Which DAW Is Best for Beat Makers? Digital Audio Workstations: Compared

Beat making has been a continuously evolving art form since the earliest days of DJ Kool Herc, Grand Wizzard Theodore, KRS-One, and countless additional innovators. The field would continue growing with the groundbreaking sample weaving of artists like J Dilla, Madlib, Pete Rock, and Nujabes, who’ve inspired the likes of Onra, Flying Lotus, and Oneohtrix Point Never, to name a handful of the pantheon of production powerhouses (sorry, we know we missed a few). Still, the question on every producer’s mind remains the same: how do they do it? There’s no single, comprehensive answer to that question, but what’s imperative to finding any creative success is a rock-solid foundation, and using the right DAW for your workflow makes a world of difference. Sweetwater’s resident beat baron, Creative D’Will, takes you through a handful of some of the most widely used DAWs to help you determine which DAW is best for your beat-making style. Check it out!

00:00 — Introduction to DAWs for Beat Making
01:20 — FL Studio: The Producer’s Playground
06:40 — BitWig Studio: Innovation in Sound Design
10:04 — Studio One 6: Streamlined Workflow for Creatives
15:24 — Reason 12: The Synth Lover’s Dream
19:17 — Pro Tools: The Industry Standard
24:40 — Cubase 13: The All-in-One Musical Powerhouse
33:33 — Final Thoughts & Recommendations

For more from Sweetwater, follow us:

#Sweetwater #DAW #BeatMaking #CreativeDWill #Bitwig #FLStudio #ProTools #StudioOne #Reason #Cubase

[Goettel]

Got into FL proper with v12 and looking at the current v21, the number of free improvements and new features is just insane. Love or hate the way it does things differently from anything else, but you can't argue with how great a deal the lifetime free updates are.

[johnwilliams]

Spoiler, it doesn’t matter! Try ‘em all and see which one works best for you

[TeddyTed]

My present preferred DAW is MOTU Digital Performer 11. That said, I have extensively used Studio One Professional, Cubase Pro, Reason, Bitwig Studio, and Sampitude Pro X Suite, and continue to maintain the most recent versions on my PC. For the R&B music I produce, all of them suffice to varying degrees.

[jpallatin]

No Ableton? Oh, I get it, because you don't sell it on your website. Shame, cause it's the best, and one of the most popular.

[andrewkeller]

I love all the comments from ppl who have already made up their mind before even clicking on this video… like you were maybe looking for positive reinforcement only to find out they aren’t reviewing yours because Sweetwater is only reviewing the DAWs they offer… which of course that is what this is…! Like this man isn’t doing this video on his own dime / on his own. This part of his job… you know, the thing he does to either make a living or to supplement the income he makes as a musician / producer etc etc. Get a grip.

About the DAWs in the video, I am one who is researching and have been going back and forth between a few, and some not on here as well, but I actually really liked what he said about FL Studio; I may be trying that one out first since I’m a new.

[simonjhudson]

Thank you for the video, it was very informative. As a quick question, from your video most of the DAWs discussed seem to be able to manipulate sounds on a very basic level however you don't mention this ability in Cubase. Is that because Cubase doesn't have that ability or was it just not mentioned? If it doesn't have that ability, is there a plug in or hardware option that would give you that functionality?

[CrisCozy]

Used them all my work flow is Maschine & ProTools

[hoossembechiri]

Nuendo !!! Ableton live !!!! logic pro x
Other like ...sampetude ....etc etc ...degital perfomer ...waveforme ...etc etc etc

[avnger]

FL Studio has always truly been the fastest way for me to compose rock-based EDM/video game soundtrack electronic music. I 100% agree that FL's piano roll is easily the best. It is the standard. Every DAW should copy it. Id like to see UVI and Image Line co-create a new version of FL Studio or a new DAW.

Even sound design is faster than Nuendo, Pro Tools, etc. On account of some isses with PT like its less reliable video engine, Nuendo should be the post-production industry standard.

[halohat]

I always wanted a studio in Florida 😅🍓🍒🍋🍌

Take a drink every time he says Bitwig 🤪

[datooch]

Pro Tools allows you to buy a perpetual license too.

[mcwalkermc]

Pretty glaring omission not to mention Ableton or Logic …

[lecanardaimeLAKland]

Why do u guys not carry ableton anymore

[soundsfromYYBY]

REASON GANG NOTHING BETTER...OTHERS ARE GOOD BUT NOT BETTER THAN REASON

[MrTweaksTV]

this is ridiculous :))) you know Ableton Live is boss when posers don't even mention it

[impacc]

What is "BigWig"? Lol😂 anyway FL and Bitwig are the best two daws imho

[antoniomccoy]

No Logic? Where’s the logic in that? The nerve 🤣

[cchodur]

Is this a joke? Ableton is the king and what everyone uses now. how could this be a serious video without mentioning it?

[MALAKAMARYNYAHU]

THE BEST PRODUCERS USE ABLETON LIVE AS DIGITAL DAW AS OF NOW.