Hi to all, I am in the process of overhauling my home music studio and am facing some software choices. I know that many of you use alternative software to Power Tracks Pro Audio(PTPA). I am in the process of evaluating Reaper in this regard. My questions are as follows: - what can these suites do that PTPA can't? - how long has it taken you to gain enough proficiency in Reaper (or StudioOne etc) to be able to produce music with it? - I am finding Reaper to be a huge step backwards in its capcity to manage MIDI (or at least in the ease of use of the programme). DId you have a similar experience? Thanks, Marc
Others can use VST3, for one. Then again they don't have Realdrums.
As far as MIDI in Reaper; it doesn't have some of the features PT has due to PT starting back when MIDI was all it did. I do kind of like how you can create a 4 bar MIDI and just drag the end of it to cause it to loop for as many bars as you want in Reaper. Faster than Copy/Paste sometimes. But you'll miss things like the Data Filter, dedicated MIDI track functions, etc.
They are all different, otherwise there would only need to be just one <grin>
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
To the OP(mglinert) and rharv. although i started on Powertraks in days of yore, and yes the midi features were/are extensive; i must be fair. reapers midi features are now extensive. it would take a couple of days just to view all the midi vids at reaper.fm
sorry to the op , but it would take a looong time for me to list all the features. thus just go to the vids labelled "midi & virtual instruments" at reaper.fm , and clik on it. a slew of midi vids will appear. it will take you a couple of days to view all the extensive features and tips by kenny who is a grammy winner. he really knows his stuff.
heres just one of many relating to just midi data filter. <<note rharv. (also look at the reaps stash and js midi util plug ins sometime.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GId0W5402BI
there is just a slew of grrreat vids on reaper on you tube, as there are on pg's grrreat products. in fact in my own song projects i often mix both pg plug ins, and reaper plug ins. my main programs i use are biab/rb/reaper all the way.
ps. go carefully through the reaper stash sometime, there are little utility nuggets to be found and features; just like one would find cool features deep down in biab and rb and powertraks. frankly mglinert i dont think its one daw versus another all are usefull.
best oldmuso
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 04/07/2101:58 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
Many thanks for these responses. On the particular Copy/Paste comment Rharv you can tell PTPA to copy a selection of MIDI bars as many times as you like in the 'Paste' window, but I'm sure you knew that! I've got a lot of catching up to do...stayed too long with the same setup. I don't know what VST1 and 2 are, never mind 3! I'm making (slow) progress with Reaper. Very friendly and helpful forum there too. I take the point about all the DAWS being different - so far I've looked at StudioOne and Reaper. Marc
Yes, Reaper has a learning curve, but as you noticed their support/forum is very helpful, much like here.
As someone else mentioned; watch some videos; Reaper can do most things, but it is a different approach. And there are lots of videos.
I usually use RB/PT as long as I can because of familiarity/comfort, but I will move to Reaper when needed. I also discovered you can open a RB/PT project, and then open a Reaper project and simply drag the desired tracks from one to the other (as long as Tempo/Key match) and keep moving.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
yep. rharv , in days of yore after i had paid peanuts for powertraks i used to enjoy showing some "high falutin big studio" friends who had spent small fortunes on software what powertraks could do for little money. it blew them away. and still today its a bargoon price imho, considering all the features. but of course then ages ago i used to get the "snooty types" lol say to me , "well old chap if you want to get a hit , you need to get XYZ and spend thousands" lol. what a load of rubbish ! they just couldnt accept what powertraks could do. i mean 48 traks years ago , it was heaven to me at that time. in summary my love for powertraks is because it let me do so much all those years ago. i believe the emerick/martin/beatles combo would still produce grrreat hits if all they had was powertraks. crikey they used to produce hits on studer b67's with only 3 traks,, think what they would have done with 48 lol !
powertraks 1st time purchase 49 buks or upgrade 29 buks. WHAT A STEAL OF A DEAL IMHO !!!. (imagine on a raspberry pi ! yeh simon i know win api's . sorry couldnt resist lol, and respect to the pg team still offering the nice powertraks product !)
best still-respect-powertraks-old-muso
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 04/10/2102:17 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
i got PT free with my BIAB on floppy discs. it's so long ago now i can't remember how long it took me to get familiar with it but now working in RB the grounding i got in PT means its second nature - at least as soon as i got used to RTs when i upgraded from BIAB 2008 a few years ago.
May update, Still assessing Reaper but I'm so far from being able to use it efficiently that I think I will hold off until I have the time to invest. I have, however, upgraded to the latest version of PTPA which seems ideal - more advanced than my previous version (12) but instantly recognisable and usable. Should I stick with COYOTEWT or install a different softsynth? If so, what are your recommendations? Thanks, Marc
Marc, It took me a long time to feel comfortable in Reaper also. And PT does 98% of what Reaper can do, plus some things it can't, so I wouldn't worry about it until you find a need for it. As for softsynth, lately I just use the CoyoteWT for the quick work, then turn to hardware synths for the heavy lifting.
If I were to recommend another softsynth for you it would likely be the TTS-1 (closest to the old SoundCanvas you were used to).
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Marc. bonjour. re coyote. its not an either OR an or decision you need to make. even if you set coyote as default. in either a reaps midi track OR a ptraks midi trak you should be able to load in a vst instrument plug in, if you wish. there is a world of wonderfull free midi instrument plug ins out there. from the zillions available , before i use in a song i make sure i look at the exe size as well as run a test on how well the plug in operates. i only use low cpu use plug ins. some can be real cpu hogs. and some lean and sound great.
i would urge you to check out in particular 2 sources i like for plug ins. 1. computer music mag plug ins. (you must know this being from the uk.) once a year i buy the mag to get the 80 free plug ins which include some great instruments.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tj5gzacq_U 2. kvraudio plug ins. https://www.kvraudio.com/plugins/the-newest-plugins plus you can do your own web searches. for example lets say you want a strad violin sound. just do a web search on free strad vsti plug in.
best i'm plugged in old muso lol.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
I noticed that in reaper, a simple thing like increasing the gain on a small section of the song is a big pain - requiring, i think splitting the track at that point ...
simple in reaps hilite and split then adjust vol of clip OR copy hilite new trak and adjust vol OR use reaps automation. its a doddle. i do it all the time. best oldmuso
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
As far as I have experienced, if you are a guitar player, vocalist. PT will do anything as good as anything else. Beautiful, stable program.
If you are a keyboard player, some other considerations of where PT stands with Reaper, Studio One.
PT follows the standard one track one synth approach. So you can add a piano to a track and it works. What happens however if you want to layer the piano with some strings. Can't do it on the same track. Can open another track, copy midi files and honestly clutter up things badly if you want to layer more synths.
Reaper was a breath of fresh air when it added the ability to chain synths on a single track. Broke the industry limitation at the time but not entirely.
Reaper chain synths can't pan, can't entirely control individual effects on an individual synth, but still a blessing and all you need for most applications.
Studio One finally broke all limitations in this regard with a true native modular environment. Route anything anywhere series or parallel with complete control over where what is and what effects are applied. All on one track.
Wish PT could do this as well...
Workaround in PT is to load a third party software to take over the routing task. My favorite is the old Energy XT. Load XT and do the routing and effects so you can get all control parameters on a single track.
Not bashing PT because this is where the majority of DAWs are currently, just that Reaper and Studio One recognized and dealt with this limitation with elegance. Hope the devs are listening and can get us piano players up to speed with the leading edge.
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We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
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Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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