Good Reasons To Switch Your DAW?

[Ranoka]

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...

Thank you Trancit, I'm going to take up your advice and stick with FL because I can imagine what trying multiple DAWs would do with analysis paralysis between features, and thinking of the other DAWs you have when you're in one and wasting time switching between them. It's bad enough with GAS for synths. If anything I'm liking FL more and more with the updates.

If you're not yet using Bitwig, then this is a very good reason to switch DAW

Judging by your sig, you don't have FL yet, so it might be you that's missing out

[voidhead23]

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.

Still using Live, at the moment, but have been testing Reaper, Logic and Bitwig over the last few months (i used to use Logic before switching to Live and kept my license). Which i guess is what led to the original post. i also used FLStudio eons ago...not my cup of tea, but i did the best drum programming of my life with it.

Bitwig struck me as really aimed at the MIDI/modular crowd and disappointingly deficient in creative audio tools like Live, so i dumped the demo. Some great stuff in there, though...but also pretty heavy on CPU, something that is a big concern since i run a hefty layering of amp sims and soft synths. It seemed sort of like a Live/Reaper hybrid but lacking in my areas of interest.

Logic just bores me. i also don't need a gazillion more synths, loops and FX. But it's stable and efficient as all get out on a nice Mac.

Reaper has so many features i love, but it's really finicky. i'm always troubleshooting, manual-diving and tweaking instead of actually making anything. i would argue that Reaper is the closest the DAW world has ever come to a real physical studio in terms of flexibility.

The truth is, there is sadly no swiss army knife...

Great post. i guess i'm still trying to figure out if advantage A outweighs advantage B.

[antic604]

If you're not yet using Bitwig, then this is a very good reason to switch DAW

Judging by your sig, you don't have FL yet, so it might be you that's missing out

Believe me I tried few times, but I can't get past the pattern sequencer, lack of any (default) relationship between instruments, playlist and mixer and - most of all - the constant windows that pop up & rabbit-hole menus everywhere... Like Cubase, it's just not for me

[Ranoka]

I definitely agree with the pop ups and rabbit-hole menus in FL. I actually really like the flexibility of the midi routing with the non hardwired relationships. BUT I would love if they had an 'AUTO' mode or something that would add a pattern and mixer channel for an instrument IF I had the option enabled to save time creating them each time, and update the colour/icon/name between all 3 while its engaged.

So Bitwig 2 > Live 10? I had a quick look at the features and plugin sandbox would be great, because if a plugin hangs in FL the whole thing crashes! I've been doing the OSC and TrippleCheese has crashed a few times. Also the opening multiple projects thing would be nice to copy between them. €400 Euros doesn't tempt me though.

[classic]

I have bought Cubase, Harrison Mixbus, Mixcraft, Reason, Renoise and Tracktion.
I tested them all and found me every time I want to make a song I start Tracktion or Waveform now.

The way you can navigate through a song and work on it is greate. The modulaters and different clips are cool.

The clip fx tapestop and so are fantastik for sound design and creating soundtracks.
Quick and smooth.

That made me updating and upgrading it again and again.

Just the its fx and synthpacks are horrible.

[Topcheese]

From my understanding there's really no good reason to switch. A DAW is what you make of it, and I suppose if you're making crap with your current DAW, then that might be one reason you might look at other DAWs.

The other reason might be because you never know what's out there that might actually be a better fit for you. I use to swear by Mixcraft, but after using the workflow in Studio One, I doubt I'll ever think about switching again.
I had no real reason to switch, but now I'm able to complete more solid projects, so that's about as good a reason as any.

[EnGee]

I might switch soon But not abandon my current DAWs (Cubase and Reason), only seeing how good is Live 9 Standard for me now.

I bought it yesterday and could finish about 1/4 of the song in my head in about 2 hours, which is a great for me! Now the reasons I'm with Live (again!) are:
- I took a break from making music for few months, now I return with a fresh mind, so I wanted a fast workflow, faster than Cubase and/or Reason. Especially in the beginning (composing and capturing ideas). Live is great in this. I captured fast some Bass lines and Drums (with alternatives that I'll decide later what to do with them). I also put a simple effect clip.

- I felt I need a DAW with a simple and friendly protection. Live is better here also

- All my midi controllers connected and worked with minimum setup.

There are few negatives, like I can't review the midi files (Drum patterns). I can't hear them with the actual instrument. But, I used Addictive Drums patterns this time instead midi files, so it was OK. Reason stays of course, but I might get rid of Cubase later

I don't have a problem really with the CPU in Live as I'm not using heavy CPU instruments or effects. Let's see how the things go on as I like the simple GUI and the excellent workflow in Live

[BMoore]

Knowing its potential, I forced myself to invest time into Reaper, where you can customize and set up almost every aspect of your desired workflow and layout.
And once you’ve done that, firing up and playing with Reaper is better that tantric sex with a cosplaying 3d alien woman.

[Distorted Horizon]

Reaper is better that tantric sex with a cosplaying 3d alien woman.

I was ready to believe you until you said this.. I'd still go with the sex

[Trancit]

The truth is, there is sadly no swiss army knife...

...i guess i'm still trying to figure out if advantage A outweighs advantage B.

I wish you good luck with that... I was sadly never strong enough to stick to my own decisions... perhaps you do it better

[Trancit]

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...

Thank you Trancit, I'm going to take up your advice and stick with FL because I can imagine what trying multiple DAWs would do with analysis paralysis between features, and thinking of the other DAWs you have when you're in one and wasting time switching between them. It's bad enough with GAS for synths. If anything I'm liking FL more and more with the updates.

I think, that´s a good decision... if you like it anyway, there is no reason to confuse yourself with what others offer...
Stick with what you like as long as you can is the biggest favour you can do for yourself...

What made me wakeup in the last time was learning the fact, that the most pro´s (in my genre) never switched their DAW... they are mostly still at the DAW they learned first...

They do not complain about missing features or what others do better, they just use what they got and work their way around any hassles...

[Ranoka]

Thanks Trancit, I'm working on my TrippleCheese OSC at the moment instead of installing the Live Lite 9 that came with my Keystep. Might not bother to save the confusion as you said.

[fedexnman]

CPU usage , maybe invest the Money in a better CPU , Mobo , and Ram combo ? ... I think Live and Bitwig have been known to use more CPU ? No ? Right ? I think for the money Trackion/Waveform is good for a blend of traditional and non traditional type of DAW , but it is known to crash and not like certain VSTs .. Maybe check into a better CPU , Mobo , and Ram ??

[chk071]

Thanks Trancit, I'm working on my TrippleCheese OSC at the moment instead of installing the Live Lite 9 that came with my Keystep. Might not bother to save the confusion as you said.

You won't be able to download that anyway, as it already got replaced by Live Lite 10.

[Ranoka]

Really, I looked a week or so ago and it was Live Lite 9