This is addressed to somewhat experienced users who worked with both softwares:

What made you choose one over the other on the long run?

I have been with Reaper for quite some time but considering mixing and mastering my next project in Ardour. Not sure if it’s worth putting in the time to learn it from the ground up.

Please don’t make this about free vs. paid software.

Thank you!

  • @[email protected]
    OPEnglish
    2•1 year ago

    I really like it! When I started out in Reaper I watched lots of tutorials because I felt overwhelmed by all the stuff you can tweak. In Ardour everything feels much more down to earth, less polished, very straight forward. I didn’t miss anything and will definitely keep working there. Maybe switch over to Reaper in a few months or so…

    This track is my first result in Ardour:

    https://dontoverthinklife.bandcamp.com/track/infin8y

    • @[email protected]English
      1•1 year ago

      Thanks for letting me know! So it’s not worth it for me to invest more time to get familiar with Reaper, is it?

      Nice work, ain’t exactly my jam, but I can dig the sound. Especially when the ultra warm bass comes in… i really need a tape machine lol.

      You mention that you used LSP Plugins for mixing and mastering? What’s your take on them? To me they seem very professional and well made, but I’m not confident enough to trust my judgements.

      Anyway, here is a recent song from me (you can also find me on bandcamp but I haven’t got around to upload my newest stuff there): https://open.spotify.com/track/4mqpCr5l65NN1flCevEjdv

      • @[email protected]
        OPEnglish
        2•1 year ago

        I think it comes down to how much you want to live in your DAW. If you work with MIDI too and want eye candy, Reaper probably has the edge. Plus their stock plugins are great. I also think the tutorials for Reaper are excellent! My use case is mixing & mastering only, so I don’t need a lot of what Reaper has to offer. The fact that Ardour is open software plays a big role for me too.

        Regarding LSP plugins: I was blown away! Very deep, clean UI, okay documentation, LV2 and for free??? I use their stereo EQ, m/s EQ, and compressor. Plus, still being developed. They just released new plugins and fixed bugs. I am 100 % happy with them.