Just was wondering what is your go to DAWS and a secondary DAWS you guys using these days?.

I'm currently Using Presonus Studio One,however as Studio One user I'm not
sure what are the advantage going to Sonars X3 Producer, although I like to try,it looks good..

I was a Sonar 8 Pro user before I went to S1,so for me I can only assume that would be the only advantage
I can see going to SX3..

Also I bring this up because I think some of you use different DAWS for different things so my thinking is
I may start to use more than one DAWS for my projects..

Before I do, I like to get a little bit of more knowledge from more exp users here from this forum..

Maybe you have more insight on this subject than I do.

I say this because the way you all come across and your knowledge on these boards
are Great Stuff here...

I'm also looking to try Magix Samplitude Pro x Suite.

Whats are your insight,what would you do?

Once again guys Thx for your feedback and thoughts and your all great Insight..

 

FL Studio for starting, Samplitude for finishing songs (its plugins have exceptionally quality, some of them beat UAD ones too, AM-Munition comp/limiter combo for sure)

ps. I've checked Sonar X3 but FL has light years better workflow (if u never worked with FL click here : http://audiosex.pro/index.php?/topic/8741-planning-to-finally-buy-fl-studio/page__view__findpost__p__54126 ) for creating things so I've dropped it

 

Presonus Studio One ver 2.6 for starting , Sonar X2 , now SonarX3 for finishing . Great tool , but crash a lot when working with VSTi , Studio One is more stable and crash less .
Sonar X3 now can refine audio better now .

 

Sonar X3 start to finish!

 

I gave X3 a good look, but decided I'll stay with Live 9.


Cons - Too many crashes, audio glitches, small, annoying bugs like the Now time marker vanishing as its being moved around.

Also, be prepared to make ur own plugin menus, as it lists VSts rather weirdly by default.


Pro's - looks great, nice prochannel and FX chains

 

Thx guys... keepum coming..Oh by the way my platform PC Win7 64Bit

 

I'm using studio one if i make tracks with my guitars and vocals but for dance music i use ableton. I tried sonar but somehow it does not have the great interface as studio one has. And for dance ableton is great to use because of the session view.

 

I use Reaper+Audition these days. Both are cross platform, and support multichannel mixing. S1 I found started up slower than audition, and Sonar kept on crashing, not liking my sound card, and has FLAC support worse than Audition (decoding a FLAC to WAV on disk, and not deleting the WAV afterwards, wheras Audition does, and Reaper has no need for this because is properly indexes it).

Are any of my gripes above solved with Sonar X3?

 

I've started with FL Studio using it for like 2-3 years and i used it so much that i knew the sh*t out of it and yea, had a great workflow and such. When people say "it has a great workflow" is right, but not the best! I used Logic Pro 9 and Cubase 5-6, Samplitude, ableton, Reaper, etc. Guess what i've discovered havin' the best workflow from my opinion that stimulate your creativity: STUDIO ONE 2.

Man.. the drag&drop to everythin', even re-arranging the order of the plugins in the chain (while with FL Studio i had to click that arrow and sellecting "move up" or down.)
In the Studio One browser, when you press alt and drag a sample from the browser over a existing sample-clip in the arrangement view, it will replace all the existing sample in the arrangement in that particular track if all of them are similar. e.g. if i spread in the arrangement view a kick sample like straight "club rythm" bars and i wanna know how that kick-track sounds if i choose another kick sample from the browser, i don't have to delete all the previews samples from the arrangement window to be able to spread again the new selected kick, you just press alt and drag with the mouse the new sample over the kick-track samples and all the samples are replaced with your dragged kick. Tell me guys what other daw you know to do this?

Also when you right-click on a sample, you can tune-it, stretch it, tempo changing from that little menu that appears in your face. Again, tell me other daws that do this so fast in your face.

When you chop in the arrangement a long sample clip and you want to glue everything back together as a single clip , you can just select them and "Right click" using "group items" feature, also dissolving if you wanna turn back.(I never had this feature in Fl Studio).

Another good point is solo'ing or mute'ing with "S" or "M" key, again, "in your face" fast solo'ing & mute'ing that i haven't found on other daws.

Also you can change the sample-clips gain dragging with the mouse right from the top of every sample, you can do this even to multiple samples at once (In Fl studio, if you wanted to change the gain of the samples in the arrangement/playlist window, you had only the options like "make unique" method and then double-clicking every freakin' sample to open the channel settings and lower the gain from there, or automation, which feels too slow compared to "in your face" of Studio One)

The editable folder-tracks, again, what other daws can do that too? I really can't remember a daw to do that.

Track Transform feature of Studio One is my favorite, i use Nebula3(with hacked timing kernels that stressing the hell out of the CPU) alot and i don't have to bounce the stems everytime i run out of cpu juice. If you are Nebula user, then Studio One is the only cure for Nebula3 workflow slower. when i load alot of Nebula3 instances on that particular track, i right click on it and select "Transform to render audio" and renders that track right away, like "freezing", but it's not the standard freezing, wanna know why? Because it's fuck*ng EDITABLE.(what other daws have editable freeze option?). So while S1 renders the track automatically, you don't have to re-import anything or other headache. Think about it when you want to do tonal reverse-reverb FX. You load the reverb on that sample, then "transform to render audio" then right click and "reverse". With Logic Pro 9 i had to re-import everythime and i felt comfortable with that, but after trying S1, i can't go back to any daw. Even it's Pipeline plug. that can help you to bypass the processin of the hardware units after you did the tweaks, if the rack is far from the monitors's sweetspot so you can check easier what the hardware units do.

I can even select all the tracks in the mixer, clicking the first track, holding shift and clicking the last last track, all of them are selected and i can lower or higher the volume fader to all the tracks without grouping(which feels way slower in my opinion).

In S1, when you quantize a loop/sample by transient-detection, you can save that custom-quantization for another loop/sample, which is handy if you wanna allign bking-vocal tracks , or the bking with the lead.

I can open multiple projects at once and even copy a sample from one project and paste it the other project, without re-opening the Daw or importing the sample, not to mention advanced editing, inteligent comping, etc. It isn't crazy?

and these features are just a few... damn... i'm really not able to go back to other Daws.

 

Sudio One is indeed an impressive daw.. but something as simple as that GOD AWFUL blue selection box, with a 2 pixel outer edge on selected clips makes it unusable to me.

The coloring of clips is also weak and lack of overall customization, after SO many people have requested it drops it down my list of preferred DAWs.

Takes way too long to open...and... The contrast of selected tracks is way too high, almost blinding

 

Honestly? You right my friend, customization and look is indeed the biggest disappointment, i really wish it could have anti-aliasing over the samples, theme options and gradient colouring, a faster opening, etc. but i guess that once is open, then is rock solid, like a spaceship engines initiating. I'd rather like a slower loading time (for taking it's time to make sure everything is fine) and less buggy, than a faster loading an more buggy.

What i mentioned in the earlier post was only about workflow feature, you know, in the practical situation. also about that long loading time, if you open it from the first time you open the computer, then it takes longer. But if you open it again after it was already opened before, i will take shorter, i even adapted my computer especially to work optimal with S1, like the Win8 OS, helpin' me to put the pc on the "sleep-like" shutdown, which remembers the pc while i open it, that i opened S1 before so it will load faster, also if select the "waveform magnifier slider" from the right of the window to make the waveform bigger if the gain levels was small, i can detect the noise and other bad things easier without impacting the gain level ( i know that alot of daws has this feature, but i wanted to mention it as an option for the bad looking little waveforms. About the blinding-selection of the tracks, i'd rather wear sun-glasses in the front of my computer while working lightning fast with studio-one than going back to "grouping" method (which feels slower to me compared to the simple 2clicks selection with the mouse).

You know that creativity and efficiency in the making-music/mixing/mastering process is based on the workflow speed and momentum (actually that's how i think), because if you mess too much time to achive something with your daw, you loose your focusing and also your ears gets tired, so that's why i love S1, not only that i work freakin' faster with it, but also very efficient, feels like that working speed improve even my mixes quality, because i make fast and good judgement in the best-focusing moment without wandering through slow processes and i can make alot of work in a short time, before losing my focusing or gettin' my ears tired. I even scheduled more clients orders in a month-interval and making more money than be4 due to this daw. I don't want to make advertising to Presonus or something, i try to be honest as possible basing my arguments on the real experience. So i rather accept to sacrifice myself looking to a bad looking gui and make more money, than looking and working with a slow eye-candy gui with the empty pockets.

 

in FL : shift + mousewheel (do the trick with channels, mixer tracks too) while u hovering on the given element

in FL : Ctrl+Click on a given sample,midi etc. in the browser, it gonna swap the content of the currently selected Channel Element (and because FL is pattern based gonna change it in the whole project too) to that one, or u can extend an already exists pattern with drag and drop from the browser, and because in FL there is direct connection between the patterns and playlist clips...but I think u know it )

in FL : Edison + Newton2 can do this easily and nicely, love both of them

I don't get it >

that's true, but u got Patcher in FL which much usable than this

in FL there is Disk Recording + Smart Disable for the CPUs, but yepp that feature is really cool for sure,

yepp, mixer is a big sh* in FL, so I've use Patcher+Magma instead of it

Newton2 can do the sample based one (new feature in FL11), but yepp multi-track quantization is missing from FL

I never wanted to work with multiple projects in the creativity phase, so it doesn't matter for me (but starting more than one FL and exporting project bones can handle this in FL, IMO)


and now my turn is coming > I miss badly FL Piano Roll / Patcher from S1, I don't really like shared items/looping solution (shift+d) in it, I love the pattern based workflow in FL : so the pattern<>playlist direct connectivity in it, if I've change something in any pattern all of the instances of it gonna change in the same way - can S1 do this, is there Fruity Envelope Controller, Fruity Formula Controller, Fruity X-Y Controller etc., FL do magic with automation (Articulator)can S1 do the same, where is Plugin/Project Picker, and where is Alt+Right+Mouse moving for previewing content of a clips (Listen Tool is joke beside of it), ok its enough ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfMJkVd6Ffg

for closing :D so for me FL is the clear winner for creativity, for production(mixing/mastering)that's a completely different topic, that's where S1 comes into the picture (and FL goes away from it) IMO

ps. yepp S1 is not skin-able and its current design is so functional for me, I love the controlled chaos in FL that's a creativity booster for sure
p2. and yepp FL is not a choose-able option if u want to use hardware based synths in the creativity phase, it handles them so badly

 

Good stuff guys..It Help me allot...

 

Evorax - sent u a PM mate.

 

Sorry OneReason, my network providers worked on the DNS servers for a damn ugly maintenance and i had to wait a crazy week.

The Automation in S1 is easy and fast too, you just touch whatever knob of a 3rd-party Synth or effect and appears a little hand on the upperleft of the S1 gui, also showing the name of the parameter, you just drag that little "hand" icon over the track in the arrangement view and apears over the track the line of the automation, so in my opinion is as fast as FL, i also don't like in the FL the fact that it doesn't provide already-assigned pitchwheel and modwheel while S1 does.
I also know about the Disk-Recording and Smart Disable but when using Nebula3 hoggy instances, that features are really useless for this task, while S1 saves me.
about the Edison & Newton2 (for stretching, tuning, transpose and sample tempo changing, that in S1 is just in your face, in the right click button) i think S1 works faster on this part, because i don't have to open other instances for stretching or tempo changin of the samples (to fit them to the tempo project if the samples are not acidized, to contain the internal info).

In S1 you can save a channel containing not only a 3rd party synth or VST Instrument, but also the effects chain in the same file, so you don't have to load two different things (the instruments & the effects chain) separately. My point of view between these two daws is the fact that S1 provides less steps to achive the same task, which result in a faster workflow. You can't record a routed bus through a new created audio-track in Fl. Studio that S1 is capable. In the creative process, i felt faster in S1 without missing any of the creative tools (i don't need the stock things, i work the most with the 3rd party stuff)

 

I messed around with the X3 demo for little bit last week and went right back to S1.

The advantages I thought would be the matrix view (so I can dump Ableton completely) and Win8 touch support, plus the face that it's pretty cheap ($99).

Just poking around, it didn't seem as intuitive as I though it would be. The VST management looked horrible. It's going to take some time to learn.

Overall I should probably just stick with Studio One, Ableton, and Macshine.

 

Hi, I'm a newcomer to audio world. My first DAW was FL and then switched to Sonar X2, and I use Sonar X3 for now. I've tried Studio One, It's really a good daw. Since i found that not many people use Sonar so i'd like to say something about these DAWs. But just keep in mind that i'm only a beginner for DAW.

FL studio is a powerful DAW, i've watched a lot of video tutorials, it can to so much things simply. But for me i don't like the pattern based workflow. It's my first DAW so it's not the problem of habitude, it's just not "nature" for me, plus it always takes the space on the top of screen, I use a 14' laptop, sometimes the window of plugin goes out of the bottom of my screen.

Then i switched to sonar, it is an old DAW with some small bugs, and it crashs sometimes. but it has it's own advantage.

Global:
Compare to Studio One 2, Sonar can also drag and drop VST, VSTi, audio files to existng tracks or make new track. the resort of FX-chain can be done with drag too.

Sonar has a Browser too, but have less function than Studio one i think. It can browser your Audio/MIDI FXs, VSTis and audio files in your computer, preview audio file can be done in browser too. Also the browser is your VSTi/ReWire rack, it lists your loaded instruments so you can Solo/Mute, Freeze or Delete it. it's useful for MultiOutput VSTi for example Kontakt, like you can solo all tracks of "this" Kontakt.

Sonar can hide things you don't need with hotkeys(D,B,I,C), and it have a FullScreen function (F11). In Studio One you have to click Detach and then Maximize to fully use the screen, and I didn't find it's FullScreen function for now.

For transpose, Sonar let you select when Stop/Pause, the play position rewind or hold at current time(like Studio One). I didn't find this function in Studio One.

Sonar and Studio One both have Freeze, Studio One let you choose render FX or not, in Sonar you can't choose but always render with FX. I like this function in Studio One very much.

In Sonar you can edit midi clip of a freezed track(will affect the audio after a defreeze-refreeze), in Studio One I don't know how to do this. Both DAW allow you edit audio clip of the freezed track.

You can't adjust many things by Studio One's Option menu, like choose what to display in traspose bar, rewind or not when stop play. Sonar has a fuller Preference panel, but maybe too much and not very well sorted.

Track View:
Sonar has more function visible in track view. M/S, Record, Monitor, Volume button like Studio one have, plus a meter with pick value, freeze, pan, i/o selection and FXs. When you reduce the size of track it will hide some button, and when you enlarge they will appare again, not like Studio One shows only fixed numbers of buttons.

Here's a screenshot of track headers in Sonar X3, full and folded audio tracks, then full and folded midi tracks:


In Sonar you can access FXs in header of tracks, I think this is better than Studio One.
Another thing Sonar done well is you can split Clips in track by simply ALT-Click it, and then release ALT for selecting them. In Studio One we have to switch between 1 and 3(which are hotkeys of Arrow Tool and Split Tool) I think.

Automation Track in Sonar have a limited vertical maximum size, in Studio One it's unlimited so it will help when doing mouse editing. And also creat a automation track in Studio One is more simple than Sonar.

Piano Roll:
In Sonar vertical grid can automatically change as you zoom in/out, you can zoom in for 1/32 note editing and zoom out draw some 1 bar note simply. When you need a fixed quantization you can turn off this auto function by a single click.

ALT-Clic for split, CTRL-Drag for copy, Shift-Click for multiselect. Right click to delete note. Hold left button to draw new note. You don't need to change mouse tool at all. I think this is better than the 1234 or mid-click way in Studio One.

In Sonar you can display multiple tracks in the same piano roll, useful for orchestral/chord in different instrument, or when you want to match your bass with your drumbeat.

Also in Sonar you can display multiple CCs at same time, Velocity, Modwheel and CC11 for example. In Studio One you have to switch between them.

Another small thing is you can drag the upper side of a note to change its velocity, like ALT-Drag in Ableton.

Here's a Screenshot of 4 tracks and their Modwheel CCs in a single piano roll, full screened:


In Studio One you can select Scale in piano roll, I never used this kind of function so I don't know it's useful or not, but at least it's there.

And also you have mute/solo buttons in piano roll in Studio One, this function is very useful!

Console:
I prefer Sonar's console. Studio One don't display the pick value of tracks, you have to use your mouse hover each tracks one by one for reading pick values. And In Sonar you can choose narrow some of your tracks and don't narrow other.
Other Console functions are almost same in Sonar and Studio One, like multi-select, send or edit FXs.

Plugins:
Sonar x64 support x86 plugins, Studio One x64 don't.

Sonar's native FX is a collection of ProChannel, VST x64, VST x86 and old DX plugins from different companies, a mix of good and bad, some of them looks really old. Also I can't find some plugin for example spectrum analyzer.

Studio One's native FXs are all from PreSonus, and it's a very complete collection I think, covered almost all basic needs.

Temporary File Management:
In Studio One you can simply choose Remove Unused Files from browser to keep your temp folder clean. In Sonar I didn't find this function.

Bugs:
Sonar is not very stable, sometime it crashs, especially when you opened a web-browser or itunes or something in background.

I found some 3rd-part vst2 plugin can't get sidechain singal in Studio One, same setting works on PreSonus plugin but don't work on elysia mpressor sc for example.

For audio clip editing, I rarely use these functions like repitch, retempo. In fact I rarely use audio file, almost all my works are done by midi and VSTi. So I don't know the different between them. But I tried the audio function in Studio One after read Evorax's reply, I find it's really easy to access.

So as a conclusion, Sonar and Studio One don't win each other too much IMO, you can pick either. Studio One is good for it's mordern design and have less bug, But Sonar also have some advantages. If you are curious about Sonar, just give it a try, and remember install only the first DVD is enough for most people *yes* , the 2nd and 3rd DVDs are Dimension and some audio samples.

And I think keep Studio One and Sonar both is a waste since their function or workflow or "way of creating music" is similar, I would suggest Ableton Live or FL Studio for those who are looking for a second DAW beside Sonar or Studio One.

 

i am really amazed that so many of you use FL.. I really cant get used to it, especially after using Logic for over a decade.
i really like sequoia / samplitude, now i m trying to get used to Sonar, but we'll see :-D

 

I started making music using FL (then Fruity Loops). Later, I started to use Cakewalk (now SONAR). Currently, I use Sonar from Start to finish. I have Cubase 7 and also use it, but a few, I always prefer SONAR; faster and stable.
I use FL and Cubase more to create rhythms, bass lines, etc; but SONAR is my main sequencer and Wavelab my preffered mastering suite.

By the way, s serious limitation of SONAR is the ability to use VST3 64bit sidechannel plugins and 8 channel or surround tracks and fx. You can mix surround projects panning stereo tracks. You can apply vst fx to surround buses using stereo plugins, but not using natively surround plugins. If you work on stereo, dont worry, sonar rules.