HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT DAW FOR YOU!

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My Twitter - @DarkCornerYT

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My Gear -

[annekedebruyn]

Reaper is fantastic. It can be as simple and as complicated (to the point of literally running scripts for automation or building your own plugin) as you want.
It's the engineers daw.
Came from Cakewalk Sonar (which used to be called "Logic for Windows" back then) but that feels like cluttered mess when going back to old projects.
I love Cakewalk to death but man does it need a UI overhaul.

[mr.awesomesauce]

I use FL Studio for music production and Audacity for more simple audio editing, viewing, and listening.

[buxycat]

This whole world of DAW scares me, so I really appreciated your thoughts. You've helped me make an informed decision that suits my needs and my equipment, thank you so much.

[needsLITHIUM]

Reaper can run in ARM builds of Linux of a Raspberry Pi. You can run it natively or in Wine on x86 Linux or on a Chromebook. It runs on M1 and M2 Macs, and it runs on Windows, with the current build supporting all the way back to Windows 7.
I also use Harrison Mixbus, which is based on modified Ardour code, and has built in summing that emulates their physical consoles. I use that exclusively for final mixing and mastering. It also has cross platform support, though the only ARM CPU support it has is for Mac silicon AFAIK.

[TNRRecords]

Ableton live is the easiest and most overlooked daw to use. From the first groove swing to mastering. Minus mouse clicks(pt, pre sonus, logic, etc)and list searching that doesn’t move if you click the wrong place on your screen.

[joshmcdzz]

Reaper is my favorite because it's truly CROSS PLATFORM - windows, linux and mac.. just like DaVinci Resolve.. Reaper is the DaVinci resolve of the audio community.. the price, its cross platform, workflow.. All other daws are still existing because of their age ...

[amarug]

I hated Reaper so much. Most I hated when I realized how much I would LOVE it if it were "packed" differently. The functionality is beyond, but the UI is such utter hateful trash I just never got used to it, I hated it with all my guts, until I abandoned ship.

[aspirativemusicproduction]

For dance music FL Studio and Ableton is the first to consider. Simply many people made this choice for the specific things they can do there. After all FL studio started as a drum machine and was build around that concept. It took a while for it to become more of all encompassing DAW but I think it's there already. Ableton has other features that people like to use. So, there is two.

[aspirativemusicproduction]

Temporary things are permanent. Once you get used to it you don't want to switch. So choosing first DAW may be important. You have to figure out what is the thing you value in a DAW. If you are going to click a lot in the piano roll you may want to go with FL Studio. Besides the phone app isn't bad. You can use the same app on your computer if you want too.

[novacain]

I got studio one with a bundle i purchased, so i stuck with it bc it was very user friendly and i got comfortable with it.

[stevefaul]

I've been using Audacity for basic voice work for over ten years. It's all you need, and the price is right. (I hope the many others who use Audacity are making a donation as well.) It's cross platform, so if you switch operating systems your session files will transfer. Exporting files in MP3 is fairly easy. The biggest disadvantage is setting up plugins, which may require a bit of Computer 101 or higher on some systems. Calf plugins work the best for me. If you try multi tracking, laying in more than 12 tracks or so can get noisy. Thirty or more and it starts to bog down during editing.

I've also used Audition in several radio stations since the days when it was called "Cool Edit." Easy learning curve after years of tape recorders. If you work for a company with an Audition group license, you're living well.

[crtune]

I agree about the user winding up adopting the muscle memory, and thus the one you first use for production is far more likely to be the DAW you rely upon over time. I started with Cubase, and therefore that work flow and the knowledge I picked up in that software (along with the rich feature set Steinberg includes) causes me to lean toward that platform. I also have started to see music or movie and TV composer types using the tool. Audio can be readily transferred from one platform to another in cases where large scale production is happening.

[getstew]

Great video. I would point out is that Reaper's complexity makes it easier to use. EVERYTHING is customizable or can be set to macros. It does everything Audtion does and more. I also think the concept of renting to NEVER own a DAW (monthly subscription) is a terrible model. There are very few things I'm a hardcore evangelist on, but ... Best...

[DannyBrownPodcasts]

Since switching to Hindenburg a year ago, I must have saved at least 50-60% editing time. Super easy to use, great automated features, and the new version just adds to this ease of use and time-saving. ❤

[Markisbeatz]

I use Cubase 12. Always like it. It is easier for me, the interface of it is easier to understand. Still don't know why it isn't as popular as pro tools. I am defenetly going to try pro tools because it is so famous!

[ChannelForty]

For me, pro tools. I tried logic, reaper then tried out pro tools and the workflow and editing just made sense to me. I was immediately faster in pro tools and its easier in pro tools for me to get the crazy stuff i hear in my head to come out right. Ive never had any issues with pro tools that people complain about. It just works for me.

[GraeboProductions]

Reason is very intuitive. It is taught with Pro Tools at college university level. Fornally taught PT. One bangs one's head finding out work flow. But if you know what you want to do, need to do and how to do it. Figuring out the method is easy. It is knowing what you want or need is the hard part...

[daveanthony]

Cakewalk. Switched to it some years ago and never looked back. Literally thousands of client projects later, it does everything needed, including creating contemporary music. Anxious to see the new Sonar release.

[aspirativemusicproduction]

I use FL Studio. I initially used is as a drum machine. Than gradually started using it for synths and that's how years later I just stuck to it. There was time I tried different DAWs but eventually you get tired of trying new stuff. Would I ever switch DAWs? I don't know. If for some reason FL doesn't work for me anymore. Who knows.

[uselessoldman]

We could argue all day about which DAW is best whether its based on the features the individual etc, there will NEVER be an out right winner. The right DAW depends on many things, but ultimately its down to the work you do and the demands on the software and features. Lets take one example, Immersive sound or alternatively Dolby Atmos. I need this so was recently forced to drop Studio One and went for Nuendo which is Cubase on steroids, I used to use Cubase so nothing much new to learn. Why? Cos I like the GUI/workflow, sure its not as nice as Studio One but put it against Reaper Ableton etc? Pro Tools compatibility makes it a none starter. Before I recorded and mixed in Studio One and then had to import into DaVinci and let it do the Atmos rendering, it worked but it was not perfect for me. Using Nuendo with DaVinci I am sorted !!