Pros say: THIS is the best DAW for music production 2025

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

🔴🔴🔴TAKE THE POLL YOURSELF 🔴🔴🔴 kzbin.infoUgkxyscQA1S39Z_8l-FGwChXW74WrdV8UjOs

[@mikedubz5576]

Does cakewalk sound Labs work on Mac osx?

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

@@mikedubz5576 no it doesn't

[@samhenderson1684]

As soon as i saw Live on no.2 i knew it was FL on first spot. I love FL. Haven’t finished the video yet, still watching. Commenting in the middle of the video

[@CaNTBREaKCHRiS]

REAPER. 😎 Don’t know how it didn’t make this list…

[@maydaygoingdown5602]

@@DexxterClarkMusic What do you think of Bitwig??

[@RutgerSteenbergen]

The best DAW is the DAW you make great music with. I've used them almost all, and it doesn't really matter. Just make great music, with whatever you have!

[@lamontmcleod2]

Exactly. The other day I found a track that I made like 12 years ago with Audacity and I was pretty impressed with my 22 year old self. How well you know the DAW plus how well you know music is going to determine 60% of the quality of the result you get, 38% determined by how good your samples are, 2% what DAW you are using.

[@RutgerSteenbergen]

@@lamontmcleod2 That's the downside of all the possibilities, and constant internet within reach. I once made it to Future Music's CD with only a Yamaha CS1x and Cubase with no audio. The listener doesn't care what you use, as long as it sounds good 👍

[@lamontmcleod2]

@@RutgerSteenbergen Haha, awesome. Can I ask you something that it seems like you might know the answer to? I literally just picked up music again like this week, after studying composition at university almost 15 years ago. I saw another KZbinr say that if you're a composer rather than a producer, Logic might suit you... Well, I am a composer, I've grown up with Sibelius, but I'm not a Mac user. Does you know what the most "composer-ish" DAW for Windows is? I guess I'm looking for the one best suited for people entering their own music rather than using lots of samples and beats etc., and that is the most "music" oriented in that you look at things in terms of notes rather than just "sounds"? Any advice would be appreciated, bedankt!

[@RutgerSteenbergen]

@@lamontmcleod2 I'm a big fan of Studio One. It's rock solid, has an advanced scoring feature, and there are plenty of videos of composers using the software. That would be my pick for Windows. And it's even better when you combine it with a FaderPort, for control without a mouse 👍

[@lamontmcleod2]

@@RutgerSteenbergen Ooh, it does look nice. Only the subscription model comes with Notion (which I haven't used, but I assume it's similar to Sibelius) - but I'm assuming there's still some kind of scoring feature even in the Artist and Professional version? (The ones you buy rather than subscribe to?) Having asked that... I have to say the subscription is pretty affordable compared to a lot of things. Wow, thanks for the tip... *closes Cubase and Cubase videos* I'm giving the trial version a go now, thanks very much for the tip!

[@jameshutchins7042]

I have been using studio one for a year now. I have never experienced any crash or sluggish performance. It is an amazing daw. Once you learn it the workflow is second to none.

[@PC-hp6gz]

I run Studio One and have for a while. Built a new machine and installed it all again from scratch, no crashing.

[@513Headstrong]

I am in this boat.

[@austinskillings4550]

I believe the workflow of the DAW is just what you get used to and getting used to hotkeys etc will dramatically improve your skill. Getting an Ableton Push will dramatically increase the workflow within Ableton. So i'm curious if there is something like that for other daw's as well

[@GeoZero]

Been on Studio One Pro for years now - since version 2. Not a single crash EVER, and not all that sluggish running on a 10 year old mac with 32GB Ram. I think the issue is ram and less about GPU or cores. I've done rock songs to orchestral mixes without any issues. That said, any DAW running many plugins - especially Waves or Kontakt will eventually slow down any rig. The suggestion there is to convert a midi track into audio as Studio One allows to preserve the midi in the background freeing up CPU/RAM power. For many tracks with Waves or other VST plugins, I would suggest using more bus features when possible and print the tracks with the effects and doing similar as with Midi (preserve original tracks in background). Or you can also integrate outboard gear freeing up CPU/RAM for those plugins that don't exist in hardware.

[@FlorianRachor1]

I have S1 and constant issues with crashing. Not a single crash in Ableton. Same plugins with both. So yea stability is an issue with S1, still the best.

[@kalidasmusic5637]

Reaper! It takes a minute to get going but once you get a basic understanding of how it works you can easily customize it to fit your work flow. It runs stable AF all day long! The stock plugin's are great and $60 bucks for a licensed version is amazing. And did I mention all the great Kenny G tutorials.

[@cidshroom]

Kenny G is a great reason to start using Reaper honestly, blows so many tutorials out of the water with his simple, quick, no-nonsense delivery

[@AnzaShadow]

Reaper for sure and Kenny G is the man

[@locutz]

I thought I was the only reaper user here , REAPER GANG lol

[@cidshroom]

@@locutz there are dozen of us

[@lastdaysguitar]

Agreed! That Reaper is not even on the list totally discredits the poll.

[@TahniZCat2]

One half of viewers: WHY DIDN'T REAPER MAKE THE LIST! Other Half of Viewers: YES! FL STUDIOS MASTER RACE STAND UP! me. . . : it's okay mixcraft. One day people will love u as much as I used to. . .

[@aerofoilmusic]

Me: hold on, I gotta help Screamtracker 3 to the toilet 😄

[@thomasyoung5680]

I now use Cubase 12, and after an update, it is number 1 for me, a very powerful DAW, but I must say most daws are pretty good. You have to find the one that fits your workflow

[@spngled8654]

Cubase is easy to use

[@szymonkozlowski999]

Cubase 12 is the best!

[@discowolf25]

Do I abandon Beatmaker3? I love it but, they refuse to patch it. I just wanna be able to use all my Fabfilter mixing tool’s and, if cubase allows it- I’m doing it. I basically make everything on the 303 still… lol

[@revp01]

I can’t believe reaper didn’t make the list. I tried all that were on your list. Each took to long to learn. I was up & running in reaper in less than 15 minutes. Easy routing. Decent midi editor $60 Decent plugins Supports Mac/Win/Linux Supports VST/VST3/AU Open multiple Project Tabs simultaneously It has been great for all my workflows: - mixing & mix down - editing & chopping - tracking - backing tracks - live performance - VSTi host - learning songs

[@lastdaysguitar]

Agreed! That Reaper is not even on the list totally discredits the poll.

[@valdir7426]

"music production" is vast and I'm really not convinced it's the tool you choose when you want to do a full composition inside the software. sure you can do a song in protools but that's really not the best tool there is for it. If your work revolves around recording; mixing; mastering go for it; but the top two on this list are actually about making music with the software (and "vsti host" is not the selling point you think it is when ableton live 12 has midi generative tools integrated in the software or a full devellopement platform called max for live which allows you to control any aspect of the software. If you can think of it you can do it basically)

[@biula3278]

Unsurprisingly, this kind of "independent"(!) reviews tend to lean toward the big company products: where the money is...

[@danielbenjaminmusic2920]

I have been using various incarnations of Cubase VST since 2000. The new version is unreal. Drag and drop algorithmically generated drum patterns from Groove Agent direct to MIDI tracks, Chord Pads with a full library of chord styles that can be played live, and a Chord track that auto generates voice leading when dragged to a MIDI track. Plus free and discounted cross grades from a ton of legacy hardware. Plus Arranger track.

[@thomasyoung5680]

I love Cubase 11 pro

[@auggiebendoggy]

Cubase is freaking amazing. Glad SB is abandoning that usb dongle.

[@srcummings]

Cubase is, and has been the best DAW I have ever used. All of them have pros and cons, but Cubase has stayed ahead of the curve. And yes, I look forward to the dongle going away, but I have no issues with a company trying to protect their software.

[@thescream1868]

Yhis guy's review of cubase was pathetic....he hasnt used the software.....it is incredibly dynamic and user friendly

[@CharlieGuidry]

Huge Cubase fan since VST.

[@eugenephillips481]

The absolute BEST DAW is the DAW that gives YOU the best user workflow experience so you can start and finish your project AND be very proud of your finished product. The End.

[@ChannelForty2]

I totally agree sir.

[@clnsr]

Great, but I don't have time to get proficient with 10 daws

[@ronthomaskr3416]

Thank you for saving my 10 minutes 😌♥️✨

[@ElricX]

I used Cake Walk for years but switched to Studio One Pro after trying the artist version that came with one of the interfaces I bought. I find it to be very intuitive and stable. They also have great tutorials online.

[@Shikmusik]

I use Sony acid Pro.. I've used it for years and never bothered to learn any other. What would be a good new DAW to learn to use coming from acid pro?

[@raygrooves2666]

I use Acid pro aswell, lately I have been finding not being able to view more than one fx or instrument on screen annoying and out of date.

[@HaiderOmar]

I personally have been using logic since 4+ years now and have produced over 500 songs (mine and others) on it. I also started working on FL a year ago, but still prefer logic. I personally haven’t had any issues with the time stretch - it’s a pretty amazing DAW.

[@cricetomannaro000]

it gets frustrating when you wanna do something and you don't know how tho. Even when you search on Google if the problem is very specific you don't find anything.

[@noasolart]

@@cricetomannaro000 which daw are u referring to

[@cricetomannaro000]

@@noasolart I use Logic but it can be applied to any daw or any program for that matter

[@vtcabbit]

the best DAW is the one you know best, everyone learns differently after all! i personally dislike it when people try to battle when it comes to what the superior daw that everyone should use should be

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

I totally agree

[@Anriuko]

Arguing about DAW's is what happens when you're not a productive musician. If you're a composer the best DAW is the one you're most productive in. That DAW may not be the absolute best overall, all things considered (paradoxically, not even for you), but it has reduced the friction for unleashing your creativity in all the right places to get out of your way when production picks up pace and you know what you are doing.

[@TheRabidCabbage]

You can be happy banging two cans together if you don't know any different, but workflow is everything, and if the one you know doesn't grow and improve, then it's time to move on to greener pastures. I am personally searching for the best Midi/Note editor, and when I find a DAW that has better workflow than FL, then I'll jump ship. I really want to get off this ship. Not because FL is bad, but because of the ridicule it faces makes me believe there must be better, but every other DAW I try always manages to slip in a spanner pretty quickly. Forcing me to crawl back to FL with my tail between my legs. Image-Line really deserves more credit. Forever looked down upon, simply because they chose to name it Fruityloops. None of the people who degrade it can tell you why.

[@_wayneman_]

I was surpised that REAPER wasn't revealed up until the no. 1 pick, because I didn't expect it to be ranked that high up even tho it's actually one of the best pieces of software I've ever seen. Then the real no. 1 was revealed and I spat out my coffee almost dying of laughter.

[@lastdaysguitar]

Agreed! That Reaper is not even on the list totally discredits the poll.

[@gracepierce1024]

@@lastdaysguitar not really. the poll was legit. it just didnt get the votes.

[@lastdaysguitar]

@@gracepierce1024 Impossible - the comments in the thread prove it.

[@djperryboy]

Why? You don't know how to use FL effectively?

[@surfingseagull572]

sounds like a skill issue to me

[@djannias]

I have been using FL as my primary DAW for about 25+ years now and it has only gotten better and better. Absolutely incredible program

[@nofood1]

I switched to Ableton 13 years ago but I still miss it dearly 😢

[@etyrnal]

"better and better" is code for slowly was catching up with other DAWs. lol

[@djannias]

@@etyrnal actually it just means better and better.

[@earledaniels4539]

Studio One is a great DAW. Presonus have done a great job of quickly fixing V5 bugs and have done a lot of improvements to stability and CPU usage. Chances are you don't have enough RAM if you get regular PC issues. There is a reason why Studio One is rapidly becoming one of the best DAWs on the market.

[@areality40]

You know I just downloaded Studio One last night for a goof. A friend at work has it but hasn’t used it yet but it is one of the only DAWs left that allows you to fully try it out before buying. One thing I really like about this DAW is inside its randomization features, deep within one of the menus, you can actually get a pretty good randomization algorithm on a drum beat and lessen number of notes, drill down to specific note sizes, etc. This is great for track variation on music variability in the end. This is not a feature I have seen (specifically) in Reason, my go-to DAW.

[@patricksmith7063]

I love Studio one as well ! It's what I use But , I agree that it's really expensive to upgrade or get features like the mastering suite if you have "Artist" like me.

[@Ryanthemusician]

I produce in studio one and love the fact that it syncs automatically with my Komplete control without me even having to go into the menus to add it

[@ravigunslinger]

studio one user here. i like it. i think the stability "issue" comment in the video is a little harsh. I'm running it on a pc i built in 2011 and it's ok. if you have project with lots of virtual instruments, you can convert the midi to audio to improve performance, and easily convert back to midi to make edits. used to use ableton before - much prefer S1.

[@clickbaitpro]

@@areality40 FL does that too. They have unlimited trial

[@ImpedanceEurobeat]

What most people misunderstand with FL is that it has no "workflow" per se. You literally do what you want, in whatever way you want. That is both the strongest and weakest point of it. It takes a lot of time to learn it but once you do, the possibilities are endless. With time it starts to "fit you", not the other way around.

[@ViRiXDreamcore]

Agreed. I used FL since version 4 and my workflow is quite different from others.

[@ImpedanceEurobeat]

I'm not nearly as ancient (started either v10 or v11) but yes. Nearly everyone i know personally that uses fl has some workflow quirks, and around half of them do really bizzare stuff. Second set includes me - i keep all instruments using piano roll in one pattern (quicker than splitting and allows ghost notes), use step sequencer for percussion but insert bass drums crashes and fx into the playlist. Theres probably more but that would need an outside perspective. Also checked your channel and wow theres some good stuff there. The intro really blew me away, its way too good.

[@AAABeatbox]

Takes a lot of time to learn it? I thought it was the quickest to learn.

[@ViRiXDreamcore]

@@ImpedanceEurobeat oh yeah that works too! And thanks. That intro was also made in FL. Friuity Slicer for days!

[@utilitydisk]

I moved away from FL because it forces you to some procedures that make your workflow useless… like if you start off a song from the step sequencer you got to split the tracks and drag them all the time… or when you want to edit audio you have to make it unique and open the window then the other window and so on…

[@theavramium]

Cubase Pro 11 , Why 1: Because of comprehensive midi editing . 2: Chord Track. 3: Other daws can only dream about all the features Cubase has.

[@kirka303]

And Steinberg invented vsts. Everyone else should be down on their knees praising the Gods that are Steinberg and brought bedroom production to the masses !!!

[@ProducerRoderick]

True that! The musical and audio editing features of Cubase are hands down superior.

[@mgd9151]

studio one does those things too

[@sleepyd1231]

Idk about you, I can't say I've used all daws. But cubase seems to mostly appeal to the instrumentalists for it's audio/midi editing features. It seems to me like most people in rock/metal production tend to move this way. The only thing that annoys me is the inability to change the audio grid to triplets/tupluts. And the fact that there's no way to randomize midi position on the grid itself. I understand I can use the randomize feature in the midi fxs section but I need it done visually. There are points in which I need the beat to fall exactly on place and other points in which I need to be humanized. In addition I don't want to randomisation to be different everytime I play it back.

[@Anriuko]

@@sleepyd1231 Logical Editor allows you to selectively randomize MIDI properties.

[@Airic]

3:25 LMFAO !!! u got me...i was like "wwhhaaaa???!!" 😭😂

[@WokeSoros]

Abelton’s roots as a live performance tool and their dedication to make the UI incredibly intuitive if you take the time to learn the basic principals of it make it basically a musical instrument with a built in DAW. I honestly consider it 1/3rd modular synth, 1/3rd an actual instrument, and 1/3rd DAW.

[@theanthill1001]

Saying you need to take time to learn something is literally the opposite of it being intuitive.

[@WokeSoros]

@@theanthill1001 the opposite of intuitive is counterintuitive. It has to do with the idea of “does this follow the rules based on the principals I’ve accepted”.

[@etyrnal]

modular? lol! were going to talk about modular, and not mention Reason? bahhahaha

[@valdir7426]

yes exactly. I've been using max and max for live and I do full interactive installations with it, if there's anything I miss I just program a little patch to do it. basically you can do anything you want and automate every aspect of the software.

[@trevorsbass]

I’ve used Cakewalk for about 20 years. It’s fantastic, and it absolutely deserves to be on this list. Probably higher.

[@tanahlot2752]

Totally agree

[@tedrowland7800]

I had that years ago as my first DAW and lost it.

[@allensojan9048]

what you do for living?

[@craigwillms61]

Bravo. Although Gibson did it's best to ruin it. It came out the other side better than ever.

[@a.t.hustle1583]

I had used bandlab for a couple of years, occasionally Cakewalk. I had no idea CW had been around so long. That's cool.

[@Bhallmed]

Been using studio one for 3 years. Never had the issues you mentioned. I think it’s awesome. Love Nuendo too. But S1 is amazing.

[@rickypollock9100]

Been using Cubase for 6 years, never had a problem. Great Daw

[@VideoNOLA]

Was honestly surprised -- quite pleasantly so! -- to hear Cakewalk is still around. I was using it in the very early days in DOS then Windows; even used to call the software creator himself when I had questions about certain things. Cakewalk was always slightly ahead of its time, so I'm pleased to hear "kids today" still speak its name with reverence.

[@Coffeewiththegods]

Dude same here!

[@itsbrendoni3444]

Honestly I never have problems with it to this day

[@vanessajazp6341]

I was all in with Sonar Platinum and then Gibson dumped it. I was devastated. Even with the BandLab reboot, it's not as feature rich as Sonar, and now BandLab is getting ready to turn it back into Sonar, but it's not coming along as promised. I've used Logic and Cubase, but Sonar remains my favorite.

[@Ghost-lh9je]

whats a workflow 9:47 ?

[@jaydensydes3478]

Reaper. Pros Everything mentioned in the video. And folders, fx per clip, monitor fx, phase button, spectral editing (life changer), spectral peaks, integrated playback speed and pitching per clip or master, unrivalled warp algorithm and stretch workflow, more flexible automatic split and quantize, media agnostic tracks (multichannel, mono, stereo, audio, midi, aux, multiple takes can all exist in the same track), playhead moves when clicking timeline, time select auto punch, unrivalled stability and weight, obvious hot keys like ctrl m for mixer. M for marker. S for split. Great mouse modifiers for everything. Ctrl drag middle for copy. Shift drag middle for slip. Alt drag edge for stretch, ctrl drag on automation for pencil, ctrl shift pull on automation to bring a whole section. Ctrl shift drag in midi velocity window to automate velocity changes. Shift clicking inserts to bypass, alt clicking to delete, Automatic sheet music generator. Countless top tier plugins with no latency and no hit to cpu, your mums toaster can run more instances of reaeq than you've used in your entire career. Crazy routing system with hardware and software, remote controllable by a Web interface on the lan, musicians can control their own headphone mixes this way too, video editing and rendering, stem renders with automatic sorting and naming by region, ARA support, real-time resampling while mixing and editing, can record to and edit any type of audio file, subprojects, project tabs, templates for anything you could imagine, routing matrix, region matrix, the way the metronome functions, the way to create a programmed click track, tempo mapping including gradients, the automatic fades, selectable fade shapes, parameter modulation, side chain any plugin, wet/dry any plugin, mid side any plugin, band split any plugin, audio to midi, inbuilt auto tune, 64 bit float point for virtually unlimited headroom, customisable skin, themes and scripts, THE ACTION LIST, undo anything including plugin adjustments, unlimited undo history, option to save undo history to project, compatibility with Linux, can run vst 1 2 3 32 64 js and au all on one track, lasooing, tidy interface where everything unimportant is in a right click menu and everything important is on the basic and sparse interface, detachable and dock able Windows like the mixer and piano roll, unlimited sends returns and fx per track, unlimited tracks, most optimisation of any daw, more flexible grouping, not only just folders but vca, bussing, auxing and grouping all with their own pile of options, the customisability overall, the low price, and the crazy community of tutors and scripters. Cons: People think you're an amateur.

[@duncaninglis3806]

Is that all it can do? Lol. I was really expecting Reaper to show up in the list, then was very surprised when it didn't. I switched from Cubase to Reaper a while ago, and won't go back. Reaper is fantastic, with great community support.

[@simon_patterson]

Thank you. Handy list.

[@najinelson6742]

Maybe the so called music production community might think you are inferior. But a music listener, a consumer does not care what daw was used when a song is great. So much discussions about best daws, best gear, best plugins, but where is the good music?

[@najinelson6742]

@@duncaninglis3806 Afaik only about 3.5% use Reaper, so not worth being mentioned. And I think this channel could not present Reaper, cuz Reaper can do too many things and could make all the other daws look pretty bad :D

[@heresthething41]

I also use Reaper. It is fantastic. It is everything you said. When you think about it. It's the quality of your VSTs & plug-ins that make the difference. So an inexpensive, light on your system DAW is perfect IMHO. No freezes or glitches. No lost tracks. It awesome. And for $60 I can record & release as many albums as I can churn out. Wonderful.

[@MegaMAWG]

Been with Logic since it started as Creator / Notator on an Atari ST in the 80s. Never found it buggy and I find it incredibly easy to use. I've used it for music, MIDI is awesome, and also mixing theatrical videos with over 30 dialogue / singing tracks. It never breaks a sweat. I personally would rank it much higher than #5, but I was glad to see it beat out pro tools.

[@waltrohrbach2459]

Right, i used Creator/Notator then by C-LAB back in the 80s too, MIDI only of course. I remember no bugs or crashes at all, what a great Machine the Atari was anyway. After a long pause i got hooked again by ACID on PC, which i still like, the workflow appeals to me, got the latest Sony version. So now i am ruminating about either getting Reaper or FL ,staying with ACID or going back to standalone hardware. Cheers

[@thegoalistheplan3868]

I wonder what machine you've been running it on or whether you used any external plugins as my experience with Logic is much closer to the one described in the video

[@foljs5858]

@@thegoalistheplan3868 I use lots of plugins and found no such issues. Not even sure the guy in the video knows what he's talking about, the presentation of all DAWs he covered is superficial

[@thegoalistheplan3868]

@@foljs5858 you can judge the uploader but I have spent about 3 to 4 years using Logic and it’s been a buggy mess

[@DLeRoux]

At the very least, it should be #3. FL Studio will always take #1 due to Hip Hop being that #1 genre of producers at the moment (For the last 5-10 years actually). However, this is more a customer favorite rating system over what the actual best DAW is. Also, to have Logic "con" being errors due to your own system hardware...

[@FdUpNews]

My favorite is Logic. Pros: great interface, iPad Logic remote controller, ANA integration, Cons: working with video clips isn't the best, creative experimental workflow isn't the best, flex pitch/time isn't that great. My second is Live: Pros: the best with video clips, easy to experiment and do things you wouldn't try on other DAWs, the controller and app sync integration for live performance is great. Cons: I don't produce anywhere close to as many final tracks as I do with Logic, updates for the suite cost more than Logic itself (unless it Black Friday week), the instruments and FX could use more inspiring graphics. That being said I love using both and feel I should spend more time using Ableton.

[@TheOneSymphony]

I do a lot of experimental work with Logic all the time it's all about really learning the inner workings of ther program. The flex and pitch stuff isn't horrible but can't compare to ableton in that aspect since they have such a detail time shifter

[@bishwarupborah7805]

For ex cubase and pro tools user studio one is the definite new choice.. For beat making and stocks nothing can beat FL studios.. But it's really a pain to switch from one platform to other.. So choosing your frist daw is real important cause it's 90% sure that people will stick to their most comfortable daw.

[@samuelivascu7633]

And then for ppl who want to take music seriourslyand still have creative freedom: Ableton and Logic

[@energy_waves]

@@samuelivascu7633 You misspelled "Fl Studio". There's a reason most professionals use it.

[@lofibyjosu]

Ableton Live user here 🙌🏻 I love that it is so versatile. You can play live on stage perfectly, do a DJ set and produce banger songs all in the same environment. Good stuff :) I thought, Logic would rate higher, but I don't mind it being low on the list. Also, I would have hoped to see Bitwig Studio on the list. But it seems to not be that known among producers yet.

[@valdir7426]

or do crazy interactive with max for live; you know; anything is possible

[@rell0223]

Abletons clip manipulation and timestretching is unbeatable. The simplicity of the UI is just icing on the cake.

[@yourfbiagent2337]

Is it worth buying the cheapest version of the Ableton ? I think it's about 70€ and I just want to get started yk

[@rell0223]

@@yourfbiagent2337 absolutely. It doesnt have any synth built in, is missing quite a bit of audio effects, and you do have a limited amount of tracks, but you do have simpler and all the basics for 100$. You can always upgrade your license as well which is nice, combined with a student discount, if youre a student or are still enrolled at some kind of school, its very reasonable. If you have the money get suite, all the synthesizers and effects are 1000% worth the price, unless you just want to try it out, then just upgrade your license later if you like it.

[@karlspear6729]

I've been using Reaper for the past 4 years, awesome program! I have written several albums on it under the name "27 Goats". My biggest pet peeve with it is the short faders. You would have greater volume control with longer faders.

[@christianwn]

Can you not drag the faders higher? I can, you find a spot above the fader that you can click and drag to increase the fader sections hight

[@sleepypotato123]

When I was using FL Studio 6 years ago, lots of people treated FL Studio as a kid and always said Cubase and Logic are the best. Now I see FL Studio in #1 place in this video. Wow I love where the FL Studio is now

[@Art-zs6sl]

It seems more of a video for entertainment than anything else.

[@sleepypotato123]

@@Art-zs6sl I know it's doubtable that FL Studio is actually the #1, and this video doesn't represent the music industry's favor either. But I can surely tell the way people treating FL Studio now and back then is definitly different. At least in this video, it's in #1 place as well. If this video came out 6 years ago, it would have been already a joke that the FL Studio was even in the list

[@devernmusic]

Tbh FL is definitely not the #1 DAW in the professional world. A lot of people start on FL but most people that make a living from music will switch to a different DAW at some point. FL's workflow is too janky and inefficient for any kind of music other than hip-hop and EDM but even then, many of those guys switch as well.

[@zibbezabba2491]

FL Studio is great but I wouldn't say it was first choice for producers. Ableton, FL, Cubase and Logic are the top 4 without doubt and are all equally capable and all widely used. I don't know anyone that uses 'cakewalk' anymore though. Lots of producers have more than one DAW, there's something different in all of them.

[@TheOneSymphony]

@@zibbezabba2491 I hated cakewalk lol but I was young when i was exposed to it

[@jamesrobinson529]

I use Reason. It's my favorite and I used to use FL, back when it was called Fruity Loops. Reason is not only great for creating songs, it is an incredible sound designing tool as well. Another awesome Reason feature is the ability to use other vsts with it and you can use Reason as a vst in other daws. Personally, I see Reason as several daws in one, as not only the sound designing aspect and the vst feature set more than surpasses, I can also record, mix and master, all in Reason. I admit, I skimmed through the video, so maybe I missed it; but I'm surprised Reason didn't make the list.

[@D71219ONE]

Same. I’ve been using Reason for 8 years. I love that the workflow is easy to understand from an analog perspective.

[@okachobired5856]

yep. I was expecting Reason on this list also. Would be interesting who made the top ten but I myself have been using it for 20yrs

[@ericmaher4756]

I must agree, Reason actually looks the part of working in a real studio. The SSL, the rack you can flip around.. I often complain about all those little changes they never seem to make and the ridiculously priced upgrade that come every 18 months like clockwork, but I can’t see myself using the DAWs listed here.

[@BryanJohnson1969]

I switched back to reason a couple years ago, once they added VST support. I'm never looking back. It is an amazing tool with amazing built-in instruments. Being able to also add in VSTs like Arturia's V-Collection, Korg's analog legacy Collection, G media IMPoscar, Oddity, meletron and string machine as well as other plugins makes Reason go next level.

[@tarantulacraft4125]

FL is short for fruity loops

[@aioxio]

My favourite is Logic. Incredible value for money, great sounding plugins and a clean and beautiful user interface. The only thing that could be better is the controller integration. Most fader controllers only work in Mackie Mode which sometimes seems to be buggy. But I have never experienced any software bugs in logic itself in many years. I was tempted to switch to Studio One but I would have missed the great on-board plugins in logic. So I stayed and didn‘t regret it. The latest updates are incredible!

[@jdnd2023]

I’ve never run into any of the issues he mentioned but I’ve also only been using logic since 10.6

[@m-chopbeats7526]

100% accurate

[@chefhomeboiardee4574]

FYI You can run Logic X plugins in S One, or any other DAW since they are Audio Units.

[@amb13nt59]

I love Logic!

[@aioxio]

@@chefhomeboiardee4574 Thanks for the info. Didn‘t know that.

[@johnneiberger]

My experience with Studio One is the opposite of yours. It's stable, fast, responsive and does not get sluggish at all. A friend of mine uses it professionally and has had few problems, either. I've also had great luck with their customer support. I've had to open a few tickets for various things and they've always gotten back to me quickly.

[@gracepierce1024]

i use the pro version of studio one version 5.. im only annoyed that i payed full price, then they just came out with version 6 and want to make me pay most the difference between the two, while it doesnt really update much. software devs.. i tell ya. i tried cubase but just really didnt like it. ableton wasnt bad but would crash on me sometimes.

[@cowboy7x]

Couldn't agree more.

[@djperryboy]

I didn't try Studio One but it looks second best after FL Studio.

[@svartmetall]

Been using Studio One 3 Artist for a while now, and I can honestly say it has never crashed on me. Literally not once. The biggest issue I found was the steepness of the learning curve, as someone who'd only ever used tape-based setups before and never recorded on a PC; once you get used to it, though, I find it to be excellent.

[@YunomiWraith]

Been using studio one 5 for the past year to make my first album, sadly for me, it crashes too often 😭

[@bobbylucas8334]

Studio One 3 you say? They're up to version 6 now. Version 4 was very good for me and reliable but I've found a lot more stability issues and crashes since Version 5. Amazing DAW but it seems to be getting worse in some ways unfortunately.

[@olofnilsson7428]

@@YunomiWraith That's weird, I have been using Studio One for about 2 years and it has never crashed on me, not even once.

[@groenevinger3893]

@@YunomiWraith using studio one 5 for more than a year now, never had a single crash..

[@mikedubb8732]

@@groenevinger3893 same! Ive used studio one 5 artist since 2020 and it’s never crashed on me either.

[@werlder]

As someone who is just beginning to learn about music production, my two cents is I went with whatever was free (or had a forgiving trial) and still seemed full featured. REAPER is cool, might learn it later, but I ended up going with Cakewalk. From what I've been told its a powerful DAW with a lot of history and is now completely free, that made me feel comfortable as a beginner.

[@BamBamTheInfluence]

I tried Cakewalk for 8 months exclusively when searching for a new daw it was solid but the 2 reasons why I chose Reaper over Cakewalk was the old antiquated workflow due to the interface being outdated and it did a horrible job of handling swapping between and working with multiple projects being open.. it really slowed me down

[@shango7942]

No problem with Studio One either, and to me it's the most innovative and full featured DAW.

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

it has pretty great features. it is my daily driver after all

[@ajiyahya]

I really like studio one, but the crashing problem with big tracks like cinematic makes me 🤬🤬🤬

[@shango7942]

@@ajiyahya oh really?

[@ajiyahya]

@@shango7942 yes and this is sad, i still love it, and i am looking for upgrading my mac to M1Pro or Max, maybe will fix the problem

[@shango7942]

@@ajiyahya Hopefully

[@carlkolthoff5402]

Was really surprised to see that Reaper didn't show up at first place! That's the one I hear people talking about all the time. The one I personally use most of the time (not exclusively) is Harrison Mixbus 32C. Pros: "Analog" workflow, easy to get a good sounding mix fast without many plugins, easy-to-use editor and tools for live recording, cross-platform. Cons: Not very good for electronic production/MIDI. The tools are there, but they could use some overhaul to become more stable and fun to use. CPU hungry compared to some other DAWs I've tried. Needs A LOT of screen area to come to it's right. Stability seems like an issue on some OS's (windows 10, to be precise).

[@lastdaysguitar]

Agreed! That Reaper is not even on the list totally discredits the poll.

[@valdir7426]

there seem to be a misunderstanding that every daw can do any job and I really don't think it's the case. I would never think of using protools for example to do music composition.

[@ZeroG]

Digital Performer is the best, most customizable DAW especially if you're working with MIDI. Pros: - everything has a keyboard command that you can lookup in a filtered list and change - a single document can hold an infinite number of sequences, songs, takes, and sessions, that can all have a shared bank of channels or independent - you can save the state of the mixing board at any time to a named slot then make a new mix without harming the old one - virtual instrument tracks are handled as separate entities from the MIDI tracks that control them, allowing you to have a single MIDI track that routes to multiple VIs - MIDI tracks can have MIDI filters that transpose the notes to a different scale or harmonize with it - excellent music notation editor if you prefer working in old school staff - a single sequence can have an infinite number of different tempo sections, each with its own beat clock - ability to infer the tempo from a recorded drum track, including whenever it changes, and then quantize it with stretching to fix timing issues - Windows and Mac support - allows you to work with as many different audio interfaces as you want at the same time - the whole UI can be skinned to look different, and the skins can be customized easily in Photoshop if you want to make your own skins - excellent support for surround sound options like Dolby Atmos - unlimited undo tree that can be viewed as a list, and can persist across opening and closing of the project file - excellent documentation - excellent support for trackpad gestures on Mac for zooming, panning, etc. - extremely intuitive user interface - makes it easy to map any automated parameter in the DAW to a knob/dial/button on a MIDI controller - customizable mappings for control surfaces like Mackie Control (which I highly recommend BTW) - allows you to save any channel as a preset that can be loaded to any other channel - excellent routing options (stereo and mono busses) - "Bundles" UI remembers how your tracks' ins and outs are mapped to hardware so that everything gets properly routed automatically whenever you switch hardware interfaces (like when you take your laptop out of the studio and plugin headphones, it knows to treat the headphones out as the master, etc.) - very customizable colors - Melodyne Essentials ARA now comes with it - now includes an Ableton-style grid letting you play and record repeating loops - also has a looping player called POLAR that acts like a loop pedal - good built-in sampler (nanosampler) - top-notch video/film scoring capabilities (its main niche in the industry is film and TV scoring but considering the rise of the sync market for Tik Tok not to mention KZbin videos, personally I feel like Digital Performer should be the go-to DAW for everyone... it blows FL Studio and Studio One out of the water in my view!) Cons: - $400 might be a lot for some people but IMHO it's totally worth it - the UI for working with plugins isn't as cool as StudioOne's (where you can see a preview of what a plugin looks like in the sidebar), hope to see them update this at some point - comes with some samples and loops, but still can't touch Logic Pro in this category - built-in dynamics plugins are the only ones that work with the inline channel strip displays, at least from what I've seen, yet these plugins aren't in the same league as Izotope, MetricHalo, or NomadFactory etc. - included channel presets are just OK but not really that useful IMHO (this could use some love) I've been using Digital Performer for over 20 years now and have recorded thousands of hours of band practices and demo sessions with it, and I've used it to track an album. MOTU has been refining this software since the 1980s, when it was just known as Performer (and was just a MIDI sequencer). Due to how long it's been continuously developed, Digital Performer is the deepest, most powerful piece of software of any kind that you will likely ever use. For some people, the power could be intimidating, but I think if you give yourself a chance to really learn this software then you will find it to be an indispensable tool. It goes so far beyond any other DAW in terms of flexibility that I really don't understand why it's not #1 on all these kinds of lists, but I understand DP has only been on Windows for a short time now, whereas Cakewalk, Cubase, and FL Studio have always been on Windows, so I think that's one big reason. There might also be a misconception that you need a MOTU audio interface to use DP-but in fact it works with any and all audio interfaces. Last thing I will say is that MOTU is one of the best companies in the industry. Unlike AVID, they are prompt with supporting the latest OS's and new CPUs. They are prompt about fixing bugs and implementing feature quests-every feature request that I have submitted to MOTU over the years has gotten implemented within 1 year. They are also one of the few companies who does not drop support for their older hardware interfaces-their driver still works perfectly with my MOTU 896 HD from 2002 (yes, 21 years, it's old enough to drink!!). That's insane if you think about it. Their interfaces are also typically a great deal for what you get.

[@johannes2510]

I agree every single word. The chunk windows with the V-rack function is genius. DP user from the stone age 😀

[@skyx5691]

My top #1 DAW is Bitwig developed by the ex-Ableton crew. Just love it)) I think they've made it far better for maximum ultimate comfort and simplicity that you can possibly dream of while working in a DAW. I can't think of anything else better and more handy than that. Don't believe me, believe yourself as you just give it a shot to check it out. It's yet not that popular, but it's confidently gaining momentum.

[@TheDavidfallon]

It's very expensive.

[@lartisan6274]

400 euro wow :o is it better than ableton live ? i saw its favorite daw of sounddesigner

[@Hemlock-t3u]

Bitwig needs better CPU management. It's a common problem with those clip launcher style DAWs.

[@JamesWilliam70]

I like Bitwig allot, I wish I could. slim up the mixer sliders though as they won't scale horizontally.

[@StarvedForTime]

​@@Hemlock-t3u there was a video recently showing it outperforms live something like 4 to 1.

[@stevewilliams91]

Waveform is the most underrated DAW - best workflow out there, great affordable price!

[@jasonday8334]

I’ve used many different DAWs, my favorite is Studio One, I love how easy it is to use, it has everything you need and then some.

[@godfreyokello7815]

Thank you! That is just the plain truth.

[@FantasyFlix777]

more like harder DAW ever

[@akira20ish]

@@FantasyFlix777 every daw has a learning curve if you wanna learn it is entirely up to you

[@mrbibstoo]

For the record, I don't consider myself a professional, but for what it's worth, here's my input. Being older (60+ when I first started and now closing in on 70, in June) and having no experience in DAWs, I started with a copy of FL and thought it seemed rather elementary, I realize that it's not but, at that time, it just screamed like it was less than... Moving on and taking on the challenge of providing front of house sound for a local rock band and then setting up a home studio, I downloaded REAPER. Was it difficult to wrap my head around? YES Do I regret making that choice? NO However with that being said, I am thankful for all of the exquisite Kenny G tutorials, they prove to be very exacting, easy to follow and understand. (New tutorials show up at a rate that doesn't leave me thinking, "is that all there is?") To me, having somewhat of a technical background, I find that REAPER, although difficult to step into blind, is a very powerful, customizable and efficient platform to use. With frequent updates that not only provide fixes, but frequently have great enhancements. Conclusion, REAPER is my DAW of choice.

[@rabitec.]

The big thing with FL Studio for me is that compared to other DAWs a lot of features and functions are self-explanatory and/or preconfigured in a senseful way which makes it very beginner-friendly imo. I'm currently trying out Bitwig for the experience, I like it so far but I already can't count how often I had to look up how to do Basic stuff which I never had to in FL.

[@totizedger]

I agree i think FL Studio is very beginner friendly and definetly compared to other DAWs like Reaper and Ableton which made every step so much more complicated, the only thing that i don't like about FL Studio is that when i import a MIDI i notice that it doesn't care about modwheel information which means that if i used the modwheel for dynamics on a plugin the dynamics would just stay the same throughout with no shifts, i've tried to fix this but haven't been able to do so

[@lartisan6274]

so how is bitwig ? now in July :o

[@FurkanTopal]

4:42 is that fabfilter opened in audacity? or they're open seperately? confused me.

[@louminati4318]

From having Steinberg Pro24 in 1988, using a four track mixer and a 10-second sampler, people these days have no idea how good they've got it. Me I still use Cubase, I'm on Pr0 10.5 and to be totally honest, it suits me down to the ground.

[@morbidmanmusic]

I did that Rig too, bit also a decade before that....

[@juantarctica]

I use FL STUDIO cause was the only of the tested DAW’s which was intuitive to me. And it has great plugins and note editor and you can make it look super organized. Some negatives are, the confusing library to the left, or if you must resize too much open windows. But they are minor. It’s the easiest DAW to work with and most rich and powerful.

[@maartenpsion9036]

Started some months ago using FL studio. Really amazing software imo. Using it for psytrance mainly. I just got the all plugin upgrade with the black Friday discount -- upgraded from signature edition. Love all the extra stuff I got for just 110 bucks or something lol. Couldn't ask for anything more. Big fan.

[@Yhoda.PsyTrakked]

interesting I make psytrance and I hated FL studio and I didn't realise I hated so much till I switched to Ableton and I Love it, FL plugins didn't impress me either. If you have Ableton there is way more psytrance tutorials on KZbin it was what convinced me to try it and I never looked back. If you have tried other but prefer FL I would like to know why? I just couldn't progress with it

[@markstevens5442]

@Vic LTD - Not really, you just need to sit down and check everything out. There is more than one way to do most functions so you use whatever suits you best :)

[@energy_waves]

@@Yhoda.PsyTrakked Fl studio has more depth and complexity.

[@musicapositiva]

and REASON?

[@SunderedSeraph]

THANK you SO much for sharing your EXPERIENCE, and that you have clearly had hands on production experience with ALL of these DAWs. I have watched SO many videos where it is clear they are clueless or inexperienced. Thank you so much! A well earned subscribe.

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

thanks for this comment, appreciate it in between all the trolls

[@gregmccarty8253]

Cubase for me. Pros: excellent stock plugins (dynamic EQ, Vari- audio); sampler track; control room. Cons: steep - I repeat steep learning curve; hard to use score editor; can be a bit tricky to handle updates. I've never had a problem with the dongle. That said, Cubase is ditching it some time in 2022.

[@Bernz66]

Love Cubase too…. Been using it since 1998.

[@daboos8]

Interesting. Which DAW were you using before and what issues, or discomforts were you facing? Which feature in cubase stood out the most to you, that made you switch?

[@Soundcup]

Been using cubase for a couple of years, and mostly happy with it. Rarely have any crashing issues, even tough a lot of my projects are built with around 130 to 150 tracks, with tons of additional plugins in each track and automation. Love the workflow in it as well. Downside is that there are few tutorials on KZbin, and if so, they are not convenient to watch. Mostly too long without any time stamps. Something I always envy on other Daws. You get I formation much quicker

[@_pokies]

@@Soundcup yeah man I agree

[@jannatinkarlen8702]

Studio one is pretty stable for me. I move from cubase because of stability issue, and studio one suits that

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

great to hear that some people don't have the same problems. I did on 4 of my computers regretfully.

[@HoldMyBeerFam]

@@DexxterClarkMusic What were you doing? What kind of music? How outdated are your plugins? No one can understand your review of studio one in this video.

[@jonmessenger5621]

@@HoldMyBeerFam I agree. Never had any problems with Studio One from their first release to the current one. Always stable, not one issue. It is hard for me to believe what he is saying with his problems with Studio One. I thank him for his review on the DAWs but Studio One rocks. Stay safe my friends and may God bless 🙏✝️

[@nico-zh4eo]

I've never had problems with studio one either. I love this DAW, I switched from cubase to FL and then from FL to studio one and I won't move anymore.

[@lundsweden]

I personally love Ableton Live, it suits me perfectly! But this does'nt meant its the best DAW for everyone, but it is the best for me!

[@C1Nuke]

Ableton is *the most ERGONOMIC DAW* available. I've tried FL Studio (my first DAW) and Bitwig. But Ableton it's on a different level👌

[@aarongrooves]

This entire video is HILARIOUS!! I laughed out loud several times. Bravo

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

thank you, much appreciated :)

[@luruar]

I have Ableton, my band recorded a song and I was wondering about what DAW to use. It is true that most likely people stick to the first they use, and after watching several videos including this one I think I will stick with Ableton.

[@TheOneSymphony]

If its working for you stick by it. That's what's most important as most programs have interchanges to send to other programs if you're going to send it to a professional studio

[@Rex-dk1rx]

Don't bother with cu base if u are used to Ableton. Because everything what is looking at you in Ableton is all hidden and seriously over complicated in cu base

[@OutOfRangeDE]

Honestly coming from Cakewalk i would probably want to turn back to it when purchasing Live by Ableton because Live's UI would suck the creativity out of me with its only-functional design. I can say that Cakewalk works really well for synth production, Midi integration for both hardware and software instruments is really seamless and every VST i ever installed worked fine instantly. Piano roll and sheet music notation work pretty well, altough there were some minor inaccuracies in the latter one. That could maybe be patched by now though. Cons: No good preinstalled instruments (its free, eh) and the other VSTs are also subpar, even though the eq is still usable and really easy to use.

[@IsabelMakesMusic]

I use Studio One, and I really like it! I tried Ableton Live as well but didn't like the interface as much. 4 Pros of Studio One: Everything is easily accessible and you get tons of plugins, samples and loops with it Melodyne is integrated in the full version I love the midi interface You can drag and drop pretty much everything. Cons: Once I made a song and when I updated from Artist to Professional, the file somehow couldn't save anymore.

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

Thanks for sharing!

[@GeoZero]

You should be able to create a new song and drop the stems in. Although not sure why it would not load going to Pro. I've had very good success a couple of times with tech support and you may want to reach out to them.

[@RutgerSteenbergen]

I don't like Ableton's Live interface either. Although I use the software for my live set. For producing I like Studio One and FL Studio better 👍

[@JunkBondTrader]

05:58 the clips stick nicely to the grid? lol how does something fit poorly to a snap grid? In Reaper you can adjust the snapping to trigger to the very pixel you want, the directions and other parameters.

[@HRFTR]

you can use hardware license for cubase, the usb is not required

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

nowadays yet, not when the video was released

[@ceiux]

There's nothing much complex in FL Studio. The initial step is a bit hard, i.e. to navigate around the tabs and getting basic idea that how it works, but once you understand those things, FL will be a great daw.

[@misa9166]

Exactly!!

[@ElijahStyles]

In my opinion FL studio is way too laborious to use. I am much faster with Reason and only because of simple things like individual patterns and automation lanes for a track, so I don't have to create a new one everytime like in FL.

[@DJMoonlightKonamare]

How will I do this? I am switching from FL Studio to Logic Pro.

[@stizan9185]

​@@ElijahStyles In FL you can also set automation to be automatically grouped with your track, and you that by going in the playlist, Right click on a track > Track mode > Instrument track > Use existing channel and you select your sound, the Track will automaically be named colored etc. and each automation u do after that will do the same and get grouped with that track, this is very usefull to have automations organized and not many pple know about this for some reason. Also when you load a synth let's say instead of doing it from channel rack you can simply Right click on a track playlist > track mode > instrument track > and select serum for ex, it will do same as above + it will create a pattern with that name and be sent to mixer

[@ElijahStyles]

@@stizan9185 But I still have to create a new pattern everytime I want to change something and this takes way too much time after a while.

[@grandmasteryoda503]

I've always used FL Studio and it made sense to me, although it took years to get good. I tried ableton and cubase for fun, ableton a few times as friends kept insisting it was better. Neither of them ever made sense to me and nothing beat FL Studio in terms of getting something going fast.

[@wm1573]

I keep seeing people praise Ableton I tried 11 but it was just so damn weird and slow to me

[@grandmasteryoda503]

@Matt Trapped In Funland yeah same I never upgraded past v11. The layout changes from v12 onwards weren't to my liking

[@sveinunghamre324]

​@@grandmasteryoda503 you should upgrade. A lot easier to do frequent upgrades after you get to version 20.

[@stuffisgd]

I have only tried a few of these, but once I got familiar with Ableton live I can't imagine changing DAWs. The updates are huge and features are solid. They keep knocking it out of the park! If you pair it with hardware that takes full advantage of the features, ex: Push, Novation Launchkey etc... you can't beat it.

[@charliesdrumshed9328]

I use mixcraft and have used other DAW’s and think it works really well Worth checking out as well

[@intensedad2827]

I think Reaper is one of the best since it‘s very affordable and straight-forward, at least to me. It was the first DAW I made friends with, since other ones kicked me out of it after the trial or just didn‘t feel right. The community‘s also great haha

[@haliaeetus8221]

I believe in relation to its many capabilities it surpasses others in that it runs on weaker computers, adapting its CPU usage and is so stable.

[@ianbrown3304]

It's Bitwig for me. 3 cons. Full. version. expensive for me. (Does that count as 3?). 3 pros - intuitive; reliable; flexible.

[@boydw1]

I suspect I'll end up getting Bitwig - partly because it has a linux version (I despise both windows & mac OS's), and party because it looks really innovative (kinda like what Ableton Live was to the DAW scene when it came out). I agree on the pricing & per version license though - Bitwig could do with some revision there.

[@christiaantinga]

Cakewalk was actually my first ever MIDI experience in 1989, then made by Twelve Tone Systems.

[@christiaantinga]

Having said that; Presonus StudioOne is without any doubt my favorite DAW ever ♥

[@waynemiller6070]

Me too. Loved using midi and was excited to do audio, but every version got more and more complicated. CbB is about as complicated as it gets. And then add Kontakt into the mix and I'm getting a degree in rocket science.

[@jimgsewell]

That's what I used on my Atari 1049 ST

[@GerenM63]

Back in those days, Greg Hendershott and I communicated almost weekly.

[@citytonightproductions]

Logic is very stable and been a beast for years with an excellent user interface and plugins. I’ve tried switching to Luna, studio one and Harrison Mixbus and always end up back at Logic! it out performs all of those DAWs with Mac system and incorporates all the abilities of each of those DAWs in one DAW, can’t beat that.

[@osovitor28]

Hey Dexxter, how you doing!, is really nice to meet you. Wonderful video. Thanks!

[@CeresOutpost]

I really enjoy FL Studio as a hobbyist, especially considering all the instruments, effects, and filters you get for a relatively low cost. Add in some popular third-party VSTs and it does everything I need. I haven't spent any time in Studio One yet though. I may have to check it out.

[@heavydevy-c5630]

Yes FL Studio. I've been using it for absolutely years. Maybe been about 10-12 years now and I just don't want to switch because it's so easy to use. I've practically almost learned the thing inside and out. Yet I have the full version, I still got some things to learn, it's endless with the amount of plugins and I love it! It's synths are amazing and my favorite is harmor, and yeah SeamlessR got me into being a harmor user. Also toxic biohazard I almost always use for industrial and dark sounding synths for metal, and is very good for layering in patcher too. I also get endless amounts of updates, and over the years, every update I get a couple new plugins to play with and learn. Image-line is awesome.

[@shanujwilson1204]

Hey, how do you rate FL for vocals recording / mix-mastering? I tried, and bumped into many blocks in the way.. Would like to hear your opinion..

[@shaving_ryans_privates_4408]

@@shanujwilson1204 I use FL for production of the music, then I export the stems to Pro Tools cos I feel the mixing workflow is better there.

[@davej.sakinar]

Do you know how to fix Microphone latency in FL Studio?

[@wilsonmpesha904]

@@shanujwilson1204 I prefer to use a combination with Studio One for vocals. Perfection.

[@Darkest_matter]

​@@shanujwilson1204 vocals in FL are good.. It does everything I need it to but Ableton seems easier for vocals (in FL when you record, you have to click on an empty mixer channel before you click record)

[@ryangouthro7083]

Cubase is my go to just because you can mix and master a song to completion with only stock plugins also it has variaudio which in my opinion is the best pitch correction software to use and it just comes stock with the daw, not only that but has 3 mix consoles that are completely modular and customizable. The channel strip is also my favourite, only thing it is lacking is good vst instruments unless you buy halion sonic full which is awesome and you can create full vst instruments your self similar to kontact and then use those instruments in the free version. There are many more things that make it the best in my opinion but it is true that you can achieve the same songs with any daw just the workflow changes

[@ZachariahConnor]

I love Cubase

[@drtmbterrymanibeats5804]

I love cubase is my helper . I adist it with fl 20 for beat production

[@SpiralFlip]

Daw: Ableton Live Pros: -Workflow is great, having both session view and arrangement view really frees the way you approach writing music -Sound design capabilities are amazing, especially with max 4 live devices. I haven't even scratched the surface of what you can do in Live. -The way you can warp audio and automate clips is very easy and straightforward Cons: -As someone who uses a lot of sampled instruments, the piano roll really gets to me. I glance over at DAWS like FL and Cubase and really wonder why really simple features are not included in Live's piano roll. (Easily my biggest gripe) -This is more than likely a plug-in/my pc issue but cpu can get pretty high when my projects get big -Looks like a wet new paper lol

[@adanhendrixvideo727]

Every Ableton user should upvote this

[@valdir7426]

what features do you miss in the piano roll? I got better over the year (in 12 specially I hear; I have yet to upgrade)

[@jayhova1776]

I love Studio One. I’ve been using studio one since 2 and have learned recording on it. I record all live instruments with it. Pros: 1. Come with 5 licenses. So I can have the whole band download the software and record at their homes. And we are all using the same DAW to send complete stems to ensuring compatibility. 2. Drag and drop and Copy/Paste with ease 3. Stability - never had a crash you experienced, even with my older laptop HP Pavillion laptops when I started with Studio One 2. 4. Auto punch in/crossfade makes it so easy. Cons: 1. File management of songs/tracks/layers can get pretty dicey when moving/replacing hard drives 2. Some presets like i/o markers, expand/collapse on tracks keep defaulting to hidden or open 3. When having multiple layers/takes, like on a drum track, cant select all of “Take 5” to either activate or delete. I have to CTRL + click each of the takes on each track to do so.

[@CrimeThinkBeats]

Been using Cubase for about 18 years. Not once, (throughout all the versions I've used) did I ever have a problem with something as basic as "just getting it to run."

[@RodKruz]

Studio one is by far the best, at least to me. I've used Cubase, Live, Logic and Protools.

[@niofightr3076]

Studio One is laughing about the competitor's 😂Seriously.... This has to be a payed Video against the upcoming Domination by Presonus. System Crashes? Lame Synthesizers? Trump would call it Fake News

[@RodKruz]

@@niofightr3076 yeah, maybe he took some reviews from old versions, idk

[@johnt1330]

ive never had any issues with studio one- it can be a bit sluggish with many real-time tracks running at once with a lower-end PC, but it's not a deal breaker. If you have atleast 8core/8thread CPU and 16GB of ram, your mroe than OK to run Studio One Flawlessly. Studio One is also just very intuitive for me.

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

thanks for your feedback!

[@tokyotower6088]

Me too! Why he said...

[@bigdap100]

I've owned All of these DAWs....Ableton is like the Ferrari of DAWs b/c it is super fast for producing and sound design.

[@energy_waves]

Fl Studio is the experimental supercar that can also transform

[@ravirana2001]

Dude now fl is really great .

[@kenleymorrison759]

You are my all time favorite for the humor and clarity of your presentations. I think your personality would improve virtually every presentation I have ever seen. You are efficient - very easy to understand - engaging (you continually maintain viewer interest) - sincere and truthful - and above all else - you have not a single hint of any negative attitude about any element you present - you are amazing! Great Job!

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

Thank you so much 😊

[@FKA_Skull]

I like Studio One. Never had issues and I don't think any other DAW responds and implements new requested features by the community anywhere near as quickly.

[@unmarkedplace]

Have they added the ability to record MIDI SysEx yet? That’s a feature I requested around 2012 and one of the main reasons I stopped using it. SysEx has been part of the MIDI standard for nearly 40 years and so I was disappointed to find S1 didn’t support it.

[@checkitout611]

@@unmarkedplace The plugin ctrlr can get this done - You can add buttons to a gui and assign sysex to those. Sysex can then travel through to midi ports this way.

[@RebelNMotion]

IMO- Logic Pro X is the easiest and most efficient DAW. Crackeling, system overloads and drag drop are user ERRORS. Crackling noise comes from soundcard issues and L2 or L3 cache not holding memory from the loaded instrument. It's a digital DAW not analog crackling does not exist, just skips. There is a setting in Logic Pro X for dragging and dropping samples either left or right on the DAW. Left handers want to go right. Right handers want to go left. See both Logic Preferences and project references and make sure this is turned off/on to your liking. System overload comes from an extremely small buffer cache. VST 3/HAL/AU Plugins along with the instrument eats memory so if your getting an overload it's because you do not have sufficient enough RAM. Your external or internal hard drive cannot process the data fast enough. In preference's you can adjust your buffer and enable 32 gig float to keep your instrument samples with out purging. You may also have voice killing at a minimum threshold. This causes skips, delays and system overloads. I've been using Logic for 15 years now and simply doesn't have an equal no matter how you slice it.

[@matmymusic4837]

For me logic will always be the best DAW ever

[@Way2Raw]

Logic is goated. In my life the majority of people I know use either logic or fl.

[@TheOneSymphony]

You know your stuff sir. I've been using logic for about the same time and I can do things with it that other DAW users say is impossible in it but they just don't study other programs

[@RebelNMotion]

@@TheOneSymphony it comes down to personal workflow for composers. I mean if, Trent Reznor can make a track in GarageBand & publish it with a .text file it's pretty much game over questioning Apple's capability in sound production. What I love most about LPX is that I'm still finding short cuts and functions speeding up my work flow.

[@TheOneSymphony]

@@RebelNMotion very true. Logic has just been an amazing program due the longest and LPX solidified that in so many ways

[@m-vendor]

In terms of functionality Cubase/Nuendo are the best. For live performance Ableton live. For hobbyist or bedroom producer I would recommend Reaper. Because of the cost and customization. For the best piano roll only FL studio (Cubase is also after latest update)

[@inyokutse]

I've tried every daw on this list and some not on this list like reaper, acid, garageband, zenbeats, etc but nothing even comes close to ableton. Easiest to use, quickest workflow, and the best sounding stock plugins of any daw imo. It not only does what every single other daw can do but it also doubles as a live instrument of it's own for DJing, live looping, sample triggering, remixing on the fly, and so much more which is something no other daw can do. I've been on it since Live 5 and can't imagine using any other daw. Heel tof video man. Groetjes uit LA!

[@neptunevibe]

You have the Tannoy 802 just like me! Cool! What do you think of them? I also integrated a PreSonus Temblor T10 and I think they are enough.

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

good in the high end, not so good in the low end. but not terrible either. I have to compensate for that in my head

[@ParkedUpAnywhere]

how is cubase above logic pro? you just said that Cubase is a massive pain to install

[@ivandubinsky1857]

I have never encountered any of the problems you mentioned in Logic Pro. It works flawlessly for me. It's had a couple of recent updates and I don't agree that Apple is slow in fixing problems (which I've never experienced).

[@soundofthegardenwatc]

oh yes, that overload stops my recordings. i do record 16 tracks at a time on macbook. stop after 2 hours for straight recording creating a 9gb file.

[@CasaNowhere]

There is a preference to have it not pop the warning window though I believe, so you just hit spacebar to start it playing again.

[@markesquivelarvizu6942]

Same here…. Sounds like low performance computer problems to me

[@maximilianschaffler9981]

I really only had crashes with Studio one on mac, on windows i have never had a single crash!

[@pranavm1191]

I don’t know the issues u had with cubase but i have always loved cubase its the best daw i’v ever used it has everything its a mix of all. It has the best sample editor and algorithm it has the best midi editor it has great stock plugins best mixer. Its just the best daw of all time. Cubase 11 pro is the best. I’v used ableton logic fl studio and pro tools but nothing comes close to cubase be it features or looks anything cubase tops.

[@KimonoEtrange]

Okay fanboy

[@Rex-dk1rx]

Over complicated for the simplest of things. But I can see it is a powerful daw they just need to stop all the sluggish sub menus to speed up the workflow. And the steep learning curve is what annoys me

[@danielj.a.291]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for not taking whole segments of the video trying to be entertaining- stopping delivery of the info I need- and in just being entertaining while giving us the info. You do this right.

[@piperofsimms]

Don't fear the Reaper. I'm getting to know this DAW and it is really fun. I've got a lot to learn.

[@OrionSingersDiaspora]

I’ve been using Studio one 4 for over 3 years and never had any of the issues you mentioned! What version were you referring to here?!!! S1 is my best DAW to-date!

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

version 3 and 4. I didn't bother to upgrade to 5

[@DWHarper62]

@@DexxterClarkMusic So you are trashing Studio One without using the latest version? That would have been good information to the viewer...

[@whereisko]

I nearly fell for Mario Paint! 😅 I was like how did I not know 🤣🤣🤣

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

hahaha ...

[@eafortson]

I agree in general with the idea that there is not a certain DAW better for any style of music. However it is important to note that there are DAW which are more popular with producers for certain types of music. And there is a reason for it. I would say it would be good to make a list of some of your fav producers whose style you are drawn too and see what they use and how they use it. then check the communities for your particular style of music and see what is the most popular DAW being used there. At the end of the day for a beginner it will be much easier to find resources, tutorials, templates, how to videos etc for you to learn from, if you are using the same DAW as the majority of the other producers in that field. The other thing to consider is your hardware (some DAW run better on diff hardware and platforms). The other thing is to try out these DAW. most have a light or trial version you can use. Every DAW has its idiosyncrasy and you need to be sure the work flow of the one you chose makes sense to you. Otherwise it will be non stop headaches down the line.

[@RobHTech]

That's my thought too. I am trying to get started into Techno, Trance and have been researching the popular DAW used by those who I gravitate to like Armin van Buuren, Lost Frequencies, Charlotte de Witte, Korolova, Alan Walker, Tiesto, Cosmic Gate, Paul van Dyk, and others. After months-long research and trying to track down who uses what, I figured Ableton seems rather common/popular. And, I can't see it being popular, if so many producers/DJs in this realm are using it. The other thing is hardware integration. I don't want to go with Logic Pro, for example, to find out that my computer crashed and thus have a problem, if I don't have another Mac laying around to run in order to DJ. And then you have Point Blank Music School, which has courses for Logic and Ableton. So, Ableton in this regard seems to likely be my choice to start with. Any thoughts?

[@fedorvoronovcomposer]

Digital Performer and Reaper have to be in this list, they both are massively used by pros and people hardly ever speak about them 😢🥺

[@williamroark]

I’ve been a “Performer” USER since the BEGINNING Performer 1.1 (as in BEFORE “Digital Performer”) To me…. ALL OTHERS are TOYS 🙄

[@kippahthefrenchiewhippasni9689]

@@williamroark Amen 👏🏼

[@kippahthefrenchiewhippasni9689]

Digital Performer is a joke. I fell for the hype when the powermac G5 just dropped. And I’m kicking myself to this day. Dp is a bunch of hype. When I bought dp 6 or something guys was making good music with protools. And I was told that it was the industry standard. But I fell for that dp hype. So whatever people are screaming. What is the industry standard jump on it because it’s true….

[@sovereignacademyfortheperf4591]

@@williamroark Exactly. “Performer” since the beginning.

[@sovereignacademyfortheperf4591]

Loving Digital Performer. I’ve made a living from it both in music composition and in pro film scoring along with JJ Abrams since 1992. The platform has all of the pro features I need, and can fly into any software protocol in the pro circuit. Whoever doesn’t appreciate the tool isn’t spending enough time with it. It’s rock solid with stellar support from the manufacturer. I fly movies directly into the daw, and score, sfx, ADR, and foley with NO SKIPS on a daily basis, adding all of this in frame accuracy while watching the raw film IN THE DAW. And the sequencer is on point. With Clips and Scenes now in DP11, this is the Number 1 pro DAW, bar none.

[@OneTeenDiscipleship]

I love studio one so much. I've never encountered a bug after a year of using it, and it's so productive.

[@sinetec9225]

Cubase all the way. yes, installing is a b...(the dongel is gonna dissapear with Cubase12 next year), the learning curve is more of a learning wall and you never stop learning using Cubase (pro-users i know often say they know 40% of cubase and only using 20%). That said, in my opinion it has the most options to do whatever you want. I like the workflow on it and the overview, and it has a very good customer service. It aint the easiest of DAW's and i had the luck having a friend who is a technician who knows everything of Cubase. Otherwise i would have stranded very early on. I tried FL studio and Machine Studio but to me, working with patterns has the effect of disassociating my mind from the bigger picture, the entire composition. When I work on a single linear graph ala Cubase, I can see all of my parts exactly as they are in the time-evolved fashion. There are advantages to this that patterns will not bring, and of course patterns also have their own pros as well.

[@peteluna4968]

Cubase > FL

[@dannybmusic007]

Studio One 5 > Cubase

[@WellnessRosterHQ]

Cakewalk by Bandlab was of course Sonar Platinum by Cakewalk which was a premier windows based daw. Now it is free and full featured.

[@mgmthegrand]

I can appreciate your frustrations with installing Cubase, but Cubase 11 is very impressive and has a significant number of improvements that make it much more attractive option: Pros: 1. Stock plugins are exceptional 2. Sampler track has been improved significantly 3. Interface is customisable with resizeable windows Cons: 1. Installation process and USB dongle are cumbersome 2. Certain functions aren't as intuitive as you'd expect 3. Because of it's flexibility and how pong it's been around, there's a lot to learn so the learning curve is steep for some. That said, you're always going to be learning with Cubase, for better or worse.

[@DexxterClarkMusic]

great additions for the video! Thanks!

[@vitalykolosha4608]

My Cubase 11 artist just came in before Christmas. Love the ease of use compared to Cubase 8.

[@CammyMoto]

Studio One seems to me to be the best all around DAW.