I have mixed feelings. At first, I honestly hated the new theme, but figured it wasn't a big deal as custom themes would be released.
Then I tried on my home computer with the bigger monitor and it was a BIG improvement. On the laptop, it's just cluttered to me in it's default settings.
After reading what COULD be possible with Walter, I see that in time, some great themes can be created. But the default definitely is not my favorite. Take the folders for instance. You can barely tell what is a folder and what isn't.
Also, I had a couple of times where adding a plug-in took as much as 30 seconds where it usually took three or four. I can't reproduce with a specific plug though, so I'll keep trying.
I'm still digging into other features, finding things I like along with some things I don't like the implementation of. And really, not much work on the MIDI editing(not really features, but polishing and workflow issues).
I'm sure we'll see lots of improvement over the coming weeks, so I'll withhold judgement. But I hope it doesn't end up like the disaster with the inline editor. When the R3 beta started, I was excited about that, just to find out that it got very little work in the polishing stage, and still to this day is very unpleasant to work with.
It's just too easy to get hooked on adding MORE features without refining what is already there. That's one thing that bothers me at times about Reaper. SO MUCH potential, but needs refinement.
I hope this doesn't happen with some of the features added in R4, as there is some potential there if done right. Here's hoping!
Still enjoying the beta despite the issues.
Brent
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