How much money have you wasted buying DAWS you should have demoed properly?

[LawrenceF]

You did stick your beak in because of who you are...

Nowhere does it state that 32 bit has been discontinued. Nowhere in any promo material does it say that 32 bit is no longer developed.

Sorry man. Wasn't trying to start an Kv-argument. Was only pointing out that the tech spec page clearly says...

(64-bit only)

... for both supported OS platforms.

Studio One is a modern, cross-platform DAW that is capable of operating as 64-bit application. While we make every effort to ensure Studio One will run well on the widest variety of computers possible, please read these specifications carefully to determine compatibility with your system.

I'll butt out. Sorry.

[harryupbabble]

I don't like to connect my computer to the internet (my main music-making computer, the Windows 7 one).

I think both Tracktion 7 and Cakewalk Bandlab Sonar required internet connection.

Do you not have an internet connection ?

Reaper will require one to download the program, although it is not many megabytes.

Tracktion and Sonar will obviously need an internet connection to download and authorize, but after doing that the internet can be permanently disconnected.

Well, I have an ancient computer connected to the net. It is run by Windows XP. If I download Tracktion 7 and Cakewalk Bandlab Sonar, they have to be run on my ancient online computer? I don't think my ancient cnline computer can handle Traction 7 and Cakewalk Bandlab Sonar. I'll have to check those two DAWs' "system requirements".

But should I even bother? My online computer can run REAPER but REAPER's installer is only about 10 MB. Firefox has abandoned Windows XP. A lot of others have abandoned Windows XP. But REAPER, nope it has not abandoned Windows XP.

How come all these other "free" DAWs seem to want me to be connected to their site for purpose(s) other than "download the installation file"? Why all the hassle for a "free" DAW? Why can't they just have an installation file at their site for me to download? Like REAPER does.

[mgiambro]

Honestly I just love trying new things and learning. Many I buy and sell on KVR so it's not a huge loss. I have probably spent like $1500 over the last 10 years on DAWs so honestly that's not bad for all of the entertainment. Of course I have completed like zero songs hehe

Studio One (multiple times)
Reaper (multiple times)
FL Studio
Reason 10
Sonar Platinum
Just traded Falcon for Cubase

+1 . Just the sort of response I was hoping for. I'm not the only one . You're right. Even if you don't click with the daw, it is good fun using them - and cheaper than blowing money an beer and gambling .

[mgiambro]

Honestly I just love trying new things and learning. Many I buy and sell on KVR so it's not a huge loss. I have probably spent like $1500 over the last 10 years on DAWs so honestly that's not bad for all of the entertainment. Of course I have completed like zero songs hehe

Studio One (multiple times)
Reaper (multiple times)
FL Studio
Reason 10
Sonar Platinum
Just traded Falcon for Cubase

+1 . Just the sort of response I was hoping for. I'm not the only one . You're right. Even if you don't click with the daw, it is good fun using them - and cheaper than blowing money on beer and gambling .

[chk071]

Not to stick my beak in but it says that pretty clearly on the tech spec page.
https://www.presonus.com/products/Studio-One/tech-specs

You did stick your beak in because of who you are...

Nowhere does it state that 32 bit has been discontinued. Nowhere in any promo material does it say that 32 bit is no longer developed. Also, the devs should be ashamed of how buggy not only the first release is, but how bad it still is. I'll stick with Cubase 8.5. Handles both bit types, and has far more functionality.

What's so difficult to grasp about "64-bit only" specification stated in the system requirements?

[sin night]

Not much, maybe a few hundreds over a span or 16-17 years, which is not bad in my opinion... I had some experiences with other software (mainly to add features missing on my main daw for cheap - I used Cubasis VST for years and I couldn't afford to upgrade to Cubase - and I used them very rarely), but I prefer to stick with just one daw over the years and to know it quite well.

For most of my life, I used Steinberg's daws. I had a brief break with Logic, but I could not call it "wasted money" because i used it for 2 or 3 years... I keep Reason as a secondary daw even if I rarely use it, and that's "wasted money" from a certain point of view (for the record, I bought my last upgrade only because it was a little more expensive than buying just Europa at introductory price)... but I'm still fine with that...

I want to avoid the cost of the huge workflow changes related to a daw switch, so I try to stick to my daw and I don't look for alternatives. I did think a lot before switching daw so, if I'll ever make that choice again in the future (and I don't plan to), it will be at least for a good amount of time (a few years at minimum)...


I spent more money on plugins or devices that I don't use much... Maybe there's an inverse correlation between the impact of a purchase and the probability of a "mistake" (= less use than predicted): if things are going to have a major impact (like switching daw), they're weighted with more attention before committing to any decision. I think this is the reason why I didn't waste much money on daws.

[rlared]

Honestly I just love trying new things and learning. Many I buy and sell on KVR so it's not a huge loss. I have probably spent like $1500 over the last 10 years on DAWs so honestly that's not bad for all of the entertainment. Of course I have completed like zero songs hehe

Studio One (multiple times)
Reaper (multiple times)
FL Studio
Reason 10
Sonar Platinum
Just traded Falcon for Cubase

+1 . Just the sort of response I was hoping for. I'm not the only one . You're right. Even if you don't click with the daw, it is good fun using them - and cheaper than blowing money an beer and gambling .

Exactly. Gotta spend your money on something and this is a healthy and fulfilling hobby. My wife doesn't mind the occasional spending as long as it doesn't get out of control. So it works well and keeps me occupied. Of course I still leave money in the budget for beer.

[mgiambro]

Of course I still leave money in the budget for beer.

Wholeheartedly agree sir. It's just that when you combine the beer with other vices you get into trouble .

[felis]

When I wasted money buying DAW's (sequencers), there were no demos.

A long time ago.

[IncarnateX]

None. I demoed all of mine before buying when I was on software. But in time they annoyed me. They were working (apart from Cakewalk Sonar, which was a bug fest in 2008). Fortunately I found my preferred DAW not long after I started; Cubase LE -> Cakewalk Sonar -> Reason (supplement) -> Orion Platinum (Bingo, pattern based just the way I would have it). Demoing is important but cannot predict nor prevent the tides of time. Sometimes luck is a factor too, e.g. I accidentally discovered Orion, which at that time was an underestimated underdog.

[yehboy1]

Reaper and Mixcraft. So, like $130 or so. Should have just started with Ableton but the price initially put me off.

[AsPeeXXXVIII]

I don't feel that I wasted the €99 I spent on Reason Essentials 8 back in 2014. I got the hang of its workflow quickly, and it served me adequately for the time I used it as my primary DAW.

[AdvancedFollower]

Not much, maybe a few hundreds over a span or 16-17 years, which is not bad in my opinion... I had some experiences with other software (mainly to add features missing on my main daw for cheap - I used Cubasis VST for years and I couldn't afford to upgrade to Cubase - and I used them very rarely), but I prefer to stick with just one daw over the years and to know it quite well.

For most of my life, I used Steinberg's daws. I had a brief break with Logic, but I could not call it "wasted money" because i used it for 2 or 3 years... I keep Reason as a secondary daw even if I rarely use it, and that's "wasted money" from a certain point of view (for the record, I bought my last upgrade only because it was a little more expensive than buying just Europa at introductory price)... but I'm still fine with that...

I want to avoid the cost of the huge workflow changes related to a daw switch, so I try to stick to my daw and I don't look for alternatives. I did think a lot before switching daw so, if I'll ever make that choice again in the future (and I don't plan to), it will be at least for a good amount of time (a few years at minimum)...


I spent more money on plugins or devices that I don't use much... Maybe there's an inverse correlation between the impact of a purchase and the probability of a "mistake" (= less use than predicted): if things are going to have a major impact (like switching daw), they're weighted with more attention before committing to any decision. I think this is the reason why I didn't waste much money on daws.

I agree with pretty much everything above though I haven't been doing this for nearly as long. Switching DAWs is so disruptive to the workflow, I couldn't imagine doing it just for the sake of it, having to re-learn all the little shortcuts, tricks etc. you learn after using the program for a while. I really only see two reasons why I would switch DAWs: Major changes done to my current DAW that I'd find absolutely intolerable, or if it got abandoned and stopped receiving updates.

Personally, I started with Reason, then very briefly used Reaper before getting Studio One at a side-grade discount. I don't consider this wasted money, I learned so much on Reason, and while I only used Reaper for a few months, that was also very educational, and it's nice to have a license in case I decide to try it again at some point.

Now VST's are another issue altogether. It's so easy to fall for the marketing, demo songs and slick renders. Then you discover that it doesn't sound as good as the marketing made you believe, doesn't do anything your other 569 plugins can't already do, or maybe it's great, but doesn't fit in your music. Even demoing doesn't make you immune to this, since the factory presets might be over-selling the instrument and you're unlikely to go in-depth when it's just a demo.

[metamorphosis]

In my case too much! I'm not having a go at any particular product. They are all impressive. However, I've bought plenty of DAWs on impulse without demoing them properly and only later and after using them thoroughly discovered that they don't fit my preferred way of working. Hands up. My fault entirely. I'm on the verge of switching again. The last one I bought doesn't allow transfers - you can probably guess which one it is. I knew the deal when I bought it, so no complaints. I'm curious. Am I the only one who's paid for software, only to later regret buying it?

$0