If you had to stick to one DAW - and ONLY its native 1st party devices + sounds - which one would it be?

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If you had to stick to one DAW and only its native devices + sounds, which one would it be?

Ableton Live
44
23%
ACID Pro
0
No votes
Bitwig Studio
26
14%
Cakewalk
1
1%
Cubase
25
13%
Digital Performer
0
No votes
FL Studio
11
6%
Logic Pro
35
18%
Mixbus
0
No votes
Mixcraft
0
No votes
MuLab
2
1%
Pro Tools
1
1%
Reaper
6
3%
Reason
13
7%
Samplitude
0
No votes
Studio One
13
7%
Tracktion
0
No votes
Other...
14
7%
 
Total votes: 191

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PeterP_swe wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 11:16 am I would end up in the awkward situation of having to pick the DAW with the best built in guitar amp.
If you can only use the sounds that come with the DAW, you can't use a guitar either, though :)

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I'm curious to hear what all the "Others" are, I think antic must of underestimated how many people use DubTurbo.
The post above this is likely bait, viewer discretion is advised.

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I also did not give FL enough love. FL is a really good "in the Box Daw" too. They do lack a-lot of good sampled stuff for my tastes, even as flex expands and starts to better that category, but they give you Harmor and Sytrus, you aren't going to find many better stock synths then those 2 absolute MONSTERS. And theres a really good Physical Modeling synth in there, and Morphine, and Vocodex, and just a-lot of awesome stuff.

I Wish they would open Flex up like they seemed to be considering when it first came out. Apparently that thing does it all. I would pay Harmor/Serum kinda money to be able to open it up.
The post above this is likely bait, viewer discretion is advised.

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If I don't like the results of a poll I simply make a new one...

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rasmusklump wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 4:48 am If I don't like the results of a poll I simply make a new one...
I think this one is different, but less realistic than the first because even if you are on Linux, there is still 3rd party instruments (free and commercial).

He already decided as far as I know on Linux/Bitwig. This, however, doesn't mean he won't be using Windows. So, my guess (seeing his defence for Reason Studio on other thread), he would choose Bitwig and Reason on Windows (maybe S1 as well).

Anyway, for me, I gave up on Linux as one update (Ubuntu) made it messing with Bitwig that I couldn't open or reinstall Bitwig!

If I want to use another OS, I would buy a mini Mac (with M1 is enough) and use it as my Music Workstation as my experience with my previous M1 mac was fantastic. I also already have a license for Logic :)

For now, I still have powerful PC (relatively) and I'm very happy with the performance I get from Windows with mainly S1 and Live. I just need to finish the scattered pieces here and there :smack:
Using: Cubase Pro 15, Reason 13, Tascam US-4x4HR, MODX6, DM12D, LaunchKey 49, Yamaha guitar(Pacifica 612v) and bass (BB234) and some virtual instruments and synths.

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rasmusklump wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 4:48 am If I don't like the results of a poll I simply make a new one...
Yeah, let's now make a poll about choosing a DAW while completely ignoring its first-party content.

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"Where we're workarounding, we don't NEED features." - powermat

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Tj Shredder wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 5:24 pm
SamDi wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 7:14 am Yeah Bitwig‘s Synths and VST can by far not compete with Ableton.
Though I am a Max power user and for sure I could create anything as M4L devices, I still prefer in a DAW context the Grid. I am way faster cobbling together the weirdest MPE ready experimental synth…
The other stock synths and fx of Bitwig is all I would need…
The Grid is inspiring, though limited compared to Max.
They can compete easily… And for me Bitwig as a complete package would keep me creating far better than Live ever could…
I mean compete not in terms of crazyness, but rather quality and completeness.

Ableton is pretty complete, beside Vocoder, Looper and Beat Repeat it has almost all Fx you can imagine. And you are right - with M4L you have no limits at all. Furthermore the Fx on Ableton have many features. Fx in Bitwig are more basic, although have some advantage with the modular approach (e.g. Ableton Echo vs. Bitwig Delay).

But as I can estimate, I rate the Fx quality in Ableton much higher. They have filters and EQ from Cytomic, Instruments from AAS, Libraries from Spitfire Audio. Bitwig is pretty average quality in comparison to that.

With Ableton you could literally release a track without any 3rd party plugins, just in terms of effects quality. (The same with Logic, FL Studio, Cubase). I am not sure, if you could reach the same result with Bitwig.

Of course you could argue, that a pro who is know what he is doing, will always be better with Bitwig Fx than an average hobbyist or semi-pro with Ableton Fx. But that is true for all :D

I often use EQ8 over Pro-Q, standard compressor or The Glue over all the other compressor I own, just because they are so well integrated and quality is just on par with other 3rd party plugins.

For Bitwig I don't feel the same. Maybe they get it in some years, but DSP is ATM really worse than in Ableton. On https://www.admiralbumblebee.com/music/ ... eview.html it is rated similar, although I had this impression, before I found this review.

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I'd pick Logic, but I'm on Windows OS nowadays. So went with Cubase. Logic compressors are a lot better, however Cubase is better for recording on the fly (you can change tracks and punch in freely), and routing MIDI from one track to another which I do a lot.

But the Cubase compressors don't seem to work well for me, wish they did as the concept of their controls being in the mixer channels is most welcome.

Studio One has some great native plugins, but their sound library is really naff - If it was Presonus Sphere where you get the extra instruments, fat channels, mix consoles, channel strips, sound libraries etc. then that would come into consideration more.

However, then you'd have to include Absolute as part of Cubase to make it fairer.

How about a "fully loaded" DAW comparison next, with all native expansions. Ok, I joke. :)

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rasmusklump wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 4:48 am If I don't like the results of a poll I simply make a new one...
If you knew anything about me, you'd know I wasn't expecting Bitwig to came out on top in the 1st poll and especially not in the 2nd, so your assertion just doesn't make any sense. But I guess it sounds edgy :dog:

I'm just genuinely curious which DAW does it for the people here and even more why, therefore your comment is completely counteproductive - you've not indicated how you voted and what was the reason behind it.

Thanks for nothing, I guess :clap:
Music tech enthusiast
DAW, VST & hardware hoarder
My "music": https://soundcloud.com/antic604

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EnGee wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 6:12 amHe already decided as far as I know on Linux/Bitwig. This, however, doesn't mean he won't be using Windows. So, my guess (seeing his defence for Reason Studio on other thread), he would choose Bitwig and Reason on Windows (maybe S1 as well).
That's a bingo!

I wish I could go Linux completely, but I don't think I'm ready for - or would like to go through the hassle of - selling 75% of the DAWs and 90% of plugins :D
Music tech enthusiast
DAW, VST & hardware hoarder
My "music": https://soundcloud.com/antic604

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antic604 wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 2:15 pm
I wish I could go Linux completely, but I don't think I'm ready for - or would like to go through the hassle of - selling 75% of the DAWs and 90% of plugins :D
I am quite proud that I somehow managed to install Mint Linux on a boot-able SSD drive that just needs to be plugged into USB to get working. I upgraded it with the best bits of Ubuntu Studio and have windows VST3s working. The trouble with Linux is that it is very easy to tweak something to make it stop working. Or even the latest updates sometimes break the build. Windows is very robust and protects itself from tinkerers. The combo of Bitwig and Reaper is all you really need in Linux. Has anyone got Reason Rack working in it yet?

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Spencer Maddox wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 4:07 am I'm curious to hear what all the "Others" are, I think antic must of underestimated how many people use DubTurbo.
i voted other.
but im keeping it a secret :P
:ud:

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SamDi wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 9:57 am
Tj Shredder wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 5:24 pm
SamDi wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 7:14 am Yeah Bitwig‘s Synths and VST can by far not compete with Ableton.
Though I am a Max power user and for sure I could create anything as M4L devices, I still prefer in a DAW context the Grid. I am way faster cobbling together the weirdest MPE ready experimental synth…
The other stock synths and fx of Bitwig is all I would need…
The Grid is inspiring, though limited compared to Max.
They can compete easily… And for me Bitwig as a complete package would keep me creating far better than Live ever could…
I mean compete not in terms of crazyness, but rather quality and completeness.

Ableton is pretty complete, beside Vocoder, Looper and Beat Repeat it has almost all Fx you can imagine. And you are right - with M4L you have no limits at all. Furthermore the Fx on Ableton have many features. Fx in Bitwig are more basic, although have some advantage with the modular approach (e.g. Ableton Echo vs. Bitwig Delay).

But as I can estimate, I rate the Fx quality in Ableton much higher. They have filters and EQ from Cytomic, Instruments from AAS, Libraries from Spitfire Audio. Bitwig is pretty average quality in comparison to that.

With Ableton you could literally release a track without any 3rd party plugins, just in terms of effects quality. (The same with Logic, FL Studio, Cubase). I am not sure, if you could reach the same result with Bitwig.

Of course you could argue, that a pro who is know what he is doing, will always be better with Bitwig Fx than an average hobbyist or semi-pro with Ableton Fx. But that is true for all :D

I often use EQ8 over Pro-Q, standard compressor or The Glue over all the other compressor I own, just because they are so well integrated and quality is just on par with other 3rd party plugins.

For Bitwig I don't feel the same. Maybe they get it in some years, but DSP is ATM really worse than in Ableton. On https://www.admiralbumblebee.com/music/ ... eview.html it is rated similar, although I had this impression, before I found this review.
Yeah this is where I was going when I said Ableton's instruments in general sound better. They just do out of the box, no faffing about with chains or layering etc. Just drop in Operator and even without effects it sounds great and the presets are great. Bitwig has a lot of instruments and a lot of modulation possibilities but the instruments to my ears just sound flat and lifeless and require too much chaining etc to make them sound halfway decent. At that point I'm just going to use a VST and save myself the trouble.

The Grid instruments sound better but if I'm not mistaken the The Grid does things the regular instruments don't do like oversample at a much higher level. So for example some wavetable stuff that you can do in the sampler in The Grid, don't sound the same in the regular Sampler instrument. Polymer for example sounds better than any of their other instruments included but is inflexible by default.

In general I find working with Bitwig's instruments to be a better experience as some of Ableton's UI decisions I find questionable, but in terms of sound its no contest.
Studio One // Bitwig // Logic Pro // Ableton // Reason // FLStudio // MPC // Force // Maschine

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crickey13 wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 7:35 am
rasmusklump wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 4:48 am If I don't like the results of a poll I simply make a new one...
Yeah, let's now make a poll about choosing a DAW while completely ignoring its first-party content.
I was pretty ignorant when I bought Cubase back in '03. But I had the sense that this was one thing, and the instruments you'd call was another. I have never used any "native 1st-party" instrument.

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