Best no frills, straightforward, unencumbered DAW for tracking/composing in 2020/21

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ReleaseCandidate wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 9:31 am
Jafo wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 3:50 am Tracktion. None of that nonsense in which a track appears horizontally on top and vertically on the bottom.
It does also have the mixer 'on the bottom', or what are you talking about?
Yeah, that was the battlecry in the early days, no mixer, new 'paradigm' etc etc. But then they added a mixer a while back...

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GaryG wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 9:35 am
ReleaseCandidate wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 9:31 am
Jafo wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 3:50 am Tracktion. None of that nonsense in which a track appears horizontally on top and vertically on the bottom.
It does also have the mixer 'on the bottom', or what are you talking about?
Yeah, that was the battlecry in the early days, no mixer, new 'paradigm' etc etc. But then they added a mixer a while back...
Ah, thanks, I see.

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OK! Studio One and Mixcraft : these are very nice and polished! The screens are very busy though and the quantity of options is quite intimidating!

I am leaning towards Mixcraft but need to make sure the workflow matches mine.
I am struggling with the transport in moving it to the right spot in a project. << >> and |<< >>| are a bit of a challenge here.

I might check Studio One and Waveform again for sure!

Quite possible I might not even take the dive for now. Thanks again for your input.
Last edited by yul on Thu Dec 10, 2020 4:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Bitwig! Workflow is quick and straightforward, pop up browser is one of the, if not the best and for composing clip launching panel is ultimate thing, there’s no sub menus, most things are there, PDC is great, automation too, give it a whirl!

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yul wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 4:32 pm OK! Studio One and Mixcraft : these are very nice and polished! The screens are very busy though and the quantity of options is quite intimidating!
Are you looking at Studio One Pro, or Artist? Artist is way slimmed down and is really designed for people who don't need/want all the extra frills, singer/songwriter types, people who want a less cluttered workspace and a fast workflow for tracking, arranging, and mixing, etc., yet it's still more than capable of creating pro tracks. Cubase Elements ($99, same as S1 Artist) is another one to consider.
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I'll add a pitch for Cakewalk By Bandlab. The price/performance ratio is unmatched (it's free). It can be as basic/simple or as powerful/complicated as you like.

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cryophonik wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 5:14 pm Are you looking at Studio One Pro, or Artist?
I absolutely don't know. Getting to the demo wasn't easy (create account, login during installer etc). It seems there is only 1x demo package and it's got everything. There's the mastering option on startup. I am choosing the song option. Would that be what Artist provides?

I will look at other ones as well...Bitwig, Cubase Elements, Bandlab!!

Thanks guys!

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Yul,

Have you used markers in Mixcraft?

I have not posted enough yet so I cannot attach images.

But right click on a bar number then add marker -from there you can explore the marker functionality with the assistance of the helpfile.

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the answer is, whatever one suits YOU!

surprise!

the alternatives are, every other piece of software listed by ppl who have completly diff needs to you


enjoy

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raveydavey wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 9:22 pm Have you used markers in Mixcraft?
Call me lazy but I was hoping not to have to do that.

Some will remember your last position and also jump to clips starts and end.
Mulab allows me to jump from clip starts for example.

Studio One I just found out will jump to clip beginning when pressing STOP a couple times.

I am sure there is a similar way in Mixcraft but right now it's quite challenging!

Thanks all for the feedback. I am glad to be able to ramp up with the latest stuff
Last edited by yul on Thu Dec 10, 2020 9:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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What about the performance tab?
Or
Set loop start marker and end marker to the section you want ?

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The thing about the markers is that you have the ability to see all markers and just click on the one you want. You can have Mixcraft generate the markers automatically and then edit what you want.

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yul wrote: Wed Dec 09, 2020 6:43 pm Reason : this is my friends main and he does pumps a lot of stuff (crap too sometimes). Thanks for reminding me of it! It did seem very stable and seq panel was clean. The wires though...
The wiring is one of the most enjoyable parts -- once you have the basics down (which takes maybe 30 minutes of tutorialing), you have freedom to route in ways that most DAWS can't (or can't easily). Which is why I love the rack in your DAW of choice -- can still route cables as you see fit, but outside Reasons limited-functionality DAW ecosystem.

Once they update it so you can run VSTs inside the Rack inside the DAW (which is 1000% more important than hi-res gui), it'll really open up the options.
Have you tried Vital?

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billcarroll wrote: Wed Dec 09, 2020 4:38 pm Is this where we come to list all the DAWS
So why has no one mentioned Ableton Live Intro?
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Yeah, I like Mixcraft as well. Straightforward workflow and it's been VERY stable on all my machines, which was really important for me.

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