Online DAWs vs. Traditional DAWs - What to Choose

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marlamarl

New member
Whats up everyone?

My name's Marlamarl and I'm a totally new to FP and making beats but loving this place so far! I used to play drums in a band and want to start producing music but don't really know what to use.

I heard stuff like logic and protools is too hard for a beginner to use and I should start with something like FLStudio. But then I saw this post here - Beat Making Software and Music Production Programs - and now I'm thinking it's better for me to use an online DAW. It seems easier for a beginner.

But then a friend told me that you can't record audio in some of those programs. So I did some more research and found this - Online DAWs and Music Studios - Three of our Favourites | Oh Drat.

Im thinking I could just use one software from each post and still get everything done - recording and beatmaking. And it'd be a hell of a lot cheaper for me starting out than dishing out a few hundred bucks on a proper DAW before I even know how to make beats... Once I get good I can switch to FLStudio or something.

But I don't want to make the wrong choice. Are those software just toys or I can do serious stuff in them? They seem pretty legit when I read about them. Im hoping you guys could guide me in the right direction.

What do you think? Is that a good plan? Anyone have experience with those online daws? Should I try em out or just steer clear? Would love any insight!

Thanks!
 
marlamarl said:
My name's Marlamarl and I'm a totally new to FP and making beats but loving this place so far!

Are those software just toys or I can do serious stuff in them?
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If you're just starting out, you might not get to the point of making "serious stuff" for a little while. So before you sink money into something you're unsure of, I don't see the harm in trying some free DAWs, or getting demo versions of more advanced DAWs. You can learn on them - tracking, mixing, general terms and workflow that most DAWs utilize (many of today's DAWs generally do the same things).

That way, when it's time to actually buy something and upgrade your game, you'll have a better working knowledge of that kind of software. And you'll be less likely to get frustrated and get buyer's remorse.

Sounds like you kinda know which way to go already. Choice is yours, but there's nothing wrong with learning and practicing before you try to push music to the masses. First impressions are still important.
 
whether your experienced or not you're still going to have to learn the daw you decide on when you buy it. Just get logic or pro tools or whatever you wanted to RIGHT NOW. Dont waste your time learning on a beginner online daw(I've never even heard of them) only to leave it and have to re learn a bigger daw later.

Learning your daw should be one of the first steps for a beginner, pick the one you're gonna stick with and just do it. Dont shoot yourself in the foot by putting frustrating beginner time into learning a daw that you're going to abandon in a few months.

Searching online for opinions on which daw to use IS NOT GOING TO HELP YOU MAKE A DECISION. It will just confuse you more. Most people (including me) dont even know the competition, they're just arguing for their daw, not against another daw. If you just pick one of the main ones and stick with it (especially since your a beginner) you'll eventually learn it and be one of the guys telling people they should use your daw. Point is it doesn't matter, you'll be happy with whichever one you pick as long as you take the time to learn it. And as soon as you do learn it you won't care about what other people are saying about their daw because you know what you like.
 
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I agree with Yumid, starting off on some random online DAW then ditching it to get a more serious one means you gotta learn multiple programs when you can spend that time mastering just one. This can really affect your progress if you have to spend time relearning things. Most DAWs now days have trial versions, so I suggest trying those out first. Then when you are ready, just buy a license and your trial version will be unlocked to a full version
 
back to your question: steer clear of the first two suggestions at that website; they really are just toys

if you are looking only at working with a drum machine like program then get into Bram Bos's Hammerhead which is free: you can use your own custom sounds if you want

as for the other daws suggested - FL, Cubase, Pro-Tools - these are all pro level. the differences are what make each daw waht it is (custom plugins/libraries)

if you are looking to start out and actually want to save what you are doing then get a hold of reaper - free to use, never ending, fully featured demo (nag screens come up when you load after the demo period has expired), save your work and be able to access regardless of if you are in demo mode for paid mode: license for non-professional use is US$69
 
I agree that you shouldn't use any "toys", but I disagree that learning a new DAW after starting on a free one is some mind-blowing endeavor. Going from GarageBand to ProTools is not going to set you so far back that it outweighs a beginner's budget. It's not like you restart your career at zero again. Granted there are some differences, just about every DAW uses the same basis for digital audio production.

OP is straight new to this - getting to know your way around the sequencer, mixer, track functions, effects, cut, paste, mouse tools, add tracks, mono, stereo... you don't need to spend big money to learn these fundamentals. What if he gets 4 weeks in and hates it??
 
Wow thank you everyone for the great responses. This really got me thinking. I see your guys' point with just going with what I want to eventually use from the start - but thats a huge investment for me. Even for something like Reason its gonna be a few hundred...

But then I also agree with you guys saying there's no harm in learning on something a bit less intense just to get the hang of stuff.. And I don't want to use a free DAW (i dont even think free beat makers would be too good, they're definitely toys). I mean those $30-40 DAWs like Sonic Producer and Dr Drum - that's more doable for me right now.

I looked into all those recommended daws a bit more, and yea the cheaper ones are no FL or Reason or anything, but I don't think they're toys either - looks like you can still do a lot with em.

I think I might start on a cheap software and just start messing around. I'll come back and let you guys knw what I think of it. Just curious, what do you guys all use?
 
I have reason and studio one. You can get the same results with other programs, especially reaper.
and cubase, fl studio orion etc. They all have the same controls, effects but different designs.

An opinion of mine, I'd recommend learning a daw that doesn't require a browser, just my opinion.
 
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