OK, everyone has their Go to DAW, let discuss what we like and don't like about all the Major DAWs

1. Which DAW do you use predominantly?

2. Why? what is it u cannot do without?

3. What is stopping u from swapping to another DAW?

I'll add my comments shortly.

Let the debate begin! Maybe we can all learn a thing or two!

and lets keep it civil please !

 

My answers:

1. LOGIC or LOGIC Express.

2. Because for me it's simply the best DAW.
It has a history: i started 20 years ago with digital recording coming from Analogue recording,
i first used Apple's Garageband but soon got confronted with its limits, so i switched to LOGIC.
It's very cool because i even can import my old recordings made on Garageband.
That's unique in LOGIC. A pure Apple MAC software!

3. With other DAWs you cannot do what i've described in point 2. Plus i find other DAWs rather
confusing, or just limited to VST plug-ins and synths. It takes much time until you learn the
"Do's and Don'ts" on other DAWs.

Its a matter of taste, experience, and habit.

 

I have to go with Ableton Live 8 (Suite), its so intuative and easy to pick up and create. It almost has every instrument and fx i need. I use it with Akai APC 40, and its the best way to create whole tracks triggering loops and using the macro's to change the sound, i could'nt think of any reason to swap. No cut, copy & paste involved, just play *yes*

 

The best DAW is the DAW you know the best!

I like Cubase, I use it since the mid nineties and I simply feel "Home" using Cubase. It's a mature DAW with a long history and it has lots and lots of features, some nice audio editing tools and a nice looking GUI. Cubase is IMHO one of the best DAWs for producing music, as it clearly has a focus on that. It is of course not perfect, one of the most annoying things is the outdated window handling and the strange media bay handling. Studio one and Logic do this a lot better.

Beside Cubase I also sometimes use Ableton, I love it for audio editing and remixing, but it's midi implentation is not very good compared to Cubase or Logic. Still, it's a very good and intuitive program.

I tried Studio One and I really like it, but I am still missing some features I know from Cubase. Maybe in version 3 or higher I might switch to Studio One.

 

I'm very used to Ableton Live right now. The main reason:
1) Racks
2) Groove templates
3) Session view
4) One-tool piano roll

However, I'm thinking of switching to Sonar X1, as for me Ableton is quite unstable and I feel limited when I'm doing mixdowns.

 

1. I love Samplitude by Magix.

2. I have been using it for the last 7 years as a mastering engineer. it is the "secret weapon" for many M.E.s... it is very open sounding and especially with the new pro x release.

3. The fact that I have been using it for so long means that i know the product very well, and I don't always have time to learn other things. I did use pro tools HD all the time when I was an engineer in Nashville, TN and really enjoyed it, but haven't had time to get up to speed on the new versions. I quit using it when it was on ver 6.7.

 

I have tried them all, alwaaays come back to LIVE.

For some reason, each DAW, has a deal-breaker for me.

Sonar X1, I cant stand the browser when browsing loops, You have to wait for the loop to cache before it can be dragged into the arrangement, additionally not being able to record into their 'session' view is a killer. Lastly in Sonar, Im not fond of plugin management and how it creates two tracks for each plugin.. just odd. In live... Drag, drop, use, or delete, done. So much simpler, I cant imagine another way. Oh, and, having to name your project every-time u start one is just stupid, let me name it, after.. I decide to save it.

I love the way Sonar looks, but these things and a few more kill it for me.

FL Studio lack of support for things like Audio Punch in..and audio in general... killed that for me.

Cubase 5.. was ok, but tended to be quite unstable for me..and a lil overly complicated in some cases... even tho I loved VariAudio.

Studio One...I have to say the main thing I dont like about S1 is how the clips look, that clumsy blue line that surrounds an active clip just rubs me the wrong way.

Also, that the X64 version doesn't handle 32 bit plugs without something like Jbridge annoys me to no end.

The grid lines not changing to quantize settings.. a la LIVE... Gotta have those gridlines. (this is also a defect of Sonar X1)

I get a bit weary of not being able to change skins, colors etc too. the UI is a bit monotonous for me.

Not being able to reposition UI elements like the transport to the top, and sides. Im a clicker, not having my Transport at the top makes it feel like way more work to me, just to start stop, rewind, record etc.

Reaper, I dunno, I just can't get into at all, seems.. all over the place, seems.. amateurish and cheap to me.

Yep, Unless Cubase 6 comes out, or the aforementioned issues are remedied in other DAWs, looks like Im looking forward to Live 9, I hope they are smart enough to have made it x64 and multi-monitor and lastly... MORE STABLE !!!

Here's Hoping !

 

Cubase 5 here (and Cubase 6 as soon as I will have finished to crack it...).

Why ? Because I'm on a PC, so Logic is forbidden to me.

Even if Cubase is not the best DAW, I'm so used to work with it that just thinking to have to learn another DAW gives me nightmares.

To be honest, "best DAW" what does it means ? They all sound the same (it has been proved many times, so please don't argue again on this subject) and each one have some features others don't have. In conclusion, the best DAW is like the girl you'll marry : the one with which you feel good : http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6478387/the-six-girls-youll-date-in-college

 

What's a D.A.W.??

 

D.A.W = Don't Ask Weird things

 

1) For me, Cubase and Jeskola Buzz.

2) Cause I've used them for so goddamn long (1993/2000). Buzz is actually my favorite, because it's a modular tracker beast (with no distracting pretty gui). They complement each other perfectly - one being a like the "german/controlling/square" left brain and the other being the "hippie/unlimited/artistic" right.

3) Nothing. I've been using Pro Tools, Nuendo, Logic and others in work.
Personally I'm currently really interested in Zynewave Podium and in the upcoming Bitwig.

The best DAW is the one you know/use/abuse.

 

Really? I always thought Decidedly Awkward Wanker... learn something new all the time

 

Jeskola Buzz is the one I also love. But it lacks exporting capabilities as of now. Though I like that Jeskola is actively developing it right now.

 

"lacks exporting capabilities"? Not that I know of. What exactly do you mean? I might be able to help.

 

UUHHH UUMM. My turn.
1st . My advice is to give reaper a try. One of the major things we need as producers is stability i hat getting it crackin and then being faced with looking at the splash of my DAW again.
2nd . The routing in reaper is insane and if you use your head you can use and ensemble of plug together that you would never get running all together in any DAW.
3rd. Reaper is easier than what you think. You can have as many bus tracks as you want and you can simply click on the IO button on a track and drack to the track you want it bussed to.
And the mouse or cursor turns into a 1/4 inch jack icon just to let you know your pluging this into this damn. You can bring on all those cpu hogs you have and use them in unison. I
love ableton but just to do beats with. I also use Reason/Record but.......... just to do beats with. But recording vocals and mastering Reaper all day. Multiple delay and reverb and effects gone mad doing things never heard.
4th . Last but not least stick to what your flow of work rides with. I dont shit on other DAWS i just prefer some over others. Everybody has different simplicities and complexities.
Some need a beefy graphical interface to make it easy for people who have training wheels on their brains. Some people know what they want to do and go for it. In any DAW.
5th . This is actually last of my input. The DAW dosnt make you a better producer your growth does. Focus on being good at what you do. Not what everybody else is using and doing.
I wish all of you the best and keep it Craccin. Later Peeps

 

I mean you can't export to midi, you can't export for example a single pattern easily. That kind of things. I'd really like to be able to use Buzz for composition (it somehow affects the way you compose music) and some of its generators, then export midi and audio clips, and continue in another DAW. Lack of midi export is major stopper for me. It's just way too difficult to copy notes manually from pattern view to piano roll.

 

Can't believe no one has said FL STUDIO

I use FL Studio exclusively and have since I began producing music in 2005.

It was the first DAW I was introduced to, starting with version 5.


I have tried using logic and garage band. Other DAWs lack the flexibility of using both audio and midi.
FL studio is extremely simple to use straight out the box.

 

Well, I did mention it, and have tried it, extensively.. but for someone recording lots of vocals, acoustic guitars, audio in general it's not nearly as friendly as most conventional DAWs... IMO.

If FL beefs up its audio capabilities I'd be all over it, as it stands, that really was the dealbreaker for me... even tho I loved a LOT of its features.

 

What is a Daw You Asked? D.A.W = Don't Ask Weird things? where you get the T from? lol No its funny but
Daw stands for ( Doesnt Anybody Work)(&), (Dont Argue Women)
Thats a Daw its what youre used to, mine is Sonar and Logic 2 Very poerful apps and loaded with so many vsti, Dynths,drumd ect....

 

It's all about personal preference, and personally, I prefer Ableton Live. I've tried out every major DAW on the market, but, for me, nothing comes close to matching the ease of use and intuitiveness of Live. I'll always have a soft spot for Logic. I used it back when it was available for Windows. I continued using it back when I switched to Mac... But now, I rarely touch it.