Different Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) have different specialities, and cover different niches in the market. With the overwhelming amount of music production software that’s knocking around these days I have taken it upon myself to guide you through the main contenders.
1. Garageband
Jamcast boss and author extraordinaire Bill Hilton is a keen exponent of this entry-level Mac-based DAW. It has everything you need to get yourself started on the road to becoming the next Guy Massey and it’s all beautifully presented. One of Garageband’s great selling points is its vast library of software instruments, samples and loops – a library that is as necessary as it is expansive if you don’t have a studio full of your own gear and microphones.
The downside of Garageband, like a lot of Mac software, is that it can be a bit controlling, and it’s hard to really break down and fiddle with the kind of things you’ll want to once you really start getting into your music production. Music that’s made on the software is also very recognisable as Garageband-produced to anybody who’s ever encountered it, and to make your songs sound really professional you’ll have to upgrade to something like ProTools or send them off for mastering.
Best suited to:
Beginners, those more inclined to making computer music rather than recording lots of live instruments.
2. Cubase
Steinberg’s Cubase has already been a big seller for those who work with a lot of VST instruments and MIDI, but the latest versions cater well for live recording as well. Its advanced MIDI editing capabilities will always be popular with the electronic/dance crowd. As will the incredible amount of VST instruments out there that are compatible with Cubase. If you’re used to the concept of a DAW it is intuitive to use as well.
If you’re running it on a laptop or old computer, it can be very CPU intensive and grind to a halt from time to time. It also takes a bit of setting up to get rid of latency issues when recording live instruments. Getting a good sound from Cubase depends a lot on the plug-ins you use with it, but the latest versions have some very nifty effects and plug-ins that come as standard.
Best suited to:
Programmers, electronic music producers, beginners(ish)
3. Logic
Apple’s Logic kind of combines the best of Garageband and Cubase, with additional features suited more towards the audio professional. Again, as an Apple product, is brilliantly presented and quite intuitive to use. It has some very handy features, such as being able to export all the tracks as full-length audio files at a click of a button, enabling users to switch between DAWs very easily. Again, the software instruments and programming capabilities make Logic a popular choice with programmers and electronic producers, but q decent number of mid-level professional studios use Logic as their DAW.
For those without the budget, there’s a much cheaper version called “Logic Express” that can still get you some great results for a lot less money.
Best suited to:
Apple fans, electronic producers, those that have out-grown Garageband
4. ProTools
Digidesign/Avid’s Pro Tools is the industry standard, and is my personal favourite. Any music software company worth their salt makes plug-ins for Pro Tools, and you won’t find a high-end studio without the latest top-of-the range Pro Tools system. Although previously specialised for audio recording and mixing, the latest version, Pro Tools 8, has greatly improved MIDI and programming capabilities. Hardcore electronic producers will probably still prefer the more intuitive MIDI editors in Cubase and Logic though.
It’s the Pro Tools’ intuitive design and architecture, plus the huge range of functions that make it number 1. It isn’t as complicated as you might think the industry standard software might be either. Beginners will be discovering new features and functions for years as they get more into the intricacies of music production, but it’s perfectly straightforward to get started without years of studio experience.
Pro Tools also has a cheaper, stripped down version; Pro Tools LE. It has the exact same architecture and interface as the full HD version though, just with less plug-ins as standard and fewer advanced functions. One bad point is that ProTools needs compatible hardware in order to work, which usually comes in the form of a Digidesign interface. Packages containing the software and hardware are available, and always check to see that your particular version of Pro Tools is compatible with the hardware you’re getting.
Best suited to:
Pros, enthusiasts, people who want to record live instruments, those who know how to mix, anybody serious about getting into music production.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
What about SONAR?
Really great review!!
I was wondering what type of laptops you guys would recommend for running music software though? I’ve been using a Toshiba Qosmio G20 laptop (which is about four years old now) and it works a treat except there’s a giant latency issue when trying to record from an external source! I also have a toshiba satellite laptop (about two years old) but the USB ports and headphone jacks give a horrendous hissing sound when I hook it up to my monitors!!
I will be buying a new laptop soon, so can you you guys give any tips on what I should be looking out for when I purchase it?
Keep up the excellent work!
Keeb
is there any info on Ableton?..
Hey guys - sorry I missed these comments when they were first posted!
@Keeb
I’m no expert on PC laptops, as I’m a Mac user (as is Graeme…). However, for audio production - or any kind of media work, really - you just can’t go wrong with a MacBook Pro. As well as doing this, I work in creative and advertising industries for my day job, and various types of Mac are the standard machine. They cost more than PCs, but well worth the money for anything like this. Plus, most of them come with GarageBand bundled - a surprisingly powerful piece of software.
@licq
Good question - I’ll ask Graeme to get back to you
@Keeb - The thing that will help cut down on latency is RAM - as long as you have 2gb or more you should be ok. Also worth considering is the type of interface you will use. For example, if you have a big, fancy firewire device with loads of ins and outs, this will tend to take a lot of the strain of the processing before the laptop is even involved. If you go for a really basic USB device then your laptop will be doing most of the work.
@licq - I’ve not had a great deal of experience of Ableton, other than the odd demo or “lite” version here and there. However, from what I understand it’s really great for live performance, and is often the program of choice for DJs and more electronic-based artists, who have a fair amount of sampling and complicated effects involved in their live sets. That said I think it can be used perfectly well as a standalone DAW too.