What's your favourite DAW (Digital audio workstation) software?  I'm currently messing about with Reaper, seems pretty complicated, but I guess I need to read up a bit more. 

Reaper is awesome. For the price I don't believe anything touches it. For iOS there are several affordable options as well. I'm somewhat addicted to trying them all

I have:

• StudioTrack
• BeatMaker 2
• Meteor
• MultiTrack DAW

AmpliTube also has a pretty cool DAW you can purchase called Studio. I've used that a fair bit as it works great with the (also optional) drum add-on.

Mine is Cubase. Because in the Elements package you get the Amp Rack, Groove Agent 1.2, Prologue and HaLion SE VSTs. I would like at least the Artist version, but I am still getting to grips with the more limited options in the basic package.

I tried Reaper. It's fast and flexible, but you have to then add in the instruments which are either pretty limited freebies, or lay out an arm and a leg for something decent.

I also tried Ableton - the Lite version came with my Mustang 3. After weeks of trying to get it to reliably record and playback I gave up. Also the pricing structure seems to be designed for Simon Cowell. Hugely expensive software. Pity it's so awkward.

Cubase is not perfect, and has some really annoying omissions in the Elements version (no MP3 encoder, no Beat Designer). The latency with my Steinberg UR22 is negligible, but the fact that it has those basic but very good instruments included was the clincher for me.

Quote from: Hinfrance on February 08, 2014, 03:33:07 PM
Mine is Cubase. Because in the Elements package you get the Amp Rack, Groove Agent 1.2, Prologue and HaLion SE VSTs. I would like at least the Artist version, but I am still getting to grips with the more limited options in the basic package.

I'm considering trying Cubasis. I believe that's a streamlined iOS version of Cubase. Have you tried that at all?

Sorry, I don't have any Apple products, I spend my money on instruments and cameras  , so I haven't got any idea about Cubasis.

I have used most of them, Reaper is certainly good value. I use Cubase most but really like the look of a new DAW called  Bitwig studio set for release in March.

As mentioned above, I have Cubase Elements. It's got some good VST instruments included, it's pretty powerful. There are, however, a shed load of 'buts'. The interface is anything but intuitive, the pdf manuals are really badly laid out (and in the case of the VST instruments so well buried I had to go on the internet to find out where they were) - it took me weeks to get sound in and out of it (still better than Ableton with which I had no success at all), and it doesn't play at all nicely with other people's stuff. For example I can import rx2 files easily, but cannot preview them in the media bay - at least I haven't worked out how to, if it is indeed possible - whereas in Reaper they preview on selection.

That said the library of drum loops that is supplied in Cubase Elements will keep me going for a while yet. And the Groove Agent MPC drum machine means I can cut and slice stuff from other sources too.

I reckon that Reaper is extremely good VFM, but you probably need to know more about DAWs in general to source decent sounds and rhythms. So I'm going to stick with trying to get my head properly around Cubase for the time being. Although I might try to persuade SWMBO to let me upgrade to Artist or get a Reaper licence (the latter being by far the cheaper option).

For the sake of editing & mixing tracks quickly I've found the newer Tracktion software to make for a speedy workflow. (They just released version 5) I've tried a few others but the "god like" view of everything seems to make my work progress quickly & theres no need for me to see a fancy fake Mixer...

Quote from: skyscraper on February 21, 2014, 04:17:59 PM
For the sake of editing & mixing tracks quickly I've found the newer Tracktion software to make for a speedy workflow. (They just released version 5) I've tried a few others but the "god like" view of everything seems to make my work progress quickly & theres no need for me to see a fancy fake Mixer...

I'd forgotten about Tracktion! I haven't used it since version 2. I might have to check that out again and maybe upgrade

Quote from: skyscraper on February 21, 2014, 04:17:59 PM
. . . . there's no need for me to see a fancy fake Mixer...

I'm an old fashioned boy. I did all of my recording (and all my live work) with real mixers. So I am most at home with something that looks and behaves like a 'real' mixing desk.

Horses for courses 

Well, I've been mucking about with Reaper rather more than Cubase recently, even bought a personal licence . I do miss Halion (but I found Firebird free on on Tone2's site) and the drum loops though - so it looks like I am in the market for a drum VST. I've been looking at EZDrummer and Addictive Drums. The latter at least has a trial version to test out, and it looks pretty good to me. Not providing a trial version is probably the end of my curiosity in EZDrummer.

I've got the basic Fender version of Amplitube 3 which will have to suffice unless I can win one of Mick's competitions. I'm still preferring to record guitar straight from the stereo pedal output, although I have use some of the Amplitube effects mucking about with the acoustic post recording.

All in all lots of completely unproductive and talentless mucking about going on, but more fun that pollarding trees which is what I should be doing really.

I've been using Presonus Producer the last few months, and it's been rather tasty. Easy access, very adaptable for plugins and third party stuff. Nice lay out and just a joy to use. Protools is pretty good too, but found it a bit isolated as it wasn't very compatible with plugins and whatnot.

Must check that out.

Meanwhile the bullet has duly been bitten and I have bought Addictive Drums from Audio Deluxe, via eBay, which for some reason meant no VAT.  Mucking about has duly commenced, back in Cubase for the time being.