Need Help Picking a new DAW

[codec_spurt]

Energy XT both 1 and 2 can't be beaten really.

Though Fruity Looops comes close.

Studio One has that je ne sais qua. I don't know what it is.
I also don't know how to spell it.

Ableton is the bomb.
Even a cripped version like I have - you don't want the full version -
it is too much.

Podium has some rough edges - but what a beautiful interface - the best.

REAPER - may be all you ever need - when you learn how to use it.



Does this help narrow it down?


Well, did ye get healed?



Well, did ye?

[The Telenator]

I use Podium as my No.1 and REAPER as an alternative -- or if I just want a break from Podium, or to do one of the several things REAPER does best, or as a ReWire slave to Podium. Those two and the workflows are perfect for me, and both together cost less than any one of the top-dollar brands.

I started and learned on Cubase 4, which was great, because it was a real rigid setup, very limited features by today's standards, and taught me about all I wanted or didn't want in a DAW. Even more important, as I was getting ready to upgrade, I learned all about the whole dongle thing and before that had my elicenser act up for no good reason and shut down my Cubase before an important session. Ever since then, I said I'd never mess with the dongles or any DAWs that have touchy or difficult licensers. I just refuse to be bothered by any of that. And I really like setups that are very user customizable too. I've got a bunch of great skins for REAPER and have Podium (great color scemes too) all customized just the way I like it.

[braj]

I personally don't think Reaper's learning curve is very steep, FWIW. Don't let that scare you away. You could have other considerations but I don't think Reaper is hard to use at all. From my experience many things like track/bus routing that are pains in other DAWs are simple in Reaper. And you won't often find yourself missing features when you want them in your DAW. I also went with Reaper because of the liberal licensing and no dongles, that really was what interested me most at the start. If you ever need Reaper on a new box you can just install and use without any hassle. You will never be locked out, have to contact the dev, etc.

[liquidsound]

Energy XT both 1 and 2 can't be beaten really.

Wrong really.....

[LukeMornay]

studio one pro ehich in my opinion EASILY sounds the best DAW

+1 without a doubt!

+1 Sounds good but on top of that it's a real pleasure to use, nothing gets in the way.

[machinesworking]

The closest thing to Acid is Live

I thought Acid was linear based, not pattern based like Ableton (and FL)?

Sure, but Ableton is the one that's fully pattern based, that's not what I was thinking about.
More about Live and Acid being the two most fully featured in terms of time and pitch stretching. Studio One would fall in there if it comes with a full version of Melodyne Studio, if not then it comes close.

[Obsolete236871]

I am using Midi mainly and here is my opinion:

In terms of Midi, Reaper is the worst DAW i have ever encountered. Simple things like midi-loop-recording are not working (the program has been developed for quiet some years now) and i have mentioned it on the Reaper forums. While researching it i found hints (on Reaper forums and other boards) that the Developers are probably treating Midi with a low priority...

Studio One is really great (i am just in the process of trying the demo):
it is very stable, all the functions that you need are available and they are where you expect them to be (unlike in Reaper), some functions are very cleverly integrated (e.g. the way you can bounce a midi sequence to audio very fast) - its on the same professional level as the big ones, namely Logic and Cubase

Cubase is very sophisticated in terms of Midi and Audio. Its stable (most of the time) and has all functions that one would need and even more than that - you can start with a small version and then upgrade it to a bigger version for a reduced prize later (eg. Cubase Elements to Cubase)

Ableton is unique at the moment - maybe Bitwig will be a competition when it comes out - but when working with Audi and loops there is at the moment no other DAW that can do what Ableton Live can.. It allows you to work very intuitive, the prize is a relatively high use of CPU power...

...

[codec_spurt]

Energy XT both 1 and 2 can't be beaten really.

Wrong really.....

You're right, really!

[psychoxkps]

yes.. fls or maschine if u have more money..

[knucklez09]

I think I'm gonna try Ableton and studio one. Ableton looks cool for the music I make.. DnB dubstep, crazy electric music.. and studio one looks good for the hip-hop beats I make. I have a beef with Fl studio cause everyone I know uses it and there music sucks lol, no offense to fl users, just have had bad experiences. I hated reaper for some reason, looked ugly too. Cubase seems great but not for me and I'm a vst and vsti guy so reason is a no too. There all good DAWs but I think im going with Live and a launchpad. but we'll see.
Thanks for all the input, I think everyone has their of preference so what works for you might not be best for me, but I appreciate the help.