Recommendation for the fastest workflow DAW

[thecontrolcentre]

For me, its Ableton Live ... takes me next to no time to get my ideas down in session view, then I can jam around with them before recording my jam into the arrangement view. Couldn't be easier. It almost feels too easy most of the time.

[vitocorleone123]

Waveform. Very few floating windows (it's designed from the start to NOT use them). It's visually laid out like: input -> music notes/samples -> instruments/effects. Super simple. To start noodling with, say, a softsynth, all I do is:

1) click the input on a track and select my Keystep
2) drag the + icon from the top to the track on the right side and select the synth/effect I want (thereby now having an input and output)
3) play notes

I've yet to find something more intuitive. I've tried most of the major DAWs and can't stand them.

The downside has been mentioned already... because it's not the most popular DAW, plugin developers usually don't even test their software to make sure it works on it, sometimes leading to instability (in other words, plugin developers often create workarounds and hacks to make their stuff work on other DAWS, which can make Waveform more unstable).

[rasmus_b]

I use Ableton Live for creative music making and Studio One for mixing.

One of the fundamental ideas behind the Ableton user interface is to keep everything on one screen (i.e. no popups or tool windows). If you stick with the stock instruments and effects, Ableton actually accomplishes this quite well. I also like the separation between session and arrangement view. Session view makes it really easy to try out ideas and create a collection of loops and musical phrases that you can use as your building blocks in the arrangement view later.

Ableton Live is not a very "deep" DAW (unless you get into all the Max for Live stuff) which I actually find is a great benefit. It doesn't take that long to become and advanced user and it won't "get in your way" when you need to get stuff done.

In terms of productivity you can get really far with the User Library (that allows you to store all manner of templates, sequences, loops, presets, etc) and creative use of Drumracks and Samplers. If you are into "hands on" beat making Push 2 is classy bit of kit that is very well integrated with the software (it didn't really do anything for me though, so I ended up selling mine).

I love Studio One for all the features it has and I think it's a great tool for audio engineering, but Ableton Live allows me to get into this state of flow where I can just be creative without thinking about the software. I can't speak for Bitwig, but I have tried most of the other big DAWs and none of them feel remotely as fluid to me as Ableton Live does.

[4damind]

Ableton is already pretty fast, especially when it comes to trying out ideas. You can't do that with any other DAW. Cubase has had a similar functionality with the Arranger for some time. You don't have to arrange in "linear" and more in blocks and then arrange the whole song more towards the end.
Bitwig is of course also an option but in my experience it was too half-baked and buggy. I'd stick with the major DAWs and Ableton is a good option (apart from the fact that it's extremely popular and used by many big names).

Btw. mixing, audio manipulation and also in combination with video are not the strength of Ableton. Often people using still an additional DAW like Logic or Cubase to finish the song or for such special stuff.

[Distorted Horizon]

You can't do that with any other DAW

Cakewalk, Bitwig, FLS, Reaper, Mixcraft....

[Passing Bye]

Bitwig is of course also an option but in my experience it was too half-baked and buggy.

Bitwig is very well done and stable DAW today, makes much more sense than Live for someone like me that comes from Cubase, but different strokes for different folks.

[Passing Bye]

Also it seems in current version, Bitwig’s multi core usage is second to none
viewtopic.php?f=259&t=537525

[Passing Bye]

There’s also entry level edition, which just might be the ticket.

https://www.bitwig.com/en/16-track.html

[4damind]

You can't do that with any other DAW

Cakewalk, Bitwig, FLS, Reaper, Mixcraft....

Not for me. I've tried all this DAWs (except Mixcraft) and for me the fastest workflow and in combination with a good user experience was with Ableton Life.

Bitwig is very well done and stable DAW today, makes much more sense than Live for someone like me that comes from Cubase, but different strokes for different folks.

This was not my experience with Bitwig. This is of course not set in stone, maybe Bitwig will become the leading DAW and many will switch from Ableton to Bitwig.. But I don't see this today and so I recommend Ableton.

There’s also entry level edition, which just might be the ticket.

There is also a entry level edition "Intro" with Ableton for 79€

[Passing Bye]

Again, different strokes for different folks, if I went what was leading and majority used, would disregard everything in favor of Pro Tools long time ago, but neither PT or Live made more sense, despite their status, so went with what actually made more sense and didn’t regretted it, would advise the OP the same.

[antic604]

As a Bitwig user I have to say... Ableton. If you're primarily using samples then it can do muhh more with them right on the timeline, can quantize audio using transients, has easier sample slicing and warping in Simpler.

On the other hand Bitwig is better with midi, has a more developed clip launcher (you see what's in the clips and where playhead is at), deeper modulation options out of the box, more flexible screen layouts.

Give both a go, but from what you said Ableton is a better fit for you.

[antic604]

Alternatively have a look at Studio One. In few recent updates they really focused on adding features for beat-makers (substantially improved sampler and drum machine, pattern sequencer) and they really seem to focus on having a focused, simple in use but powerful DAW. It's audio editing capabilities are way above Ableton's, it has proper audio comping and (base version) of Melodyne built-in.

https://youtu.be/_lOhFWCK6sg

[cristian2cu]

I've heard this ''the best is the DAW that fit your needs'' so many times... but if you wanna go professional, there are just two options: PT and Cubase Pro. My opinion. And here starts the endless discussion... which one is better?

[Passing Bye]

I've heard this ''the best is the DAW that fit your needs'' so many times... but if you wanna go professional, there are just two options: PT and Cubase Pro. My opinion. And here starts the endless discussion... which one is better?

Professional what, recording, mixing, mastering engineer, composer, beat maker, producer, etc?

If you are in USA/UK and/or forced to use Pro Tools, than answer is obvious, if you are not, than anything that suits you is the best, easy as that.

[Bippo]

I'm using FL studio for more than a decade...everything the producer is doing in the video you shared is doable in fl studio, very easily.
I've tried several daws along the way but sticked with FL, objectively speaking, I think that out of all the daws I tried, FL got the best piano roll.
Also you don't MUST to seprate everything into different patterns if you don't want to, you can have one pattern and put it in the playlist...and then you get something more "linear" like cubase for instance, instead of seperate patterns.

But anyway, in the end, the fastest workflow daw for you will be the one you'll spend time with the most.
There's nothing you can do in daw A that can't be done in B, it's all just a matter of being familiar and expirenced with the daw.

My best advice is to just chose one that feels the most intuitive for you, and stick with it.