Let's show Waveform some love.

[unholyeyebrows]

Hi all

With W13 due out soon, I wanted to share some praise for the product and hopefully encourage any curious new users who might visit this forum to try it out.

I'm a hobbyist / casual producer, and have bashed out a few tunes I am quite pleased with. Give me a VST, and a reverb, and I'm a happy boy. I'm also a Linux fan, and have recently transitioned (not for the first time) from Windows to Kubuntu. This time I'm convinced I'm not going back.

I also have more money than musical talent (and I'm not rich), so have licenses for FL Studio, Bitwig Studio, Reaper, Studio One, Mixbus 32C, as well as Waveform Pro. All except the Windows-only FL Studio are installed on my Kubuntu workstation. I also have some Windows VSTs installed via yabridge but otherwise I like native Linux VSTs, so that's TAL, U-He, Vital, Airwindows, etc.

Anyway, to the point:

Having tried out a lot of DAWs, for me Waveform is still my favorite because:

1. The Pro version is reasonably priced. And the free version is amazing value!
2. You get as lot of features included (i.e. effects, and synths).
3. I don't care what people say about how good FL Studio's MIDI editor is, Waveform's just as good. Especially when you factor in the unique music theory tools such as the Chord Track, Chord Companion, and Pattern Generator. These really are fantastic if you're not an expert in music theory.
4. The workflow, once you get familiar, is really efficient. Nice left-to-right layout, and things like the MIDI editor are neatly pinned and easy to move in and out of view.
5. The plugin sandbox is a life saver, especially on Linux where some plugins do crash more often than Windows.
6. Thank-you Tracktion for still supporting Linux. Any vendor doing this needs encouragement in my opinion.

I've been using Reaper for a while recently and have had to do a lot of customizing to get a decent MIDI set-up, which has resulted in a really able system. However, with W13 soon to drop I've given W12.5 another look and am going to stay a while. I will definitely be upgrading to W13.

A few improvements I would like to see from Tracktion to really make Waveform a solid choice:

1. Do please release regular bug fixes throughout the lifecycle of the product. There is understandable frustration elsewhere in these forums that W12.5 has had sub-par support. We don't want daily releases (Reaper - I'm looking at you) but a monthly bug fix would be better than 6+ months as with W12.5.
2. I'd like to see more of Tracktion's plugins made Linux native. I already own the licenses, but can only install some on Windows.
3. I'd like a YouTube channel, similar to what Reaper has, to produce some structured tutorials, all up-to-date, really showing off the features to new users. I know the written Waveform manual is out of date, but I don't believe that is worth investing the time - instructional videos would be way better in my opinion.

So, bring on Waveform 13 - I for one am really looking forward to trying it out.

[Peter Widdicombe]

Have you been through the videos out there? Bill and Zane both have a lot of short/topic-specific videos that demonstrate the features per topic. https://www.tracktion.com/training/videos

[unholyeyebrows]

Hi - yeah those videos are very useful and I've watched most of them. I guess I'm used to seeing a steady stream of new content from Reaper Blog and Kenny Gioia, not just covering new features, but generally digging deeper into the system and finding new ideas. I think Waveform has sufficient features and depth to fill a whole YouTube channel if anyone fancied a new hobby!

[chris_R]

unique music theory tools such as the Chord Track, Chord Companion, and Pattern Generator.

Are they available in the free 12 version ?

[dajonaga]

unique music theory tools such as the Chord Track, Chord Companion, and Pattern Generator.

Are they available in the free 12 version ?

AFAIK part of the MIDI Producer expansion for Waveform Free:

MIDI Producer

With pro level MIDI, an arsenal of instruments and a wealth composition tools, the MIDI Producer pack will supercharge your productions.

Pro MIDI
Chord track
Macros
Modifiers
Faceplates
Multi Sampler
Drum Sampler
Subtractive
BassOSC

[dajonaga]

...
1. The Pro version is reasonably priced. And the free version is amazing value!
2. You get as lot of features included (i.e. effects, and synths).
3. I don't care what people say about how good FL Studio's MIDI editor is, Waveform's just as good. Especially when you factor in the unique music theory tools such as the Chord Track, Chord Companion, and Pattern Generator. These really are fantastic if you're not an expert in music theory.
4. The workflow, once you get familiar, is really efficient. Nice left-to-right layout, and things like the MIDI editor are neatly pinned and easy to move in and out of view.
5. The plugin sandbox is a life saver, especially on Linux where some plugins do crash more often than Windows.
6. Thank-you Tracktion for still supporting Linux. Any vendor doing this needs encouragement in my opinion.
...

I agree with you 100% plus let me add:

- It runs on Raspberry Pi! (I know this might not be a thing for small/medium/big studios or producers... but still)
- 6...and more 6 ... can't stress this enough! Any vendor supporting all three mayor platforms should be encouraged and supported.

...
A few improvements I would like to see from Tracktion to really make Waveform a solid choice:

1. Do please release regular bug fixes throughout the lifecycle of the product. There is understandable frustration elsewhere in these forums that W12.5 has had sub-par support. We don't want daily releases (Reaper - I'm looking at you) but a monthly bug fix would be better than 6+ months as with W12.5.
2. I'd like to see more of Tracktion's plugins made Linux native. I already own the licenses, but can only install some on Windows.
3. I'd like a YouTube channel, similar to what Reaper has, to produce some structured tutorials, all up-to-date, really showing off the features to new users. I know the written Waveform manual is out of date, but I don't believe that is worth investing the time - instructional videos would be way better in my opinion.
...

Quick bug fixes for mayor bugs should be released ASAP. Having said that, the biggest impact would be having a responsive support channel with open communications about the issues reported by PRO customers.

Linux native... you can always count my vote on this one. For the next version (W14) I would really like Tracktion to include support for .dawproject file format to export full porjects, and CLAP (“CLever Audio Plug-in API”) for plugins.

On the training front, I'm missing a Master Mix plugin in depth tutorial... now that I think of it... the MM plugin could benefit from a LUFS meter... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Love Tracktion as a developer/publisher, I'm here for the long run. Keep it up!

[unholyeyebrows]

On the training front, I'm missing a Master Mix plugin in depth tutorial... now that I think of it... the MM plugin could benefit from a LUFS meter... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

+ 1 for a built-in LUFS meter!

[dellboy]

I bought version 13 upon release,and I am pleased that I did. Love the new clip view,and its great that it has the ability to drag clips from the clip view to the arrangement view and vice versa. Its themable,which is great for when you need a change of colour. The overall GUI is very nice,and its compatible with Mac - Windows and Linux. to the Tracktion team.

[UnionS8]

I believe, Tracktion are aware of the fact, poeople (mostly) love everything about W13. The unusual care included I'm happy that W13 is the way it is. I figured it would be the last Waveform I'd try before I gave up on it for good. Which I'd hate to do. Sure, there are some little things I'd change or add, but there are similar things in absolutely every DAW I use. Thank you, Tracktion!