Ableton is good cause its so widely used. Whatever you are interested in you can easily find examples online.
Reaper + fabfilter plugs work really well too.
I’d still go with Ableton though cause over time you’re probably going to want to do more on the production side of things.
Any one that looks interesting to you
Zenbeats? Because it’s fairly new, it is cheaper and doesn’t have as many features as your ProTools or Logic or even Ableton, but it’s software in active development. 3.0 and now they have side-chain! I run an instance on my iPhone, it’s pretty clutch! Windows Mac iOS Android, but no Linux, LoL.
I think it’s easier figure out when there’s less features in your way, you can get distracted by adding devices to a chain for hours, in ableton, LoL
I’ve tried a few, and ended up choosing Reaper because it’s pretty simple and intuitive, yet not primitive. If I had a more DAW-heavy workflow, I’d probably choose Bitwig, but I only record and mix in it.
I love Renoise! I used trackers before ever trying a DAW. Renoise didn’t exist yet, but I used things like Fast Tracker back then. I think it would be an interesting choice for a first DAW in this decade.
It might be noteworthy is that it’s not great for multitrack recording:
You can record into it, but it’s a bit cumbersome. Especially when you do multiple takes.
I still think it would be a rad choice.
Work well with Overbridge? Any delay?
if you like clicky clicky with a mouse, FL studio. you can just fucking draw music. the piano roll is too good.
reaper good and cheap (ive never actually used it and am just parroting everyone else). if all you do is finish tracks in the daw then this is probably your cheapest option
logic convoluted pain in the ass but good sound library
live always a great choice. best UI imo, nicest to just sit with and use, good native plugs, big community for learning. you can try Live Lite and Intro but they limit the number of audio tracks… might be fine for you but maybe youll outgrow and then upgrade later. IDK.
I was a bitwig 1.0 fan but quickly lost interest once things got too fiddly and routey. if you like connecting random things together then it’s the best daw but i prefer simple.
Just download a bunch of trials, see what looks/feels cool.
I’m not who you asked, but Bitwig works with Overbridge. I don’t use it much personally, but it definitely works well. There is some latency, but I don’t think it’s from the choice of DAW.
Or were you asking about Reaper? I don’t have any OB+Reaper experience, but I remember reading this thread: https://www.elektronauts.com/t/overbridge-and-reaper
I’m starting to do some more DAW-based things, so I’m probably going to start using Overbridge with the Analog Heat in Bitwig, because it just looks like an easy way to run some audio from the computer through analog distortion without using up a bunch of I/O on interfaces and cables.
on one hand, I want to say +1 for Bitwig. Cause I love that software. But it mostly makes sense if you want infinitely flexibility, if you think you might eventually be interested in trying different workflows and if you’re into deep sound-design and “modularity”…Also…Bitwig’s modulators + Overbridge = uber-elektron-machines! 
On the other hand, if you’re sure you literally want to just mess around with levels and some fx (I’m going to interpret what you said as "mixing and possibly slightly re-arranging tracks made mostly with hardware)…than literally just get any daw!
Which (for me) begs the question, which is the least intimidating to learn ?
Reaper is always a good option, it has a very generous trial period and is capable of everything any more expensive DAW is. It can be fiddly, but it’s also very light and runs on everything.
Logic is great if you’re on MacOs, as you can start with Garageband and get familiar with the workflow before buying Logic. Logic also has great stock plugins, great stock soft synths and great virtual instruments. Easy and fairly inexpensive way to get into DAW’s without too much hassle.
Ableton seems to be what most people use, but it’s also quite expensive. Not sure I’d recommend it for someone completely new to DAW’s, as it’s definitely not something required for making great music.
Random perspective…
I’ve found Reaper to be the least intimidating one. Bought Logic, but it turned out to be full of small annoyances and lacking, uh, logic.
+1 for reaper! It is built so well and has a fair pricing
+1 for Ableton. It comes with built in lessons to get started, that is what convinced me when I first tried Live 4. Stayed with it ever since. Also I think the way you can use Overbridge with separate audio channels for each track is easy and works great. IMHO.
Not that Reaper isn’t worth a try due to price and the free trial, but I’m mystified by folks saying it’s simple. It’s the most convoluted DAW I can think of once you get past basic audio and MIDI recording. The menus are massive and unorganized, the default zoom behavior makes zero sense, and a lot of the important UI elements are microscopic. You can customize it however you want, but recommending a DAW to someone new based on the ability to spend hours customizing it doesn’t seem like a good call to me.
If simplicity is paramount, I’d recommend virtually any other DAW outside of maybe Cubase (which I love but is not what I’d call intuitive). Ableton and Bitwig are both really good choices. Logic is worth the trial run if you’re on a Mac; its default settings hide the more complex functionality until you’re ready to use it.
But in the end, what other folks have said about just giving trials of each a shot and seeing what clicks is the way to go. I can’t tell you what will and won’t work for you for certain and neither can anyone else. They’re all pretty close in what they’re capable of, especially given what you want to do, so just give them a try.
Logic is an excellent DAW for mixing/mastering music, and a phenomenal value if you’re on Mac. You get a lot of high quality instruments and plug-ins for a low price. Everything is included, no tiers of pricing, and you get major upgrades for free.
That said, last time I tried using Overbridge with Logic–maybe 1.5 years ago?–it was a mess. The routing seemed unnecessarily confusing. It works, but is complicated to set up. I’d love to know whether Elektron has found a way to simplify the integration.
After using Live for a while and diving into Bitwig the past few months I’d say that Bitwig is even more immediate to learn and use. Just the way Bitwig introduces modulation is so much easier for someone new to DAWs than Ableton.
Also, if you use hardware I think Bitwig’s mental model is going to be more similar to it, patching modulators to specific parameters is very much like working with a mod matrix/assignable modulations.
Both are incredible DAWs to be honest, any hobbyist is very well-served with either (or many other options as you can see in this thread :P)
Noob perspective. I’ve been messing with Ableton. The extent of my DAW experiments has been in Garageband, and Logic looks very powerful as an upgrade; especially for audio-in style recording. What I like about Ableton is that it has pretty much everything in your effects chain at the bottom (Garageband/Logic by comparison does seem to require more popups and whatnot to get to certain controls.) That said, the sheer amount of tutorials for most of the big ones is huge. To be fair you can get a clue about the UI just by looking at screenshots & tutorials, as well as the integrated midi controllers. So far, watching a tonne of videos I feel quite at home in Ableton but it’s early days.
Naturally, things might change somewhat on my end, but choosing the line of least resistance in terms of what you like in terms of the interface seems pretty important.
