Page 37 - Zone Magazine Issue 011

" The best DAW is simply the one that works best for you and suits your needs. "
__________________________________________________________________________________
Pro Tools 12 (Mac/PC)
Pro Tools has been known as the industry standard DAW for quite some time now and is developed and marketed towards a more professional and commercial audience. Though mainly marketed as an professional engineers tool, it has seen some praise from a rare few budding bedroom producers.
Pros-
Industry standard in audio recording and post production
Found in almost every major studio around the globe
Fast workflow
Cons-
Aimed more towards recording rather than production
Lacks the midi and automation power found in other DAW's
Uses AAX format plugins and does not support VST or AU plugins
Price - €549
___________________________________
Reason 9 (Mac/PC)
Reason is the creation of Swedish company Propellerhead and offers users a different approach to music production compared to other DAWs. The interface of Reason is very interesting as it mimics an actual studio rack and even gives you the option to route patch cables at the back of the
Pros-
Unique workflow compared to other more traditional DAW's
A must have for any budding synthesist Very detailed GUI
Cons-
Not suitable for audio editing
Could be overwhelming if it your first DAW Doesn't support third party plugins
Price - €69 to €369 ___________________________
Bitwig (Mac/PC)
Bitwig is a relatively new entry into the DAW world, having first been released in 2014 by a select few developers from Ableton. Despite being such a new product it gained momentum early on and became quite popular.
Pros-
Plugins are sandboxed meaning if they crash, the whole program does not crash
Bitwig have some big ideas in the pipeline for upcoming versions
Supports both 32 & 64 bit plugins
Cons-
Some features and GUI are very Abletonesque Limited amount of native plugins available Though Bitwig is still relatively new, it can still be quite buggy
Price - €299
For the producer who may want to just dabble every now and again and entertain their productive needs, Audacity would be worth a mention. Audacity is a great way of introducing yourself to the world of recording and using effects plugins to enhance and alter your sound. Best of all Audacity is completely free, it wont cost you a cent. There are no demo restrictions which makes Audacity the perfect choice for any budding producer or engineer who may not yet have the cash to shed out on a typical DAW.
When it comes to choosing the correct DAW for you, here are some questions you can ask yourself which should make your decision much easier.
1) Are you a Mac or PC user? 2) What is your budget?
3) Is your focus recording or
producing?
4) Are you a live performer?
These are just a few questions you should ask yourself before purchasing your first DAW. Of course you should not base your decision on your answers to these questions, you should first download the demo and test it for yourself, but use these questions as a push in the right direction if you cant make up your mind. This is not to say you can't have more than one DAW and having more than one DAW can offer more creative possibilities by Re-wiring two DAW's into one.
_______________________________________
Next issue: common music production and studio myths
__________________________________________________________________________________
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 37