KVR Audio

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Tue Oct 22, 2013 6:16 pm

One of my projects coming up is to refurbish some computers donated to a recovery home I sell to help their funding. I'm adding a 'starter studio' with a few selected free VSTs and a DAW to them this time.

So after looking for free DAWs I've come up with LMMS and Studio One Free.
I've never used either one of them so I would like to hear opinions from those that know about them? Or any suggestion of other ones available.
(But please, nothing with nag screens or time demo limitations like Reaper). Otherwise, they end up calling me back wondering why they're being asked to pay for something. I need to have something that is clearly what it is and nothing else.

{I make nothing here, and besides for a part replacement sometimes, the only thing I really donate is some time.}

scook · Post by **scook** » Tue Oct 22, 2013 6:25 pm

I do not believe Studio One Free supports third party VST plug-ins. VST support starts with Studio One Producer. I do not have any experience with free DAW software but MuLAb Free looks interesting.

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Tue Oct 22, 2013 6:27 pm

scook wrote:I do not believe Studio One Free supports third party VST plug-ins. VST support starts with Studio One Producer.

Good to know! Thanks!

scook · Post by **scook** » Tue Oct 22, 2013 6:33 pm

Podium Free also looks interesting.

Cuauhtli · Post by **Cuauhtli** » Tue Oct 22, 2013 9:24 pm

Zynwave Podium Free is good. Last time I checked the main limitation was that it only uses one core of a multi-core processor so that can be an issue. The obvious workaround is to render the tracks.

arkmabat · Post by **arkmabat** » Tue Oct 22, 2013 9:38 pm

Angryredplanet's Temper is great. It does have a nagscreen, but it is not for sale anymore. Quote from the developer:

"The few features that were
available after purchasing a license- - note
decor ,group operations ,performance time and
the VST randomizer- - will remain exclusive as a
thank you to all paying customers , but please enjoy
the completely free and fully functional version
that 's still available."

You might check to see if the free vsts are allowed to be distributed in the manner you expressed above though.

HaganeSteel · Post by **HaganeSteel** » Tue Oct 22, 2013 10:17 pm

I would go with the FL Studio demo.

You can't save projects, but it's still fully featured, beginner-friendly, and it's easy enough to export MIDI and WAV.

I used the FL Studio demo to compose a lot of the older stuff on my Youtube channel because I couldn't be bothered to get my registry key from the FL site.

The FL demo is what a lot of us in my generation started with and it really helped.

Really hard to beat. It's basically the Producer edition without the ability to save projects, but it's not as big of a limitation as it sounds.

yessongs · Post by **yessongs** » Tue Oct 22, 2013 10:19 pm

most decent cheap sound cards are bundled with a daw program. Any computer is going to need to add a decent sound card anyway so that is one route to take.

audacity is free as well so add it in there. To start to really put together something these people need to get a decent sound card and many come with either cubase le or sonar le or some such semi decent program that will offer more tracks. i think even protools offers a lite version for free on their website but it is very few tracks as I recall.

VariKusBrainZ · Post by **VariKusBrainZ** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 12:55 am

arkmabat wrote:Angryredplanet's Temper is great. It does have a nagscreen, but it is not for sale anymore. Quote from the developer:

"The few features that were
available after purchasing a license- - note
decor ,group operations ,performance time and
the VST randomizer- - will remain exclusive as a
thank you to all paying customers , but please enjoy
the completely free and fully functional version
that 's still available."

You might check to see if the free vsts are allowed to be distributed in the manner you expressed above though.

Not a good sequencer for n00bs though!

Took me a solid week of reading the forum, which has now gone and all the documentation plus experimentation to get my head round everything.

It is a great bit of software but not for a beginner I feel.

hansba · Post by **hansba** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 1:07 am

VariKusBrainZ wrote:
arkmabat wrote:Angryredplanet's Temper is great. It does have a nagscreen, but it is not for sale anymore. Quote from the developer:

"The few features that were
available after purchasing a license- - note
decor ,group operations ,performance time and
the VST randomizer- - will remain exclusive as a
thank you to all paying customers , but please enjoy
the completely free and fully functional version
that 's still available."

You might check to see if the free vsts are allowed to be distributed in the manner you expressed above though.
Not a good sequencer for n00bs though!

Took me a solid week of reading the forum, which has now gone and all the documentation plus experimentation to get my head round everything.

It is a great bit of software but not for a beginner I feel.

I recommend Studio one free cuz there's pretty often sale to upgrade it later. There's only one synth and it's some kind of rompler so that's the weakest part. No third party plugins either. Anyways it's a good program.

Davias · Post by **Davias** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 1:12 am

A soundcard can be expensive and the OP asked for a free daw, so maybe it is not the route to take. As long as no multi-outputs/inputs are needed or midi in-out, if everything is made ITB, the built-in sound card should be enough.

I would say Podium Free too, fully function except the multi core but a beginner wouldn't wash his mix into fx and hundred synths so it should be ok, and it is always possible to render as someone said.

Mulab free is nice too because very easy GUI, but maybe lacking tracks (4 or 8 I think in the free version).

LMMS is nice but a bit less easy than the two others I felt, but you can export (or import ?) FL Studio projects. So it may be a good starter along FL Studio demo. Reaper demo is worth to check to have a fully functional daw able to mix down exports from FL Studio demo for example, but after the trial period you should buy it if you use it. also this is not the most easy DAW to start with.

Ohm Studio is out and free, I think the free version is providing everythning you need, but for now you need to be online to use it, but it may worth a check.

If tracking doesn't make you afraid, then OpenMPT is the way to go !

EnGee · Post by **EnGee** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 1:57 am

shouldn't this thread be in the Hosts section?

Examigan · Post by **Examigan** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 2:23 am

HaganeSteel wrote:I would go with the FL Studio demo.

You can't save projects, but it's still fully featured, beginner-friendly, and it's easy enough to export MIDI and WAV.

So you have to compose and just leave it running till you're done with the song? What if it takes a couple weeks? Also what if the PC crashes, and well, you haven't saved it.

Numanoid · Post by **Numanoid** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 2:45 am

BBFG# wrote:One of my projects coming up is to refurbish some computers donated to a recovery home I sell to help their funding. I'm adding a 'starter studio' with a few selected free VSTs and a DAW to them this time.

Psycle, is maybe more a tracker than a regular DAW, but it loads VSTs and it is easy to string together a song.

It's easily my pick when it comes to free hosts. But if the DAW is going to be used with input for live recorded instruments, that's not the one to chooose.

LMMS is good, like a freeware FL Studio, but it has been very bug ridden, freezing up whenever it can.

Studio One Artist will not load external VSTs, that might be a hinder.

Basically the best free DAW is on the Linux platform, Ardour is the best free complete choice IMO.

mridlen · Post by **mridlen** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 2:55 am

I use Jeskola Buzz (a tracker interface... not really beginner friendly at all), but I'd probably go with Darkwave Studio if I was just starting out - http://www.experimentalscene.com/softwa ... ve-studio/

There's also this http://bedroomproducersblog.com/2011/05 ... lications/

Choosing a free DAW for beginners.