Reaper, Reaper, Reaper. You can get it under the free trial and when that runs out you can trial it again. I believe indefinitely. If you make less than $20,000 a year with your music while using Reaper it's only $60. Also, it's a great DAW! As good or better than PT.
I tried several and couldn't get anything working on any till I met Ableton, I installed it and bang I was recording. Then the whole session view thing just blew my mind and led me into a creative use of DAW that all the other DAWs don't. Almost all DAWs are slaves to mimicking mixing desks. But a computer is so much more than a desk can ever hope to be. Ableton blew my mind and to this day offers creative possibilities that other DAWs cannot even imagine (Max I'm looking at you)
REAPER's terms of use are clearly stated on the nag screen. The first four words are _REAPER is not free._ 😉 There is no copy protection to enforce the terms so users are honour-bound to pay. I believe that the majority of those who stick around past the 60-day trial fall in love with the software and the forum and the extended community (as I did eleven years ago) and are more than happy to hold up to hold up their end of the bargain (and it is a bargain).
I use reaper a lot for tracking. Once you get use to it it decent but for my brain I always end up back at pro tools. Especially when I have to edit a lot. People have commented they're amazed at the speed I can move around and accomplish tasks and get back to a clip file if I want to go back quite a way. But, If if the Software meets your needs and you aren't wasting time trying to work out where things are, that's great. You want to stay fluid as much as possible. I even did a mix in basic garage band for someone on their computer one time and they were shocked at what can be pulled off in it.
I have been using Mixcraft for about 15 years. I don't really use it's tools besides faders and panning. I get the sound I'm going for with analog gear and record to the computer. Mixcraft is quite affordable I think and is perfect for how I use it. But I came here to see what you guys use. I am considering a new DAW. Something with tools I'd actually use. And I'm not interested in a pro tools subscription.
I’ve used Reaper for everything from mixing prog metal to producing hiphop beats to even editing podcasts and sound effects. In my opinion the most well-structured daw out there.
I started with something called "Music Maker" by Magix 😂 but I don't really consider this a DAW. Then I got into Fruity Loops 8 and after this I hopped onto Cubase 5. Nowadays I use Logic Pro X and I find it pretty intuitive and the stock plugins you get give you a good start into different kind of compressors and eqs, has all kinds for Modulation, a really intuitive routing and send system, build in tuning,, pretty easy to remember shortcuts and many things more. So I'd personally add Logic to this list. It is pretty low budget if you consider that you pay the double or even triple for other DAWs that have the same feature.
Ableton is PRICEY, but so much fun to learn on. The GUI, which is wrongfully labeled as outdated, is very clean and “logical” IMO. Also the stock plugins sound sooo good and are super versatile. As for the price, you can get a 90 (!!!) days full demo and they also offer student discounts. The lite version has less features, but a way smaller price too. There’s also Bitwig. A full and maybe even more modern “ableton-like” experience for half the price. And it runs on the only acceptable OS: Linux All that said, reaper and cubase are way better for mixing. Ableton i find to be more suitable for production
Acoustica Mixcraft has served me really well for the last 3-4 years as a beginner learning to record, write with MIDI and using EQ's, compressors, etc. The main reason I've just upgraded to Cubase however is because I need things like drum editing capabilities and Mixcraft isn't compatible with a lot of plugins.
I am quite happy with Cubase. Had a "free" version growing up... some time ago I got the free version bundlede with some Yamaha gear upgraded for 50€ to Elements. For my current project it's more than enough but I am considering a new upgrade soon
Waveform is just a no brainer. I watch videos where people are giving mixing tips, and using other DAWs, Warren included, and it just seems so hard and complicated compared to simply using Waveform.
I started with Samplitude (they released a new version and the old was absurdly cheap on CD). After a few years I started to notice how outdated and lacking it is, so I went for Cakewalk. Then I had to download reaper to manage one project and quickly realized how much better it is than Cakewalk. Also Dan Worral is a Reaper guy, which only convinced me it’s worth transitioning there.
Repear user here. It's soo easy to use yet so powerful. and it's cheap and it's lightweight too! I couldn't ask for a better daw. btw I tried Cakewalk too but for some reason I had soo many issues with it. Idk if it was bugs or just my incompetence tho.
Maybe Cakewalk and Reaper are programmed such that they interfere with each other. I had the exact opposite experience. I started on Cakewalk and tried Reaper but there were so many technical and workflow issues (I had the hardest time locating my plugins, I couldn’t figure out how it used folders, for some reason I couldn’t get any audio above about 1.5k hz) that I gave up well before the free trial period ended.
Started with Nuendo 3.5, then Cubase, Reason 4 for the synths, then Sonar (the worst DAW ever), then Cakewalk (little improvements but still too Sonar-like), then got a sound tech degree using PT and Logic at school while learning Reaper at home, now it's Reaper only, still have to find something other DAWs do better than Reaper, so...
I like my cakewalk but my advice is not to settle for free stuff just because it's free, and this is for 1 reason: the good stuff is, in most cases, not free. Since you'll stumble upon a paywall at some point, you might as well pay for the good stuff from the get go.
I'm gonna dive right into Cubase Artist 12. Just like I did Davinci Resolve for editing -learn the best right away and you won't have to reeducate youself as you want better features.
Behringer is supposedly creating a free DAW. I’m excited to check that out once it shows up. Also has anyone used the Harrison Mixbuss DAW? I’m curious as to if it’s as good as the website claims it is.
For a newbie, running a MAC, would you suggest GarageBand or Reaper? I've played around with garage band but have never recorded anything live. It seems a great learning curve to really understand the basics.
GarageBand is probably more intuitive and beginner friendly as you’ve said. Reaper is much more capable in my experience, but the learning curve is a bit steeper. I began on GB when I was a kid, just messing around making demos and things, now I use reaper on a daily basis. It is my favorite piece of software on my entire computer. Maybe once you feel familiar with the ins and outs of GB and you feel like you’re ready to outgrow it, you can make the transition. Or just bite the bullet early and throw yourself in the deep end to learn that way. Whichever sounds more appealing to your style of learning. It’s also worth noting that Reaper doesn’t come with built in virtual instruments like GB (or at least ones that are any good), but if you’re looking to record live with mics or D.I. signals, that shouldn’t be much of an issue. Also, in my opinion, reaper’s built in plugins aren’t all that good, and if you go the reaper route I would suggest stocking up on some solid plugins from online as well. That’s my two cents. Reaper is my suggestion but it’s for the long term.
I'd say to start with GarageBand and then move to Logic. I still prefer Studio One but GB is a great place to start. Moving to Logic afterward will be a lot easier because they're almost identical but Logic has more features.
Actually I found Reaper easy to set up with my old outboard gear. Perhaps the plugins are not pretty but Dan Worrall and Kenny G make them work fine There are lots of free 3rd party instruments synths and sample packs, I posted a small list in another reply Also lots of free eqs, limiters, compressors, meters etc.... What is not easy are all the choices one has. Its not impossible to make a good mix with the stock plugins and JS scripts just perhaps a bit more time knowing them really well and for what purpose
after using reaper cakewalk and bitwig I can say cakewalk is free and easy to use reaper can do almost everything but super confusing at first bitwig is super easy to use there's no need to set up anything
i want to start making some electronic type music, practice beats, etc, but i don’t have the money for a big thing like ableton live or fl studio. what does everyone recommend to at least feel out the software and maybe switch later on?
I would use the 90 day trial that ableton offers first. After that? Fuck it, get a torrent. And then, make it a priority to buy the software as soon as you make enough money
tools or instruments..... Best things in life are free, Vital synth, Surge XT, Tal noisemaker free Kontakt instruments and Spitfire, Ample base and acoustic guitar, SAMS free orchestra and Spitfire free BBC orchestra, Decent sampler (free) some free instruments for that, see Pianobook as well Tukan suite of js plugins (Reaper only), some free Klanghelm plugins, suite of free Melda plugins Tons of stuff out there I like to demo first
sup guys, i wanna be prod, making different beats like carti or drake,so i can t choose daw for start, specifically, this convenience and low system requirements are important to me, because I don't spend so much time at home and use a PC, most often I use a laptop outside the house, so I have a question which daw to choose? I am considering Amped Studio, Soundation for myself, I would like to try fl studio, but I am afraid that the experience will be sad, since the laptop is only for work and the browser
Hi ,I want to learn a music daw .but ,I'm a totally begginer person ,so I'm doubt in processor.i3 or i5 is good for me because I'm totally begginer.which processor is good for me plse anyone reply.
I started on Audacity then moved to a crack version of FL Studio 8, then Pro Tools, then Cake Walk, then, MPC Beats, then Reaper. 😂 I think Reaper is the best for those like myself who are looking to record live instruments but struggling financially as it's only $60. If you buy an Akai Pro you get MPC Beats with it. Which is good for making beats. HipHop, Trance, House, Techno, Trap, etc.
cake walks not free any more neither is fruity loops cake walk is 30 day trial then min price is $49 max price is $499, fruity loops is like $800 now mental
@@Producelikeapro well, yes, but some DAWs have so many features that the basics get difficult to. I remember back in the days I started with FL Studios. It was a nightmare to get through all the crazy settings.
Reaper is the best and u can get a perpetual license for $60 and sometimes there are deals I got mine for $40…the creator of the mp3 created Reaper so he’s absolutely generous and the software is literally updated patched and improved more than any other company out there…the choice is obvious…reaper all the way…I literally get amazing mixes using only reapers stock plugins…check out Richmond by for the greater good as an example of what can b done with cheap gear and DAW
I made the mistake in uni of getting a student discount version of Protools, and they they switched to subscription and I'm paying through my eyeballs for it 😫
I can't even begin to say just how much I hate this bloody subscription thing. I'm so happy that I bought Photoshop CS6 back then. Still using it today. Fuck all those subscription models.
Thank the almighty above you didn’t refer to these things as “doors”!!! Drives me god damn seriously crazy !!! It’s a D.A.W people!! A “door” is something you walk through into another room or into the world outside. There,I sad it. Thank you Warren.
