Choosing a DAW or Digital Audio Workstation software
So you want to make music, but don't really know what software to start out with? Or maybe you've been making beats for years but feel like it's time to change things up? Let's see if I can help you out, steemit-style!
If you're new to music production or don't know what a DAW is, I would suggest starting with my previous guide: click!
Now let's get something out of the way first: There is no such thing as the perfect DAW!
Depending on your work method, hardware, operating system, budget or even music genre, there will always be multiple options to choose from. The key is to pick one that feels right for you and stick with it until you learn to master it!
Let's get started!
Garageband
Operating System: Mac
Website: https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/
Price: Free!
Why choose Garageband?
Garageband is ideal for Mac users that want to give music production a try without investing absurd amounts of money. It's pre-installed (for free!) on pretty much every Apple device and is famous for its simplicity and user-friendly layout. The downside of it being this simple, is that it's pretty limited, but it definitely lets you pump out beats in no time.
Logic Pro
Operating System: Mac
Website: https://www.apple.com/logic-pro/
Price: $199.99
Why choose Logic Pro?
According to Soundfly.com, "if GarageBand is the Ikea of the audio production world, where you can buy a door that will lock and keep the elements out for cheap, then Logic Pro is a boutique furniture store in the nice part of town where you can buy a nice stained-wood deal with Tiffany glass that will make the neighbors a little jealous."
It's a very professional piece of software that features the classic Apple design, has rock-steady stability and features an enormous amount of high quality instruments and effects. It also costs less than most of its competitors, which makes this an excellent choice for Mac users.
Ableton Live
Operating System: Mac / Windows
Website: https://www.ableton.com
Price: $449.00 (Currently on sale for $359.00!)
Why choose Ableton?
Ableton is my weapon of choice! I enjoy it the most because the Session-mode (also used for live sets) allows me to jam out without wasting too much time. This allows me to work out ideas in a very quick manner, hit record and then drag and drop everything into place. The mixing features could maybe use a little more detail to keep up with the competition, but it will definitely get the job done!
FL Studio
Operating System: Windows
Website: https://www.image-line.com/flstudio/
Price: $199.00
Why choose FL Studio?
Another affordable DAW that is great for electronic music producers. The interface has become very enticing and is really easy to use! I haven't tried the latest release yet, but it looks phenomenal. FL Studio (formerly known as Fruity Loops) has a huge amount of tutorials on YouTube, so you can easily get started (especially if you like trap music, jesus!). The only negative point I can think of is that it doesn't support Mac, unless you're ready to bootcamp it.
Pro Tools
Operating System: Mac / Windows
Website: http://www.avid.com/pro-tools
Price: $599.00 or $29.99/month
Why choose Pro Tools?
Pro Tools is the industry standard when it comes to professional recording, audio editing and mixing. It's pretty much designed to be used in combination with hardware, so if this is the direction you want to go, I'd definitely consider this one! The only thing that I find kind of a nuisance is the fact that you always have to plug in the USB-"dongle" into your computer or laptop, for security reasons.
Cubase
Operating System: Mac / Windows
Website: https://www.steinberg.net/en/products/cubase/start.html
Price: $559.00
Why choose Cubase?
Another professional-oriented DAW that features excellent plugins and MIDI possibilities. It's almost been around for 30(!) years and is still one of the most popular ones to this day! It masterfully handles high quality audio and mixing work in a way that's very comparable to Pro Tools. I would recommend Cubase to any kind of producer or audio engineer in a heartbeat, as long as you can afford it!
Sonar
Operating System: Mac (?) / Windows
Website: https://www.cakewalk.com/products/SONAR/
Price: $499.00 or $49.99/month
Why choose Sonar?
Another 'old-timer', Sonar by Cakewalk has been in the game since the 90's. It's one of the better DAWs for recording and mixing purposes, so unless you purely want to stick to electronic music, Sonar comes highly recommended! It used to only be available to Windows-users for the longest time, but I believe Cakewalk came through with a prototype version for Mac not too long ago.
Reaper
Operating System: Mac / Windows
Website: https://www.reaper.fm/
Price: $60.00 ($225.00 for commercial license)
Why choose Reaper?
Reaper is one of the new kids on the block, designed by the creators of WinAmp, if anyone can remember that era... It's another DAW that's great for mixing and editing audio, features a fully customizable interface, and you can get started for only $60?! It is however not the easiest DAW to get into, so if you're not afraid of a bible-sized manual, get on it!
Reason
Operating System: Mac / Windows
Website: https://www.propellerheads.se/en/reason
Price: $299.00
Why choose Reason?
Reason is another interesting one: The layout looks exactly as if you would be working with nothing but hardware, so you get to connect different racks and synths manually using virtual cables! It's super stable and has a fun workflow, so for people that enjoy a more physical approach, this might be the one for you. The latest version supposedly supports external VST's (Virtual Studio Technology) but some of my friends have told me that it's not at 100% yet.. This isn't a huge issue however, since Reason comes with its own great set of plugins.
Studio One
Operating System: Mac / Windows
Website: https://www.presonus.com/products/Studio-One
Price: $99.00 / $399.00
Why choose Studio One?
Studio One is still pretty new, but has quickly become one of the most popular DAWs in the game! I haven't had the chance to play around with it yet, but it seems to be very easy to pick up and should do more than fine for music production in general. The drag-and-drop interface looks very nice, but I hear the MIDI editor isn't as good as the competition yet. Of course, if anyone has had any experiences with Studio One, I would love to hear about it!
Now get to it!
So there you have it, ten of the most popular DAWs that are currently on the market! Try to figure out which one(s) would be a good match for whatever goals you might have in mind, and get to work!
You can easily find tutorials or demos for every single one of them on YouTube, but if you have any questions or remarks, don't hesitate to leave them in a comment below.
As always, all upvotes/comments/follows are very much appreciated!
Good luck!
I was actually going to write a post like this lol! I have to say, Reaper is my DAW of choice. You have the most flexibility with it. Plus, because it's so cheap, you get to invest the money you save into better plugins :D
I'm not too experienced with it, but it really looks interesting.. Is it rough to get into when you're used to one of the other ones?
Honestly, it depends which one. I used to use FL studio before i bought Reaper. The biggest difference is there are no track types. So you can have midi and vocals on the same track. And there aren't patterns. But once you try it, it's hard to go back because of how streamlined it is.
I recorded over 10 albums using Ableton Live... I still own the software license, but gave away my gear and took off for Asia... Nice info, I need to update my brain!!
Jeez, 10 albums!? What kind of music do you make?
It's never too late to get back into it... ;-)
Sorta like a discount Beck? and several of those albums were produced on my netbook! LOL...
I have thought about getting another M-Audio interface, it would only take me a few hundred fake FIAT dollars... Hah! Maybe my steemit can someday pay for my music addiction!
Hell yeah, that's the goal right there! I'm probably going to invest in a Push or Maschine next, should be a fun little toy to add into the mix. :)
I know Farko, if you are near Seattle... He and I used to be housemates... Now I am lucky if I see him tagged in a photo with Dave Matthews, or Bela Fleck, or Zakir Hussein! Music is so funny! One minute you're jamming around a fire, the next minute Steven Tyler is dancing naked and stealing all your women!
Damn you, Steve! Not too familiar with Farko, actually just moved to Seattle from Europe not too long ago!
LOL! When I lived in Maui, Steven Tyler would show up at the nude beach drum circle... He never stole any women, although I am a skinny fuck too so bathing suits my size were in short supply... In essence he stole my thrift-store trunks...
I am currently comfortable with Cubase, but a while ago I worked with Reaper and it was quite stable, the other DAW that you mention are also very good, but the important thing is that you master and feel good with the sequencer that you work on, so as not to waste time and take inspiration to create music, interesting post.
Yep, you nailed it! Are you sticking with Reaper, or did you eventually move back to Cubase?
I am currently using Cubase Elements 8 and I am comfortable working with this DAW, Reaper was the first thing I used and it was very useful. The problem that I have now is from memory with the laptop but I am about to solve it to continue making good music.
Nice post. I've worked with FLStudio for many years but recently I bought a MAC and started with Logic Pro. It's really good but I'm still adapting to it. FLStudio for Mac is still buggy cause it's in Beta.
Oh so they actually released a version for Mac? I'm on Windows, so I wouldn't really know.. Thanks for contributing!
Yes they have!
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