Advice for a DAW

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

Hello to all,

I am looking at DAWs.
Currently using Maschine and pretty happy with it for the purpose of sequencing MIDI outboard synths as well as VSTs instruments.

Nevertheless I realize that I am bouncing more and more to audio as sequencing outboard gear is sometimes a bit of a pain :slight_smile:

So while I would like to keep Maschine for the above purposes I tend to find that it is not giving me a workflow that suits me for audio sequencing and “finalizing” projects.

Not looking at Ableton. Under Mac. MOTU UltraLite Mk3. MODEL1, Mackie VLZ 1402, 4xVOLCAS, MicroFreak, Digitakt.

Logic? Cubase?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

#2

All Daws have their pros & cons. If you are on a Mac & planning to stay on Mac for the foreseeable future, then Logic would be a sensible choice. I personally find it very good for mixing. If you want something that isn’t tied to a Mac, then Studio One is worth looking at.

Any DAW will take time to learn & for the workflow to become familiar.

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#3

Presonus Studio One v4 is half price til 1st Dec. Maybe give the free Prime version a whirl for a day and see if you like it…
https://shop.presonus.com/Studio-One

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#4

I use Logic. IMO, it’s a really great deal as long as you are already on a Mac: you get a lot of functionality and some great stock plugs (including Alchemy and a bunch of FX) and library sounds included.

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#5

I use Maschine inside of Ableton Live and find it works well. Also Live’s session view is somewhat similar to Maschine’s sequencer, which you may appreciate.

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#6

Presonus Studio One is great - with a thoughtful upgrade path, you can try “Studio One 4 Prime” free. I tend to fiddle in bitwig then print the stems and finalize in Presonus

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#7

Cubase will not leave you wanting for features. I’m pretty much full Ableton Live these days but I still have a copy of Cubase installed to keep some bits on my SSD warm.

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#8

Thanks to all so far for the feedback. Much appreciated.
I am (was) looking at Logic as I am under Mac although not sure it will last bearing in mind the prices are now out of this world… Or Cubase.
Live… Not sure as it is pretty similar to Maschine.
Studio One… Will have to look into it as well.

#9

If you are a student or know one, Apple also do a stupid-cheap bundle with Logic, Mainstage, and Final Cut.

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#10

Bigwig anyone?

#11

Bitwig is an Excellent Daw - Much easier for me than Ableton ever was. I create mostly in Bitwig then finalize in Presonus

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#12

@bloodfish
Looks like Bigwig is for you what Maschine is for me :wink:

#13

If you are avoiding Ableton, bitwig is probably not a choice to go for. They have similar workflows (at least last time I used bitwig they did).

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#14

@jefones
Just what I thought reading @bloodfish comment :slight_smile:

#15

Looks like Logic Vs Cubase Vs Presonus Studio One…

#16

I don’t think Logic is that expensive. I do have to say in the past I got on easier with Cubase. Don’t know how it is today.
I started to make some music again and used an old Reason license I still had. Upgraded to 10 and as a DAW… for me it’s too much! :joy:

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#17

No. They both offer a clip launcher in addition to a linear timeline, but that’s about it. Live never worked for me (trust me, I tried), while I love Bitwig.

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#18

Reason+Logic
You cannot go wrong with Logic and the price is super

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#19

If you want a linear DAW workflow (i.e. no clips, scenes etc) on Mac then you can’t look past Logic. The range and quality of the built in instruments, loops and FX alone is unbeatable. The mixer and automation is also fantastic.

The reason it’s cheap is because Apple use it as a loss leader to convince you to buy Mac hardware. If you already have that hardware then it’s a no-brainer.

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#20

Studio One is the shit and like you said if you plan to get a new computer you won’t be forced to stay Mac, whereas if you get Logic you will be.

I really, really like Studio one. Since the moment I used it everything has just made sense. I have a couple little gripes with it that have reared their heads after two years of extensive use, but they’re minor inconveniences and I can’t even think of what they are off the top of my head…

Like others said the pro version is 200 bucks right now–half off. I’d hop on it.

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