Since I started the thread, let me respond. I was frustrated with Real Band and started looking for something. I had the free trials of Mixcraft and Reaper. I recorded with both.

In the end, I chose Reaper because there are so many support videos and it has an active forum. Also, a lot of people on this forum use Reaper. Since I did, I have not regretted the choice.

That doesn't mean you would make the same choice. IMO, the best way to evaluate is to have a piece you want to record. Try it on both DAW's and see which is better for you. Plan to spend several hours over the course of two weeks when you do it.

A couple of dislikes about Reaper: I don't like the non-destructive editing (but a lot of people like it). So I save before I edit and then tell the program to trim content. Also, it piles up files when you are doing punch-ins. Occasionally, you have to manage those.

If you have any other questions, post them. Or you can PM me, but I am not the most experienced user on this forum.

Hope this helps.

2b

i5-3210 laptop. Win 10 Home. 2.5ghz, 64 bit. 6gb RAM. Focusrite Scarlet 2i2.