Which DAW Has The Most Uncluttered Interface ?

[jancivil]

The most uncluttered DAW is the one you know how to use ...

thank you

[THE INTRANCER]

The most uncluttered DAW is the one you know how to use ...

[img[/img]

Uncluttered doesn't mean next to gimped of general usability.

totally agree, there is not a single function unavailable to me from that view. I can multi-track drums with a simple key combo. Multi-track guitars with another. dump stems with another etc.. etc.. Cubase is not cluttered if you know how to use it. Most DAWs are uncluttered if you know how to use them.

Well you can try and hide it just like one tries to do with Reaper and it's GUI, but the facts remain that Cubase is all over the shop in a real practical sense in accessing things without going down the rabbit hole of menu's and a few shortcut keys. I mean if you want to do basic tracking fine, you can do that in any similar DAW without opening anything else, but if you want to use a DAW to do what you want in a full way of producing music / midi editing / audio editing using the transport bar because that's what you require then you do have to face what is a really ugly, and cluttered GUI. I mean you have a blue silver GUI element that looks like it came out of Magix Music Maker 20 years ago in the Inspector. Black on dark grey elements, white buttons with black icons.. and a hodge podge of other GUI elements that look out of place in not sharing conventions. White highlighted windows with rounded corners...being another with extra visual clutter. Design wise, it's a cluttered mess both in design and how colours are used.

So whilst you can de-clutter a GUI, throwing a blanket over everything doesn't solve the inherent problems in Cubase's case.

[Fornicras]

Or just do all of those at once!

I would wait for the next FLS 21 beta

If you have a large screen and can get the toolbar to be just one row, FL Studio looks super nice and uncluttered.

I'm already bouncing around trying so many DAWs at this point that i might as well add another one i've already used. I'm way past the point where one should consider what you even need in the first place. Never tried Studio One, maybe i should check that out...

If you don't do audio recording and don't have audio files in your sessions, i.e. you mostly work with MIDI, then FL is a good option. But if you do the things mentioned above, it's a nightmare. Was using FL since 2016 to produce and also record/mix/master my songs but now switched to Studio One because it has almost everything FL has in terms of beat production and does everything else better.

[BONES]

I just looked at Cubase and thought Christ.... so that's what's prompted this topic...

Orion, for sure. Pretty much all the functionality is menu-driven, so there is very little in the actual GUI. No Inspectors (I still have no idea what they are supposed to be for in Cubase or in S1), no pointless lists, no browser. Of course, that's because it only has a fraction of the features you'd find in Cubase or Logic or Live or Studio One, so there is no reason for it to be cluttered.

totally agree, there is not a single function unavailable to me from that view.

Of course there is. How would you, for example, re-order the insert effects on either of those channels from that view? Or even call one up to adjust it's settings? How would you reduce the level in your master channel so that it was peaking at -0.1dB?

I can multi-track drums with a simple key combo. Multi-track guitars with another. dump stems with another etc.. etc..

But you need to have your computer keyboard where you can reach it for that so you are just swapping a cluttered virtual workspace for a cluttered physical workspace. Mind you, now that I've replaced my Surface Pro, I have to have a keyboard, too, but it was awesome when I didn't.

[dellboy]

Well you can try and hide it just like one tries to do with Reaper and it's GUI

I own Cubase and I am not hiding that its cluttered. Others here have also agreed that its cluttered. It is cluttered, so what's your point ? It does not make it into your uncluttered list. People make choices. You could point out that its far too expensive, which I guess it is, but people still keep voting with their pockets so that avenue is exhausted. So what do you want to happen ? Next you will be telling us that you think grass should be a different colour.

Nothing much wrong with Reaper either. It is what it is. Its cluttered. You either love it or hate it.

[dazh]

Hi, my vote goes to Studio One.

I suffered many years of the endless panels on top of panels on top of panels which make up Cubase. It's a total mess.

Studio One has slide out tabs attached to the F keys. I've never looked back.

[xbitz]

Or just do all of those at once!

I would wait for the next FLS 21 beta

If you have a large screen and can get the toolbar to be just one row, FL Studio looks super nice and uncluttered.

I'm already bouncing around trying so many DAWs at this point that i might as well add another one i've already used. I'm way past the point where one should consider what you even need in the first place. Never tried Studio One, maybe i should check that out...

If you don't do audio recording and don't have audio files in your sessions, i.e. you mostly work with MIDI, then FL is a good option. But if you do the things mentioned above, it's a nightmare. Was using FL since 2016 to produce and also record/mix/master my songs but now switched to Studio One because it has almost everything FL has in terms of beat production and does everything else better.

disagree with the last part(+1 to the better audio handling it will be the main focus of FL21) none of the automation:modulation related workflow elements can be reproduced with the S1 itself

S1 is a tier 2 DAW in EDM world

16:44

but it would be a totally different topic

ps. this is the problem with S1 (automation is similar(no clips in S1) to FLS but the absence of the modulation is sad)

https://www.admiralbumblebee.com/DAW-Chart.html

[Fornicras]

Or just do all of those at once!

I would wait for the next FLS 21 beta

If you have a large screen and can get the toolbar to be just one row, FL Studio looks super nice and uncluttered.

I'm already bouncing around trying so many DAWs at this point that i might as well add another one i've already used. I'm way past the point where one should consider what you even need in the first place. Never tried Studio One, maybe i should check that out...

If you don't do audio recording and don't have audio files in your sessions, i.e. you mostly work with MIDI, then FL is a good option. But if you do the things mentioned above, it's a nightmare. Was using FL since 2016 to produce and also record/mix/master my songs but now switched to Studio One because it has almost everything FL has in terms of beat production and does everything else better.

disagree with the last part(+1 to the better audio handling it will be the main focus of FL21) none of the automation:modulation related workflow elements can be reproduced with the S1 itself

S1 is a tier 2 DAW in EDM world

16:44

but it would be a totally different topic

ps. this is the problem with S1 (automation is similar to FLS but the absence of the modulation is sad)

Yes, I know. I think I should've stated that I only use basic automation. For EDM or something similar FL and Ableton must be better. I don't do complex modulation at all, in fact, I haven't created more than 2 automation clips in a single FL project for the last 5 years.

Let me re-phrase, Studio One has almost everything FL has in terms of beat production that I use and does everything else better for my needs.

Edit: Also thanks for sharing that chart. I used it and turns out I made the right choice of getting Studio One because Studio One and Reaper got the highest score depending on my needs.

[darkinners]

I think Studio One and Logic and Ableton UI are very well organized.

[SJ_Digriz]

Well you can try and hide it just like one tries to do with Reaper and it's GUI, but the facts remain that Cubase is all over the shop in a real practical sense in accessing things without going down the rabbit hole of menu's and a few shortcut keys.

I disagree 100%. Pretty much everything from the most simple to the most complex is available by simple key commands. The visual interface is clean. It is simple to do basic color tweaks. And the interface only needs to expose whatever level of complexity you want to expose. Cubase is pretty much the least cluttered interface of any DAW I've used. But, as I said before, I know how to use it. FL Studio and Reaper are god awful cluttered interfaces. But, I don't like using them so it is likely that they are fine, I just don't know how to use them.

[xbitz]

^^^ groups are the key in FL, should create channel filter group, picker groups, playlist track and a pattern (later the diff. patterns gonna get: group_name_001,_002 etc. names) with the same name, for ex. if there is 'Plucks' name then there will be (should create):

- 'Plucks' channel filter: with all the plucks associated instrument, internal controllers etc. inside
- 'Plucks' picker groups: with all the plucks related pattern, samples, automation (there will be on different picker tabs)
- "Plucks' playlist track with all the related tracks (instrument, automation etc.)
- "Plucks' _001,_002 patterns

clicking on a pattern inside the playlist editor gonna select the related group everywhere, realted mixer inserts can be reached with one clicking from the channel filter, [6] on the video beside Avenger goes to mixer insert 6

for ex. with two groups, a 'Drums' and a 'Plucks'

that's all FL 101 in 4 minutes so FL can auto organize itself nicely

[jancivil]

Hi, my vote goes to Studio One.

I suffered many years of the endless panels on top of panels on top of panels which make up Cubase. It's a total mess.

many years and you couldn't figure out you may call any window via a key command, and a chain of events by a macro?
PEBKAC

[HREQ]

I think workflow matters more then if the daw looks messy or not.

[Michael L]

many years and you couldn't figure out...

An under-appreciated phenom.

Peeps often want to blame the software "clutter" or blame themselves cuz "if it works for him then it should work for me" but too rarely do I hear folks say, "I don't think the way that developer does" and find software that fits your unique mindbodyculture.

[chk071]

S1 is a tier 2 DAW in EDM world

16:44

I demand those 5 seconds of my life back.