Yeah- and "easiest" is why I mentioned FL Studios "Layer". But Fl Studio does not output real midi even when the plugin DOES, so FL is not good for sending to anything else.
I used FL Studio fine as a plugin within Sonar (Cakewalk) and using the "Layer" method, though, as FL does pass audio fine .

I do think having the different instruments on different mixer channels is the easiest though, because you can add effects and route using normal methods, all visible in the mixer.

I think Reaper is the easiest i have ever used for this... stacking VST in a single channel, assigning sends of midi, audio or both between channels, etc.
(And default implementation of routing is great by defaults and unbeatable as you can customize however you like, but that customization is not necessarily "easiest" ... well actually it IS the easiest customization I know of for a DAW, but that's a different thing)

 

Reaper's ability to not care about MIDI or audio is great. I actually tried to use Ableton Live once and thought: "wtf.. why won't it let me put a sequencer on a track before a VSTi?" For all the abuse Reaper takes about being difficult to work with (even by me sometimes), I can say I have been spoiled by Reaper a bit.

I also always just do the way @No Avenger described when layering instruments. I'll have a MIDI track feed note information to my synth tracks, then on those individual tracks I will have their own automation of parameters. I have now gotten so used to Reaper that I'm not even sure what is possible/impossible in other DAWs anymore.

 

Last edited: Dec 23, 2022

Why not Studio One? You can add independent chorders, arpegiators, effects, control the play range from each individual channels (Synths) and play it live...

 

Last edited: Dec 23, 2022

I really hate how Layer doesn't highlight the currently pressed note in the Piano Roll - it showed me how much I rely on that. So I don't use it unless I'm already done tracking and find that I have multiple MIDI track layers that I can simplify.

 

I find Unify is the easiest way to layer synths and then be able to save the entire setup as a simple patch... Reaper's channel templates comes a close second - since you can save multiple channels in a single template, but Unify is just miles easier.

 

I won't advise you about any DAW as it would, again unfortunately, begin the pre-historical debate of which DAW is better. Cakewalk is not a bad DAW but as you say, for a beginner it would be better to use a DAW that have much more tutorials.

About layering, there are DAWs where you don't need any third party vst to do it.

 

Hello,
Is Unify developed by John "Skippy" Lehmkuhl (aka PlugInGuru)? I'm curious, nothing else...
If yes, this software remember me (a bit) the old Cantabile (version 2) I've used it during years.

 

Nice dick swinging last posts

On a productive note, the best modular patcher I know (not attached to any DAW, plain VST) is DDMF's Metaplugin. I'm sure you can aldo do it with BCAudio's PatchWork but the modular approach seems more intuitive to me. No routing, just connect with a mouse drag-and-drop the input midi to any number of synths.
A bit Like FL Studio Patcher, or Tracktion Waveform. And I guess this must be also easy with Bitwig. But the OP uses Cakewalk, so there's that.