KVR Audio

kuzami · Post by **kuzami** » Fri May 02, 2014 8:17 am

If you need something cheap, I recommend Reaper (a budget alternative to Pro Tools), Tracktion and Podium. That being said, the more expensive DAW's are definetely worth it.

e@rs · Post by **e@rs** » Fri May 02, 2014 8:42 am

PreSonus Studio One Free!!!
http://www.presonus.com/products/studio-one/download

EnGee · Post by **EnGee** » Sun May 04, 2014 1:18 am

Reaper is a great choice. You can use it till you save the money to buy it (Evaluation for 30 days I think but it won't lock anything after that period). It doesn't have any instrument to speak of, but it has a full range of great effects and plugins.

Sonar X3 basic had a great discount ($29 for registered users). It is a great DAW for windows.

The lite versions are very limited and soon or later you will end up buying or upgrading to higher version (Ableton Live and Steinberg Cubase come to mind). Usually you can save some money when upgrading from the lite versions.

But, when I want to buy something (DAW or a plugin) I first look into the Market place here in KVR. I usually end buying something (or selling something!). For half the price and sometimes much less than the half price, you could buy a bargain.
For example, I sold S1 Producer for $80 and recently bought S1 Pro for $110 (without melodyne). You see? there are some great bargains in the Market place but you need to save some money first

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Sun May 04, 2014 1:28 am

Bronto Scorpio wrote:Yep! That's a good suggestion!
Some MIDI controllers also come with a cut down version of Ableton Live

I got Ableton Live Lite 8 a few years ago (as attachment to a keyboard), and there were so many limitations, that I couldn't even use it - after some tests, I deleted it from my hard disc...

So I can only recommend Ableton Live Lite if you plan to upgrade to the full version...

umd · Post by **umd** » Sun May 04, 2014 2:57 am

I think that Reaper has an excellent price/quality ratio.

e@rs · Post by **e@rs** » Tue May 06, 2014 12:53 pm

Today only... PreSonus Studio One 2 Artist: 5$.

rpm · Post by **rpm** » Tue May 06, 2014 6:18 pm

It can't be said enough times: REAPER. It's very powerful but not so difficult to start. You can try it infinitely and buy it when you're absolutely ready. No demo limitations.

Tracktion is my second choice. I really want to use it but it doesn't work as well as REAPER for me right now (e.g., in REAPER x64, I can use my 32-bit plugins, but not in T4 (I don't know if T5 can do this); and T4 doesn't register a bunch of my VSTs). Tracktion is a lot more intuitive and suitable for a beginner. The workflow is super efficient in Tracktion. REAPER just makes me want to learn it inside-out, which would take a long time because it's very powerful.

Numanoid · Post by **Numanoid** » Tue May 06, 2014 6:38 pm

rpm wrote:You can try it infinitely and buy it when you're absolutely ready. No demo limitations.

I thought you needed to make your mind up after 60 days?:

"Download and evaluate REAPER for up to 60 days with full functionality before purchasing a license."

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Tue May 06, 2014 7:23 pm

Hopefully the OP got Studio One Artist for $5 yesterday and has already moved on.

chokehold · Post by **chokehold** » Tue May 06, 2014 7:35 pm

Uncle E wrote:Hopefully the OP got Studio One Artist for $5 yesterday and has already moved on.

With no VST/AU support, no mp3 import/export, ...?

Sorry, but that thing is a no-go. Useless, even for $5, if you don't spend more to upgrade. And even when you upgrade to Producer, you get no new or better FX or instruments against the Artist version, still no video sync, still no Melodyne, still no hardware FX, no multiband comp, no Convo Reverb, no 64 bit processing...

For less money, get Reaper. One version does everything.
Straight-forward, no restrictions.
No bullshit.

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Tue May 06, 2014 9:06 pm

chokehold wrote:With no VST/AU support, no mp3 import/export, ...?

You've forgotten what the OP is asking for:

I am looking for a cheap or FREE DAW that I can use to record MIDI Instruments & Vocals.

We sell the upgrade from Artist to Producer for $83.96, that's a pretty impressive DAW for $88.96 total.

rpm · Post by **rpm** » Wed May 07, 2014 7:53 am

Numanoid wrote:
rpm wrote:You can try it infinitely and buy it when you're absolutely ready. No demo limitations.
I thought you needed to make your mind up after 60 days?:

"Download and evaluate REAPER for up to 60 days with full functionality before purchasing a license."

You're right, my bad. As long as the person has good will though, there is no problem in my view. I think anyone who tries REAPER will buy it eventually.

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Wed May 07, 2014 7:55 pm

rpm wrote:You're right, my bad. As long as the person has good will though, there is no problem in my view. I think anyone who tries REAPER will buy it eventually.

I'm guessing you mean anyone who tries Reaper and keeps using it will buy it eventually. I tried it and didn't buy it but that's because I didn't continue to use it.

rpm · Post by **rpm** » Sun May 11, 2014 1:49 pm

Well, to make a point, I used exaggeration. The literal version would be "I believe that the majority of people who try REAPER will want to continue using it and buy it."

marioisaac · Post by **marioisaac** » Mon May 12, 2014 2:11 am

DAW: Reaper
Samples: https://www.freesound.org/browse/

Good luck

Cheap or Free DAW