Setting up a music studio consists of many gadgets, gears, instruments and many more
things. But the most important piece of tool which is needed to make music is your
DAW. Choosing the correct DAWs as per your requirement and uses can be confusing
in the beginning but let’s first understand what a DAW is.
What are DAWs –
A digital audio workstation or as said DAW is a musical
software which helps to record, edit audio, play and record MIDI files and also
mix music. DAWs allow recording multiple tracks and edit them which result in a
one single audio file and makes a full song.
Here is what a DAW can do –
i) record, edit and mix audio
ii) play, edit and record MIDI files
iii) able to play different virtual instrument or VSTs
iv) turns recorded MIDI notes into written sheet music
It’s very different from a normal audio editor which offers only audio editing.
DAWs is your ultimate tool which is needed to make any genre of music.
Here is my list of some of the best DAWs available in the market which let you go
from scratch to final master your music.
1- Ableton Live
Live is fast, fluid and flexible software for music creation performance.It is one of the
best music production software available and has been ruling the industry since its first
release in 2001. It is a complete software for audio production which comes with effects
, instruments, different sound packs and all kinds of creative features.
Its interface is not so tricky for beginners and you can freely mix and match musical
ideas without the constraints of a timeline. Ableton live is a great software for live
performances and looping. Getting ideas down is very fast and it’s an ideal place for
improvisation. Ableton is well known for its amazing synthesis and sampling capabilities.
It stands out with its MIDI comping feature.
It comes for both Windows and MacOS.
Ableton Live comes into three editions
i) Live Intro – Essential at a great price – USD 99
Features – 16 audio and MIDI tracks, 2 send and return tracks, 8 mono audio input and
output channels, capture MIDI
ii) Live Standard – Full feature plus extras – USD 449
Features – Unlimited audio and MIDI tracks, 12 send and return tracks, 256 mono audio
input and output channels, capture MIDI, Audio Slicing, Audio to MIDI
iii) Live Suite – Complete Integrated Studio – USD 749
Features – Unlimited audio and MIDI tracks, 12 send and return tracks, 256 mono audio
input and output channels, capture MIDI, Audio Slicing, Audio to MIDI, Max for live.
Get Ableton Live Here – https://www.ableton.com/en/
2- Logic Pro X
Logic is a popular software for music production and MIDI sequencer for macOS
platform.It is a popular and super beginner friendly DAW used for quality audio
production.Its massive collection of stock plugins and sounds are so enriched which
makes it a complete software in itself.
Logic Pro X is a complete tool for professional songwriting, beat-making, editing and
mixing.If you have iphone or ipad, logic remote lets you control Logic Pro on your Mac.
Logic stands from a home studio production to the most advanced demanding project.
Easily create amazing sounding acoustic drums or electronic beats with the intelligent
quality of drummer track in Logic Pro X. It can follow along to a particular part in a track
and adjust its playing accordingly – like a live drummer.
It only runs on macOS so if you are an Apple user you should definitely try it. it’s worth
it.
Price
Logic Pro X comes in only one standard edition which costs USD – 199.
This price range for this software is really amazing.Best deal.
Buy Logic Pro Here –https://www.apple.com/in/logic-pro/
3- FL Studio
FL studio or previously known as Fruity Loops is one of the oldest and most successful
DAW software for music production. It is very popular among electronic music
producers and musicians. It is more than 20 years old software. FL studio operates in
windows as well as macOS. It is mainly used for creating beats, recording audio and
synths, playing MIDI files and creating structurals beats and loops. It is also famous for
its ability to create remixes.It gives the highest professional standard for mixing and
mastering your song, so it’s a complete DAW in itself.
FL studio makers have also released FL studio mobile for ios and android. It supports
the ability to create multi track projects on mobile devices as well as on ipads.
FL studio comes into four editions –
i) FL Studio Fruity Edition
The perfect entry level virtual music studio.
PRICE – 99 USD
ii) FL Studio Producer Edition
All-in-one virtual studio. Full song creation & mic recording.
PRICE – 199 USD
iii) FL Studio Signature Bundle
A bundle of FL Studio producer edition + some signature plugins.
PRICE – 299 USD
iii) FL Studio All Plugins Edition
Include all FL studio features and native plugins available at the time of purchase.
PRICE – 499 USD
Get FL Studio Here – https://www.image-line.com/
4- Cubase
Cubase is a popular software for music production which helps in creating music,
producing like a pro and mixing like a master. It helps you to reach your full creative
potential.
Cubase is a good reference standard for music production software, it can Produce
tracks from start to finish and is suitable for all genres like EDM, POP, Jazz, Rock and
budgets. It is well known for its fast, flexible and intuitive workflows. It’s a DAW which
has ruled the industry for a very long and it is one of the oldest music production
software available in the market.It can also give sheet music notations like other popular
DAWs. It can run on both windows and macOS.
Cubase is available in every possible budget, from highly affordable CUBASE
ELEMENTS to the high end Cubase PRO.
Cubase comes into three editions :
EDITION PRICE
- Cubase Elements 110 USD
- Cubase Artist 364 USD
- Cubase Pro 641 USD
If you are a college/university student, special discounts are available.
Buy Cubase Here- https://www.steinberg.net/cubase/
5 – Pro Tools
Pro tools is an industry standard software for music production.It is a well known DAW
for recording and creating music which is widely used by professional studio artists.
It is developed and released by Avid technology.Pro tools works on windows as well as
macOS. Pro Tools gives a powerful combination of tightly integrated software, hardware
and control surfaces that work together to accelerate your workflow. It is one of the
DAWs which is so old but still widely used and top among the best music creation
software.
Pro tools make all the processes like record and produce, edit and reshape sounds,fix
issues and then create professional quality mixes faster.It is a standalone DAWs as well
as works well with external analogue gears.
Pro tools comes into two editions
i)Pro tools :
Here you get all basic essential tools to compose, record and mix music
and audio.
PRICE -199 USD
ii)Pro tools ultimate subscription :
It is the ultimate toolset for professional
music and all kinds of audio post production.
PRICE – USD 399
Get Pro tools here – https://www.avid.com/pro-tools/audio-recording-software
6- Reaper
Reaper is a digital audio workstation or DAW which gives complete audio production for
computers, offering a full multitrack audio and MIDI recording,editing, mixing and
mastering tools. It is fast to load, flexible and offers complete processing like
automation, modulation, grouping and support all kinds of third-party plugins and VSTs.
Reaper current update supports Microsoft Windows and macOS as well as for linux.
It is constantly releasing its unlimited free updates which includes new features and bug
fixes.It gives 60 days period for evaluating Reaper full version so you can try and check
if it fits your work and then you can purchase it.
Reaper is available for purchase in two license:
i) Discounted License – USD 60
ii)Commercial License – USD 225
Get REAPER here – https://www.reaper.fm/download.php
Conclusion
All DAWs do the same work and can give the best result if you know how to use and
bring out the full potential of it.Your creativity has to do nothing with the DAW you
chose.DAW helps you to bring out your music in the most simplest way.
All the above mentioned software gives a certain months trial period so you can
download and try to checkout which goes best for you.
You should also consider your system configuration with the DAWs you chose, for
example, if a software requires a minimum of 8 GB RAM and your PC or computers
have only 4 GB then you may need to try a different one which suits your system
configuration.
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