KVR Audio

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:17 pm

Well, you can cope with anything. And, customizing it and theming it is, as has been said many times, putting lipstick on a pig. Especially as you can't theme and customize everything.

For me, a DAW has to work well (and that included the GUI and everything) out of the box. That's how I choose a DAW. Not by what it could become, but, by what it is.

stoopicus · Post by **stoopicus** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:25 pm

Selecting a theme from a menu is difficult for you?

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:29 pm

No. Did I say that? Why do I even have to pick a theme? A software should have a good GUI by default (yes, there are objectively "good" GUIs).

stoopicus · Post by **stoopicus** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:30 pm

What's wrong with being able to choose how something looks?

If you aren't fond of choices like that, then yeah, Reaper is probably not for you.

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:33 pm

There's nothing "wrong" with it, but, if you need a theme to make something look good, or clear, then there's something wrong.

stoopicus · Post by **stoopicus** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:36 pm

Ahh I see. You simply don't like its stock GUI? I happen to disagree but that's the nice thing about it, it's easy to change if you don't like it.

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:39 pm

stoopicus wrote: ↑Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:36 pm Ahh I see. You simply don't like its stock GUI? I happen to disagree but that's the nice thing about it, it's easy to change if you don't like it.

I don't remember which was the version where they fundamentally changed the GUI to that "WALTER" thing, but, it was bad before that, and, that version didn't particularly improve it.

I won't lie though, Reaper would have to change dramatically for me to consider it again. There are a lot of things which are simply "wrong" for me with it. It would have to change so much that people who choose it for what it is would have to look for another DAW.

I'll leave it at that. If it works for you, then there's nothing do discuss anyway.

jamcat · Post by **jamcat** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 11:08 pm

Ignore the hype. Only you know what’s best for YOU. Figure out what you want out of a DAW and then pick one accordingly.

Sometimes, you need to use the wrong DAW for a while to figure out what you really need.

A lot of times, some seemingly small feature makes all the difference.

I use Studio One for these reasons:

It’s super fast to get started.
Studio One loads fast and EVERYTHING is drag&drop. You can drag an ampsim preset to the arrange window and Studio One will create an audio track with your ampsim setup and the track record enabled. So you can go from having an idea to recording it in as long as it takes you to sit down in front of your computer and plug in your guitar.

Or drag a synth preset to the Arrange window and Studio One creates a MIDI track with the synth setup with your sound and the track armed and ready to record MIDI.

Studio One removes all of the barriers between the idea and the execution.

You can use an unlimited number of plugins per channel. You’re not limited to 8 or 12 plugin slots like some other daws.

Routing is super flexible. Route in any direction to or from any Bus or FX channel to any Bus or FX channel. Maybe that seems obvious, but it wasn’t possible in Cubase when I switched. You could only send to channels to the right of the channel.

You can change the song’s samplerate, and Studio One will play back at the new samplerate non-destructively on the fly. So you can record at 96kHz, mix at 48kHz to double your available CPU, then switch back to 96kHz to mixdown, and all of your audio files remain untouched. This is a really big deal and my #1 reason, along with Studio One’s speed.

Cubase failed at all of these, and it took me using Cubase for several years before I figured out they were what I really needed.

You may have different needs. You need to figure out what they are and find the DAW that fulfills all of them.

Michael L · Post by **Michael L** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 11:22 pm

jamcat wrote: ↑Mon Nov 20, 2023 11:08 pmA lot of times, some seemingly small feature makes all the difference

Funny how often that is true.

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 11:24 pm

jamcat wrote: ↑Mon Nov 20, 2023 11:08 pm Ignore the hype. Only you know what’s best for YOU. Figure out what you want out of a DAW and then pick one accordingly.

Yep. No rocket science.

mholloway · Post by **mholloway** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 11:35 pm

roman.i wrote: ↑Fri Nov 17, 2023 8:57 am

You are all over the place. Try to reduce the options.
Renoise is a tracker
FL Studio is pattern based
Ableton and Bitwig are for electronic music
Logic, Studio One, Cubase - "standard" general purpose daws.
Reaper - for mixing / mastering

Just based on the properties above you can already take few of them out.
You have already said no to pattern based, and Reaper is not for you,
trackers are probably not as well.
You are left with Ableton, Bitwig, Logic, Studio One, Cubase.

This post is just flat-out wrong, not to mention terrible advice.

I recorded two full-length jazz albums in Ableton live, but apparently it's only "for electronic music." Woops! Surely you know what you're talking about here and can speak for everybody else on the planet

Reaper folks surely will have a lot to say about it being "for mixing and mastering" only, lol...

It is 2023. Any DAW can make ANY kind of music. Suggesting otherwise is ignorant, reductionistic, and incredibly unhelpful to the OP and others.

jamcat · Post by **jamcat** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 11:50 pm

mholloway wrote: ↑Mon Nov 20, 2023 11:35 pm It is 2023. Any DAW can make ANY kind of music.

While you are technically right, it can also be said that some DAWs are better suited for some tasks than others, and some DAWs are better suited than others for certain tasks.

Ableton and Bitwig are both really geared more towards loop-based production, while Studio One, Cubase, and Logic are designed for linear recording.

But Cubase and Logic may be better than Studio One for electronic music production that needs a lot of automated MIDI tools that do the sequencing for you, while Studio One is better if you’re recording a lot of audio and MIDI live, and like to get your ideas down fast with very little fussing about.

So while you can use any of them for any kind of music, you might have an easier time with one than another, depending on what you’re doing. Of course there may be other completely unrelated features and considerations that are overriding factors in your decision.

mixyguy2 · Post by **mixyguy2** » Tue Nov 21, 2023 1:34 am

chk071 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:29 pm (yes, there are objectively "good" GUIs).

No there aren't. You might want to refrain from those big multi-syllable words until you learn what they mean. GUIs, and for that matter most things about plugins, are quite subjective. What one person thinks is great another will insist sucks (etc).

jamcat · Post by **jamcat** » Tue Nov 21, 2023 5:07 am

If there are objectively bad GUIs (and there most certainly are), then there must also be objectively good GUIs. I think if they are functional and efficient they are objectively good, regardless of aesthetics.

But mixguy2 never passes up an opportunity to be a jerk.

VOODOO U · Post by **VOODOO U** » Tue Nov 21, 2023 6:02 am

Can we get a sticky titled WHICH DAW IS RIGHT FOR YOU and have the first post answered "Figure it out bitch"?

Picking a DAW is hard…