Recommend DAW

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Sylenth89

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Hey... I just wanted to ask which DAW would you recommend me? I'm NOT going to record anything. I DO NOT know to play instruments nor singing. And I'm not gonna use it as live performance tool. So can you help me? Please be universal and do not recommend dozen of them. Thanks!
 
Dont know how to play instruments or sing but gonna use it as a performance tool?? Performance of what, dance, DJ?
 
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hmmmm, problem is without telling us the type of music you want to create there are at least a dozen to recommend

more details please
 
Perhaps you can check out Ignite. It is very simple. It comes with M audio Fast track audio interface.

For myself I prefer Ableton Live which also comes with M audio fast track audio interface. The version is a small version. It is mostly complete. It is a real version not a demo. Although, it is limited to fewer amount of lanes (tracks".) ON top of that it may be possible to upgrade sometime later. but not always. It depends on what Ableton Live permits at certain times.

What do you want to use your DAW for?

Ableton Live ( EDM and home producing)

Pro Tools ( big rooms and lots of equipment)
 
Thank you people for answers, I'm quite insomniac, so I managed to reply now. So I'll answer to all of you :)

@Kinh No, man, I'm not going to use it as live performance tool :P And I'm not gonna use it as live performance tool.

@bandcoach Well, I'd mostly produce electronic music. I am open to learning new genres so I wouldn't confine to house for example. I'd go from psytrance, trance, ambiental... Where inspiration moves me. But, with one exception, that is when I master the theory (I'm relatively young still :P), I'd like to venture into orchestral music.

@MadAnthony81 Haha man, that's my main issue here :P I did just bought some month ago M-Audio Oxygen 49, and it fits like a glove Ableton. But I'm in belief (maybe wrong), that Ableton is too much biased towards EDM and will not allow me to maybe one day compose orchestral... Ok, I would not try hip hop, rock, metal, country whatever, but I do not like to bi limited in the beginning. That's why I'm here to hear your opinions :P

@keepinitreal Price is not much of a big deal, cause I'm thinking of investing in something for a long haul. Possibly as long as possible.
 
You dont want this answer but you've narrowed it down enough yourself now..it really doesnt matter what you get.

Reaper maybe? Id probably try reaper if I had time to learn another daw.
 
MadAnthony81 said:
What do you want to use your DAW for?

Ableton Live ( EDM and home producing)

Pro Tools ( big rooms and lots of equipment)
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these are stereotypes. It just comes back to it doesnt matter. I use pro tools at home for electronic producing exclusively. Ableton on the other hand wouldnt be that good for recording outside sources so youre right about that. But Pro Tools definitely isn't limited to that.
 
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I'd be using it as ITB (in the box) production tool. Basicaly only software, pc, midi keyboard and my imagination.
 
Sylenth89 said:
Thank you people for answers, I'm quite insomniac, so I managed to reply now. So I'll answer to all of you :)

@Kinh No, man, I'm not going to use it as live performance tool :P And I'm not gonna use it as live performance tool.

@bandcoach Well, I'd mostly produce electronic music. I am open to learning new genres so I wouldn't confine to house for example. I'd go from psytrance, trance, ambiental... Where inspiration moves me. But, with one exception, that is when I master the theory (I'm relatively young still :P), I'd like to venture into orchestral music.

@MadAnthony81 Haha man, that's my main issue here :P I did just bought some month ago M-Audio Oxygen 49, and it fits like a glove Ableton. But I'm in belief (maybe wrong), that Ableton is too much biased towards EDM and will not allow me to maybe one day compose orchestral... Ok, I would not try hip hop, rock, metal, country whatever, but I do not like to bi limited in the beginning. That's why I'm here to hear your opinions :P

@keepinitreal Price is not much of a big deal, cause I'm thinking of investing in something for a long haul. Possibly as long as possible.
Click to expand...

based on your answers I'd proffer Cubase or reason - two very different daws but with sufficient crossover to cater for most of your current and future needs

reason gives you built-in synths, sampling, the ability to add on 3rd party extensions (so what if they aren't vsts, they are still extensions) and the ability to track audio and mix and master (if you are so inclined)

cubase gives you scoring capabilities, and access to any vst that is out there (lots of good free ones and just as many good paid for ones). If you were to go down the path of cubase then get yourself the latest version of Komplete ultimate so that you have a bunch of synths, samplers/libraries and processing vsts
 
reaper should be fine, i use it for recording and producing and the occasional bit of audio editing. just get yourself a decent drum plugin as sequencing beats on it can be a pain at times. poise would be one id recommend
 
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Cubase offers a lot of potential for future expansion....as in it already has everything covered even if you haven't even thought of it yet.
 
Ableton has orchestra in in and lots of it. With proper effects it sounds pretty good actually. Like anything.

But what you might consider is looking to 3rd party VST software such as orchestra VST's. Oftern times Dimesnion pro sells very cheap like about 19 dollars at plugin boutique. It pretty decent. There are extras you can purchase for Dimension Pro. Also there are many other companies that carry orchestra VSTs but that is the only one I can speak of because I have it. Once again Ableton has tons of orchestra for beginers that want to process the heavens out of them. In the end it sounds good. If you want something that sounds more readily usable but able to change it too a little I recommend Dimension Pro a lot!

Also there are ones like Kontakt but they get pricey and you could end up buying tons of stuff for thousands of dollars that don't suite the bill. Dimension Pro is surprisingly cheap on sale, and it has a touch of a processed sound to it for sure.

A place to find all kinds of VSTs is KVRaudio.com. There you may search for orchestra or synths or effects from all the companies out there. It's really nice.

I really think Ableton goes beyond EDM. It just depends which aftermarket Vsts you use. But Abletons effects are really clear. That sure is nice for orchestra.
 
Sylenth89 said:
Thank you people for answers, I'm quite insomniac, so I managed to reply now. So I'll answer to all of you :)

@Kinh No, man, I'm not going to use it as live performance tool :P And I'm not gonna use it as live performance tool.

@bandcoach Well, I'd mostly produce electronic music. I am open to learning new genres so I wouldn't confine to house for example. I'd go from psytrance, trance, ambiental... Where inspiration moves me. But, with one exception, that is when I master the theory (I'm relatively young still :P), I'd like to venture into orchestral music.

@MadAnthony81 Haha man, that's my main issue here :P I did just bought some month ago M-Audio Oxygen 49, and it fits like a glove Ableton. But I'm in belief (maybe wrong), that Ableton is too much biased towards EDM and will not allow me to maybe one day compose orchestral... Ok, I would not try hip hop, rock, metal, country whatever, but I do not like to bi limited in the beginning. That's why I'm here to hear your opinions :P

@keepinitreal Price is not much of a big deal, cause I'm thinking of investing in something for a long haul. Possibly as long as possible.
Click to expand...

Although I use REAPER, I wouldn't recommend it to someone who plans to create electronic music.
Why?
Automation is crucial for electronic composition, and it's REAPER's weak point.
Several users have asked OVER and OVER for an overhauled automation system including clips - no progress has been announced for years.

I would recommend FL Studio for your purposes, because:
- It's the best DAW for automation (which is essential to EDM).
- Lifetime updates mean that you're always getting new features.
- You can get an additional discount off the price as a new customer.

With that said, if you're comfortable with Live, stay with that!
I felt restricted by the overall paradigm and could never get into it.
You can use Live to produce all of those genres you mentioned, however.
I've watched mixing lessons where people were using Live to create all sorts of music - not just EDM.

-Ki
Salem Beats (+Reviews/Blog)
 
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Salem Beats said:
I would recommend FL Studio for your purposes, because:
- It's the best DAW for automation (which is essential to EDM).
- Lifetime updates mean that you're always getting new features.
- You can get an additional discount off the price as a new customer.
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..and I will add, its about the cheapest DAW on the market. He is right too, its the best for EDM. Get used to the workflow though. I use Pro tools and struggled with FL, found it frustrating because I was already used to PTs, it was totally different and had to relearn. If you start off in FL you shouldn't have a problem as most find the workflow to be pretty good. I now only use Protools...cause I used it for so long, couldnt make the transition. Its a pity, FL runs rings around Protools for midi. You cant even draw curves in Pro tools. Shit, I might try and give FL another crack!
 
Kinh said:
. You cant even draw curves in Pro tools. Shit, I might try and give FL another crack!
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You dont have to be able to draw curves in pro tools, or any daw...I was actually wondering about this too so I asked my teacher (20+ year vet on PT, and an extremely reliable source for all things PT)

"Curved automation is just a visual representation in Ableton. If you want automation curved in PT you need to use the free hand pencil tool. HOWEVER, automation works in increments of .1db in any DAW and can not actually be “Curved” but small little lines create the visual appearance of it.

Due to the use of the logarithmic scale in faders, a straight line automation move is actually curved"
 
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Salem Beats said:
Fader scaling actually differs from DAW to DAW (and can, depending on the DAW, be configured).

Pro Tools users coming to REAPER often complain about how the scaling is different.

-Ki
Salem Beats (+Reviews/Blog)
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I'm sure it can be different from DAW to DAW.. but its the same idea. A curve isn't gonna make a difference compared to "xx" amount of closely integrated free hand straight lines.. All that curve is is a bunch of straight lines put together at a scale so small it looks like a smooth curve. With that being said it would be easier to just throw a curve in. But I dont care about whats easier, just the end result.

As everyone knows, Pro Tools is known for its mixing abilities(automation being part of mixing obviously.) If AVID thought curved automation was needed/better. It wouldnt be that hard for it to get put in.
 
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Yumid said:
You dont have to be able to draw curves in pro tools, or any daw...I was actually wondering about this too so I asked my teacher (20+ year vet on PT, and an extremely reliable source for all things PT)

"Curved automation is just a visual representation in Ableton. If you want automation curved in PT you need to use the free hand pencil tool. HOWEVER, automation works in increments of .1db in any DAW and can not actually be “Curved” but small little lines create the visual appearance of it.

Due to the use of the logarithmic scale in faders, a straight line automation move is actually curved"
Click to expand...

Yes but the faders still reflect the shape of the automation curve, whether they be straight line db or not. Its not about what easier, its about whats accurate. A pencil is all guess work, a curve is not..particularly if you have other curves in the bar that need to be matched.
 
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