Which DAW is right for me?

Live, for instance is made by a german company that doesn't seem concerned with country music, for which many of its features would not be exceptionally useful. It also isn't made for performance with specific audio products, like Pro Tools.

Live, for instance is made by a german company that doesn't seem concerned with country music, for which many of its features would not be exceptionally useful. It also isn't made for performance with specific audio products, like Pro Tools.

With very few caveats, it's not the DAW that makes the music. Some are better than others at specific things, some lack specific things…but you can do it with just about any of them.

The only way to make the right decision is to just try them. Work through some tutorials (during trial periods) and make some music…move on to the next one……and go back at some point. Something will jive with the way you believe…it won't be completely fluid until you really learn something, but that will give you a lot better of an idea what working with them is like than a bunch of people probably recommending what they use or what they want to use.

Failing that, watch a lot of tutorial videos (avoid review videos). And pick what seems to make the most sense.

Ableton is popular because it's somewhat groove/clip based, so it's easier to sketch in than a lot of others, it's fairly straightforward, and it gets a lot of more technical things right. Also, its MIDI effects are the best and most straightforward I've seen. But that doesn't necessarily make it the best tool.

IMvhO:

• Maschine has the most groovebox-like interface.
• Pro Tools is the best all-around for editing and mixing audio, and it can do everything else, though some of it is convoluted.
• Logic is probably the most cost-effective (if you own a mac or have the hardware for a hackintosh) but parts of it are convoluted.
• Reason has a very interesting interface and the best meters I've seen, but its sequencer is god-awful.
• Cubase/Studio One/Nuendo are just weird interfaces that I never got the hang of.
• Ableton might be the most straight-forward, but it does a few things differently from everything else.
• Trackers like Renoise are very interesting…and they're really fast if you know where you want to go and are very familiar with them…but they're weird for experimentation and they just don't have as much thought put into how you interact with different parts of it.

I've been using Maschine + Pro Tools for a while, and I really enjoy it. But the Push has me considering a switch. It seems like it would get past some of Maschine's shortcomings as well as some of the stuff NI likes to do that I really don't like (like level meters that either don't exist or don't mean anything), but I'd still route the audio it into Pro Tools because I just like it better for mixing than anything else I've tried.

I strongly disagree.

Yup. But enjoy the 30 day demo before buying it

Ableton and Maschine together is the way to go.

You seem like so much fun!



I disagree strongly - these products are largely made with specific use cases in mind. Live, for instance is made by a german company that doesn't seem concerned with country music, for which many of its features would not be exceptionally useful. It also isn't made for performance with specific audio products, like Pro Tools.

It's certainly possible to make good music with ill-suited gear , but not advisable.

I strongly disagree - DAWs do all sorts of things, like multi-tracking, VST hosting, arrangement, etc.

I disagree strongly - For many, Live isn't 'about creating the song' at all but a live performance instrument, as you go on to say:

I strongly disagree - I believe that its design centered around live performance, warping, or creative possibilities with Max have something to do with why it's favoured by many. I do love controllers, though.

I disagree strongly - I know many people that use Live without controllers for everything from film scoring to remixes and love it.

I strongly disagree - big features, like warping, make the difference for me.

With very few caveats, it's not the DAW that makes the music. Some are better than others at specific things, some lack specific things…but you can do it with just about any of them.

The only way to make the right decision is to just try them. Work through some tutorials (during trial periods) and make some music…move on to the next one……and go back at some point. Something will jive with the way you believe…it won't be completely fluid until you really learn something, but that will give you a lot better of an idea what working with them is like than a bunch of people probably recommending what they use or what they want to use.

Failing that, watch a lot of tutorial videos (avoid review videos). And pick what seems to make the most sense.

Ableton is popular because it's somewhat groove/clip based, so it's easier to sketch in than a lot of others, it's fairly straightforward, and it gets a lot of more technical things right. Also, its MIDI effects are the best and most straightforward I've seen. But that doesn't necessarily make it the best tool.

IMvhO:

• Maschine has the most groovebox-like interface.
• Pro Tools is the best all-around for editing and mixing audio, and it can do everything else, though some of it is convoluted.
• Logic is probably the most cost-effective (if you own a mac or have the hardware for a hackintosh) but parts of it are convoluted.
• Reason has a very interesting interface and the best meters I've seen, but its sequencer is god-awful.
• Cubase/Studio One/Nuendo are just weird interfaces that I never got the hang of.
• Ableton might be the most straight-forward, but it does a few things differently from everything else.
• Trackers like Renoise are very interesting…and they're really fast if you know where you want to go and are very familiar with them…but they're weird for experimentation and they just don't have as much thought put into how you interact with different parts of it.

I've been using Maschine + Pro Tools for a while, and I really enjoy it. But the Push has me considering a switch. It seems like it would get past some of Maschine's shortcomings as well as some of the stuff NI likes to do that I really don't like (like level meters that either don't exist or don't mean anything), but I'd still route the audio it into Pro Tools because I just like it better for mixing than anything else I've tried.

I strongly disagree.

Yup. But enjoy the 30 day demo before buying it

Ableton and Maschine together is the way to go.