Looking for a loop based DAW for beginners

[MuzikFreq]

Reason+ $20/mo and if they find it not for them it can be dropped

[JackJackdaw]

I use Reason and Cubase but I would say , if loop based is what you are after , definitely get Ableton. I've had a free copy of Live Lite for twenty (!) years that always gets updated to the latest version! It has 8 track limit and various other limits, but for small loop based projects it's great.

[pdxindy]

If on a Mac or iPad, Garageband is free

[Cancel Culture Club]

Reason+ $20/mo and if they find it not for them it can be dropped

This is where subscription models shine, short term use or extended demos.

[EnGee]

If on a Mac or iPad, Garageband is free

+1

I've got GB with my iPad mini several years ago and it's still updated without problems! It's very easy to use and capable as well!

On Windows, Ableton Live has endless resources on the net but it is not so easy in the long run especially the advanced functions exist in M4L.
FL Studio is popular as well, but it has it's learning that doesn't transfer well into Ableton Live or other workflow. It's workflow is unique.
My choice would be Bitwig Studio over Ableton Live because the full software is about half price of Ableton Live Suite and also because the advanced functions and the modular synth integrated better into the DAW. He also will never grow it up unless he would become mixing or mastering engineer Anywy, both Live and Bitwig can be used as linear DAWs, so they are 2 in 1 products

Of course, on Mac he still has Live or Bitwig option.

[Saffran]

What about online daws?
Bandlab has a good one and their loop librarie is very,very big.
It is free and as an online service it can be reached from any device anywhere.

[MLR]

Ableton Live Lite or Intro.
If you have any iOS device then you can get Live Lite license for free with some apps like Koala Sampler, Patterning or Triqtraq.

[kyuseok]

You should check out Mixcraft for sure..!

[MuzikFreq]

Actually, I second Bitwig
Easy to get into for simple things with a ton of depth that's also pretty easy to go deep and can save a bit of cash due to the great internal effects, synths, and modulation sources.

[jclosed]

I also can recommend Bitwig. As stated above, you can even get a free 8-track version with a magazine. That way you have no time limits like you have with other DAW's trial versions. And if you like that DAW, upgrading to a "bigger" version is always possible.

I think Bitwig has the huge advancement that you can have at the same time your loops (clips) and the time-line in only one single screen. Other DAW's need you to open two windows for that, and it can be cumbersome to do that, especially if you want to resize. Placing those clips in the time line is simply a drag and drop. By picking a complete row of clips you can drag and drop a complete section of loops in the time line. Editing the loops (clips) is as simple as double clicking on it, and you can mix loops and instruments in a single time line if you want to.

Personally I think Bitwig is a great DAW if you are a starter, because all you need is in a single window. It teaches you about clip-based and timeline-based music creation in one single window. That makes it easy to learn. It also learns you about modulation in a very easy way. If you buy the full version you can even create instruments and effects. Of course other DAW's are great too, but I think for starters Bitwig is a good starting point, because it learns you all the basic concepts of music creation with a DAW.

[dellboy]

I think Bitwig has the huge advancement that you can have at the same time your loops (clips) and the time-line in only one single screen. Other DAW's need you to open two windows for that, and it can be cumbersome to do that, especially if you want to resize. Placing those clips in the time line is simply a drag and drop. By picking a complete row of clips you can drag and drop a complete section of loops in the time line. Editing the loops (clips) is as simple as double clicking on it, and you can mix loops and instruments in a single time line if you want to.

In theory, what you describe is an obvious advantage in Bitwig, but in practise I found it had no practical purpose. Perhaps I have missed a trick, but what is the point of it in the real world ?

In a linear DAW you can make a 4 bar clip and drag it out to have it repeat as many time as you like. You then have the option to delete clips as needed. In a loop based DAW you record a 4 bar clip and let it loop, turning clips off and on as needed.

The main advantage I can see with BItwig is that both options are combined in one single DAW which is great. Logic also does the same thing.

[jclosed]

I think Bitwig has the huge advancement that you can have at the same time your loops (clips) and the time-line in only one single screen. Other DAW's need you to open two windows for that, and it can be cumbersome to do that, especially if you want to resize. Placing those clips in the time line is simply a drag and drop. By picking a complete row of clips you can drag and drop a complete section of loops in the time line. Editing the loops (clips) is as simple as double clicking on it, and you can mix loops and instruments in a single time line if you want to.

In theory, what you describe is an obvious advantage in Bitwig, but in practise I found it had no practical purpose. Perhaps I have missed a trick, but what is the point of it in the real world ?

In a linear DAW you can make a 4 bar clip and drag it out to have it repeat as many time as you like. You then have the option to delete clips as needed. In a loop based DAW you record a 4 bar clip and let it loop, turning clips off and on as needed.

The main advantage I can see with BItwig is that both options are combined in one single DAW which is great. Logic also does the same thing.

Well - It's all what's in your kind of workflow. I like to see the clip part as my palette, and the time line part as my canvas. You can "pick a colour" and "paint" it on the places where you want it to have. In this case pick up a clip and place it in the time line. You can even mix audio and MIDI (with the instrument attached to it) in one time line. Of course you can stretch, duplicate, delete or turn off those clips in the timeline too. Those functions are the same as in any linear DAW.

Long story short - It's simply very convenient to have your "building blocks" and final result in one screen. It makes the building process much easier, and gives more tweaking possibilities. That's the reason I also liked Cakewalk's Project 5 in the past (although that DAW was a lot more limited than Bitwig).

As said - It just depends on your preferred way of working. I personally think a "newbie" will have a faster start if more possible ways (linear and clip-based) are presented in one program. And that was the OP's question at the end. Name a loop-based DAW for beginners.

[antic604]

In a linear DAW you can make a 4 bar clip and drag it out to have it repeat as many time as you like. You then have the option to delete clips as needed. In a loop based DAW you record a 4 bar clip and let it loop, turning clips off and on as needed.

I think the point of clip-launching DAWs is one (or two) steps before that

In your example, it's YOU who have to determine what goes into the 4-bar loop and from then on it stays more or less fixed - you can turn elements on/off, but can't really swap them around.

With Bitwig (or Live, or Logic I guess) the strength is in building a collection of only barely related clips (say they're in the same key & scale) of whatever length and in whatever order and then just trying different order & combination to see what works.

Say, you have a 3 x 3 matrix of clips like e.g.

Code: Select all

track #1 A B C
track #2 D E F
track #3 G H I

In a linear DAW you'd only have A/D/G, B/E/H and C/F/I "vertical slices" to play with. But in a clip-launching DAW you can easily play them like below, without ever recording anything & committing to it:

Code: Select all

track #1 A B C A B C A B C A B C
track #2     F F E D F   E D D D
track #3         G G I   G H I I

And so on... Once you're happy with how it sounds, you can "record" it to arrangement or just drag & drop stuff, using your clip launcher as a palette of elements you "paint" your arrangement from.

Here's an example of early track arrangement that started as a simple column of clips in Bitwig. For the video I already laid them out a bit to resemble song structure, but I'm still launching clips left & right to see what works:

Code: Select all

https://youtu.be/AZK2KWBs9Cg

IMO Bitwig (and Logic) is "better" than Ableton for this, because both views can work in the same direction, so you don't have to rotate the clips & scenes all the time by 90 degrees in your head.

[dellboy]

Of course you can stretch, duplicate, delete or turn off those clips in the timeline too. Those functions are the same as in any linear DAW.

Yes, as I said, this is an advantage over Live, the ability to drag clips straight onto the timeline. I suppose its the opposite that I see little reason for, dragging a clip from the timeline into the session view.

Personally, I never use anyone elses pre-recorded clips, I always record my own, so perhaps that is why I am having difficulty in seeing the advanatages of this feature. If the OP just wants to drag pre-recorded clips into the session view and loop and launch them it takes on a new perspective. Not so much if a DAW is used for its intended original purpose of recording your own stuff.

[antic604]

Yes, as I said, this is an advantage over Live, the ability to drag clips straight onto the timeline. I suppose its the opposite that I see little reason for, dragging a clip from the timeline into the session view.

In Live you can also drag clips or scenes between both views - just grab them, don't let go, hit Tab, put them in new place (and be careful to not hurt your neck due to 90deg rotation )

It's just not as convenient as in Bitwig (or Logic, presumably).

Personally, I never use anyone elses pre-recorded clips, I always record my own...

I think it's 3rd or 4th reply where you insist on "clip launching" = "using someone else's loops" which is completely untrue and really unrelated. I record or draw in everything into clips myself, except for an odd drum loop that I'll chop, slice, stretch & reverse abefore using anyway.

I thought the community is already past frowning upon using loops, samples, presets, generative devices, etc.? Although I'm still willing to die fighting the MIDI Chord Pack or whatever that dreaded YT ad is trying to sell to me