Best DAW/Audio Software for Beginners

Discussion in 'DAW' started by hsaskbb, Sep 24, 2021.

  1. hsaskbb

    hsaskbb Newbie

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    Looking into starting Audio Engineering/Production need you guyss is opinion on the matter have been using Sony vegas for a long time but need a more indepth software for audio production been looking into Logicx, FLstudio or cubase. any help will be more then appretiated

    Thank you
    Ps: been buying audio product from a store near me
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 24, 2021
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  3. Stevie Dude

    Stevie Dude Audiosexual

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    damn, I clicked the ads.
     
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  4. ArticStorm

    ArticStorm Audiosexual

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    They are all equal good: Ableton Live, FL Studio, Cubase, Studio One, Reaper, Sonar, Logic X (only on MacOS!), Bitwig, Ardour (only Linux), ACID, Samplitude, ProTools, Reason, etc

    It depends, which genre you want to produce mainly, because some DAW are better for audio editing than others. Also the stock plugins are sometimes better quality from DAW to DAW.

    I for my part started with FL3, tried Cubase 3, Sonar, Reason 3, Logic 5 (on windows) before settling for Ableton Live.
    But i also tried after that Bitwig, Reaper - even Pro Tools, S1.

    I suggest you try all demo versions and then decide, which daw you like the most.
     
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  5. Olymoon

    Olymoon MODERATOR Staff Member

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    Yes, link to store deleted.
    So we can suppose that you're using Mac, right?
     
  6. BEAT16

    BEAT16 Audiosexual

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    The best thing to do is to download a demo / trial version from all manufacturers and then test them extensively.
    I would recommend PreSonus - Studio One. The DAW with the great workflow.
     
  7. MINIGUNPUNK

    MINIGUNPUNK Kapellmeister

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    FL Studio, and that's out of the question.
     
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  8. Alpha0ne

    Alpha0ne Producer

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    Sorry but FL Studio is a pain in the ass. Go check videos for sidechaining and compare it with Ableton Live.
    The rest is the same. the only good thing (I started with Fruity Loops (former FL Studio) is the gui looks better than Ableton live.
    Fl Studio is very good for beginner and advanced user. Just watch some "making of" videos Ableton live and FL Studio. Maybe FL Studio si more fore u. U must decide.
    Watch here:
     
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  9. M McB

    M McB Producer

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    Fruity loops imo
     
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  10. lbnv

    lbnv Platinum Record

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    "Best DAW for berinner" is a wrong inquiry (sorry).

    Choose DAW you will like and really use. Once. You just complicate your way, First, DAW for beginner, what then? DAW for intermediate? How about a DAW for pro? How many time and efforts are you planning to spend being a beginner? When you'll decide to choose "serious DAW"?

    Logic, Cubase, FL Studio? Download demos and try them.

    My 5 cents. :shalom:
     
  11. dondada

    dondada Rock Star

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    great for video clips Live (probably bitwig too i´m cheking it out myself)

    for
    film score Cubase
    Film Post+Production Nuendo

    If you want to leave Vegas for a big upgrade
    BlackMagic Resolve
    This cand do:
    Film Editing
    Film Scoring
    Audio Editing
    Motion Design
    Color Grading

    This all depends if you are into (do) Film Making, VFX, (+) - Sound Design, Pre, Post- Production
    So.. Depending on your desired path, i would/could, (advice) something different.
     
  12. tzzsmk

    tzzsmk Audiosexual

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    if you got Mac, you can start with Garageband which is free, it's actually not that bad,
    if you reach a point Garageband won't be able to do some advanced stuff you need, then go full blown on Reaper and never look back - its design is based on Vegas, and it can actually handle video in more user friendly way than DaVinci Resolve
    :chilling:
     
  13. SineWave

    SineWave Audiosexual

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    You didn't specify which OS you're using and that's rather important.

    FL Studio is kinda buggy and has a weird workflow in my experience [I'm a former Cubase user, running Reaper since 2007]. I wouldn't recommend it and I don't know why people always recommend it for beginners in audio production. Better to go with Reaper, Studio One, or even N-Track [if simply recording audio, not that good for MIDI] for a beginner. You will get accustomed to linear editing, arranging your song, and "piano" MIDI editor.

    LogicX is only for Mac, and it is great, but you will have to put some effort into learning it, as well as Reaper when you want to dig deeper, but for simple usage it is very simple to use, really. Studio One has the easiest to learn workflow, as well as N-Track Studio. Bitwig is also rather easy to learn with recommended version: last v3.

    But please forget FL Studio, it is trouble in a couple of ways and you will find other, better DAWs strange after you learn how to deal with it. Ableton Live is another great option, as well as Cubase, but they're rather expensive, so it depends on if you can afford these. I recommend Cubase 8.5 or 9.5, and last Live 10 in this case. Live is great because it has both linear and pattern editing. It's really cool.

    Aside from compatibility with plugins, you should also consider the efficiency of processing, quality of sample conversion, and stability of the DAW. Reaper shines in all that. In comparison, Studio One is easier to work with, but it consumes quite a bit of CPU, so you can run much less plugins with it than with Reaper. It can also be a bit unstable, almost like FL studio. Live is somewhere in between. I use Reaper, and my second choice would be Live or Studio One, if I wanted a second choice. :) I think it's better to learn one DAW properly and stick to it.

    Also, stability is my godess. Reaper rarely crashes. It is king of efficiency, too. Interesting thing about Reaper is that it started as an Acid Pro remake, which is similar to Vegas [same company Sonic Foundry used to make these two]. :wink:

    I hope I helped a bit. :wink:

    Cheers!
     
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2021
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  14. kh_minusone

    kh_minusone Guest

    Like others said any linear DAW will do for starting out, especially since you already have experience with linear software like Sony Vegas.

    But I'm biased, so +1 for GarageBand for starting out in production. It's one of the DAWs I started with. It's of course not as powerful as other DAWs but it's good for beginners, straightforward, and easy to figure out, even for a back then dumb elementary school kid with an iPad and cheap, crappy Sony headphones... you know, those that have way too much bass and sell for around $20, but I digress.

    Just don't go around DAW-hopping too much or you'll be doing that more than getting projects done.

    Also, +1 to eventually moving out of GarageBand into REAPER. If you do, you may find that REAPER is a more technical DAW compared to others. You'll have to add your own instruments since all REAPER comes with is a basic synth and a sampler, but it has a plethora of built-in mixing and mastering plugins.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 24, 2021
  15. phumb-reh

    phumb-reh Guest

    Well, as others have said, GarageBand is a great starting point.

    I kind of disagree that when you've found the limits of GB that you should move to Reaper, I'd say that Logic is a better destination because it uses same logic (!) as GB so it's easier to acclimatize oneself, but also it opens GB projects (both Mac and iOS) so you don't have to dump everything to move forward.

    Also Logic has pretty much all of the tools you need whereas for Reaper you really need to beef it up with third-party plugins.

    My opinion only, of course.
     
  16. genophyte

    genophyte Producer

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    [​IMG]

    aside from that i'd say fl studio if you just want to dive right in without really needing a bajillion tutorials and plan on primarily electronic and hip hop/rap.
     
  17. realitybytez

    realitybytez Audiosexual

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    that was my experience as well.
     
  18. hackerz4life

    hackerz4life Audiosexual

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    You definitely made it easier for him to pick. lol
     
  19. ArticStorm

    ArticStorm Audiosexual

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    just pick all you can demo and then choose the one, you feel at home. Thats how i did it, it was FL for me and now for a long it is Ableton Live.
     
  20. Direct drive

    Direct drive Producer

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  21. Smoove Grooves

    Smoove Grooves Audiosexual

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    And hackintosh, guys!
    And it's now just called Logic Pro. Again!
    For a while, actually.
    @Direct drive
    Did Atari actually make any software?
    Or you just imply Pro 24 or Notator/Cubase and Logic?
    Other way around, but yeah.
    They bought Logic off Emagic so they could pick it apart and make GarageBand as an entrance to Logic for newbs.
    This is the only situation in daw world where GarageBand is a simplified version for "beginners", and prepares you for Logic.
    So in regards the OP and thread title, this is a valid path...
    And all projects can be used in Logic after, as you know.
    :wink:
    Hopefully OP member will take things seriously and go with one of the proper daws!
    @hsaskbb
     
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2021
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