Which DAW does WATMM recommend?

I love FL studio for the piano roll, automation, built-in fx and synths (I really need to dive into Sytrus...), but then again it's the only DAW I've ever used.

 

Jeskola Buzz looks neat though.

Edited October 27, 2014 by th555

Hammerhead

Download:

http://www.threechords.com/hammerhead/download.shtml

guess I'll check Renoise! thanks guys

Bitwig Studio will release a big new update shortly which will address a lot of the main issues that currently make it unusable for some.
I think a lot of people have written off Bitwig because they released it in a horribly buggy and unfinished state but they have been good about regular updates and it's coming along steadily. It has a lot going for it and it's worth looking at.

  On 10/27/2014 at 5:10 PM, cloud capture said:

Hammerhead

Download:

http://www.threechords.com/hammerhead/download.shtml

I actually have at least two old tracks I made with that. MANY years ago, unsurprisingly. I would love to play with it again but I'm on Mac and don't mess with Windows emulation shit, so...one day.

 

They also had some software called Moonfish that was quite sweet. Man, I'm getting all nostalgic for the old days...

 

Oh, but on topic: Ableton Live 9 is what I use (I've got Suite which has Max for Live, but I've only started dipping my toe into the Max stuff). It's a good all-around DAW, but depending on the type of music you're making, your workflow, etc, it really can vary. I almost went into the Logic crowd, but I really didn't care for the UI and a lot of the stuff seemed messy/counterintuitive to me. Definitely try as many as you can before you settle on one or two to work with.

 

Obligatory mention of AudioMulch for being awesome as a bare-bones tool. I still use it some, and would definitely recommend it to anyone into modular/noise/ambient/etc. Found at: http://audiomulch.com

Fuck yeah Hammerhead, me and me mate used to play with that a lot. I think they (or someone) made a vst plug of it.

  On 10/27/2014 at 4:02 PM, chim said:

I started out with Reason. I don't think there could've been a better way to start. Quick to sketch out tracks with, completely self-contained. Working with the same couple of synths for every track really teaches you the nitty-gritty of synthesis and sound design. The visual interface is soo pretty, and there's also a lot of complex routing behind each unit.

 

Back in the day you couldn't add new modules to Reason, so after a year or so I went through Acid, Cubase and eventually settled with Live.

 

It took some time to get past the initial hurdles, but I eventually found myself really comfortable with it, and I have never found my needs extending beyond the tools, even as my method and work process became very complex (autistic). I started using hardware with it very early on and it's easy to link up with your audio interface, as well as analog/digital re-routing for outboard gear treatment. Most of the stuff I need to do on a daily basis is ridiculously easy and intuitive - midi, browsing, chopping up and stretching audio, automation. The track freezing and flattening is a lifesaver when you've got 100+ tracks of complex VST work, and also for resampling without having to bounce anything as you can just drop the frozen audio into a new channel.

 

For me, it continually hits that sweet spot in which you are able to do more advanced stuff than you would expect from a lot of DAWs out there, but not so difficult that you have to learn to make your own synth modules and programming bullshit (no offense, max & pd users etc). I honestly can't see myself working with another DAW. Haven't upgraded to 9 yet though.

 

Never liked the workflow of trackers, and I didn't get a good impression of FL studio back in the day, although now I see it's a force to be reckoned with. You'll probably be able to make your own impression after going through a few demos.

Nice, this was pretty much my progression as well, with the exception that I used FL from 2005-2007 or so. I really love Live's easy workflow. Can record synths and then immediately use those sound clips and modify them. So a blend of audio and midi channels easily switch between both and iterate and experiment with things, and the same ease horizontally in the timeline with moving clips around, and doing many versions of the same sound or section etc. Automation is a breeze as well. All my tracks since 2008 have been made with like 5 VSTs and Live plus some field recordings and it still feels pretty limitless

i recommend you to demo several of them and THEN to choose

  On 10/27/2014 at 5:25 PM, auxien said:

 

  On 10/27/2014 at 5:10 PM, cloud capture said:

Hammerhead

Download:

http://www.threechords.com/hammerhead/download.shtml

I actually have at least two old tracks I made with that. MANY years ago, unsurprisingly. I would love to play with it again but I'm on Mac and don't mess with Windows emulation shit, so...one day.

 

They also had some software called Moonfish that was quite sweet. Man, I'm getting all nostalgic for the old days...

 

Oh, but on topic: Ableton Live 9 is what I use (I've got Suite which has Max for Live, but I've only started dipping my toe into the Max stuff). It's a good all-around DAW, but depending on the type of music you're making, your workflow, etc, it really can vary. I almost went into the Logic crowd, but I really didn't care for the UI and a lot of the stuff seemed messy/counterintuitive to me. Definitely try as many as you can before you settle on one or two to work with.

 

Obligatory mention of AudioMulch for being awesome as a bare-bones tool. I still use it some, and would definitely recommend it to anyone into modular/noise/ambient/etc. Found at: http://audiomulch.com

 

 

YES Audiomulch!!!!!

 

I've always been attracted to it. I found simply lovely its GUI, and yeah, I've tried it... I know it's capable of cool stuff but maybe (I might be wrong though) it's more for sound design and live patching rather than a DAW. Tim Hecker used it a lot, many people too... I might try it again, I really would like to know it better.

Edited October 27, 2014 by logakght

  On 10/27/2014 at 5:25 PM, auxien said:

They also had some software called Moonfish that was quite sweet.

 

Bram Bos also made Tuareq, which is now freeware I think?

 

 

used these back in the days to create beat loops for arranging in Cubase.

i used hammerhead a few times, would have liked to have more features so stopped using it, (heh maybe if i'd upgraded from the demo it might have been betterer) and instead got breaks from jazz records then cut them up in acid pro. Then stopped doing that and used sound forge for the last beat breakee thing i did. all of this was making beats to put over/under fruity melodies of course, cause unlike OD i really couldn't make decent beats exclusively in that program.

Long time Audiomulch fan. I was part of the original e-mail list of bug reporters, donated $50 when it was still in testing and was given lifetime key. I still go to it for unique effects and live automation.

  On 10/27/2014 at 11:21 PM, delet... said:

i used hammerhead a few times, would have liked to have more features so stopped using it, (heh maybe if i'd upgraded from the demo it might have been betterer) and instead got breaks from jazz records then cut them up in acid pro. Then stopped doing that and used sound forge for the last beat breakee thing i did. all of this was making beats to put over/under fruity melodies of course, cause unlike OD i really couldn't make decent beats exclusively in that program.

are you still making music?

I use Logic, but I've learned to use a ton of DAW's. I suggest to play around with a bunch of them and use one that you feel lets you get your ideas out the fastest.

reaper is capable of pretty much anything recording, routing, automation and midiwise. no brainer demo policy. deep dense yet light.

 

whose got a problem with reaper?

Oh man, Buzz is great. Forgot about that one. I always thought the synths sounded a little hazy but there were some ridiculous effects, and separate (and multiple) patterns for each machine was great.

 

Audiomulch too, everyone should take the DLGranulator for a spin.

So it's all personal taste then really. I'll probably end up going with FL because I've used the trial a lot and I really like it, plus I can afford it. Still though....I'll try to get more into Reason and Ableton Live before I buy.

  On 10/28/2014 at 2:36 PM, sweepstakes said:

Oh man, Buzz is great. Forgot about that one. I always thought the synths sounded a little hazy but there were some ridiculous effects, and separate (and multiple) patterns for each machine was great.

Ah yeah, the haziness was what I liked about it, tbh. That said, I used to filter everything so it was a bit lofi anyway. I do miss the awesome effects though. My music was a lot more wacky/experimental in my Buzz days.

  On 10/27/2014 at 4:49 PM, StocKo said:

The only DAW I could really handle and make cool stuff with was Jeskola Buzz which is free and really great imho (always new machines ie. synths/effects/etc to download and discover, new techniques to experiment) but sadly it doesn't exist on Mac and I never really got into Renoise or Live.

 

I love Live, its interface etc. but I don't know, I never managed to achieve a track entirely in it...What I love doing tho is chopping breaks in its sequencer because it's really simple and fun to do.

Took me approx a year to make the transition from Buzz to Ableton, was a slow start but then the work flow suddenly started to fall into place - Still not completely at the same speed as I was with Buzz but am getting close (to be fair I did use it for 10 years). The thing I'm still slowest at getting done is with drum and granular programming, could whack out crazy stuff so quickly with Buzz but now it takes a considerable effort to achieve the same thing. So glad I moved though, have so much to play with - Though alas virtually time to play with it

 

  On 10/28/2014 at 3:13 AM, skibby said:

whose got a problem with reaper?

Not me, cracking bit of software. Still use it for every track to do the final mixing with, and the mastering of albums. Cracking to do mix sets with too.

  On 10/28/2014 at 3:13 AM, skibby said:

reaper is capable of pretty much anything recording, routing, automation and midiwise. no brainer demo policy. deep dense yet light.

 

whose got a problem with reaper?

I was thinking about getting Reaper to replace my old Ableton Live 6. It seems so expensive to upgrade Ableton.

the reaper demo is 2 months with full functionality, then when the two months are up it continues to work, there is just a 10 second nag screen when you start it

Edited November 4, 2014 by very honest

Live, personally - six years and counting. Cubase, Logic and FL Studio before that, hardware before that. (:

My personal setup (in order of importance):

 

-Live

-FL Studio

-Reason

 

I use all of them, but I do the most in Live.

If I were to start over, I think Reaper seems like the best bang for your money when it comes to music production. It's all-purpose approach, flexibility and low price ($60 for non-commercial use, $225 for commercial use) are attractive.

Logic Pro X, quite cheap (250$) and very easy to use for a beginner.