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

[Jim Roseberry]

This was the biggest piece of AVID BORN BS I've read to date.
You're/they're YEARS late (and $1200/yr short).

Nice response.
Other than your distain for Avid, what about my post was BS?
I can't wait to hear the actual details.

If you're not playing/recording in your basement/bedroom, (actually working with professional musicians at a commercial recording studio), odds are extremely high that the studio is using ProTools.
Though I have them all, why in the world would I use Nuendo, Logic, Reaper, Live, Studio Pro, etc?
That would be a significant waste of time/energy... converting projects back/forth.
What would be the gain? Give me the details of why I should not be using ProTools.
Because you don't like the price?
I'm well aware (especially on the native side) it took Avid a long while feature-wise to catch up.
ie: ProTools was the last major DAW application to have 32Bit Float support.
For years, ProTools didn't have offline bouncedown.
In 2026, that's not the case.

ProTools is CPU efficient (especially compared to Cubase/Nuendo).
ProTools is rock-solid stable.
ProTools has lots of refinements that make professional use nice.
Using a UF8 (HUI) and Streamdeck XL, navigation is extremely quick.
With Carbon, I monitor DSP processed audio with sub 1ms latency.

ProTools is expensive. In my case, Ultimate perpetual license came with Carbon.
If you're not using an Avid interface, your audio is not placed in proper time on the timeline.
You (unfortunately) have to manually correct for that.
ProTools should have a Record Offset parameter. Having to deal with that in 2026 is BS.
If you're got a DAW controller or Streamdeck, you can set-up a single button-press to correct.
I got Carbon specifically for this reason (no Record Offset).

What's really BS is someone spewing regurgitated vitriol... when they don't understand the full context of said work. Whether you like it or not, ProTools Ultimate allows me (and others) to work fast, get things accomplished, and collaborate very effectively.
ie: Instead of dragging half a dozen keyboards to the recording studio, I bring a small SSD to the session. My parts are instantly imported (no conversion necessary).
I've got multiple takes as options, different sounds/parts, MIDI and audio.
Extremely efficient use of studio time (which is far more expensive than $1200/year)!
The engineer loves it, and most importantly... the Songwriter paying for everything loves it.
I love it... because it's efficient use of MY time.

Could I have recorded my parts in another DAW application?
Obviously.
Would it be faster or more efficient in any other DAW application?
For this scenario, the answer is just as obvious. No.
If there was a better solution, I'd be using it.

Now... let's hear that breadth of insight/knowledge on what I should be doing.
My guess is Reaper.

[whyterabbyt]

"industry standard" my a$$

its not an industry standard because an industry standard has to be proscribed by law or by an industrial governing body. generally its not a term that gets applied to software. obviously it would be applied to something software implements, eg file formats or communication protocols.

the correct term is defacto industry standard; you can look that up, but its descriptive, not proscriptive.

and yes, ProTools actually is a defacto industry standard, for recording industry, and postpoduction side of film/tv/broadcast industry for example. to claim otherwise is just silly or ignorant.

[andypryce]

I do not use it myself but I am yet to see any DAW other than Protools as the ''Main System'' in a professional recording or post studio in Europe or US that I have been to.
Thinking that they are using Reaper or something is delusional.

[elxsound]

This was the biggest piece of AVID BORN BS I've read to date.
You're/they're YEARS late (and $1200/yr short).

Nice response.
Other than your distain for Avid, what about my post was BS?
I can't wait to hear the actual details.

If you're not playing/recording in your basement/bedroom, (actually working with professional musicians at a commercial recording studio), odds are extremely high that the studio is using ProTools.
Though I have them all, why in the world would I use Nuendo, Logic, Reaper, Live, Studio Pro, etc?
That would be a significant waste of time/energy... converting projects back/forth.
What would be the gain? Give me the details of why I should not be using ProTools.
Because you don't like the price?
I'm well aware (especially on the native side) it took Avid a long while feature-wise to catch up.
ie: ProTools was the last major DAW application to have 32Bit Float support.
For years, ProTools didn't have offline bouncedown.
In 2026, that's not the case.

ProTools is CPU efficient (especially compared to Cubase/Nuendo).
ProTools is rock-solid stable.
ProTools has lots of refinements that make professional use nice.
Using a UF8 (HUI) and Streamdeck XL, navigation is extremely quick.
With Carbon, I monitor DSP processed audio with sub 1ms latency.

ProTools is expensive. In my case, Ultimate perpetual license came with Carbon.
If you're not using an Avid interface, your audio is not placed in proper time on the timeline.
You (unfortunately) have to manually correct for that.
ProTools should have a Record Offset parameter. Having to deal with that in 2026 is BS.
If you're got a DAW controller or Streamdeck, you can set-up a single button-press to correct.
I got Carbon specifically for this reason (no Record Offset).

What's really BS is someone spewing regurgitated vitriol... when they don't understand the full context of said work. Whether you like it or not, ProTools Ultimate allows me (and others) to work fast, get things accomplished, and collaborate very effectively.
ie: Instead of dragging half a dozen keyboards to the recording studio, I bring a small SSD to the session. My parts are instantly imported (no conversion necessary).
I've got multiple takes as options, different sounds/parts, MIDI and audio.
Extremely efficient use of studio time (which is far more expensive than $1200/year)!
The engineer loves it, and most importantly... the Songwriter paying for everything loves it.
I love it... because it's efficient use of MY time.

Could I have recorded my parts in another DAW application?
Obviously.
Would it be faster or more efficient in any other DAW application?
For this scenario, the answer is just as obvious. No.
If there was a better solution, I'd be using it.

Now... let's hear that breadth of insight/knowledge on what I should be doing.
My guess is Reaper.

PT is a good setup. I only have disdain for them because of the move to subscription without fixing the bugs in their perpetual license. I think it’s been greater than a decade since that happened, and I’m obviously still bitter

There’s no advantage for them to switch the business model. Because of who uses their product most in recording and post-production, a subscription becomes a write-off at tax time, so its kind-of a win/win.

Lots of quick tools for working in post, though it’s kind of a blur at this point remembering specifics, but I remember I could get around nicely with editing and processing on the fly.

[whyterabbyt]

PT is a good setup. I only have disdain for them because of the move to subscription without fixing the bugs in their perpetual license.

Curious about that wrt bugs; im mostly used to subscription version these days because that's what we have at work, but i recently (finally) upgraded my own perpetual PT12 license to perpetual 'current' PT Studio ie 2025.x. Not seen any issues, is there something I should double-check?

[Jim Roseberry]

PT is a good setup. I only have disdain for them because of the move to subscription without fixing the bugs in their perpetual license. I think it’s been greater than a decade since that happened, and I’m obviously still bitter

There’s no advantage for them to switch the business model. Because of who uses their product most in recording and post-production, a subscription becomes a write-off at tax time, so its kind-of a win/win.

Lots of quick tools for working in post, though it’s kind of a blur at this point remembering specifics, but I remember I could get around nicely with editing and processing on the fly.

I understand your points... and they're certainly valid.

Thru circumstance, I had to start using ProTools more seriously... and found myself actually enjoying it. That was my original point. If you're collaborating with folks going to commercial studio/s, it's hard to avoid.

I wish perpetual licenses were less expensive.
For those not using an Avid audio interface, I wish there was a proper Record Offset parameter. Otherwise, there's not much left to want (for straight up audio production).

[jojoB3]

Sit down. I've been using digidesign's overpriced garbage since 1994 starting with their Session 8.
I was done with AVID at vers 10.

Their product was and still is riddled in 'patchwork-coding', inefficiency galore made for poor stability and that is where it remains to date. A complete re-write by AVID my a$$.

Don't slight Cubase (or Reaper, or Logic, etc) and pretend AVID makes a more stable product. They do not. Already out the gate this is reason studios have disdain for this ridiculously priced joke.
Idiots with limitations have propped this thing up as 'industry standard', it doesn't mean it should be.

AVID should absolutely be embarrassed.

Nice response.
Other than your distain for Avid, what about my post was BS?
I can't wait to hear the actual details.

If you're not playing/recording in your basement/bedroom, (actually working with professional musicians at a commercial recording studio), odds are extremely high that the studio is using ProTools.
Though I have them all, why in the world would I use Nuendo, Logic, Reaper, Live, Studio Pro, etc?
That would be a significant waste of time/energy... converting projects back/forth.
What would be the gain? Give me the details of why I should not be using ProTools.
Because you don't like the price?
I'm well aware (especially on the native side) it took Avid a long while feature-wise to catch up.
ie: ProTools was the last major DAW application to have 32Bit Float support.
For years, ProTools didn't have offline bouncedown.
In 2026, that's not the case.

ProTools is CPU efficient (especially compared to Cubase/Nuendo).
ProTools is rock-solid stable.
ProTools has lots of refinements that make professional use nice.
Using a UF8 (HUI) and Streamdeck XL, navigation is extremely quick.
With Carbon, I monitor DSP processed audio with sub 1ms latency.

ProTools is expensive. In my case, Ultimate perpetual license came with Carbon.
If you're not using an Avid interface, your audio is not placed in proper time on the timeline.
You (unfortunately) have to manually correct for that.
ProTools should have a Record Offset parameter. Having to deal with that in 2026 is BS.
If you're got a DAW controller or Streamdeck, you can set-up a single button-press to correct.
I got Carbon specifically for this reason (no Record Offset).

What's really BS is someone spewing regurgitated vitriol... when they don't understand the full context of said work. Whether you like it or not, ProTools Ultimate allows me (and others) to work fast, get things accomplished, and collaborate very effectively.
ie: Instead of dragging half a dozen keyboards to the recording studio, I bring a small SSD to the session. My parts are instantly imported (no conversion necessary).
I've got multiple takes as options, different sounds/parts, MIDI and audio.
Extremely efficient use of studio time (which is far more expensive than $1200/year)!
The engineer loves it, and most importantly... the Songwriter paying for everything loves it.
I love it... because it's efficient use of MY time.

Could I have recorded my parts in another DAW application?
Obviously.
Would it be faster or more efficient in any other DAW application?
For this scenario, the answer is just as obvious. No.
If there was a better solution, I'd be using it.

Now... let's hear that breadth of insight/knowledge on what I should be doing.
My guess is Reaper.

[elxsound]

PT is a good setup. I only have disdain for them because of the move to subscription without fixing the bugs in their perpetual license.

Curious about that wrt bugs; im mostly used to subscription version these days because that's what we have at work, but i recently (finally) upgraded my own perpetual PT12 license to perpetual 'current' PT Studio ie 2025.x. Not seen any issues, is there something I should double-check?

I really do mean when they switched to subscriptions. It has to be 10 years ago if not 15 years ago.

I truly hope those bugs have been squashed by now! There were some hard crashes and other lesser annoyances that I think should have been fixed for perpetual users, but bug fixes were only for new users and subscribers.

Just consider my post bitter ramblings for something that I should have gotten over by now.

[PTV]

I'm still sticking to one DAW and that is Bespoke. I sometimes use Wavosaur to edit the Bespoke recordings, and that's it.

[whyterabbyt]

I really do mean when they switched to subscriptions. It has to be 10 years ago if not 15 years ago.

Ah, I get you. Cheers.

[Jim Roseberry]

Sit down. I've been using digidesign's overpriced garbage since 1994 starting with their Session 8.
I was done with AVID at vers 10.

Their product was and still is riddled in 'patchwork-coding', inefficiency galore made for poor stability and that is where it remains to date. A complete re-write by AVID my a$$.

Don't slight Cubase (or Reaper, or Logic, etc) and pretend AVID makes a more stable product. They do not. Already out the gate this is reason studios have disdain for this ridiculously priced joke.
Idiots with limitations have propped this thing up as 'industry standard', it doesn't mean it should be.

AVID should absolutely be embarrassed.

Stand up and dust off the cobwebs.
ProTools 10 was released in 2011.
If you've "been done" since then, you might be regurgitating old experience/information.

I deal with professional DAW clients throughout the World.
Nearly all of our professional TV/Film composing clients are using Cubase.
Nearly all of our professional Studio clients are using ProTools.

I have the best Mac and PC DAWs currently available. That's my job.
ProTools 2025.12 runs extremely stable on both platforms.
Cubase/Nuendo 15.02 run extremely stable on both platforms.
Studio Pro 8.03 runs extremely stable on both platforms.
Live 12.3.7 runs extremely stable on both platforms.
Reaper 7.69 runs extremely stable on both platforms.
Noticing a pattern yet?

If you live near a large city, pop into a commercial recording studio.
Want to guess which DAW app they're running?
It's not Reaper, Studio Pro, or Cubase.

I'm not saying I love Avid... or their policies.
But yes, ProTools 2.25.12 works extremely well.

[Akanomad]

Cubase here. What intrigues me most here is seeing Pro Tools right at the bottom and Reaper right at the top. The rest seems consistent to me.

[sonidomolino]

ya know, as for overpriced, any professional clearly understands that time = $ in an industry getting hammered on all fronts to stay in business. and it's not too hard to check the website for any professional studio to see how many list "this ridiculously priced joke". just saying.

am i fan. nope. i prefer other options, but every time a project gets to a certain point, it runs through PT. ymmv.

[jojoB3]

Has zero to do with studios that are still tied to this absolute garbage pile of DAW coding known as Pro Tools. The company has had MORE THAN AMPLE time to better their product but instead they chose to milk their current base.

A ton of COMMERCIAL studios now use Logic, Reaper, even Cubase in some and are WAY happier dumping PT (along with their crap hardware). Cut the bulls***, it's 2026, son. Save the sales pitch.

The ONLY thing one should factor in a DAW (from commercial studios to home studios) is STABILITY AND PERFORMANCE. They all do the needed basics.
The Reaper dev team is #1 in regard. Deal with it, sucker.

[Tracewidth]

I'd be bereft without Cubase.