Reaper vs Ardour?

[sysrqer]

In terms of the calf plugins it is a shame to not be able to use them properly in reaper but dig into the JS plugins, there are some amazing ones in there and there are so many. These ones are particularly good https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=260754

[asbak]

You could reroute the audiotrack (requiring the calf plugin) from Reaper to Calfjackhost then, monitor that signal in playback, alternatively send it into another Reaper channel to record?

For example (Open image in a new tab for better quality)



Or use Carla as a plugin inside Reaper and then do some creative routing.

[asbak]

This screencapture hopefully makes things clearer.

Method 1

BTW you should also disable the Dexed track 1 1+2 Master Sends so Dexed does not pipe audio straight into Reaper in this case, because we're taking the roundabout route.

Signal path
Reaper hosted Dexed on Track 1 ---------> jack Virtual Audio Outputs 3+4 (The Reaper Master Send for track 1 is disabled so Dexed output is "muted" to Reaper)
Audio Out 3+4 ----------> Standalone Calf Plugin Host w. Reverb loaded
Calf Plugin Host --------> Reaper Track 2 using jack Virtual Audio Inputs 3+4 (The Reaper Master Sends for track 2 is enabled)
Reaper Master Sends ------------> Soundcard Playback or wherever


Method 2
Or do it the easier way by just running Carla as a FX plugin inside Reaper, and load the Calf FX inside Carla as shown below.
The convenient solution here is that Reaper saves the state of the project and everything will load back up the way you had it set up.


etc etc

[Largos]

If you use Ray Session, you could try using it with the files I attached.

1. Extract the tar.gz into your Ray session folder.
2. Find the reaper RPP in the files you extracted, open it with Reaper and set your defaults you want then save.
3. Open the Reaper Blank project with Ray Session and save it as a template.
4. Open a new session using the template.

That way you could use Calf Host externally from reaper and NSM would save your routings to and from. Just note the limitations of using Sessions with reaper:

1: You need to save the reaper session separately in the program, it doesn't receive the global command. (if there's a way to use an external command to save, I don't know it)
2: Jack Transport only half works and not the good half.

[Linuxmusician01]

[off topic] Thanks for the tips on calfjackhost. I think that the routing path that you posted requires me to make a separate bus for the route of the Calf plugin back into Qtractor. Because Qtractor in QJackctl's Connections window has only two in- & outputs: master stereo in/out. If I'm not mistaken multichannel in/output can be realized via adding busses. I thinks it's basically the same principle in Reaper but maybe they call it differently.

[asbak]

That's one way, the other is to simply run Calf inside Carla inside Reaper, which is much simpler from a routing and saving session state point of view.
To put it another way, Carla can be run as a host plugin inside Reaper (add Carla as an effect in Reaper), and FX plugins (Calf or whatever) can be loaded inside the Carla FX plugin.

[ninioArtillero]

Seems the thread losed sight of its subject. The FLOSS vs propietary discussion belongs somewhere else (and indeed it's on many places, thankfully) and my intuition is that we all agree on the important aspect of using linux for music and production, which should be enough for some empathy and focus. Thanks for the routing suggestion regarding the calfpluginhost: the marvels of audio routing in linux <3

For my take on the main subject <<Reaper vs Ardour?>> : I come from using Ableton Live for experimental and electronic music, which was my only grief when I decided to leave Windows as my daily driver (not commenting on the politics or practicality of that desition). I appreciated its streamline and intuitive feel and look, and as my first DAW everything made sense in the UI design. Once in Linux, my research led me to the same dichotomy (but other options such as Qtractor, Renoise and LMMS should be considered). Trying Ardour as a first choice (looking for native linux and FLOSS DAW) felt clumsy and muddy (maybe due to it's MIDI editing implementation as mentioned in other comments), the UI messy for my taste and had a noticeable amount of crashes. I could not wrap my head around it and felt uncomfortable. This is not to say is bad software, the evidence of it's user base is enough proof. I then moved to Reaper and felt at home quite easely. It is fast, light, solid, appealing, deeply customizable and its business model it's reasonable.

Most people have it right in the comments before: beyond the politics of FLOSS, it's both a matter of taste and acquaintance with the software in question. Most of the time you can make it do what you want if you go deep enough, in both cases. Having said that, the relevance of the question is less about which DAW is better in general and more in regard of the individual approach to the decision (for people that made it). In my case, deciding to inverst time in Reaper is not only about feel, as expressed above, but also practicality and adoption: my coleagues and friends use it, sometimes not exclusively along their DAW of choice, which makes sense for sharing projects and knowledge in my community.

[Linuxmusician01]

[...]
I come from [...] experimental and electronic music [...] MIDI editing implementation [...]

I then moved to Reaper and felt at home quite easely. It is fast, light, solid, appealing, deeply customizable and its business model it's reasonable. [...]

Do you use JackAudio as "audio device" in Reaper? And if so: how do you feel about Midi in Reaper then? I'm under the impression that Reaper can only use Jack Midi and not Alsa Midi. This requires one to use a2jmidid to "brigde" Alsa's Midi to Jack. This will make Qjackctl's Connections Window (or Graph Window) more complex becuase it adds Jack Midi to Alsa Midi.

Or do you use Alsa as audio device in Reaper?

[folderol]

A slight diversion...
I don't know how people can work with those dark screens for any length of time. I find them so hard to read that that after a few minutes my vision starts to blur and I get a headache

[sunrat]

A slight diversion...
I don't know how people can work with those dark screens for any length of time. I find them so hard to read that that after a few minutes my vision starts to blur and I get a headache

Haha, I'm the opposite. Too much bright makes my eyes burn after a while.

[mdiemer]

[...]
I come from [...] experimental and electronic music [...] MIDI editing implementation [...]

I then moved to Reaper and felt at home quite easely. It is fast, light, solid, appealing, deeply customizable and its business model it's reasonable. [...]

Do you use JackAudio as "audio device" in Reaper? And if so: how do you feel about Midi in Reaper then? I'm under the impression that Reaper can only use Jack Midi and not Alsa Midi. This requires one to use a2jmidid to "brigde" Alsa's Midi to Jack. This will make Qjackctl's Connections Window (or Graph Window) more complex becuase it adds Jack Midi to Alsa Midi.

Or do you use Alsa as audio device in Reaper?

You can definitely use Alsa in Reaper, and completely bypass Jack. All you need do is set Alsa as your driver, select your interface and you are god to go. most people on the Reaper for Linux forum just use Alsa. Reaper seems to work very well with it. And yes it works for midi. That's all I do, just midi.

[Linuxmusician01]

[...]
I come from [...] experimental and electronic music [...] MIDI editing implementation [...]

I then moved to Reaper and felt at home quite easely. It is fast, light, solid, appealing, deeply customizable and its business model it's reasonable. [...]

Do you use JackAudio as "audio device" in Reaper? And if so: how do you feel about Midi in Reaper then? I'm under the impression that Reaper can only use Jack Midi and not Alsa Midi. This requires one to use a2jmidid to "brigde" Alsa's Midi to Jack. This will make Qjackctl's Connections Window (or Graph Window) more complex becuase it adds Jack Midi to Alsa Midi.

Or do you use Alsa as audio device in Reaper?

You can definitely use Alsa in Reaper, and completely bypass Jack. All you need do is set Alsa as your driver, select your interface and you are god to go. most people on the Reaper for Linux forum just use Alsa. Reaper seems to work very well with it. And yes it works for midi. That's all I do, just midi.

That's not what I mean. If you use JackAudio then, usually, you still use Alsa for Midi. Disabling Jack to use Alsa Midi is not necessary. I tried to explain that in mij first post here. Let me try to explain again. See screenshot of Qjackctl's Connections window:



WITHOUT activating any a2j deamon or whatever there are three tabs. The first tab is the audio part of Jack which is Jack on top of Alsa. The second TWO tabs are for Midi, even though the third does not have the word "Midi" in it.

So the first tab, simply called "Audio", is not Midi, it's Alsa Audio via the JackAudio Connection Kit.

The second tab, confusingly called "Midi", is "Jack Midi". And the third tab, confusingly called "Alsa", is "Alsa Midi" Usually you will see nothing in the second tab because Jack uses Alsa Midi. Capiche? You do NOT have to disable JackAudio for that.

If you want to use Jack Midi you will have to use a2j utilities like:

• a2jmidid
• a2j_control
• a2jmidi_bridge

To make a long story short: I don't think I can use Reaper with Jack without resorting to a2j utilities because Reaper will not work with "Jack Alsa Midi" but only with "Jack Midi"

[anli]

Hi! What do you think has Ardour 7 reached REAPER's level on MIDI editing?

[lilith]

Hi! What do you think has Ardour 7 reached REAPER's level on MIDI editing?

No, not at all.

[Linuxmusician01]

Hi! What do you think has Ardour 7 reached REAPER's level on MIDI editing?

No, not at all.

Does that mean that Ardour is still developing the part of their DAW that deals with Midi? I'n not gonna use a product that's still in development. I ain't no beta tester.