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JBr33zyMusic

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I have used Cool Edit Pro from the start of my music about 2 years ago, and I feel like its time to upgrade to a better DAW. Could anyone suggest me a DAW thats an upgrade from Cool Edit Pro that I should try out? Thank you.
 
Many of the most popular DAWs feature a 30 day trial, i would say Reaper, Cubase and Ableton Live would be good choices, then you can see which suits you best or know what to look in the daw upgrade you want
 
cubase, logic, protools, sonar, there's tons. If you happen to be in school you can get protools for $270ish.
 
Capt Hair said:
cubase, logic, protools, sonar, there's tons. If you happen to be in school you can get protools for $270ish.
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Depends on what PT version you get. It is $350 if you want PT 10 and $300 if you want PT 9 (unless they just lowered 9). However, if you are used to Cool Edit, I would agree with what guitargodgt wrote and go with Audition as it is the newest version of Cool Edit, but put out by Adobe. I had used that for the longest time before switching to ProTools. If you want familiararity, go with Audition, if you want a new DAW, well, you have a lot to choose from.
 
phriq said:
Depends on what PT version you get. It is $350 if you want PT 10 and $300 if you want PT 9 (unless they just lowered 9). However, if you are used to Cool Edit, I would agree with what guitargodgt wrote and go with Audition as it is the newest version of Cool Edit, but put out by Adobe. I had used that for the longest time before switching to ProTools. If you want familiararity, go with Audition, if you want a new DAW, well, you have a lot to choose from.
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$300, just looked, and 4 years of free upgrades. Pretty good deal.
 
Capt Hair said:
$300, just looked, and 4 years of free upgrades. Pretty good deal.
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Well F@#$, they just charged me $350 for 10! But whatever, even $400 for PT 10 and an iLok and 4 years of free upgrades is WELL worth it :D
 
If your looking to just learn a new DAW and don't plan on finding yourself in a lot of situations where you need to swap files between other people and professionals (IMO the only fucking reason to go with pro tools).

Give Studio one V2 a look. The features look awesome, and they have integrated Melodyne into the program.
 
Guitargodgt said:
If your looking to just learn a new DAW and don't plan on finding yourself in a lot of situations where you need to swap files between other people and professionals (IMO the only fucking reason to go with pro tools).
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Though I agree with you that you do not NEED to have ProTools, I do think that there are more reasons to have it than just being able to swap files.

JBr33zyMusic, What exactly do you recording wise? Outside of Cool Editing feeling "outdated" what do YOU want to see in a new DAW for yourself or what do you hope to achieve with one?
 
Capt Hair said:
Hell, just try Reaper, it's free and quite popular1
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Just to be a bit pedantic, Reaper is NOT free. There's a free trial period then if you want to keep using it without nag screens it's $60.

At $60, it's pretty remarkable value for money and, since they're the only DAW supplier who let you keep using it after the trial period (albeit with a nag screen) I think it makes sense to pay up rather than force them to go the route of everyone else and completely disable the DAW after the trial. If they play fair, so should users.

Anyhow, my 2 cents worth.
 
Anyhow, onto the original question, if you're used to Cool Edit it certainly makes sense from a learning curve point of view to give the 4 week trial of Audition CS5.5 a try. There are quite a few changes since the CEP days but, even so, it should be a lot more familiar and quicker to learn than starting from scratch on something completely new. One point: I'm assuming you don't need MIDI support since you use CEP now--the newest version of AA still doesn't do MIDI but it's an excellent tool for tracking and mixing live music.

As for Protools, I'm not a fan. I used it for many years at work and got about as familiar with it as you can get--but I never came to actually LIKE the software and always preferred working at home on my CEP setup. However, what suits and what doesn't is a very personal thing and it's worth trying a wide range of software to see what you like.
 
I didn't see this mentioned but the main reason that I can't suggest Cool Edit to people is that you cannot add effects in realtime to hear the effect on a track against the backdrop of the whole... You must add the change to the track (wait for it to process) and then jump back to the multitrack to listen and repeat the process again if it wasn't exactly what you want..... The only way I can suggest Cool edit for making music is if you don't use any signal processing in the box.. I.e.. If you have outboard gear that controls all such things... So my point is that being outdated isn't the only reason to upgrade!!! To me having access to realtime signal processing is absolutely critical (alhough i am usually a minimalist here!)...

Past that there a million options depending on your budget, your requirements, whether or not compatibilty with other studios is an issue or not, etc.... I can't say much there, but I like my older version of cubase just fine (have absolutely no issues for the type of recording that I do) and im sure that its quite cheap to acquire these days!!!
 
True...but the OP is presently using Cool Edit and thinking of upgrading. His question was "does it have to be Protools" and the answer to that is an emphatic "no".

Depending on the version of Cool Edit he has, that software is probably around 10 years old--later versions of the software--everything from Cool Edit Pro V2.0 and 2.01 (now called Audition) certainly have real time effects but the interface would be familiar to anyone used to the old CE. Whether it's right for him would depend on how he uses things (for example, Audition is pointless for a heavy user of MIDI--but darn good if you only record "real" sounds.

But my main point is that familiarity is a big factor when choosing a DAW--it's hard to go back to the bottom of a learning curve!
 
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Bobby, if you go back and re-read the thread, the original post was "which daw should i consider for an upgrade"... He never asked if it had to be pro tools.... Other people in their suggestions brought up the pro tools compatibility issue... I think the answer to that compatibility issue is dependant on the person in question... For some the answer would be an emphatic yes!!! For some (like me) its a definite no..... I'd say the original poster would need to be able to fill us in on his own needs before you answer the pro tools question..

That being said, if he is a current cool edit user, then he probably doesnt need it to be pro tools... As mentioned above many of the daws are fully functional and have good workflow... I'd say its a matter of personal flavor... I'd say to give them a try.... I would agree that if the OP doesn't use midi, he could look into Adobe Audition if simply for the fact that he can still open his cool edit files and begin taking them farther!!

I was in his same position back in 2003 and I ended up grabbing a demo of Audition.... I did my final mix on my then "album" (recorded originally in Cool Edit). It made it very easy to open my projects including all fades, etc... Only then I could add realtime effects and properly mix the thing... At the end of this process, I decided that my search wasn't over (mostly because of midi, which i still use only rarely!) I ended up going with Cubase SX3 and I'm glad I did... Not only does it include a good midi functionality but it also allows it to be a rewire host... Sure the more tools and features make it a little harder to learn, but I find it to be a really straightforward program and easy to jump into.... I would also suggest that a person shouldn't avoid something just because of how hard it may be to do... In fact many times (especially in terms of advanced computer softwares) the reason the learning curve is higher is because the tools and functionality is more advanced and is the inherent nature of the beast... It can also mean that the reward is that much greater...

I say look at your needs and then try some of the demos... See what you think!
 
well, i thought i could add my two cents.

When i started with this I researched and chose Adobe audition because it was supposed to be the easiest one to learn. I don't regret it . I really like it. I have been using AA3 for a year and a half and when i learned that there was a new version i hated that it didn't support midi. Why? because i am a humble man with his guitar, pedalboard and his notebook and, well, not much else. So VST drums and bass are a must for me and therefore i ruled out AA5.

I did a little research latetly cause i wanted to upgrade and the one I really liked was Cubase 6, but it is a bit expensive for me, considering i just do it for fun.

So, if he is using cool edit, and wants a similar DAW AA3 might do it. But not 5.

Anyway, it is also a matter of taste, so i do suggest he does his own research and make out his mind on his own. As I read this thread i saw that all the mayor DAWs were named so, again, take a look for yourself and pick the one you like better.

Fede
 
I've had Pro Tools for ages and decided to make the switch to Logic; as I wanted the options of adding software instruments. I guess it comes down to what you want to do.
When you've answered that, then do a bit of research and it'll become clear which one you gravitate too.

I really love logic for many reasons, when my tracks get too intensive and start to bog down my system, I can freeze some tracks that I'm not working on, and it frees up some of the cpu power.
It has so many virtual instruments that I can get my idea's down without having having to sacrifice "in the moment" creativity.
The plugs are awesome and there are tons of youtube video's if you get stuck on something.

They have really spent time time and money making logic a very decent DAW.

Hope that helps.
 
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