So What's The Best Software?

[Souliarc]

It's it's not that i don't have patience. It's the fact that i need to know this shit for my course by May next year.

So do you steal your textbooks?

But seriously if you have a problem, then that's your problem, not mine!

Yeah! Screw everybody and their problems with piracy and... and... supporting other peoples hard work!

Alright, I know you haven't stolen anything yet, but you're going about the idea completely wrong. There are SOOOO many free tools out there, (LMMS is free!). You can get enough information from free sources for your course work without having to result in piracy.

[SonicSynthesis]

I'll try LMMS then. Sorry but money is a very big issue for me right now. Also we get given information to take home in each class, not textbooks, so HAH!

[avaris]

avaris, you are right that sometimes, these DAWs are very overpriced. However, you can't think of it as buying a video-game; rather, you have to think about it in terms of making an investment. Buying something like Logic or Sibelius is an investment to your musical career, or your musical hobby. Considering buying such products usually allows you to get free updates to the software from the official sites, you usually DO have your money's worth by buying the real thing.

Ugh...

I did not mention anything about a DAW being overpriced. The relationship between price and quality is relative and very much within the eye of the beholder. I am going to be frank here and say I appreciate you taking your time to give me potential advice, but I did not ask for it. The having to use a certain type of software to be "professional" is a horrible and awful misnomer that can cause people a lot of time and energy in the long run. Using random people to back up your opinions is a pretty weak attempt to make an argument.

To the OP, usually on any forum questions about "best software" have a tendency to end up like this. The easiest and best way to get good advice on this is to have more specific questions. The more specific your questions, the more people can get to the heart of what you are looking for. Good luck dude.

[SonicSynthesis]

To the OP, usually on any forum questions about "best software" have a tendency to end up like this. The easiest and best way to get good advice on this is to have more specific questions. The more specific your questions, the more people can get to the heart of what you are looking for. Good luck dude.

Yeh, seeing as i'm a "midi virgin" i don't really know any specifics about things. I just needed a general idea of where to start. Thanks anyway.

[GarretGraves]

The point I'm trying to make is that if you were committed enough to want to put your music in digital/analog form for the world to hear, using a certain hardware/software product, you would save up your money to pay for it. Maybe it isn't an issue of how committed you are to "music", per se, but how committed you are to want to record it. It IS an issue of how committed you are to music though, if the music you want to make requires software.

People getting what they want as soon as they want is a product of the "microwave generation", as the virtue of patience is long gone.

While I agree cracking DAWs is dishonest, I don't think lack of commitment is a relevant observation. Matter of fact, I think people may be TOO COMMITED to record music when they have to steal it. The only reason to swipe a DAW off the net is to not spend money. And mostly because people don't have enough money. But they want to record so bad that they have to steal it. So IMO, over-commitment is the problem there.

[Rozovian]

The problem is entitlement. You don't have to be the least bit committed to download stuff, all you need is to feel entitled to something to think you have every right in the world to get it. And you don't. Combine that with lack of patience and access to the riches of the internet and you have an absurd situation, really. In every other aspect of life you have to work for what you get. Just imagine if you felt entitled to a car, or girlfriend, or anything else that's not downloadable.

Also, Emperor, welcome to ocr. The general advice is to lurk a bit before making friends by putting words in their mouths.

To the OP: I use Logic, and I do recommend it, but I still think you should try out the demos of other stuff first to try out different ways of doing the same things. It's also a way of learning. I worked for years with trackers, then with GarageBand, and Logic was still pretty daunting when I first opened it. As a midi virgin, you shouldn't start in the deep end. Get the free (as in free beer, not as in stolen beer) stuff from the net, get demos, watch videos, and hang out here.

[EC2151]

I did not mention anything about a DAW being overpriced. The relationship between price and quality is relative and very much within the eye of the beholder. I am going to be frank here and say I appreciate you taking your time to give me potential advice, but I did not ask for it. The having to use a certain type of software to be "professional" is a horrible and awful misnomer that can cause people a lot of time and energy in the long run. Using random people to back up your opinions is a pretty weak attempt to make an argument.

Not so much advice. I'm just striking up conversation here.

I wasn't really trying to make an argument, other than it might not be such a bad thing at all to spend $500 on a DAW if that's what you really want to use and pursue as a hobby or career. I didn't want to use 'professional' in a misleading sense, I'm merely stating that that is (based on what I know and hear from other people) what's used in many cases. While that does not necessarily legitimize anything (it doesn't), least of all one software over another, I feel that I am answering the question by saying that potentially, the different types of software serve different needs and purposes to the one using it.

Also, on an aside, I did lurk a bit, read the rules, try to find out the personalities of folks around here, etc etc, but on a large forum, that can be a bit difficult. I realized halfway through this topic that I am probably not endearing myself to anyone around here in this topic. This is funny, because as of now this is my most posted in topic, giving me a reputation to go from.

So it goes.

The advice Rozo gave is solid though. The best places to START, I've found from consensus, are the programs like GarageBand, FL, Reaper. The DnB guy told me that ReNoise was easier to use than FL, but I'm not going to necessarily take his word on it.

[Souliarc]

While I agree cracking DAWs is dishonest, I don't think lack of commitment is a relevant observation. Matter of fact, I think people may be TOO COMMITED to record music when they have to steal it. The only reason to swipe a DAW off the net is to not spend money. And mostly because people don't have enough money. But they want to record so bad that they have to steal it. So IMO, over-commitment is the problem there.

Yeah, you're right. I guess regardless if there is an honest person and a dishonest person, both of them can still be committed.

The problem is entitlement. You don't have to be the least bit committed to download stuff, all you need is to feel entitled to something to think you have every right in the world to get it. And you don't. Combine that with lack of patience and access to the riches of the internet and you have an absurd situation, really. In every other aspect of life you have to work for what you get. Just imagine if you felt entitled to a car, or girlfriend, or anything else that's not downloadable.

Entitlement. Much better word than commitment. Thank you.

[SonicSynthesis]

Yeah i'll try FruityLoops because a few of my mates use it and they can give me a cracked version.

Lol that's all i said that started this entire argument. To be honest i'm glad it did, because i feel i've gained from it. It is better to start small and if the freeware versions do that then that's what i'll go for. I'll try LMMS and see how that works out.

Please feel free to continue debating though.

[Souliarc]

Oh, I forgot to also mention Presonus' pretty much brand new DAW Studio One. It really looks like a good program and also touts ease of use. You can demo it fully functional for 30 days. The full version is $399 and the artist (LE) version is $199.

[The Vagrance]

There is no real place to start, and also to some piracy is a totally legit way of getting audio-related gear if you're still a little unsure about it as a hobby (I own all of my software fyi). That said, it will be tempting to download too much all at once. If you're not quite sure about it as a hobby, then download some demos and do a little research on the internet and find some resources or something technical sounding.

Also, in terms of a professional context I've NEVER heard of Logic and Reason being the standard in a "professional" studio. Every studio I've visited or recorded in has used Pro Tools, its pretty much regarded as the industry standard still. I'm not saying that Logic or Reason aren't professional, because they are, as are every other DAW listed. In the end you're focusing too much on the tool because honestly given any DAW and enough time, you can make stuff at a "professional" level.

[djpretzel]

There is no real place to start, and also piracy is a totally legit way of getting audio-related gear if you're still a little unsure about it as a hobby (I own all of my software fyi). That said, it will be tempting to download too much all at once. If you're not quite sure about it as a hobby, go ahead and pirate a DAW that looks the most interesting along with a soft synth of some complexity and play around, or just pirate Reason because it pretty much smacks those two together.

Please recommend trials/demos instead of piracy on our forums; I'm not particularly judgmental of what folks do in the privacy of their own digital homes, but here on the Workshop forums we really need to avoid endorsing/embracing piracy. When trials/demos aren't available, in those rare cases, consider finding a local guitar center and asking for a demo, or finding a friend, or watching some tutorial vids or something.

Also, in terms of a professional context I've NEVER heard of Logic and Reason being the standard in a "professional" studio. Every studio I've visited or recorded in has used Pro Tools, its pretty much regarded as the industry standard still. I'm not saying that Logic or Reason aren't professional, because they are, as are every other DAW listed. In the end you're focusing too much on the tool because honestly given any DAW and enough time, you can make stuff at a "professional" level.

Ditto that.

[Yoozer]

Lol that's all i said that started this entire argument.

You're bragging about something that's not legal. Despite what you or I think about the law, this is stupid to admit on the internet that remembers everything.

Please feel free to continue debating though.

Your attitude means I - and others - have to pay more. Thanks a lot.

Here's a good litmus test on software. With what you have learned, can you recreate a simple, classic pop song? Just try to cover something from the Beatles or something. If the sofware, despite what you have learned, makes you feel that it's just not thinking and working together with you to get the job done, you should switch.

[SonicSynthesis]

You're bragging about something that's not legal. Despite what you or I think about the law, this is stupid to admit on the internet that remembers everything.

What the hell man! I wasn't bragging about anything! I was merely trying to lighten the mood a bit by saying one sentence started this entire argument.

Your attitude means I - and others - have to pay more. Thanks a lot.

What attitude?! I already said i'm trying freeware versions (LMMS)! Maybe you should read the entire thread before you open your mouth and accuse me of something!

Here's a good litmus test on software. With what you have learned, can you recreate a simple, classic pop song? Just try to cover something from the Beatles or something. If the sofware, despite what you have learned, makes you feel that it's just not thinking and working together with you to get the job done, you should switch.

Thanks anyway. You're basically telling me the same thing everyone else has told me. Different software is compatible with different people, but it's not the software that makes people professional, it's the practice. So it looks like i've got all the helpful info i'm going to get. This thread should be locked now.

Edit: Can someone who knows LMMS please help me here - http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=26756

[Scrap McNapps]

Each DAW does the same thing, though some do a bit better in other areas than others. For example, Ableton Live is great for Live performances and loop based production. Cubase is very good for MIDI. Pro Tools is excellent for recording and editing audio. Studio One has a very good setup for mastering. Not to say that they won't do well in everything else, but they may approach it differently and might not be as elegant or easy. (ex. Sonar 8.5 Matrix View vs. Live 8 Session View)

It really depends on the person. I tried FL Studio and I didn't get it though it is probably one of the most user friendly DAWs out there. When I demoed Live, I was able to get into it and it was always a pleasure using it. I may try Sonar again and Studio One again as well cause I didn't give them full out assessment.

Anyways, the best software is one that works with your workflow. Just demo.