Good Reasons To Switch Your DAW?

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I don't have a good reason to switch my HOST. Been using it since 2000. It won't be updated anymore, but it still works fine. I dont have the time to learn a diff HOST, so when it stops working, i will stop. No big deal, i still have hardware.

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jancivil wrote: Wed Oct 10, 2018 5:28 am
Your arguments are reactionary and absurd. Just learn to play violin like "Pearlman" while you're at it.

You don't actually know what MPE even is, but why not just see if you can be as negative as possible and talk smack to people who actually have a use for it. Sure, everybody should master all the instruments instead! Why do we even have electronic instruments, or a DAW at all? At some point in recent history there was somebody writing editorials to their local newspaper about why should we want a recording of something, just play it and remember it perfectly, there's no need or use for that infernal contraption.
So if I get a controller with MPE I will suddenly be playing a synth as well as Jordan Rudess ?

Nah, I will be Dellboy playing as badly as I always do,but with a new fancy trick up my sleeve.As for playing like Pearlman, if you took the time to watch him,the amount of expressiveness available from a 300 year old violin still massively outperforms MPE.Unless,of course you think that the worlds concert musicians are suddenly going to dump their Steinway piano, or Stradivarius violin to play on a digital instrument with MPE ?

For what its worth, I do play violin badly. Maybe some new technology will come along that makes me play like Pearlman. I would call that a "gimmick" as well.

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OK surely you can see that just isn't a logical argument. There's a huge difference between 'enable' and 'make'.

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jancivil wrote: Wed Oct 10, 2018 5:28 am
Your arguments are reactionary and absurd.
Is that a compliment ? :hihi:

Anyway, I did say that I would like a Roli-Poli or maybe a Linn instrument. But the wife wants a new kitchen first.

And then there is the problem of sneaking stuff into the house (the wife just discovered yesterday
a new synth I bought weeks ago)

So a lot of the stuff I say has to always be tempered by the fact that I am married and broke !

So you guys who are either single, or married - but well off are lucky. :hihi:

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Workflow is definitely a reason to switch, but is it a good enough reason to stay with a DAW? What about technical issues like CPU usage? i'm kind of getting cranky about freezing and bouncing tracks before i've even left the 'demo' stage of a song...

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I'm an FL user myself - it's the only DAW I've used, I guess I never really got that feeling of missing out using a different DAW. The clip workflow clicks for me, and recently there's been a lot of workflow improvements, especially with FL 20.

I see a lot of people using Ableton on YouTube, but I'm not sure the workflow necessarily looks better to me. Ableton does look more organised, that one thing that's not great with FL with all the windows all over the place - which isn't a problem if you use shortcuts. I'm not sure I should even humour the idea of switching to Ableton because I'll want the full package and it's €600! Also paid upgrades, it seems like it's more people people making money from their music?

I dunno, am I missing out on say Bitwig or Reaper?

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Ranoka wrote: Fri Oct 12, 2018 10:26 amI guess I never really got that feeling of missing out using a different DAW.
i think this pretty much answers your question. i only look at other DAWs after encountering frustrations with the one i have. i think being satisfied is an ideal state.

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voidhead23 wrote: Fri Oct 12, 2018 11:11 am
Ranoka wrote: Fri Oct 12, 2018 10:26 amI guess I never really got that feeling of missing out using a different DAW.
i think this pretty much answers your question. i only look at other DAWs after encountering frustrations with the one i have. i think being satisfied is an ideal state.
Well.. every now and then, you get a free DAW, either because you had a Ableton Live Lite, or a Reason Lite or Pro Tools code shipped with your hardware, or, there's Bitwig 8-track on a magazine DVD, and you take a look and see how it is. That's how i got Cubase LE 5, which was on a Beat magazine special's DVD, and, upgraded from there, while i owned Reaper, which never really was my cup of tea. Bought Studio One 2 Producer then, used, for a very good price, which i quite liked, and went on from there to buy Studio One 3 Pro, mainly because i wanted to have a unrestriced DAW, opposed to the Cubase Elemtns, Artist, and Studio One 2 Producer version, which i owned before.

So, at least for me, frustration might not be the only reason to switch DAW's. Rather, for me, like with soft synths, finding the one(s) which really suits you.

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Ja, you're right. What i said was pretty stupid, just envious, i guess. i totally stumbled on my current DAW completely by accident and discovered i loved it.

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I didn't say it was stupid, far from it. :) I can very well understand if someone chooses not to try something else, because he doesn't feel a need to, if he's content with what he has. I'm sort of at that point with soft synths, ATM. Nothing coming out in the last 5-7 years really gives anything over what i already have. Rather the opposite. Sort of a soft, mellow, and super clean mainstream sound, which seems to have established itself in the last years.

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voidhead, what is your current DAW? I looked over the thread again and you initially mentioned your frustrations with Live, but I seemed to miss if you mentioned what you switched to.

For me I guess it's a balance of using the DAW I have vs spending a bit of time exploring other DAWs with the potential of enjoying it more, which in the long run might be worth doing.
I'm certainly not an FL fanboy, it's just the first DAW I tried and it seems to click with me. But then again I have no experience to compare it to. I'm actually leaning towards just carrying on with FL and ignoring other DAWs for now.

FL doesn't support MPE afaik, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. So far I've been drawing in my notes with a mouse, and just got an Arturia Keystep. Guess I need to learn piano, I've been using to improvise and get more expression vs drawing notes in - but then go in and tidy it up with my mouse.

I got Ableton Live Lite 9 with my Keystep, I haven't even got around to installing it yet. It seems quite limited in comparison with what I'm already using. Maybe I'll give it a go over the weekend.

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Ranoka wrote: Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:45 pm ...
I'm certainly not an FL fanboy, it's just the first DAW I tried and it seems to click with me. But then again I have no experience to compare it to. I'm actually leaning towards just carrying on with FL and ignoring other DAWs for now.
Please don´t worry...
In the DAW world, there is no "better" or "worse"... there is only "different" and what you´ve already mentioned: does it click with you or not... if yes, there is absolutely no reason to switch or to spend (or perhaps waste) time or money to explore other DAWs... keep that for a time, if you are getting in trouble with your current DAW, meaning there is something (technical or feature wise), which makes a switch necessary...
The truth is, there is sadly no swiss army knife...DAW A excels in feature 1 and 2 while being more weak on feature 3 and 4 which is where DAW B excels...
And the truth is, there is a big risk many people not talking about: If you start exploring other DAWs, which have of course their attractiveness too, it´s sometimes tough to make a final decision, what DAW to use at the very end, which can lead into endless testing and testing and testing without actually making music...

I.e. let´s say you start testing Ableton Live... if it fits your workflow, you´ll be very impressed by the creative potential having the session view, how many things are layed out, a very capable Simpler, easier automation than in FLS... there will be 20-30 features you´ll like better than in FL Studio...
You´ll think, wow, this is really a nice DAW to use...

But if you dive deeper, you will more and more notice...oh, this or that´s by far more easy to do in FL Studio, you´ll miss the great piano roll editor, this or that native effect or i.e. some workflow things...

At the very end, you´ll notice you like both... 50 features of this DAW and 50 features of the other... which one shall you use in future...

I cannot count anymore the hours/days/month/years I have wasted on making comparisons between all available Software on the market... at the very end it doesn´t brought anything helpful... just endless waste... and I know, I am not alone... this is really a big trap nobody talks about...

If you are happy with FL Studio (which is really a great DAW and with lifetime free upgrades ouy´ll never have to worry again) stay with it....
use it....
learn it...
master it...
make music and be happy...

No other DAW will make your music better, will make your life easier, will bring anything new on the table...only something different, but that´s really all you´ll earn... just something different...

You decide on what you´ll spend your time!
FL doesn't support MPE afaik, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. So far I've been drawing in my notes with a mouse, and just got an Arturia Keystep. Guess I need to learn piano, I've been using to improvise and get more expression vs drawing notes in - but then go in and tidy it up with my mouse.
MPE is imho just a feature for advanced keyboard players to have more expression possibilities... nothing you have to worry about atm...

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jancivil wrote: Wed Oct 10, 2018 5:28 am
dellboy wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 4:49 pm
pdxindy wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 3:23 pm
It may not be useful for you... but it is not a gimmick. It is a few steps in the direction many players have been dreaming of for years. It offers something real and previously unavailable. As long as I play music an MPE controller will be at the center of my setup.

Whoops,sorry, I did not know you had one.

Something similar has been around with breath controllers forever. Midi guitar, a midi-ed violin. And like I said, Ensoniq pushed polyphonic expression back in the 80's and 90's. I watched a guy on youtube playing a Roli to make it sound like a guitar,it sounded pretty amazing,but why ? Just buy an electric guitar and learn to play that.
Your arguments are reactionary and absurd. Just learn to play violin like "Pearlman" while you're at it.

You don't actually know what MPE even is, but why not just see if you can be as negative as possible and talk smack to people who actually have a use for it. Sure, everybody should master all the instruments instead! Why do we even have electronic instruments, or a DAW at all? At some point in recent history there was somebody writing editorials to their local newspaper about why should we want a recording of something, just play it and remember it perfectly, there's no need or use for that infernal contraption.
jan uncivil would be a far more appropriate name...what a nasty little piece of work you are

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If you're not yet using Bitwig, then this is a very good reason to switch DAW ;-) :-P
Music tech enthusiast
DAW, VST & hardware hoarder
My "music": https://soundcloud.com/antic604

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Trancit wrote: Fri Oct 12, 2018 1:45 pm
Ranoka wrote: Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:45 pm ...
I'm certainly not an FL fanboy, it's just the first DAW I tried and it seems to click with me. But then again I have no experience to compare it to. I'm actually leaning towards just carrying on with FL and ignoring other DAWs for now.
Please don´t worry...
In the DAW world, there is no "better" or "worse"... there is only "different" and what you´ve already mentioned: does it click with you or not... if yes, there is absolutely no reason to switch or to spend (or perhaps waste) time or money to explore other DAWs... keep that for a time, if you are getting in trouble with your current DAW, meaning there is something (technical or feature wise), which makes a switch necessary...
The truth is, there is sadly no swiss army knife...DAW A excels in feature 1 and 2 while being more weak on feature 3 and 4 which is where DAW B excels...
And the truth is, there is a big risk many people not talking about: If you start exploring other DAWs, which have of course their attractiveness too, it´s sometimes tough to make a final decision, what DAW to use at the very end, which can lead into endless testing and testing and testing without actually making music...

I.e. let´s say you start testing Ableton Live... if it fits your workflow, you´ll be very impressed by the creative potential having the session view, how many things are layed out, a very capable Simpler, easier automation than in FLS... there will be 20-30 features you´ll like better than in FL Studio...
You´ll think, wow, this is really a nice DAW to use...

But if you dive deeper, you will more and more notice...oh, this or that´s by far more easy to do in FL Studio, you´ll miss the great piano roll editor, this or that native effect or i.e. some workflow things...

At the very end, you´ll notice you like both... 50 features of this DAW and 50 features of the other... which one shall you use in future...

I cannot count anymore the hours/days/month/years I have wasted on making comparisons between all available Software on the market... at the very end it doesn´t brought anything helpful... just endless waste... and I know, I am not alone... this is really a big trap nobody talks about...

If you are happy with FL Studio (which is really a great DAW and with lifetime free upgrades ouy´ll never have to worry again) stay with it....
use it....
learn it...
master it...
make music and be happy...

No other DAW will make your music better, will make your life easier, will bring anything new on the table...only something different, but that´s really all you´ll earn... just something different...

You decide on what you´ll spend your time!
FL doesn't support MPE afaik, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. So far I've been drawing in my notes with a mouse, and just got an Arturia Keystep. Guess I need to learn piano, I've been using to improvise and get more expression vs drawing notes in - but then go in and tidy it up with my mouse.
MPE is imho just a feature for advanced keyboard players to have more expression possibilities... nothing you have to worry about atm...
This :tu:

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