Beginner: Looking for a DAW with strong beginner resources

  • Thread starter Thread starter Matt Dunn
  • Start date Start date
M

Matt Dunn

New member
Hi all.

I am a total beginner to home recording/production. Here is my situation - I play jazz piano (keyboards). My goals are to be able to record from my keyboards and perhaps add a drum track, a bass line, some VST sounds, etc. Purely for my own enjoyment here...

I am looking for a DAW, but want to pick something that has a set of resources (books, online forums, etc.) that will help me learn. A number of the bigger names out there don't seem to have a ton of those resources (or have them, but don't have anything that is targeted for a real beginner).

Can someone recommend a DAW that might have what I am looking for?

Thanks in advance,
Matt
 
Here comes 10 guys coming in to suggest Reaper lol.


No just kidding, Reaper is actually pretty good, though I don't use it myself.

Pro Tools comes to mind. There are TONS of Pro Tools tutorials on Youtube that you can look up.
 
CrowsofFritz said:
Pro Tools comes to mind. There are TONS of Pro Tools tutorials on Youtube that you can look up.
Click to expand...

One question (an ignorant one based solely on what I have heard and not what I know) - I have heard PT is weaker in the area of MIDI. Again, I don't know particularly what that means, but if I am planning to use a controller to access VSTs, is PT the weapon of choice?

Again, thanks for all your help!
 
Hi there,
I'm a Pro Tools user and I definitely wouldn't say it's weaker than any other daw, in terms of Midi.

I think I know what you're getting at though. The workflow isn't as pleasant, in the opinion of many.

I have to admit, any time I've been manually drawing midi notation I've been aware of how much easier it could be.
Bottom line though, PT is as capable as any other.

I do avoid recommending it though, because it's so costly and there are great alternatives now.
A tutor recommended it to me when I didn't know any better, back when you needed digi's hardware.
I dropped £1300 on a 003 only to come back in september and find out that all the tutors were using logic. :(

Buck the trend and get reaper. :)
 
Steenamaroo said:
...and find out that all the tutors were using logic. :(

Buck the trend and get reaper. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick response. Just out of interest, as between Reaper and something like Logic, is there a reason to go with Logic (again, external compatibility is not a real concern of mine, as I am purely a hobbyist)?
 
Honestly, I'm not intimately acquainted with either of them, but I've never heard anyone slamming either for lack of functionality.

The selling point for reaper has always been that you can download the full version right now for free, and try it out legally.
Logic has no demo (last I checked), and of course, is mac only.
 
Matt Dunn said:
One question (an ignorant one based solely on what I have heard and not what I know) - I have heard PT is weaker in the area of MIDI. Again, I don't know particularly what that means, but if I am planning to use a controller to access VSTs, is PT the weapon of choice?

Again, thanks for all your help!
Click to expand...


Mostly because Pro Tools started out more focused on analog workflow, as opposed to, say, Cubase and Digital Performer, which focused on MIDI. But that was when all of said products first began. As time progresses, each DAW becomes more and more less about what each can do, but rather how you do it. AKA workflow.
 
MIDI is easy enough in Reaper... if I can do it, anyone can...
 
I would go with Reaper as well. It's pretty straightforward. You don't have to fiddle around too much unlike many other DAW's to do what you want. Also Mixcraft is pretty decent as well.
 
A third vote for Reaper, MIDI is easy to implement, a little more tricky to edit until you get the hang of it. Huge user manual, vast user forums at cockos.com
 
I'm a Sonar user, but for new folks, I highly recommend Studio One. I set a friend up on it who is not only DAW illiterate, but fairly computer illiterate in general. The software is very user friendly, support is excellent and the Studio One forum is top notch.
 
I myself am a Sonar user. I use Sonar X1 Producer Expanded and it is a great program. I have used many of the DAWs out there. I have used Pro-Tools, Logic, Cubase, Live, Reaper, etc... Reaper is really straight forward and easy to use. I could be wrong but for some reason I remember it not having any effects included, but I could be wrong it was a while ago. But I have been using Sonar X1 since it came out and I really like how easy it is to use while it still has advanced functions. It comes with all the effects a beginner could need and it even has instruments that you can play with your keyboard. If you have any questions about Sonar I can answer them for you. The one downside is that is only made for Windows, but I guess you can run Windows on Mac, I just don't know how reliable that is.
 
If using Windows, I think it's worth taking a look at FL Studio 10. To me, it seemed like the most complete package I could find for the money and when I first started up, it was an incredibly easy and fast workflow. Some DAWs can have steep learning curves but don't be fooled by FL's ease of use... it's extremely powerful and as a beginner I was literally making music in minutes (which is more than can be said for the others I've tried). I've come across those who use Pro Tools and still favour FL for beat making and composition. I managed to get a special offer on the Signature Bundle which gives me access to a huge range of native high quality plugins and VSTi instruments. With some DAWs I think you're expected to make do with a handful of basic effects and then find your own instruments. With FL Studio you get a full suite of extremely powerful synths as well as a simple but realistic bass guitar and a good sounding piano. It's probably not for everyone and I don't think the drums are really that great but you get integrated audio recording and editing, which I find useful. I also really like the easy to use mastering tools and the automation is easy and powerful. Performance wise, I've found it to be incredibly stable. I've tried a few others, including Reaper which is extremely good for free but I didn't find it to be very stable and I found it's FX plugins a bit disappointing, to be honest. I still had to rewire it to FL Studio in order to make music with it. Still, there is absolutely nothing to be lost by trying Reaper, because it won't cost you a penny. But if you're looking for a large range of features and output options and you're willing to pay a bit more than say, Mixcraft - I personally can't think of a better solution.

You can download demos of most DAWs so you can try them out and decide for yourself. That's probably the best thing to do as everyone has slightly different preferences.
 
Last edited:
michaelst57 said:
. I could be wrong but for some reason I remember it not having any effects included, but I could be wrong it was a while ago.
Click to expand...

There are plenty of effects in Reaper - so far I haven't used them but the Dr's comment above is the first time I've heard anyone not like them, so check around with other users.
 
IMO: Try demo versions of every DAW you can find. Then, once you have spent 6 months+ digging into how a DAW works, throw away your computer, buy a new one, and download all of the demo's again. I actually somewhat mean this, as until you have basic knowledge of what it is that works best for you, you will not be able to form a judgement. Just because a program is 'easy' at first, does not necessarily mean that it is the best for you (the way your head wraps around recording).

I would recommend Cubase if you plan to do MIDI/VSTi instrument recording. Editing is easiest with it from comparison to others I have worked with. I would also recommend it for any type of recording. BUT, I am biased, as it is the DAW that I learned home recording on, and found it to work with my particular brain. That is not to say it would be the best for you. I absolutely loathed working with ProTools in others studios. I tried Reaper at home, and was not fond of the way workflow happened. But again, that is just me. You cant go wrong starting with Reaper, as it is fully functional to see if it works for you. At least you will have the time to dig in, and see how things work with a DAW, so that you can form an opinion on others. Many other DAW demo's only work for a limited time.

Most DAW's do basically the same thing, with the same basic quality. It is how you like to work, that will tell you which DAW is right for you. Until you learn how you like to work by getting experience with one, you will not be able to make your final decision. Any advice as to which is best for you, is really just personal opinion from us guys who like what we like. Not to say any is actually better.

I love dogs. Can't stand cats (they eat you when you die). To each their own....

:D
 
That's all good advice from Jimmy above - except the bit where you "throw away the computer". Don't throw it away, send it to me, instead. :cool:
 
Last edited:
Armistice said:
There are plenty of effects in Reaper - so far I haven't used them but the Dr's comment above is the first time I've heard anyone not like them, so check around with other users.
Click to expand...

Think I was somewhat biased by the effects I'd already been using in FL, as I'd got used to how they sounded. I also found I didn't have the wide range of plugin choices that came supplied with FL. On sound, I think it just comes down to personal preference. Though I couldn't exist on Reaper alone, because (as far as I could tell) there were no instruments at all and it also lacked audio recording/ editing. Though you can get around that by using a third party editor. Unless that's now changed...?

Reaper is worth the download just to have if you ever need it. In the past as an experiment, I've bounced what I've made in FL Studio and done a final mix in Reaper. I've never used Pro Tools, so can't comment on that but I hear that Reaper is similar or somehow based on Pro Tools.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top