If you had to stick to one DAW, which one would it be?

[BONES]

Yes, you can see what effects are assigned but in Studio Pro you get a "mini-view" that allows you to change parameters in the mixer, without opening the plugin's interface. It's a pretty unique feature that I don't think any other DAW has, and it makes SPro feel a lot more like home to me.

I'm not at all interested in tinkering, I have work to do and I just want to get it done. Being lightweight is also not something I have worried about for many years. My current PC, which is just an 8.8" handheld gaming device, never gets above 50% CPU use, even on our biggest projects, and it has more than enough RAM to allow me to preload a full live set of 17 songs without affecting performance at all. How many projects can you have loaded into MuLab at once?

[Michael L]

Yes, you can see what effects are assigned but in Studio Pro you get a "mini-view" that allows you to change parameters in the mixer, without opening the plugin's interface.....How many projects can you have loaded into MuLab at once?

You can have effect parameters visible in each MuLab rack. The screenshot does not show that feature.
Your setup is cool and clearly works for you, so goodonya.

I don't think any DAWs can be compared apples=apples, as each is a different way of thinking and working. Like you said, the right one feels like home.

For example, in MuLab I can have multiple sub-project modules (each with their own tracks, mixers, plugins, loop launchers, audio sequencers etc) open at the same time within one main project.

[BKSchatzki]

But there’s also Fender Studio. Fender Studio Pro is the pro version of Fender Studio. It would be way too generic to literally just call it “Studio.”

This is pretty much it. The "One" nomenclature is often used to denote an entry-level product. I can see how a marketer would look at the name "Studio One" and get nervous that someone might make the mistake that it's below "Studio" on the product ladder. They're trying to create a new market and can't assume John Guitar knows what we do here. So, Studio Pro it is.

Yes, you can see what effects are assigned but in Studio Pro you get a "mini-view" that allows you to change parameters in the mixer, without opening the plugin's interface. It's a pretty unique feature that I don't think any other DAW has, and it makes SPro feel a lot more like home to me.

I never got on board with this feature. I think I'd much like the Ableton-inspired view from FSP8 more. After all the whinging I've done about Studio One in the past I'm coming back around to the fact that I'm just better at doing my job when I'm using it. Presonus might have captured its own edition of a Pro-Tools-loyal customer base. I haven't been excited by anything in Studio One since version 5 or 6, but this program just makes sense to me and I fly through it.

[jens]

I went back 10 pages and couldn't find a screenshot of anything.

It's one page back - Michael had posted it and then had already explicitly referred to it in a post which you replied to (quoting him).

[jens]

Yes, you can see what effects are assigned but in Studio Pro you get a "mini-view" that allows you to change parameters in the mixer, without opening the plugin's interface. It's a pretty unique feature that I don't think any other DAW has, and it makes SPro feel a lot more like home to me.

That's quite the goal-post move!
You had asked "where are the fx", not "where are the fx miniature-views".

[syntonica]

I just like Mulab because it's simple and everything I need is right there. Tracks, automation tracks (never seen better), mixer and browser. No AI, very high-quality time stretch, some basic built-in effects. You never have to go spelunking under the hood unless you want to. The only thing I'm missing is autotune, but that'll just make me sing on key...

[liquidsound]

The “Jo and BONES” thing?

[BONES]

For example, in MuLab I can have multiple sub-project modules (each with their own tracks, mixers, plugins, loop launchers, audio sequencers etc) open at the same time within one main project.

I tried doing that in Orion with EnergyXT, a long time ago and it was all a bit messy, in that I had to re-create everything in EnergyXT and every time we made a change, we had to make sure it was propagated through to the EnergyXT version and that everything was compatible. CPUs of the day weren't really up to it, either. I think it would be a lot easier today, especially if the projects were all part of one application. If you did that in MuLab, would the projects within the main project update if you updated their source outside of the meta-project, or would you have to go in and make the changes in there as well?

[BONES]

That's quite the goal-post move!
You had asked "where are the fx", not "where are the fx miniature-views".

I've mentioned the mini-view several times previously, sorry if you weren't keeping up. I found the screenshot and f**k, it's ugly! The mixer thing is really f**king horrible, barely recongisable for what it is. Compare it to this (which is far and away the most complex mix I've ever finished) -

Screenshot 2026-02-12 110750.png

What I like about this is that I can see everything - all my mixer channels, my whole arrangement and there's even room left over to open an instrument GUI without it covering anything else up. And I can work with it just like this on my 27" monitor. I can see everything, how it all interacts and what everything is doing. That overview is something I have found indispensable to getting a good mix and it's where a lot of DAWs fall down.

If you look at the Master strip on the RHS, you 'll see the little yellow line next to the meters (top-right of them) that shows you how much compression is being applied by the limiter without having to open its GUI. I haven't used EQ on anything here but you can even adjust the EQ curves in the mini-view, without opening the GUI. It's f**king brilliant, everything is there and you can see what its all doing without having to open anything up. Anything you do want to open is just one click away (or a double-click on a clip in the timeline). If PreSonus implemented the feature in Cubase where you can edit MIDI directly in the timeline, Studio Pro would be close to perfect.

[Heiner44]

If I ever had to stick to only one DAW it would probably be Cubase as I have the most experience with it and I can use it on Mac and Windows. Also, it can do basically everything.

[kneebone77]

If I had to have just one I'm going with Studio One/Studio Pro hands down.
Prior to being a Studio one guy I was all about FL studio for production and Adobe Audition for recording. I even was using reason for production off and on before it became a full blown DAW. Later on I ditched Adobe and was using Reaper, (which I think is brilliant btw) to record. During that time for a whole year a buddy of mine kept telling me to try Studio One. One day I tried it at his house and haven't looked back.
I jumped right in without the manual and continued discovered it's power day by day. For me, Studio One is very "intuitive". There may be a thing or two I miss from each of my previous DAW's but Studio One gives me everthing I need in one environment that allows me to produce fluidly and creatively.
As far as workflow goes it really will allow you to work in ways that make sense to you.
Lately I've toying with the idea to grab the reason rack plugin to ramp up my availible instrument/FX count, but I would not say that I need it.

[Heiner44]

I definitely second Studio Pro for my desert island DAW as it is the most intuitive for me as well. I used Cubase quite a bit and it can do basically anything but it always feels counter intuitive to me and like I have to fight the DAW to get the result I want. With Studio Pro, it is the opposite for some reason. Everything I want to do, it just works like I am trying to do it.

[Winstontaneous]

If I had to stick to one DAW, I'd choose Ableton Live because it has The Glue.

[VariKusBrainZ]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wNFcw8mOWBY

[VOODOO U]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wNFcw8mOWBY

"You don't need other people, you only need Reaper"

Soon this will be true when Reaper A.I. takes over.