Which DAW do you guys use?

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I'm still using Sonar 6 in a Windows XP platform. I've been using Cakewalk since Cakwalk 1.0 - so I know my way around the Cakewalk/Sonar programs well - and I do a lot of MIDI and I've always felt Cakewalk/Sonar does MIDI well. Cakewalk/Sonar has always worked well for me and the customer service has been good when I needed it - so I stay loyal.

I've got Pro Tools 7 loaded for the occasional project that comes to me in a Pro Tools format - but I really don't know Pro Tools well, so I have to spend waaaay too much time reading the manual (not an ideal confidence booster when the client if in the room).
 
I use a standalone DAW, an Akai DPS12i. For me it's the ideal halfway point between the computer and the cassette portastudio. I can use all the internal shebang or external hardware. As I have two machines, it's great for mixing in sections or flying in tracks from one project to another.
I like every aspect of it. I wish it had reverse data {for backwards recording} as part of it's editing but I have a Zoom MRS8, which does reverse data, to take care of anything I want recorded backwards.
 
Logic 9. I've been a Logic kid since Logic 6 (well, used 5.5 on PC's at uni :eek: but was also using Cakewalk at home which i preferred at the time) and although i've used a plethora of others i've always ended up back with Logic
 
HI guys,
I started years ago with Cubase 3 (I think) and got some good stuff done with it but I always found the interface very confusing, and unintuitive. I moved on to CoolEdit/Adobe Audition in early 2000s. I found the interface here much easier to use, everything was where I felt it would logically be. Although Audition is not as feature rich as Cubase I found it much easier to achieve what I wanted to achieve with it. Last year I got an free copy of Cubase 5 (or 6, I can't remember) with a Zoom R16 and decided to give it another go, but found the interface problems were still there, so I decided to give Reaper a go. Reaper is awesome, I still find it easier to do some things in Audition, but I mostly use reaper now. Love it.
 
I use nuendo. Its cubase plus a bunch of post production stuff. I started with Nuendo 1, when there was a big difference between it and cubase and just kept upgrading. If I did it all over again, I would have gone with cubase.

I just picked up samplitude with the new daw. computer I got. I haven't for it up and running yet, so I have nothing to report.
 
The shit I use is old school by today's standards, but I've learned how to get a good sound.

I use Acid Pro4 for creating songs, and Cool Edit Pro 2 for recording. I've got CEP2 to recognize VST effects, and I can use VST synths in Acid, so that added quite a bit of life...
 
Ableton - for arranging, imho one of the most direct tools for arranging, especially remixing on the fly.

Studio One Pro - for mixing, great mixer view plus a seperate linked project page for mastering. In build FX are pretty decent too.

Have logic, pro tools, and acid too...never gelled with them. Started on sonar years ago but it felt like running through mud. As i buy more hardware synths Cubase looks more attractive, abletons midi capabilities verge on shit with more than one piece of hardware.
 
I use PT 10HD. I've been using it since I was only on the native PT LE7. I love the DSP power of HD with the combination of native plugins. PT has gotten much better over the years and is one of the best looking DAW out there now. What I don't like is Avid has been slow in the past to introduce features that other DAWs have had for years (A mistake in their ways they're correcting but have paid for) for example clip gain. I use to hate the DAE Errors (playback errors) I would get with my LE system, but since the Disk Cach feature was added to PT 10HD (audio is now loaded into your RAM for playback instead of playing the audio directly off your hard drive) I can't remember the last time I had an DAE Error and playback start time is now fast.

One note to PT uses still using a hard drive as your main drive...get an SSD (intel 520). This has made life much easier for me. Computer starts super fast and even with all the plugins I have, PT loads fast as hell. The addition of an SSD is like night and day and this goes for any cpu and DAW...DO IT TODAY!
 
Years ago I talked my agency into getting a portrait monitor and a Mac. Within moments of using it, the secretaries were complaining about how long it took to save a document. Only an hour before they were having to retype three page documents just because of a minor change. This is the same complaint or question. We now have whole recording studios available and we're worried about which one to use. If you are computer savvy, get the best you can afford, a ProTools 10. If you are a power app novice (never used Photoshop or Illustrator) get something like Reaper or Garageband. Either way, you will get great recordings. Good Luck,
Rod Norman
 
Sonar 8.0 Producer Edition (x64). I only have real world experience with Sonar, but no complaints. I find it logically laid out (to my brain anyway) so I've stuck with it through a couple of upgrades.
 
Sonar X2. I have been with Sonar for years and was ready to bolt a couple of years ago as other DAWs passed them by. I got Reaper and liked it, but then Cakewalk seemed to wake up the last couple of years and I'm happy again. I am particularly excited to purchase a large touchscreen now that Sonar supports them. I am visually impaired and have dreamed of a setup like that for a while.
 
rpm61 said:
Sonar X2. I have been with Sonar for years and was ready to bolt a couple of years ago as other DAWs passed them by. I got Reaper and liked it, but then Cakewalk seemed to wake up the last couple of years and I'm happy again. I am particularly excited to purchase a large touchscreen now that Sonar supports them. I am visually impaired and have dreamed of a setup like that for a while.
Click to expand...


That does look attractive, im an ipad addict so the idea of controlling an entire daw on a large screen really appeals
 
Presently using Sonar X2 Producer on the Main and X2 Essential on the Laptop Mobile rig. As a semi-pro in the field, I am pressured to go the ProTools route by my biggest customer, but IMHO Sonar X2 has more bells and whistles for less money (trying very hard to gain acceptance in the "Pro" world. But I have to admit that I have been a Cakewalk user since ProAudio8 in 1998 and not looking forward to learning another system. My point after all of this is "pick wisely, because once you learn one system, it could be awkward to change to a better fit later. I hope this helps.
 
I've been using Audacity a while ( :) ),
but now I got more into mixing/mastering I started looking for a 'real' D.A.W. and so I tried Mixcraft and at the moment I am trying REAPER but I think I am going for REAPER.
It's pretty cheap (only $60 for the non-commercial license), it has MIDI functionality, VST(i), DX(i), ... support, it's 'look' or theme is changeable, it has some kind of darker feeling (In the beginning I didn't like it but if I compare it to other D.A.W. it's a lot 'cooler' and 'chill' even to me more 'studioisch' and creative.)
 
I use Sonar 6PE still on an XP system tho I'm upgrading to qc win 8 system in a few weeks then I prob go to X2
 
The perfect DAW is the one YOU are most comfortable with. Download trial versions. Play with each for a REASONABLE trial period (say at LEAST 2 weeks) even if you initially think it sucks. I used Cakewalk through Sonar and have worked with ACID and Cubase, but found my love in Record/Reason from Propellerhad. I am seriously considering a good look at Reaper because of all the good reviews and strong loyalty here.

But, bottom line, you have to be happy with what you use! So try a few and see what shapes up.
 
What he said ^

This is the key. I started with Logic Express and upgraded to Studio. I know it well and even have access to ProTools. I'll probably stay with Logic and continue to learn it inside out. DAWs are only tools. Learn your DAW well and get the job done.
A different hammer isn't gonna build you a better house.
 
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