What DAW do you use?

spark240

Studio One on Mac mini M1

Neilybob

Reaper 

flying_pie

Reaper on PC here

Fez

Another reaper on pc here too

mudslide73

Another Reaper on PC here.

Paul_C

Audacity

siremoon

Reaper

JohnS37

If you’re on a Mac start with GarageBand - it’s free, very capable, and highly intuitive.  It will do most things, but when you get to the point where you feel you need something bigger it’s an easy transition to Logic Pro.

stickyfiddle

JohnS37 said:

If you’re on a Mac start with GarageBand - it’s free, very capable, and highly intuitive.  It will do most things, but when you get to the point where you feel you need something bigger it’s an easy transition to Logic Pro.

Exactly what I did. 

I think Emp is a PC though

Emp_Fab

I am currently PC....  started off on Atari ST using Pro 24 then Cubase (yes, I am that old).  On PC I've used Cubase and then Tracktion 1 & 2...  tried Reaper.  Wrote a song on FruityLoops.

I have the pc hardware.  I just wonder whether a Mac OS device such as iMac suggested earlier would offer any advantages over the PC equivalent.   I've always quietly admired Macs but never owned one.  Getting a 2008 iMac for next to nothing seems attractive to someone that's never had one.

monquixote

I use Bitwig

FL is pretty fun for electronic stuff.

Bod

I flip between several depending on what I'm doing and how I'm feeling. 

Studio One is my main DAW lately.  It's solid and works well.  Their hardware and controller offerings are really good too and integrate seamlessly without any faffing around.  There's a demo, as with most, but you can also subscribe to Studio One+ (was Sphere) and give it a longer run if you need to, plus you get access to all their plugins/instruments and exclusive videos.  It also has a really good remote control app for iOS and Android that works with minimal effort.

I use Ableton Live with my Push 2 for songwriting.  I can record parts and variations and trigger them on the fly to play around with arrangements.  It's great for experimentation and happy accidents.

I also own Reason, but haven't used the DAW side of it since they made the VST plugins for effects and instruments available.

I started out on Cubase v1 on PC, and stuck with it for many years until SX3.  Latterly, I bought Cubase 11 then sold it.  Then decided to give it another go and bought Cubase 12 Pro.  It's a buggy mess in serious need of overhaul.  Interface inconsistencies, poor window management, bugs that have been around for many major releases that never get resolved, infrequent updates.  I still really want to love it, but I just can't recommend it to anybody.  Steinberg are always very quick to blame "dodgy" plugins on their problems, despite said plugins being rock solid on other platforms. 

PolarityMan

tbh getting obsessed with choosing a DAW is really just a distraction. They are all incredibly capable these days. If you find any of them hard to use (including reaper) then tbh it shows a lack of investment of effort on your part. with the amount of high quality beginner focused material available on youtube across all DAW's you've really got no excuse. 

So.......just pick one and write some music. 

mo6020

I use Logic, but that's mostly because I'm on a Mac... I learned to use Cubase about a million years ago when I was at college.

Keefy

PolarityMan said:

tbh getting obsessed with choosing a DAW is really just a distraction. They are all incredibly capable these days. If you find any of them hard to use (including reaper) then tbh it shows a lack of investment of effort on your part. with the amount of high quality beginner focused material available on youtube across all DAW's you've really got no excuse. 

So.......just pick one and write some music. 

This. They all have a steep learning curve to start with, so if you give up on one and start with another, you'll waste a lot of time learning a new system.

rze99

I used Cubase but switched to Propellerhead Reason as I found it quicker and more intuitive to work with. 

Axe_meister

Started on a light version of pro-tools that came with my M-Box 2. But of course Avid decided to de-support that great little interface.
Spent a while on cracked versions of Cubase. Then a long time on Reaper, but I found I was spending too much time playing with the look and feel and workflow options rather than actually creating.
Then back an fourth between Studio one and Cakewalk (when it was free).
Currently have both Logic (via my son's family share) and Studio one Artist (free licence with my Presonus interface).
I find I now use logic for sketching out songs, but Studio One for actual recording and mixing.
I do find Logic relies far too much on short cuts which is great for a very regular user, but not the occasional hobbyist. But because it comes with so many instruments it is good to get a song started.
However I recently moved from PC to M2 Mac mini and am pissed quite a few plugs-in are no longer compatible, especially Xpand!

Blueingreen

Moved from Ableton to Reaper, mainly because Ableton updates were costing more than I thought was justifiable given that Reaper looked like it would serve my purpose just as well at a lower price. I think that was a solid decision. But I'm not a frequent or expert enough recorder for my recommendation to count for much.

Cranky

PC_Dave said:

I use Studio One - suits me for what I need it for

Same.  It came with my entry-level interface but I like it.

I have EZ Drummer, too, which can work alone or within Studio One.

I also have Logic now but l haven’t figured out how to use it yet.

equalsql

Reaper. 
I liked Mixbus too but can never get it to work with my Roland Octa Capture.