Music recording software thoughts>
I’m often asked what Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is the best for musicians within a specific type of music genre, or for musicians just getting into home music recording for the first time. This is a difficult and almost impossible question to answer since this is a personal choice based on your style and preference for writing and producing music.
Next to the computer choice, the DAW is the most important component of your music production workstation. It has to flow with your way of thinking and become a tool to realize your ideas. It can’t slow you down and it has to have basic features you’ll need to create music.
So since I can’t say which DAW you should choose, I want to at least provide you with some data that shows:
- What DAWs are currently on the market
- Which DAWs are full packages and which are entry-level or scaled back versions
- What DAWs work only with PC, Mac or both
- Whether a DAW is known for a specific way of creating music
- What are the most searched DAWs on the web.
Below is a roundup of most popular DAWs on the market. If you feel there’s a DAW package missing that should be present, please leave a comment in the forum and let me know. The lists below are in no particular order, and you can sort them using the title bars. OK, let’s begin the roundup.
Complete Package of Music recording software
| DAW | Price | OS | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Tools (Avid) | $599 Boxed | Win / OS X | Industry standard in major studio for many years. Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. |
| Cubase (Steinberg) | $499 Boxed | Win / OS X | Steinberg invented VST technology. Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. |
| Logic Studio (Apple) | $499 Boxed | OS X | This is Apple's full studio package which includes: Logic Pro, MainStage, SoundTrack Pro and Plug-ins. Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments, FX plugins, live performance and film scoring software. |
| Ableton Suite (Ableton) | $699 Download, $849 Boxed | Win / OS X | Unique pattern-based DAW. Package includes: Ableton Live, MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. Boxed version includes additional plug-ins. |
| Adobe Audition (Adobe) | $349 Boxed | Win / OS X | Audio only DAW. Package includes: Audio recording / editing and FX plugins. |
| FL Studio Signature Bundle (Image-Line) | $299 Download, $399 Boxed | Win | Originally Fruity Loops, first loop-based DAW. Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. |
| ACID Pro (Sony) | $299 Download, $319 Boxed | Win | Loop-based DAW. Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. Trial Download available. |
| Digital Performer (MOTU) | $495 Boxed | OS X | Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. |
| Sonar Producer (Cakewalk) | $399 Boxed | Win | Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. Cakewalk offers 30-day trial. |
| Record (Propellerhead) | $299 Boxed | Win / OS X | Recently developed DAW. Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. Download demo available. |
| Studio One Pro (Presonus) | $399 Boxed | Win / OS X | Recently developed DAW. Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. Download demo available. |
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Limited Function & Entry-Level DAWs
| DAW | Price | OS | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Tools M-Powered (Avid) | $299 Boxed | Win / OS X | Same graphic interface and compatibility as full version with reduced functionality. For use with M-Audio interfaces. Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. |
| Cubase Artist, Cubase Elements (Steinberg) | $249 Artist, $99 Elements | Win / OS X | Both versions have the same graphic interface and compatibility as full version with reduced functionality. Packages include: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. Elements is available as a download. |
| Sequel (Steinberg) | $99 Boxed | Win / OS X | Entry-level DAW by Steinberg. Different GUI than Cubase with simple very easy design. In class with Garage Band. |
| Logic Express (Apple) | $199 Boxed, Download | OS X | Same GUI and compatibility as Logic Pro with reduced functionality. Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. |
| Garage Band (Apple) | $15 Download, Free with Mac | OS X | Entry-level DAW by Apple. Different GUI than Logic with simple very easy design. Same compatibility with Logic project files. |
| Ableton Live Intro (Ableton) | $139 Boxed, $99 Download | Win / OS X | Same GUI and compatibility as Ableton Live with reduced functionality. Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. |
| FL Studio Producer, FL Studio Fruity Edition (Image-Line) | $199 Producer, $99 Fruity Edition | Win | Both versions have the same GUI and compatibility as full version with reduced functionality. Packages include: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. Download and trial available. |
| ACID Music Studio (Sony) | $69 Boxed, $64 Download | Win | Same GUI and compatibility as ACID Pro with reduced functionality. Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. ACID Xpress available as free download. |
| Sonar Studio, Sonar Essential (Cakewalk) | $199 Studio, $99 Essential | Win | Both versions have the same GUI and compatibility as full version with reduced functionality. Packages include: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. |
| Studio One Artist (Presonus) | $199 Boxed | Win / OS X | Same GUI and compatibility as full version with reduced functionality. Package includes: MIDI and audio recording / editing, virtual instruments and FX plugins. Trial download available. |
| Audacity (Sound Forge) | Free | Win / OS X | Audio record only. Popular DAW with podcasters. Functionality includes: audio record / edit and FX plug-ins. |
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Music recording software Popularity
Out of curiosity, I checked Google to see which DAWs are the most searched on the web. I utilized Google’s Keyword Tool and entered each DAW one by one. To the right I listed the top ten Global Monthly Searches which according to Google is the approximate 12-month average of user queries for the keyword on Google search.
This doesn’t mean these DAWs are the best or the best for you, it only means these are the most searched.
Using Google’s Insight tool, below illustrates how the top five DAWs have trended over a twelve-month period from July 2010 to August 2011.
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Questions / Comments?
Please leave comments and questions in our forum for any music recording software.
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