, make adjustments (automation is temporarily disabled) then write or abandon your changes. I feel stupid for not using this workflow before!

Anyway, it’s all a learning process. If anyone has questions about any of my conclusions or wishes to just tell me I’m a moron, feel free to comment! I respond to nearly every comment.

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