Thinking of a DAW switch?

[TheArk]

I have tried all the DAWS in the sea (except for Reason since it is limited and Logic since its a mac only platform) and ended up with Pro Tools 9. I am beginning to realize that I can start tons of projects but never finish them, not due to lazy or uncreative reasons, but because I am realizing pro tools SUCKS with just handling midi based performances. Pro Tools is dominate at audio and mixing but lacks everywhere else.

I am thinking of making the switch to Cubase 6. I always liked Cubase, the midi options where always up there and easy. I am just thinking of composing all and arranging all my music in Cubase and then just handle vocal and other audio recording and mixing in Pro Tools 9. I mean I know Pro Tools is industry standard but it is WAY to technical and gets in the way of music at times. Am I the only one that thinks this?

[madehumble]

Also demo Studio One, it's a great product. Controller Support is not the best yet though.

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[wcb123]

Pro tools is not superior in any way. Back in the day it had some better plugs but times have changed.

Long time Cubase user here, currently on 5 and its a brilliant daw. You may also want to check out Reaper, a lot cheaper and is very flexible.

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[TheArk]

Originally Posted by madehumble

Also demo Studio One, it's a great product. Controller Support is not the best yet though.

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No controller support? WTH lol

[JoRillo]

Pro Tools is superior in almost every way when it comes to mixing and editing - at least for my work flow.

Logic is superior in almost every way in constructing a song - at least for my work flow.

Studio one seems promising for someone who is more your average home studio set up - but you could never get me to leave Pro Tools and Logic now that I know how to use them.

[MitchGeist]

I agree Logic 9

[Reggmail]

TheArk, I mean I know Pro Tools is industry standard but it is WAY to technical and gets in the way of music at times. Am I the only one that thinks this?


Hello TheArk my brother, just so you know, Pro Tools is the industry standard, but what do that mean in today's music industry?.....not much.

Back in the day, Pro Tools was one of the first to transition from analog
to ''real to real recording'' to digital.
Many studio's invested lots of money in the new Pro Tools digital format and that's mostly the reason.
Also, it's simple, easy to learn layout, keep in mind I'm talking about the more expensive $50.000 to over $1000.000 Pro Tools, not the basic home versions.

In today's Daw's most home studio's will work because if you need to go into a major recording studio, that studio will have what they need to convert / transfer your matereal to their system's foemate, whatever is being used.
Also, many major studio's are using deferent recording software, most / many are not just Pro Tools exclusive any more.

Use what you are comfortable with, find something that you like working with, develop your own workflo.

There's lots of Daws out on the market today that is good, you will find something that works for you, many free demo download Daw's out there....seek and you will find.

& blessings.

[Tnevz]

I would check out studio one, Cubase, reaper, and fl studio.

[kojo]

I think the midi in PT is great. I love the audio stuff too. It's the exporting/multi tracking of soft synth tracks that sucks to me compared to logic. That's the reason I'm going from PT 8 to Logic 9. Why drop 500 to upgrade to PT 10 when I can now get Logic for 199? I really, REALLY wish there was a way I could get Xpand2 and Structure to run in Logic, then I'd be set! The extra 300 I save getting logic I'll probably get Halion Sonic with because I love stacking sounds and arps and making combis like in Xpand and you can't do that in Logic

[mbrice09]

i went from cubase to studio one and couldn't be happier. projects are much faster, cpu usage has gone down, the audio engine sounds better then cubase, and i have a control surface connected and do not have any problems.. also 1 thing i like is it supports vst2 and vst3.. which not all daws do.

[mrc]

Originally Posted by mbrice09

i went from cubase to studio one and couldn't be happier. projects are much faster, cpu usage has gone down, the audio engine sounds better then cubase, and i have a control surface connected and do not have any problems.. also 1 thing i like is it supports vst2 and vst3.. which not all daws do.

i went from cubase to reaper. tryed studio one too (really wanted to like it since i was afiliated with presonus in a way) but i just found reaper much better suited for my needs.
as for the sound goes, i m not shure there IS a difference between daws except maybe the headroom.

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[KevWest]

a daw is a daw use what works for you. everything in limited or does or doesn't do something that you can complain about you can sit there and think about it and jump from tool to tool to tool or you can just sit down be quiet deal with it and make music

[theOnlyMoment]

if you have a mac. logic's great with midi

[KT1]

Live if you fancy a different workflow and are composition based. In other words although you can mix in it..it's not ideal.

[Tausif]

Originally Posted by KT1

Live if you fancy a different workflow and are composition based. In other words although you can mix in it..it's not ideal.

Live is amazing for being creative! You can get your ideas down quick. The interface is not cluttered or messy.

However, domestic plug ins suck and it handles audio poorly. CPU spikes are rampant, depending on your computer.... And yes mixing can be a *****

But honestly it such a nice little DAW! You can chop up stuff and slice so quickly. Makes producing sampled beats much easier! The piano roll is nice and it has such a big online community.

Just get a few good plug ins and use them instead of the native ableton plug ins and you''ll be set!

[JoeyXoto]

Originally Posted by TheArk

I have tried all the DAWS in the sea (except for Reason since it is limited and Logic since its a mac only platform) and ended up with Pro Tools 9. I am beginning to realize that I can start tons of projects but never finish them, not due to lazy or uncreative reasons, but because I am realizing pro tools SUCKS with just handling midi based performances. Pro Tools is dominate at audio and mixing but lacks everywhere else.

I am thinking of making the switch to Cubase 6. I always liked Cubase, the midi options where always up there and easy. I am just thinking of composing all and arranging all my music in Cubase and then just handle vocal and other audio recording and mixing in Pro Tools 9. I mean I know Pro Tools is industry standard but it is WAY to technical and gets in the way of music at times. Am I the only one that thinks this?

The best DAW is the one that you use well and know well. If you start on an unfamiliar DAW you might find yourself getting slowed down by learning new things - but I assume you're ok with that.


Industry standard doesn't mean anything except Industry standard.

Have you tried FL Studio? The DAW is simple, very accessible to beginners and professionals and efficient.

[urbanblaksmith]

Nothing against pro tools... it is definitely of great use in the industry but it is widely overrated. Odd as this may sound I think those who use combinations of different DAWs may often have the edge now adays. It is disappointing to find that most people are drawn away from reason due to a lack of plug-in/VST support but once you use it (especially reason 6 with its integrated audio support/record features) you will realize that you can essentially do limitless things and get limitless sounds from its selection of patches and an internet full of endless refills both free and paid for. I find that while using my other DAWS like Studio One Producer, FL Studio, and Pro Tools is great in some ways, it is Plug-ins themselves that create 99 percent of my issues, workarounds and headaches since they are not uniform to each other or the DAWs in which they are used. You have 32/64bit plugin barriers, the threat of a seperate app within your DAW that can malfunction, and although there are some great free plugins, so many people pay thousands for plugins they dont need... now u need an ilok $50, perhaps an expensive waves bundle now? start saving. It seems to be a few big companies that have created and dominated this dillemma/market. (Did I say M-audio/Digidesign/notwhattheyusedtobe? :o)oops. But I primarily make instrumentals/beats... so the DAW or set of tools should depend on the job your doing most of the time.

[3rd Degree]

What exactly are you doing, just out of curiosity? Where are your "hang ups" with PT? You mention midi, which I am not a fan of, for various reasons, but I find that sequencing anything loop based is even worse, when you deal with many tracks. It isn't hard to do, it's just not insanely quick and simple like it should be, I find myself taking 2-3 times as long just moving things around compared to other programs when doing midi work in it.

If you are going to do all your "constructive work" in one program and put it together in PT, I would seriously consider Reason or FL, unless you are using mostly hardware. FL can handle hardware but I know more than a few people who have their issues with it, I can't say it's wrong or right, I don't use it, much less ever tried it with hardware. Acid pro can be great for a simple program if you are infact using hardware as well, not familiar with the latest versions. Not that cubase is bad, I just would rather use Reason, FL, Ableton or the like if I was not sequencing hardware.

[beat you down]

pt is not perfect but i won't switch any time soon...
i'd feel handicapped for the first months.

[Edward Shnapper]

i'd go with cubase simply because it gives the freedom to do what ever you want to do where as other daws all seem to have their limitations. however, because of the freedom cubase offers there's probably a higher learning curve.

[Hobbs_Won]

If MIDI handling is a priority and you are looking for the fastes way from A to Z? I cannot stress FL Studio enough...

IMO, it is the best at handling MIDI by far

[miscend]

Have you tried Reaper yet? And as mentioned above also give Studio One a go.

[Shobiz]

I stumbled onto this

Buy Studio One Artist

Its only the Artist version. But it's $20

[Big Boi R3NZ]

I use nuendo -on a 64bit machine..no problems.

and fl studio and reason are treated like a big vst plugin for me with rewire..i use fl to build drums--


I used to use pt and made the switch and never look back.. at one time you had to use there hardware and plugs and so on..i just hated pt..

nuendo 5 is where its at,,,
cubase is like the same..if money is tight...
go with cubase or nuendo..

all daws are not the same!!!you might..just might..get the same result...but how many steps it take is the question..the workflow an so on...THERE ARE MANY FACTORS..

just my opinion-
don't stone me!!!

[KT1]

Originally Posted by Tausif

Live is amazing for being creative! You can get your ideas down quick. The interface is not cluttered or messy.

However, domestic plug ins suck and it handles audio poorly. CPU spikes are rampant, depending on your computer.... And yes mixing can be a *****

But honestly it such a nice little DAW! You can chop up stuff and slice so quickly. Makes producing sampled beats much easier! The piano roll is nice and it has such a big online community.

Just get a few good plug ins and use them instead of the native ableton plug ins and you''ll be set!

Native plugs are awsome! Lol and it rocks with audio! Not sure what you mean ?

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[Iamcory]

Originally Posted by TheArk

(except for Reason since it is limited and Logic since its a mac only platform)

its only limited by your creativeness.
also i'd recommend ableton

[erikdrink]

Reason Record

[RonGherkins]

cubase is definitely "better" at midi than everything else suggested. It's pretty full featured too. Not what I use but a solid choice.

[E-Maddox]

Studio One VS Artist edition is on now for $20 during NAMM. Can't beat that for a trial run.

[TheArk]

Originally Posted by Big Boi R3NZ

I use nuendo -on a 64bit machine..no problems.

and fl studio and reason are treated like a big vst plugin for me with rewire..i use fl to build drums--

I used to use pt and made the switch and never look back.. at one time you had to use there hardware and plugs and so on..i just hated pt..
5 is where its at,,,
cubase is like the same..if money is tight...
go with cubase or nuendo..
all daws are not the same!!!you might..just might..get the same result...but how many steps it take is the question..the workflow an so on...THERE ARE MANY FACTORS..
just my opinion-
don't stone me!!!

Agree with you completely. Cubase just has midi down completely