Best DAWs for Piano Roll and CC Automation on PC?

[Straight2Vinyl]

Hey guys,

I am curious what you all find to be the most comprehensive Piano Roll and MIDI CC automating DAW? I am trying to get more out of the Audio Modeling and Sample Modeling instruments, which require a great deal of CC automation/penciling to get the best results.
At the moment I use Reaper, which is adequate, but I'm wondering if there are any DAWs on PC which would make this easier, or that have any additional drawing tools to improve the process? I know Cubase has the articulation editing, but I don't know how much that would help with drawing in the SWAM instrument CC info.
Cubase, FL Studio, Samplitude, Live, Studio One etc. I don't particularly care what the other capabilities of the DAW are as I can always use rewire, or render audio files to mix in Reaper.

Thanks.

[inkwarp]

If you are using FL ( which i happen to think is the best piano roll although i find the automation is still a bit 'quirky'...
you should have a look at this: http://www.syntheticorchestra.com/articulate/
i had a play with it yesterday and it's actually a really interesting extension...
at the moment, re: automation, well reaper is good, esp since the introduction of saveable clips. I like Studio One as well.
and all of these support rewire...

[jancivil]

I know Cubase has the articulation editing, but I don't know how much that would help with drawing in the SWAM instrument CC info.

Unless AudioModeling has integrated it into that, not at all. The point of that is for people who need the piano roll integrated in the specific way with notation so they aren't getting notes for switches, instead dynamic markings and so forth.

I do a *lot* of CC editing in the piano roll, and all parts typically in one window. I use the pencil tool, the parabola tool, the line tool in Cubendo. The sine and other waveshape tools are fiddly and not worth it for me. Probably better with the later versions but it isn't how I think anyway. The way the coloring works visually is very useful to me. (Blue for less, Red for more.) I have no use for a flat monochromatic visual here.
14-bit pitch bend, I donno if other hosts have it or what.

Also saving presets for any or every controller setup, I wouldn't want to deal otherwise. You're going to want a lot of CC for the SWAM bit if my us of SampleModeling is any indication, so you want Cubase I would say, not FL.

[Straight2Vinyl]

Thanks guys. I've fiddled with FL Studio a bit, but not enough to have a good idea of how it would fare for my purposes. I'll have to give it some more time and check out Cubase.

[PeterKorcek]

Cubase has very good MIDI editor, tools for MIDI CC writing and handling afterwards.
Good thing is that you can see multiple lanes of CC data - Logic still has only 1 lane I think. (Reaper and Studio one have multiple lanes).

[anomandaris1]

Well, Reaper has more tools than any other DAW, but they are hidden in the options or are third party scripts downloaded from the forums. I suggest learning what you already have. I hope you know that you can remap pretty much anything in Reaper to a custom key binding/mouse button.

[brainzistor]

Also saving presets for any or every controller setup, I wouldn't want to deal otherwise. You're going to want a lot of CC for the SWAM bit if my us of SampleModeling is any indication, so you want Cubase I would say, not FL.

You can do all of that in FL Studio.
Let's see:
1. Using automation clips


2. Useful tip, group automation clips to free up your space


You want to work in piano roll, but not with automation clips?
You just need to know how to do it:


Saving preset? You can do it too:


So, you load your instrument and you have preset saved.
Where's my preset? Oh, here's my preset:



On top of that FL Studio's piano roll is like an alien technology when compared to Cubase's piano roll,
which is like a weapon from Stone Age.

[dupont]

I think no daw currently can beat Reaper automation item.

[musicartist]

I don't do a lot automation in the midi editor, but on the arranger track.

But I can tell you that I have tried many DAWs, and the FL Studio piano roll is the best for creating melodies. It just feels creative and easy to work with.

[Kalamata Kid]

Automation Items in REAPER

Looks good to me.
I know FL Studio has great automation but is it better than Reapers or Aany other DAW?

More

[jancivil]

Also saving presets for any or every controller setup, I wouldn't want to deal otherwise. You're going to want a lot of CC for the SWAM bit if my us of SampleModeling is any indication, so you want Cubase I would say, not FL.

You can do all of that in FL Studio.
Let's see:
1. Using automation clips
[...]

You want to work in piano roll, but not with automation clips?
You just need to know how to do it:

This is a kludge. You know it is. Because you reveal you actually know the difference between clips and linear piano roll.

So, you load your instrument and you have preset saved.
Where's my preset? Oh, here's my preset:

That's actually pretty cool, although I hate the whole look of it.

On top of that FL Studio's piano roll is like an alien technology when compared to Cubase's piano roll,
which is like a weapon from Stone Age.

Ok, please demonstrate that. I'm not seeing how kludges, taking Fruity Loops from the clips paradigm into linear use is in itself innovative.

Yes there are some pretty exotic-looking notions of how to do normal things:



It's there to make articulations for notation application. I have no idea what that has to do with it.

Here's why I actually believe Cubase is more suitable for the OP as stated: constructing say a sax solo is linear writing and this is totally straightforward rather than what you depicted. I looked at the FLS 20 manual for a bit before I replied. It's a bit complicated because the thing was not created to do this kind of work at all originally.

So, while I'm not persuaded at least the OP has this to look at and gauge. So good job with the reveal; it could work for another person, what would drive me bananas. Short drive, ok, but still.

Nuendo has really gone for a clean look now. I was used to the colorized CC lanes in Cubase but that's gone here, for a couple versions.

Screen Shot 2018-06-02 at 4.01.59 PM.png

I'm a linear composer who has done a few sax solos in Key Editor, and this is pretty clean.

[inkwarp]

Automation Items in REAPER

Looks good to me.
I know FL Studio has great automation but is it better than Reapers or Aany other DAW?

I don't know whether one is 'better' than the other. I am not going to make a qualitative distinction, they are equivalent i would say.
I have used FL a good while now and i have to admit when i first came to it i found the midi implimentation in FL to be awkward and counter-intuitive particularly with he assigining of parameters in FL. in that particular regard i would say reaper is faster and more intuitive. Plus it now has clips which is a really good feature. so i could empathise with users who would feel the same.
however, i do agree that the Piano Roll is FL is way out in front for me. i love it and use it for nearly all midi composition these days.

[Brother Charles]

Mixcraft provid s a really nice piano roll editor. Pretty good automation too, if I remember correctly.

[brainzistor]

This is a kludge. You know it is. Because you reveal you actually know the difference between clips and linear piano roll.

You act like I was suggesting that someone should do sax solo by using 4 bar clips which wasn't the case at all.
I was just using 2 short clips as an example that someone should duplicate one section (clip) if there's a need to use reuse that section and do variations.

Ok, please demonstrate that. I'm not seeing how kludges, taking Fruity Loops from the clips paradigm into linear use is in itself innovative.

Again:
You act like I was suggesting that someone should do sax solo by using 4 bar clips which wasn't the case at all.
I was just using 2 short clips as an example that someone should duplicate one section (clip) if there's a need to use reuse that section and do variations.

Here's why I actually believe Cubase is more suitable for the OP as stated: constructing say a sax solo is linear writing and this is totally straightforward rather than what you depicted.

Here we go again:
You act like I was suggesting that someone should do sax solo by using 4 bar clips which wasn't the case at all.
I was just using 2 short clips as an example that someone should duplicate one section (clip) if there's a need to use reuse that section and do variations.

I looked at the FLS 20 manual for a bit before I replied. It's a bit complicated because the thing was not created to do this kind of work at all originally.

You are completely free to create 1 clip, go into piano roll and play in it for 5 days if you want to
and it's been like that since the day one, since Fruity Loops 4.

So good job with the reveal; it could work for another person, what would drive me bananas. Short drive, ok, but still.

One more time:
You act like I was suggesting that someone should do sax solo by using 4 bar clips which wasn't the case at all.
I was just using 2 short clips as an example that someone should duplicate one section (clip) if there's a need to use reuse that section and do variations.

[Dasheesh]

Been hearing a lot about renoise. Looks interesting. https://www.renoise.com/