For you, what’s more important—the journey or the destination? And for your DAW?

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I don't recall ever seeing such a categorization of DAWs; I'm throwing this out there as a thought-starter, in case it helps someone, result of a 15-minute ChatGPT kitchen philosophizing session :borg:
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The story behind this is that I spent a few hours messing around with Ableton Live again, but I kept feeling that it's very much a 'get it done' type of DAW. While that's efficient, it can also take away from exploration, the playfulness of sound design, and the joy of creation. Since we know other DAWs, we can also judge ChatGPT's response from this perspective, actually, it doesn't even matter if what it wrote is true or false; I just shared it as a thought-starter.

For me, this is what made me realize the core difference between Ableton Live and Bitwig. - Captain Obvious :D

ps.
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Maybe I’d put Reaper in the 'balanced' category, of course, you can tinker with it in the beginning, but the goal of tinkering isn’t just tinkering itself—it’s achieving a fast workflow. Once the setup is dialed in, I’d say it leans more towards 'balanced', but the rest seems legit to me. (Of course, with plugins like Reaktor, you can push any DAW out of its original classification, but overall, the categorizations are pretty accurate.)
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"Where we're workarounding, we don't NEED features." - powermat

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The chart seems a limited summation based on zero experience... What one needs is to give each a very good 'rodgering' to see what fails, what bugs there are, etc... Tell 'AI' to give them all a good 'rodgering'...

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Regarding the subject line: Like most things in life, the most important thing looking forward is the destination, but the most important thing looking back is the journey.

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DaveClark wrote: Thu Feb 27, 2025 5:29 pm Regarding the subject line: Like most things in life, the most important thing looking forward is the destination, but the most important thing looking back is the journey.
Generalization, I picked Logic recently, for example, because the view (UI) is also important on the journey. :) I can intellectually understand why AL and Studio One look the way they do, but I gag at endless functionality—though S1 has taken a step forward recently.

The tinkering DAWs are the other extreme—I don't like getting lost along the way either, so I usually hesitate between the more balanced ones.

anyway this kind of categorization was a mini revelation for me—I just shared it for that reason, and whether it's good for me is irrelevant.

Let's add that Logic only became an option because they finally managed to solve MIDI routing between tracks; this way, its functionality with Reaktor(In fact, even Reaktor alone wouldn't have been enough – Reaktor with Toybox were needed.) is more or less acceptable. So even if something is balanced, it still matters that the expensive piece of gear works to some extent. I'm not naive idealist who go full idiot mode. :D
"Where we're workarounding, we don't NEED features." - powermat

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Interesting topic. Especially the personal observation regarding Ableton vs. Bitwig. I describe my experience in terms of inspiration. Coming from my inspiring environment of Max/MSP, when M4L arrived I tried Live and it did not add anything for me compared to having a standard DAW like ProTools as companion. When Bitwig arrived, it was inspiring even before we got the Grid…

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Tj Shredder wrote: Mon Mar 03, 2025 8:02 am Interesting topic. Especially the personal observation regarding Ableton vs. Bitwig. I describe my experience in terms of inspiration. Coming from my inspiring environment of Max/MSP, when M4L arrived I tried Live and it did not add anything for me compared to having a standard DAW like ProTools as companion. When Bitwig arrived, it was inspiring even before we got the Grid…
It depends on how much someone is attached to the Grid. If not that much, then Reaktor + Toybox is still a valid alternative, and it works in any DAW. I’d definitely choose a balanced DAW that allows for actual progress(I always lost in Bitwig...). Right now, Logic seems like the best option—it has more flexible MIDI routing than Cubase(midifx slots), plus it includes the same kind of clip launcher as Bitwig, though a more basic version. And for me, Toybox is more than enough.

Reaktor Toybox fully supports polyphonic effects and synthesizers, but can't just swap modules at a given position like in the Grid, meaning can make progress with it. :)

However, I'm curious to see what new features Bitwig will introduce in the piano roll.
"Where we're workarounding, we don't NEED features." - powermat

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what's the meaning of 'path-oriented' or 'goal-oriented' here? Existing contexts for each (plus path-goal theory) dont seem to contextualise.

Also wondering what's specifically cumbersome about clicking the 'open plugin window' button in Live.
An idiot on Set Theory:
"In some cases there is an object called red that contains everything that is red. In much the same way a pot is a plate."

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whyterabbyt wrote: Mon Mar 03, 2025 4:18 pm what's the meaning of 'path-oriented' or 'goal-oriented' here? Existing contexts for each (plus path-goal theory) dont seem to contextualise.

Also wondering what's specifically cumbersome about clicking the 'open plugin window' button in Live.
after 1min thinking, let this be the first approach,

Goal-based DAWs provide streamlined, best-practice, and standardized tools and workflows to help you achieve a specific goal as quickly as possible. These DAWs are optimized to minimize decisions and obstacles, allowing you to reach the desired result with maximum efficiency.

Path-based DAWs excel in enabling the creation of unique workflows that are not necessarily result-oriented but rather focused on exploration and the excitement of discovering previously untested methods. These DAWs offer greater freedom for deep experimentation and custom workflow development. (In this sense, we could say that a DAW is path-oriented if it allows you to pave new ways, but this is obviously a simplification)

Balanced DAWs fall somewhere in between, striking a balance between achieving quick results and maintaining creative freedom,

Obviously, no DAW can be strictly boxed into these definitions; let these be tendencies rather than categories

ps. But I just finished a run, so my philosophical skills are pretty limited right now. :)
"Where we're workarounding, we don't NEED features." - powermat

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I do not think of "maximum sound design" when I think of Reaper. I think of mixing engineers.

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This is like a dating app: Find the DAW that is your perfect match!! :hug:

Question 1: Are you a "goal-oriented" person or a "process-oriented" person?
Find yourself in Column "B" and your perfect DAW in Column "A"

But a 'Goal' couple may not have much fun, while a 'Process' couple may not get much done.
OTOH, it's sometimes better to have a partner that is the opposite to you, or one with a really nice user interface that is a pleasure to tweak :party:
F E E D
Y O U R
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Michael L wrote: Mon Mar 03, 2025 11:10 pm This is like a dating app: Find the DAW that is your perfect match!! :hug:

Question 1: Are you a "goal-oriented" person or a "process-oriented" person?
Find yourself in Column "B" and your perfect DAW in Column "A"

But a 'Goal' couple may not have much fun, while a 'Process' couple may not get much done.
OTOH, it's sometimes better to have a partner that is the opposite to you, or one with a really nice user interface that is a pleasure to tweak :party:
"...really nice user interface that is a pleasure to tweak..." That's why I loved Reason—it was like that, but it just couldn't reinvent itself.

I'm afraid of Logic too because if they stuff it full of AI, in the end, I’ll have no connection to the project I export from it—though at least I'll be able to have a conversation with it :D Cubase is weighed down by its legacy—it's cumbersome... And I could say something smart like this about every DAW. :hihi:
"Where we're workarounding, we don't NEED features." - powermat

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off, What Your Linux Distro Says About You

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

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if the idea is there is a, or there are DAW(s) that encourage idly f**king about rather than any result I guess I have not had occasion to care about that. I'm a composer, I get in there with ideas that I hope find fruition in a process. I won't have 100% success that every idea set out works but the idea is not to aimlessly fart around.

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So ChatGPT prefers Studio One, hates Ableton, and thinks Reaper is for geeks?
AI really has come a long way!
THIS MUSIC HAS BEEN MIXED TO BE PLAYED LOUD SO TURN IT UP

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jancivil wrote: Wed Mar 05, 2025 8:28 pm the idea is not to aimlessly fart around.
That's what guitar whilst waiting for pizza to cook is for. :hihi:

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