Why you use multiple DAWs ?

[Meffy]

Good observations all 'round.

Speaking of our vintages (*coughcough*)…

I'm naturally far-sighted, so to help deal with aging eyes and increasingly high-resolution displays, over the years I've invested in a few pairs of quality reading glasses of various powers. Not optician-grade, but Foster Grants in the $25—$35 range. Durable and I store them in cases in a drawer when not in use. Not ideal but better than nought.

[zoidkirb]

Been using Cubase since forever, and always want to do my mixdowns there no matter what. Love the mixer, mixer views, the automation, even the built in fx.
But I love Reason for inspiration...from routing cv around the rack to getting weird with it's players.
Last up I have Live, which much like Reason is a source of creativity , with the added bonus that the session view really encourages me to write and arrange stuff quickly, often in a way I never would have thought of.
On to the downside: honestly despite the benefits, I think 3 DAWS ultimately can be inhibiting as with my limited time it's been a struggle to reach maximum proficiency in any one daw. So many key commands remain forgotten or unlearned.
Atm I'm definitely leaning towards picking up the Reason rack vst and then bouncing around to and from Live/Cubase.

[BONES]

So who's with me ? .... Multiple-DAW gang check in.

Not me, I think you're an idiot. Having spent many hours over the past few months painstakingly moving stuff from my old host to a new one, I can tell you for a fact that working across multiple host applications is a giant pain in the arse and a complete workflow killer.

For a start, it restricts you to only using VST instruments and effects and if you've paid a shit-tonne of money for Cubase Pro, for example, you'll be ignoring half of what you paid for. Which would be stupid.

After that you'll have to set up your mixer, adding send and insert effects manually, recreating channel groups, etc. all over again. None of your levels will be right, either, so you'll basically have to re-do your mix from scratch every time you move hosts, which would be even more stupid.

Patches will be another issue. You'll have to make sure you've saved a patch for every instrument and effect you have used, then load them all manually, one at a time, every time you change hosts. Putting yourself through that is the very definition of stupid.

You will run into more problems if you use external modulation generators (like those in Live and Bitwig), or even MIDI plugins, because they won't transfer across to another host. Yet those are good, solid reasons for choosing those hosts in the first place so, again, you're wasting your money buying those hosts and not using some of their best features/functionality. Which would be stupider still.

So that's four really good reasons to find one host, the one that involves the fewest compromises or the one you like to work in the most, and stick with it. Because working around it's shortcomings is going to be orders of magnitude less hassle than moving from host to host and I can guarantee it will also give you the best results. It goes under the category of "jack of all trades, master of none".

[glokraw]

I use Reaper for almost everything. Occassionally. I'll compose
effects chain experiments with Bitwig because of it's drag&drop,
so it's an easy to use audio lab.
And Harrison Mixbus for some few mastering odds and ends.

I'd go nuts trying to learn Ableton or Cakewalk2020 etc,
not that I have time to waste on ever-more free things, or money
to burn on what for me would be $overkill$ products,
I'm not likely to ever need a 50 track anything. More power
to those who can do that, without creating mudd

[AdvancedFollower]

I've used Studio One since v2 and I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface. I also have FL Studio (impulse purchase) that I play around with sometimes, but I haven't really produced any full tracks with it. The workflow just feels alien to me, making everything take much longer. An FL user trying SO would probably feel the same way, so it's not the fault of the DAW.

Professional producers make an entire career out of a single DAW, so one should be more than enough for a humble hobbyist like myself. Another issue with running multiple DAWs is maintenance/updates. Just as you have updated your primary DAW for €150, DAW #2 gets a €99 upgrade and then DAW #3 gets a €50 update... Then you have to sit down with each and learn what's new. I'd rather spend all the time and money on a single DAW, keep it updated and use it to my fullest ability.

[whyterabbyt]

I use multiple DAWs because they're not the same. Im not making the same stuff over and over again, Im not working the same way over and over again, Im not doing the same tasks over and over again, Im not using or making the same sounds over and over again, Im not thinking the same way over and over again.

[antic604]

I use multiple DAWs because they're not the same. Im not making the same stuff over and over again, Im not working the same way over and over again, Im not doing the same tasks over and over again, Im not using or making the same sounds over and over again, Im not thinking the same way over and over again.

You're using "I'm not" an awful lot for someone who claims they don't like repeating themselves

But I exactly know what you mean!

[dellboy]

Im not making the same stuff over and over again

Im not working the same way over and over again,

Im not doing the same tasks over and over again,

Im not using or making the same sounds over and over again,

Im not thinking the same way over and over again.

Nice song !

Is the title "I'M NOT" ?

[whyterabbyt]

Im not making the same stuff over and over again

Im not working the same way over and over again,

Im not doing the same tasks over and over again,

Im not using or making the same sounds over and over again,

Im not thinking the same way over and over again.

Nice song !

Is the title "I'M NOT" ?

Pretty much. Inna style of Crass.

[InLight-Tone]

So who's with me ? .... Multiple-DAW gang check in.

Not me, I think you're an idiot. Having spent many hours over the past few months painstakingly moving stuff from my old host to a new one, I can tell you for a fact that working across multiple host applications is a giant pain in the arse and a complete workflow killer.

For a start, it restricts you to only using VST instruments and effects and if you've paid a shit-tonne of money for Cubase Pro, for example, you'll be ignoring half of what you paid for. Which would be stupid.

After that you'll have to set up your mixer, adding send and insert effects manually, recreating channel groups, etc. all over again. None of your levels will be right, either, so you'll basically have to re-do your mix from scratch every time you move hosts, which would be even more stupid.

Patches will be another issue. You'll have to make sure you've saved a patch for every instrument and effect you have used, then load them all manually, one at a time, every time you change hosts. Putting yourself through that is the very definition of stupid.

You will run into more problems if you use external modulation generators (like those in Live and Bitwig), or even MIDI plugins, because they won't transfer across to another host. Yet those are good, solid reasons for choosing those hosts in the first place so, again, you're wasting your money buying those hosts and not using some of their best features/functionality. Which would be stupider still.

So that's four really good reasons to find one host, the one that involves the fewest compromises or the one you like to work in the most, and stick with it. Because working around it's shortcomings is going to be orders of magnitude less hassle than moving from host to host and I can guarantee it will also give you the best results. It goes under the category of "jack of all trades, master of none".

^^^ THIS!
If you actually were doing music for money like it was your job, you wouldn't have time to tinker in multiple DAW's...

[whyterabbyt]

^^^ THIS!
If you actually were doing music for money like it was your job, you wouldn't have time to tinker in multiple DAW's...

DAWs are used for more than just music.

[wetdentist]

been through the ups and downs of Cakewalk/Sonar, but came out on top with Cakewalk by Bandlab (for recording audio, MIDI automation & mixing/mastering) and NI Maschine (which isn't technically a DAW) for beats/loops. i am pretty happy

[Forgotten]

^^^ THIS!
If you actually were doing music for money like it was your job, you wouldn't have time to tinker in multiple DAW's...

DAWs are used for more than just music.

Indeed! They are integral to online pissing contests in music forums...

[THE INTRANCER]

For me, I only need one DAW for producing music, Studio One ticks all the boxes for my needs and exceeds them in many ways... I spent years with Reason, and got fed up with always having to feel like I'm still on a catch up road... that would the same feeling as I would have if ever looked at Reaper. Reaper will at some point, end up being abandonware given the state it's still in today... With Presonus, I can see it being developed way into the future just as Cubase has.

[vurt]

^^^ THIS!
If you actually were doing music for money like it was your job, you wouldn't have time to tinker in multiple DAW's...

DAWs are used for more than just music.

a lot of people here dont even use them for that...