What included tools should I be checking out?

[hardbop200]

Hi everyone,

I was looking through the list of FX plugins on a default install of reaper + OS X, taking notice of the large number of included tools that come with reaper (JS + cockos), and I realized that I've never touched any of them, and don't know the first thing about how to use them. looking through the forum, it seems they are pretty popular, so I wanted to throw this question out there:

if you had to pick one or two of the included tools as "must know," which ones would you pick, and where would you send someone to do "rtfm" on those tools? there are so many of them, so it seems like a good idea to start with a small list of ones to learn, then expand from there. I'm hoping I can get this list from you.

if it matters, I'm a keyboard player (dabbling in guitar occasionally) who enjoys doing demos for my own enjoyment at home. that said, I primarily play live, and I'm interested in taking software out on a gig - looping is of particular interest to me. also, I don't own a single major plugin for drums, keys, etc., so anything in that regard is cool, too.

[Swamp Ape]

Well, ReaEq, ReaComp, ReaXcomp, ReaGate, and ReaFir (mostly for noise reduction) are all pretty basic but hugely versatile once you explore them a bit. I use Tonegate for adding subwoofer punch to drums and bass, Ozzifier for weird vocal effects, DelayPong for weird stereo delay, Saturation for you-know-what, ReaPitch for pitch shifting, ReaTune for tuning and pitch correction, etc.

ReaSamplomatic and ReaSynth are usable but primitive, and Reaverb and ReaDelay are just primitive.

[ivansc]

Dont be put off by the lack of pretty GUIs - these are powerful, versatile plugins.

Why dont you use the Irish Minesweeper method?
Plug one in, twiddle a few knobs and see what it does.

P.S. I am allowed to make Irish jokes, as I am an Honorary Irishman. (married to a Sligo girl)