How Does One Compose with a DAW?

C

Chidsuey

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I'm new to DAWs, but not digital composing. I've been writing music for years using only Finale, but it seems like DAWs are more robust in every way. I still don't quite grasp how one composes on a DAW, as there isn't much of a score manager in any of the ones I've looked at. Is it generally only with an external keyboard? How do you compose with loops? It seems like so many are just samples and can't be modified in any way. Overall I'm just confused about the entire process. All I know is, DAWs are what industry professionals use for scoring just about anything. If that's too vague I'm sorry, and I'll answer any questions you might have if you could help point me in the right direction. Thanks a lot!
 
In a lot of cases, composers DON'T use their DAW for actually composing. It's pretty common to composed in one piece of software then render to wave files and mix on the DAQ.

I know a couple of people who make their living composing. One uses Sibelius and the other uses Sonar. The two workflows are quite different but both end up with a paper composition plus MIDI and/or WAVE versions that can then be mixed in a DAW. (I should say that Sonar is sold as a DAW and many use it that way but my friend finds it very clunky and limiting when he gets to the mixing audio stage.

As camn says, there are DAWs that let you work "all in one' but most are better for one side or the other.
 
The term DAW covers a wide array of applications. It doesn't necessarily have to mean computer programs. It could be a keyboard with a built-in sequencer and editing capabilities. It could be a standalone studio system. Or a computer based recording system. Most of the time, we refer to a DAW as a computer program like Cubase, Sonar, Protools, but it's any system of tools used for creating music.

So, when you ask about composing with a DAW, what do you mean?
 
DAWs normally have "piano roll" editors which can be used for composing, but they can be cumbersome to work with.

Some DAWs do have a basic "notation" or "score" editor as well, which won't be as sophisticated as a dedicated notation program, but will be easier to work with than the piano roll editor if you're used to working with notation.

Another option would be to do most of your scoring in your favorite notation program, then export your work to a MIDI file, then import it into your favorite DAW for additional work with the virtual instruments, mixing, etc.
 
Thank you all for your responses!

I had hoped that perhaps exporting/importing MIDI files was one of the ways to go, I just wasn't sure if there was a better way using DAW software. I guess it just seems like there are higher quality samples to use that come from DAW software than what I'm able to get as VST. Perhaps when I hear something great, it's because the composer could afford something like Project SAM. I haven't been able to find good guitar samples or (in my current need) spaghetti western samples to write music with. Maybe I've just been over complicating it in my mind, and the quality issue is truly due to the pay wall I can't yet scale. It's also possible I've just been confused by what I've read of so many professionals' setups, wherein little mention of notation software is found.
 
I suppose the lines are blurred a bit.

In the old days there were midi suites, notation suits, and audio suites.
The same is true now but capabilities have bled across between them.

For example, Protools bought and integrated sibelius, so now Protools has a traditional score editor. That said, I'm fairly confident that standalone sibelius or finale or whatever would offer a wider range of notation options. I don't know..

I don't really use notation software but I wouldn't be surprised if the lines have blurred from that perspective too. Perhaps they allow use of VST instruments now instead of just general midi? I'd imagine that's the case but, again, I don't know.


I know lots of people create their music via midi (drawing and playing) in something like logic or Protools, because of the great audio control they have and the sample library access,
but for actual preparation of a printed manuscript, I imagine there are still dedicated suites that do the job better.

The last time I had to prepare a printed score was about 5 years ago, but I did use Sibelius for it.

Hopefully that bunch of guessing and not actually knowing anything is useful to you. ;)
 
If you want to jot notes down on a staff, then something like Sibelius or Forte would work. Yu can export into a midi file and play/edit in a DAW program like Cubase using quality instruments.

If you want to compose by using a keyboard, you can record your midi using a keyboard controller straight into a DAW program, then edit as necessary. Either way is not too expensive and can yield good results.
 
I hit record in Cubase, usually with a click, and just play. My collaborator - a concert trained pianist plays the piano, writes it on manuscript, then enters it into his pad using some software I can't remember. He might load that into Sibelius and tweak, and then he exports it as MIDI and then I have to edit that back to something usable. However - when he comes to my studio, he plays direct into cubase. I don't think it matters. For what it's worth, Cubase does playable scoring but compared to Sibelius (which is a rubbish sequencer) it just looks horrible.It struggles with tied notes, it struggles with aligning them properly, and it has real issues with piano scores where treble clef suddenly appears in the bass clef - where a run that just dipped below middle C would just be on ledger lines. Cubase cannot do clever stuff - my pianist can just about play Cubase's display, but it's wrong.

I guess you use the system that works for you.None are wrong, just perhaps inappropriate for some musicians.
 
Chili said:
The term DAW covers a wide array of applications. It doesn't necessarily have to mean computer programs. It could be a keyboard with a built-in sequencer and editing capabilities. It could be a standalone studio system. Or a computer based recording system. Most of the time, we refer to a DAW as a computer program like Cubase, Sonar, Protools, but it's any system of tools used for creating music.

So, when you ask about composing with a DAW, what do you mean?
Click to expand...

Ya, for me, the digital aspect revolves around my toy Yamaha keyboard with the 7-track sequencer. My first "tool", in that regard.

Digital, also, comes across as Beats per Minute. hahaha Something I try to avoid, quite often. If your flute is supposed to be playing to a different drummer, it's not going along with the plan.

Along with that, it can be easy to get sidetracked with extra tools and gizmos.

For myself, I'm MIDI outside the computer. But no one want to edit outside the computer.
 
Thanks again everyone. I appreciate the feedback! Y'all seem to use Cubase a lot, but I had nothing but trouble trying to get it to work.
 
So let me add this for some clarification since I can't quite get the answers I'm looking for elsewhere.

Wild West KLI Series Overview - YouTube

This is a link of a set of western loops. What I really want is fiddle and banjos sounds that I can use by composing in Finale, then converting to midi and then applying the instrument in a DAW. These however, don't seem like that's possible, and I'm having trouble finding instruments for that purpose. It seems like these loops are mostly what I find, and it baffles me how people compose with these at is it seems like writing your own melodies by rearranging the loops would be tedious and not even possible in some instances. What am I missing? Thanks.
 
You might have a look at Magix Music Maker Tutorials for some quick insight .

No, I don't think you are missing anything. But, you do want to keep this way of working as painless as possible.

I have a crappy loop thing here, somewhere...

all samples and loops and I played live one "space whoop" part
 

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