Help picking a main DAW

[tehlord]

The only criteria worth choosing a DAW for is workflow. Everything else is garnish.

For example. Logic X has the best stock plugins by absolute miles. Nothing even comes remotely close.

But, I don't like Logic, therefore I never use it.

It's all about workflow. You'll end up using and relying on mostly 3rd party plugins anyway.

[Zexila]

The only criteria worth choosing a DAW for is workflow. Everything else is garnish.

For example. Logic X has the best stock plugins by absolute miles. Nothing even comes remotely close.

But, I don't like Logic, therefore I never use it.

It's all about workflow. You'll end up using and relying on mostly 3rd party plugins anyway.

Spot on!

[pdxindy]

The only criteria worth choosing a DAW for is workflow. Everything else is garnish.

For example. Logic X has the best stock plugins by absolute miles. Nothing even comes remotely close.

But, I don't like Logic, therefore I never use it.

It's all about workflow. You'll end up using and relying on mostly 3rd party plugins anyway.

For some people... yeah... for others, dollar value is a huge factor. If you don't have the money to buy it, then that is a crap workflow

[tincture]

Just use whatever you like best. Whatever gets you the best results quickly. All the talk about the future of one daw over another is moot in my opinion. Reason and Bitwig will be around for a while yet.

[NTO]

Some in depth discussion of one man's use...
https://www.admiralbumblebee.com/DAW-Chart.html

[EnGee]

I would choose Reason as a first step

Reason is like a great workstation. It has everything necessary out of the box. For Techno or Jazz. It has a very nice sampler with tons of usable piano, brass and strings sounds. It has more than one drums instrument and a great bunch of creative effects.

Europa and Grain are great synths and Thor is still a nice synth as well. I added to them (when they discounted), PX7, Antidote, Legend, Parsec 2 and FM4. By the way, there is a sale now https://shop.propellerheads.se/deals/ so you can get Antidote for $49 (I bought it for $59 and it is a timeless synth!). If that is not enough, you can have some VST instruments that covers what's missing for you (I might miss some Reaktor synths like Razor and Prism and acoustic drums like Addictive drums).

The second step, will be another host that supports ReWire IMO. I would go for Studio one Pro, Live Standard or Cubase Artist. If I didn't have already Cubase Pro, I would go with either Studio One or Live because I can insert Reason and integrate it with that host. Does Bitwig have ReWire? I think not.

I would go for Reaper for mixing/mastering if there are enough 3rd party tools to use. Reaper has the best CPU efficiency but Reason has the best stability if only using its own format RE or native. Anyway, I find Reason to be more than great for me as hobbyist in mixing. It has good enough tools (EQ, Compressing, maximising) and very good Reverb, delay and several distortion effects as well. I'm not missing something really, especially that the creativity inside Reason and the happy accidents lead me to enjoy the experience more than other DAWs

[tehlord]

The only criteria worth choosing a DAW for is workflow. Everything else is garnish.

For example. Logic X has the best stock plugins by absolute miles. Nothing even comes remotely close.

But, I don't like Logic, therefore I never use it.

It's all about workflow. You'll end up using and relying on mostly 3rd party plugins anyway.

For some people... yeah... for others, dollar value is a huge factor. If you don't have the money to buy it, then that is a crap workflow

Dollar/Pound/Euro value can be solved with saving up, credit, buying used...whatever. There is a solution to that.

There is absolutely no solution for a workflow you don't get on with.

[AdvancedFollower]

The only criteria worth choosing a DAW for is workflow. Everything else is garnish.

For example. Logic X has the best stock plugins by absolute miles. Nothing even comes remotely close.

But, I don't like Logic, therefore I never use it.

It's all about workflow. You'll end up using and relying on mostly 3rd party plugins anyway.

For some people... yeah... for others, dollar value is a huge factor. If you don't have the money to buy it, then that is a crap workflow

Dollar/Pound/Euro value can be solved with saving up, credit, buying used...whatever. There is a solution to that.

There is absolutely no solution for a workflow you don't get on with.

Well I guess you could learn a new workflow and get comfortable with it over time. Of course, that's an unnecessary process if you find a DAW you get along with from the start.

[Zexila]

Well I guess you could learn a new workflow and get comfortable with it over time.

You could save up over time and get DAW you are comfortable with.

[marooned ufo]

Picking a DAW is a lot like choosing which automobile to buy and drive.

1st, stay within your budget.

2nd, consider what you need and what fits your life style.

3rd, how important are certain features and options?

4th, what are the customer reviews and has it won any awards?

5th, does it feel comfortable and would you enjoy driving it for the next 5 to 10 years?

6th, does it have high maintenance and daily driving costs to stay current and running?

7th, will next years model be affordable and have enough upgrades to consider trading in for?

8th, what is the resale value if you plan to sell it in the future?

9th, can it be resold and how is the re-buy market?

10th, test drive, test drive, test drive.

[pdxindy]

The only criteria worth choosing a DAW for is workflow. Everything else is garnish.

For example. Logic X has the best stock plugins by absolute miles. Nothing even comes remotely close.

But, I don't like Logic, therefore I never use it.

It's all about workflow. You'll end up using and relying on mostly 3rd party plugins anyway.

For some people... yeah... for others, dollar value is a huge factor. If you don't have the money to buy it, then that is a crap workflow

Dollar/Pound/Euro value can be solved with saving up, credit, buying used...whatever. There is a solution to that.

There is absolutely no solution for a workflow you don't get on with.

Spoken like someone from a wealthy country... lots of people around the world would be saving for years

There is a solution... be more flexible. I could happily make music in any modern DAW these days... as long is it is not a crash-fest... I'm able to adjust to any of them. Yes, I have my preferences, but that is a luxury and not a necessity.

[chk071]

Picking a DAW is a lot like choosing which automobile to buy and drive.

1st, stay within your budget.

2nd, consider what you need and what fits your life style.

3rd, how important are certain features and options?

4th, what are the customer reviews and has it won any awards?

5th, does it feel comfortable and would you enjoy driving it for the next 5 to 10 years?

6th, does it have high maintenance and daily driving costs to stay current and running?

7th, will next years model be affordable and have enough upgrades to consider trading in for?

8th, what is the resale value if you plan to sell it in the future?

9th, can it be resold and how is the re-buy market?

10th, test drive, test drive, test drive.

11th, don't ask the car salesman for consulting.

[antic604]

Some in depth discussion of one man's use...
https://www.admiralbumblebee.com/DAW-Chart.html

Waaat?! Just looking at the Looks table made me cringe - Reaper got the best overall score because it has many (horrible) themes available, while Studio One got a perfect score in HIDPI even though it doesn't work (it's like Live 9: sharp GUI vs. tiny plugins or blurry GUI vs. correct sized plugins).

[thecontrolcentre]

Choosing a new DAW is a lot like making love to a beautiful woman ...

[Vortifex]

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