Here’s What’s New In Cockos Reaper 7.0

Cockos has introduced Reaper 7.0, a major update to its digital audio workstation for Linux, Mac & Windows.

Reaper is designed to support a vast range of hardware, digital formats and plugins, and can be comprehensively extended, scripted and modified.

Here’s what’s new in Reaper 7.0:

  • Track Lanes: Use lanes to manage takes, layer sounds, assemble alternate track versions, or store playlists. Track lanes can be used as a creative tool, an organizational aid, or both at the same time.
  • Swipe Comping: Select the best parts of multiple takes to create one ideal composite take, or multiple alternative composites. A highly flexible new system that supports one-click A/B comparison, customizable crossfades, recording and editing media while comping, and even building comps from other comps.
  • FX Containers and Parallel Routing: Build, store, and recall self-contained FX chains, including complex routing and configurable parameter mapping. Route multiple plug-ins (including FX containers) in parallel.
  • More Track Channels and MIDI I/O: Tracks support up to 128 channels each; MIDI routing supports up to 128 buses; hardware support for up to 128 MIDI input and 128 MIDI output devices. As always, there are no limits on track counts, sends/receives, FX, ReaScripts, etc.
  • Keyboard/Mouse Overrides: Switch between multiple sets of fully customizable keyboard shortcuts and/or mouse modifier behaviors. Instantly change keyboard and mouse setups for different workflow contexts for simplicity and efficiency.
  • Usability Improvements: Customizable track spacers; arrange view zoom/scroll improvements; MIDI editor CC lane vertical zoom/scroll and pitch wheel snap; MIDI editor coloring improvements; customizable animated toolbar buttons; configuration import/export improvements.
  • Miscellaneous changes: Plug-in gain reduction metering; ARA edit pooling; video support in background projects; video colorspace improvements; import/export support for raw PCM (.sd2) file formats; up to 48 customizable floating toolbars; JSFX compile-time macros and configurable parameters; and hundreds of other refinements and improvements.

Features:

  • Efficient, fast to load, and tightly coded. Can be installed and run from a portable or network drive.
  • Powerful audio and MIDI routing with multichannel support throughout.
  • 64-bit internal audio processing. Import, record to, and render to many media formats, at almost any bit depth and sample rate.
  • Thorough MIDI hardware and software support.
  • Support for thousands of third-party plug-in effects and virtual instruments, including VST, VST3, LV2, AU, CLAP, DX, and JS.
  • Hundreds of studio-quality effects for processing audio and MIDI, and built-in tools for creating new effects.
  • Automation, modulation, grouping, VCA, surround, macros, OSC, scripting, control surfaces, custom skins and layouts.

Pricing and Availability:

Reaper 7 is available now for $60 USD and $225 USD for commercial use. The update is a free upgrade for existing license owners. A free demo is also available.

13 thoughts on “Here’s What’s New In Cockos Reaper 7.0”

  1. The CLAP format may have a long road ahead. It’s still good news that adoption is spreading to a beloved DAW.

    (Ok, just noticed that CLAP was supported before. Still, it’s nice that it makes it to release notes.)

    1. Please excuse my ignorance.
      I know I could just Google it, but I’d rather have first hand experience.
      What are the benefits, pros / cons of CLAP over over plugin formats?
      I’m afraid I’m quite ignorant when it comes to software / PC type stuff.
      Does it require less resources than a traditional VST?

      2. Good question! No need to apologize. And it’s not that easy to search for…

        Clever Audio Plug-in API is indeed Open Source. The specific reason it matters is that Steinberg has applied strict licensing terms to VST, which causes problems for devs who want to release VST3 plugins, and new devs aren’t allowed to use the old VST2 format.

        There are also several features which aren’t available in other plugin formats (including LV2, which is also open).
        https://cleveraudio.org/1-feature-overview/

        For instance, there are performance gains from multithreading.
        > CLAP allows collaborative multicore support between plug-in and host through a so-called “thread-pool”, also allowing hosts to manage CPU-threading for plug-ins that provide their own multicore support.

        Modulation and parameter automation go deeper than in other plugin formats. In a way, that’s like MPE or MIDI 2.0 at the plugin level.
        https://www.bitwig.com/stories/clap-the-new-audio-plug-in-standard-201/

        There’s also improved metadata for presets and patches, a bit like the NKS format from Komplete, but at the DAW level.
        > As CLAP hosts can retrieve information from plug-ins without having to wait for them to initialize, plug-in scans can be much faster.

  2. I had to look at my licence file because I wasn’t sure… yay, I bought version 6 so I can upgrade! 🙂 (in this 7 “valid through” is displayed in about menu)

  3. a bit refreshed visuals are welcome, but still painfully tiny text size in the fx browser, all these years, plus it’s black on grey)

    1. To the best of my knowledge, Reaper’s user interface allows you to customize the color of every component to your heart’s content. It’s also worth noting that color themes can be downloaded from the relevant website.

  5. Very disappointment about how much they provide by major release. Looks like they just need some money since V6 (2019) release.
    Hey Reaper guys, please check StudioOne or Ardour release notes. Big major features every quarter.

    1. You realize there have been 83 releases since 6.0 came out with most having new features and not bug fixes?! They release new features and bug fixes constantly – I’ve been using reaper since 2000. As for what are determined to be “major” vs minor or point releases is largely up to the developers & marketing and plenty of marketing departments abuse this. Typically a major release involves large changes to the underlying code base or the UI which pays off by having less technical debt standing in the way of future changes. In other words, it’s a fresh jumping off point for MORE features. Browse the list of new features added since 6.0 here. https://www.reaper.fm/download-old.php?ver=6x

      1. Yes I know and follow their changelog. Also it’s in Reaper developer style – fix here, improve a bit there, but not provide big new features. It continues from WinAmp age. Big what’s new, almost empty really new. Ableton-like grid? Fl Studio like modular view, Ableton/Bitwig-like instruments chain? You can say it.

        1. I use Ableton when I want to do grid like things, which I don’t do much of. I don’t see them as apples to apples. I see Reaper as an alternative to Protools, but cheaper, faster, and better. They just added effects containers and flexible effects routing so we’ll see more there. I like the open effects format and open project format direction.

    2. To the best of my knowledge, there is just two people working on coding Reaper. And they’re at it basically everyday. But yeah… Maybe they should hire a bigger team. I wouldn’t mind paying 100e instead of 60, if that gives us better features quicker.

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