"Top DAW" by Sonic Academy

[antic604]

@xbitz has posted link to this in few places already, but I think it warrants a separate thread, since I found it hillarious.

The basic idea is 5 producers are tasked to do few typical things in a DAW they never used (or know very little of). The opening video isn't perhaps the best pick, as adding your samples folder to list of favourites isn't something very exciting, so go and watch the 'extended cut' videos too/[*]instead

https://www.sonicacademy.com/courses/top-daw

[xbitz]

this is the opening one

[lessera]

That was great. Step aside Queen's Gambit.

[apoclypse]

Wow. That's hilarious. I want to see someone use Bitwig and Reaper. That would be interesting.

[antic604]

Wow. That's hilarious. I want to see someone use Bitwig and Reaper. That would be interesting.

Well, here's some more from an experienced Ableton user:

[xbitz]

I have a similar adventure as Protoculture has with FL Studio with the routing of Renoise tried to use it for the first time in maybe four years ... auch ( viewtopic.php?p=7994882#p7994882 )

[antic604]

Oh, and this one's also great - FL user trying Ableton

[apoclypse]

The whole track vs patterns in FLStudio can be confusing to a more traditional DAW user. However if you use an MPC its very similar. Tracks are just a container and can hold anything. Patterns are the content. Most DAWs have a track as the main container for both the instrument and content. I can see that being very frustrating if it's not explained to you.

[fmr]

Most DAWs have a track as the main container for both the instrument and content. I can see that being very frustrating if it's not explained to you.

What do you mean? Are you talking about the "instrument" tracks? If it's that, beware that is a novelty in Cubase, and not even uses in Digital Performer. But you can still use MIDI tracks routed to instruments in the rack in Cubase too. Most people don't like that, but to me it's the best way, because I come from the time where the sequencers only had MIDI, and those tracks had to be routed to external hardware.

I think Logic was the first to have those instrument tracks.

[apoclypse]

Most DAWs have a track as the main container for both the instrument and content. I can see that being very frustrating if it's not explained to you.

What do you mean? Are you talking about the "instrument" tracks? If it's that, beware that is a novelty in Cubase, and not even uses in Digital Performer. But you can still use MIDI tracks routed to instruments in the rack in Cubase too. Most people don't like that, but to me it's the best way, because I come from the time where the sequencers only had MIDI, and those tracks had to be routed to external hardware.

I think Logic was the first to have those instrument tracks.

What I mean is in FLStudio Track 1,2,3 can all have pattern 1 for example. Or if you are working on a song you can arbitrarily move the pattern between any track in FLStudio and it will still trigger properly.

In Ableton, Logic, Cubase, S1 etc tracks are tied to the instrument. You can't say have Massive on track 1 then move the clip to another track and have it playback. Sure you can get around this by making midi tracks and routing them back to the instrument, but its not like FLStudio where the pattern is the actual container of the content, the track is just telling the pattern where to play back. It's very different.

[fmr]

What I mean is in FLStudio Track 1,2,3 can all have pattern 1 for example. Or if you are working on a song you can arbitrarily move the pattern between any track in FLStudio and it will still trigger properly.

In Ableton, Logic, Cubase, S1 etc tracks are tied to the instrument. You can't say have Massive on track 1 then move the clip to another track and have it playback. Sure you can get around this by making midi tracks and routing them back to the instrument, but its not like FLStudio where the pattern is the actual container of the content, the track is just telling the pattern where to play back. It's very different.

You can have MIDI tracks assigned to different instruments, and move the "pattern" (as you say - I'd call it region) freely from one to the other. Or, better yet, In Cubase you can create all the RACK instruments you want, and simply change the output of the MIDI track to any instrument you want.

[antic604]

You can have MIDI tracks assigned to different instruments, and move the "pattern" (as you say - I'd call it region) freely from one to the other. Or, better yet, In Cubase you can create all the RACK instruments you want, and simply change the output of the MIDI track to any instrument you want.

Yes, we get it - you don't understand how FL works.

Let's say you have 4 sound sources in your FL's rack: kick, hihat, bass and pad.
You set kick to play via Mixer channel #1, hihat via #2, bass via #3, pad via #4.
For 1st pattern, you add MIDI data for the bass
For 2nd pattern, you copy pattern #1 and add hihat MIDI
For 3rd pattern, you copy pattern #2, make it shorter and create a break and build-up with kick MIDI
For 4th pattern, you copy pattern #2, add MIDI for kick & pad

You put all of those patterns consecutively on 1st track in playlist.

Or you can put pattern #1 on track #1, pattern #2 on track #2, etc. and it will still sound the same.

Or you can do any combination thereof.

The point is, playlist is just a "canvas" to paint patterns - that can be a single instrument or whole vertical slice of your song - on.

[worldshaker]

I think FL Studio's pattern system is dope. I just prefer the "traditional" mixer since it's already set up per track.

[Eclectrophonic]

It would be good if they compared one aspect of a several daw's at a time. Say, the browser:- Logic, Pro Tools, FL Studio, Reason, Studio One, Abelton, Cakewalk By Bandlab and then Reaper. Then did assigning a VST to a track and playing a few notes in in each, then recording some audio over the top of that, then automation, adding FX to a track etc.

[JoeCat]

There are so many differences between DAWs that aren't so much right/wrong, just different workflows that appeal to different people.

When I moved from Logic to Live I really missed clip/region aliases (I forget what they're called in Logic). The whole linking / embedding confusion applies to so many things in software and whether you prefer one or the other (or expect one or the other) is really dependent on your workflow. (There is, of course a M4L clip alias device )

I like Renoise for a change of pace but oddly it's the "instrument does not equal track" part that trips me up after Live. You get used to working one way and it feels right to you (or right enough), or you have to change tools.