Should I sell or keep 2nd DAW?

[cryophonik]

Keep it, sell it, whatever. Contrary to what some people will have you believe, it’s very possible to be fluent in more than one DAW. BUT…. whether or not you have a use for more than one is totally up to you and no one else. You didn’t say which DAW or version it is. If it’s an old version, you might have a hard time selling it. And, some DAW licenses aren’t even transferable. Some DAWs are difficult to sell (e.g., the last time I tried to sell my PT license, nobody was interested in paying more than $50 for it, so I just kept it). Also, you may find that the grass isn’t as green for the new DAW and decide you want your old DAW back. Lots of factors to consider.

[BONES]

Of course it's possible, if you don't want to do anything with them. If all you ever want is to be fluent in multiple DAWs. OTOH, if you actually want to use a DAW for it's intended purpose, spending time becoming fluent in multiple DAWs is an absolute, complete and utter waste of time, time you could be spending actually making music.

[cryophonik]

He has one DAW, so he doesn’t have to learn it. He’s buying a new DAW, so he does have to learn it. Whether he keeps or sells the old DAW is irrelevant, he’s still learning exactly one new DAW. This isn’t difficult and neither is learning a new DAW, since most of what you already know about one DAW transfers pretty easily to other DAWs.

[liquidsound]

As you move from your DAW to another you are beginning the inevitable endless journey.
Study the map and don’t ask for directions!!!

[fairlyclose]

Also isn't Live also pattern / clip based? You might find that annoying as well given you didnt like Fl

Ableton Live and Bitwig have two parallel workflows, one is with the Session View (Clip Luncher) and one with Arrangement View (linear).

I also have FL Studio, but I bought it (or win it) in the charity as no one outbid me Anyway, FL Studio is fantastic for beat making but for me I begin to struggle with the patterns. FL Studio shortcuts and general workflow is not for me as I didn't start with it 22 years ago, but I started with Logic/Cubase.

I understand that for someone that started with FL Studio (or Fruity Loops) is a great DAW and can't be satisfied with another DAW easily, but Ableton Live/Bitwig they sit in the middle as I see users from FL Studio from one side and from Cubase/Logic from another, migrating to Live/Bitwig easier than the vice versa.

Personally, I use mostly three DAWs (Live, Bitwig and Cubase). Fl Studio and S1 are uninstalled, so personally I don't see a problem having more than one DAW. The problem is to concentrate on one song till finishing it. Working on each DAW might make me use different tools and workflow and sometimes that affects the way the music making is going.

Compared to a DAW such as Reaper, or even S1, Bitwig is terrible as a linear audio DAW. Bitwig has many fantastic aspects but linear audio editing is not one of them. I would have kept my copy if it weren't so expensive to keep current, loved a lot about it

[Lazarus451]

I sold S1 and never use FL Studio. Live is my main (and only) DAW. Someday I might use another DAW for mastering because it's not Live's strongest area. So sell, everything you can.

[EnGee]

Compared to a DAW such as Reaper, or even S1, Bitwig is terrible as a linear audio DAW.

Really?!
Hmmm! It is not on par with Cubase or S1, but it gets the job done! I mean editing midi and audio is ok with me. Automation is ok and the clip launcher is a great sketch pad and test platform! I don't sing, so I don't know how good it is with recording/editing vocals.

Of course, Bitwig is famous for its Poly Grid and modular environment which is very inspiring, but it still a great DAW for making music IMO. The thing is to not compare with others, just do it the way it is supposed to be done there and you get used to the workflow after a while. I do agree with you about the expensive update though. I don't like it this way. I prefer a major version upgrade price whenever it is ready like with other companies.

[WatchTheGuitar]

I’ve got Reaper, Bitwig, Ableton Live, Studio One, Reason and Renoise.
I’m a tart.

[fairlyclose]

Compared to a DAW such as Reaper, or even S1, Bitwig is terrible as a linear audio DAW.

Really?!
Hmmm! It is not on par with Cubase or S1, but it gets the job done! I mean editing midi and audio is ok with me. Automation is ok and the clip launcher is a great sketch pad and test platform! I don't sing, so I don't know how good it is with recording/editing vocals.

Of course, Bitwig is famous for its Poly Grid and modular environment which is very inspiring, but it still a great DAW for making music IMO. The thing is to not compare with others, just do it the way it is supposed to be done there and you get used to the workflow after a while. I do agree with you about the expensive update though. I don't like it this way. I prefer a major version upgrade price whenever it is ready like with other companies.

yeah it lacks in that traditional linear audio editing but is fantastic in other areas as you point out. I liked Bitwig a lot as a generative music system but in the end I decided the expense was too great.

[jamcat]

You shouldn’t be fluent in any DAW. The less you know how to use your DAW, the better your music will be.

Focus on the music, not the tools.

[WatchTheGuitar]

That equates directly to “the less you know how to use a recording studio, the better your music will be” so seems a pretty batshit statement to me.

Don’t you worry your head about all this Brian, just write another great surfing song, dude.

[chk071]

You shouldn’t be fluent in any DAW. The less you know how to use your DAW, the better your music will be.

Focus on the music, not the tools.

Well. You gotta be at least halfway fluent in your DAW, otherwise you can't make music at all.

[rlared]

Of course it's possible, if you don't want to do anything with them. If all you ever want is to be fluent in multiple DAWs. OTOH, if you actually want to use a DAW for it's intended purpose, spending time becoming fluent in multiple DAWs is an absolute, complete and utter waste of time, time you could be spending actually making music.

Can confirm. I bounce between Cubase, Reaper, and FL Studio and all I do is feature compare, set up templates, and occasionally write a few patterns. I have completed zero full songs in like 5 years! Every time I settle on one and uninstall the others, a few days or weeks later I second guess myself and reinstall them. The dirty secret is that I love it though, I have no idea why. Maybe something to focus my anxiety on. Combined with doing the same for VST plugins I have endless toys to tinker with! I really do intend to write some music now though... I have only Cubase installed and Absolute 5 and Rapid.

[Constructed Identity]

You shouldn’t be fluent in any DAW. The less you know how to use your DAW, the better your music will be.

Focus on the music, not the tools.

Yep, get brain damage, lose all your memory and you will make the best music you can ever remember hearing! Genius!

[Trancit]

...I bounce between Cubase, Reaper, and FL Studio and all I do is feature compare, set up templates, and occasionally write a few patterns. I have completed zero full songs in like 5 years! Every time I settle on one and uninstall the others, a few days or weeks later I second guess myself and reinstall them. The dirty secret is that I love it though, I have no idea why. ...

Sadly that sounds very familiar to me...