I almost went crazy learning 3 DAWs to make a detailed comparison. Ableton vs. Pro Tools vs. Cubase

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Come with me on a winding road trying to figure out which of these 3 flagship DAWs are best for full-gamut music production in 2024. I know that there's going to be lots of upset comments because I didn't cover Studio One, FL Studio, Logic etc. but I covered these three because I know them really well. They excel at different things though, so it really depends on what you need to do. And of course which one you know best so you can have fun making music!
Tags:
#guitar #drums #musicproduction #rockmusic #metal #underoath #mixing #audioprocessing #songwriting #musicproducer #superiordrummer #ableton #cubase #avid #protools #abletonlive #music #musician #musicproducer #production #mixing #mastering #2024 #daw #audio #audioediting #audioproduction #audiomixing #metal #popmusic #hiphop

[@ErixSamson]

Cubase for me, I'm so used to it, and it is so powerful, there is nothing you can't do in Cubase. And the community is very strong and active, you're not alone.

[@Byron101_]

Cubase = Pro Tools + Ableton former PT and Reaper user. Now back on Cubase 13... and finally very happy, I must say. I use Ableton not very often. Most Midi editing and arranging ist way better in Cubase, included the great composing chord stuff. Cubase has better Audio recording/editing than in PT, can´t live without Direct Offline processing.SamplerTrack, the flexible render options, the BEST Mixer and Controlroom are also very good. Cubase onstock fx are on par with Logic. Highly recommend.

[@muchlovepodcast]

Would you recommend a beginner start with Ableton and then move on the Cubase or start right away in Cubase?

[@qcole8946]

@@muchlovepodcaststart with it and learn it will be frustrating at first but your goal is to be fluent in your daw where it gets out the way. That’s if you choose to start with cubase

[@vodkastudios4170]

Basically Ableton allows me to get my ideas into the DAW the quickest, and that is by far the most important thing for me. Sometimes inspiration is fleeting.

[@TwistedLila]

Cubase for ALL these reasons PLUS Nuendo's smoothest integration with Wwise. Overall, Steinberg rules. Plus, the best endorsement, Hans Zimmer prefers Cubase.

[@caprimaniac01]

I'm all into Cubase. Been working with different DAWs such as Harrison Mixbus, ProTools,..., but I prefer Cubase for all the mentioned reasons plus plenty of integrated features for which you will have to buy additional software when working with other DAWs ; I never need to get Melodyne because VariAudio is already built in and does a better job. The built-in Plugins are way better than what you could get in ProTools (1176 Style Compressor, complete Vocal chaîne Plugin, extremely versatile dynamic EQs,...) not to mention the ton of samples libraries and VST instruments.

[@KOISANX]

Used all 3 as well and kept coming back to Cubase

[@EncounterCaneCorso]

Great job and completely agree. I’ve extensively used all three as well as many of the other top DAW’s. The Cubase learning curve can be quite daunting, but if you want to exclusively use one DAW it’s the way to go. Especially if your primary focus is composition, producing, editing & mixing. I found the best way to commit to learning Cubase was to delete all of my other DAW’s from my computer..best decision I made 😎

[@TheClicheGaming]

thanks, this was very helpful. i'm currently using Ableton but as a band guy Cubase's features are looking good!

[@LucasMessore]

They do but it's buggy and clunky. I have to make an official decision if finishing a track is actually faster or more fun than ableton.

[@Kingchord2000]

Cubase rules for composers and producers!!!

[@hoossembechiri6136]

Nice video ❤..so do a video about other daws ..bro like fl studio ... studio one...etc .. For me the order is : 01 Nuendo 02 cubase 03 studio one 04 ableton live 05 logic pro 06 pro tools 07 fl studio. Than other daws... For me i use Studio one and ableton live If i will go with other daw and with steinberg i will choose nuendo over than cubase.....fl studio also hase free lifetime update seems like ...need Nuendo / studio one / ableton live/ fl studio

[@dunkelwelpling]

That was a really good, in-depth comparison!

[@LucasMessore]

Thanks!!

[@DavidComdico]

A good balanced review. Some other categories: orchestral articulation support, latency and timing, and the impact of buffer size on performance (esp with Silicon Macs), notation support, and music theory tools. I use all three and they are all good but I get the most work done in Pro Tools.

[@BeatsbyVanity]

Great video! I find myself going back and forward between Ableton and Cubase. One factor I think is important to consider is the direct the company is taking the software in, as you want to future proof yourself going forward. Cubase's custom keyboard shortcuts is a plus, as it's the greatest workflow enhancer I've found.

[@LucasMessore]

Excited to try live 12, but yeah i feel you. If Cubase was snappier and less glitchy buggy like ableton, and got a visual makeover it would be awesome.

[@libtekk]

Cuebase all day long and I can use ableton, fl, logic, pro tools. You can hit f2 or transport in cuebase and open a strip which you can move around change tempo easy.

[@fatuyiibikunle4813]

Nuendo 13 and Presonus studio one 6.6 are the two best daws I use for my production

[@morizanova]

Ableton + Reaper are the best combo for me . Since both are different toolsets in term on "the best use case" , I don`t need thinking or judging too much . The faster I can make something from nothing suits better for me . One for building music ideas and concept , and the other one for mixing and audio editing in low cpu resources . I believe the cons with those combo is deep midi editing out of the box . There are always tricks and hacks but I know some people prefers as native features . Yeah I know , Reaper not the most easy to use DAW . But if you`re stick with simple use case with it ( like import your stems and start mixing ) it`s not that hard . And if you can spend more times , Their Action Keys - Shortcut and modifier I think comparable or maybe more capable to handle more complex tasks than Cubase or other DAW

[@BerriBerriJam]

When you review Ableton Live, which version are you referring to? Version 12 has been in beta for the past 3 months and is officially being released in 2 days. I'm still stuck in version 9 but always reluctant to upgrade and mess up all my settings.

[@LucasMessore]

I'm on 11, and yes I will be upgrading to 12 in a few days to see what that's about. I feel you on updating but you should check out 11 it has some huge features like comping!

[@muchlovepodcast]

This was very thorough and I'm super grateful you took the time to do this. Right now, I have been learning trumpet for a year and want to start composing music. It sounds like Ableton might be a great place to start making music and eventually upgrade to Cubase once I've gotten the basics down. Does this seem like I've understood your analysis for my situation?

[@LucasMessore]

Awesome! Yeah definitely get some free trials, I would check out ableton and forget about switching around just find the best one and go with it! Ableton is the way if you want something fast and fun, and don't have any super complicated audio recording projects.

[@StraightTalkTV]

Cubase for me

[@rook9309]

I love Cubase, especially for mixing but for some reason I find I’m way quicker in my creative process using FLStudio coming up with way more unique ideas and compositions that I simple never do using purely Cubase. I don’t know if FL Studio Piano roll is just that good or if I’m just not advanced enough in Cubase. Cubase just feels a bit clunky when trying to compose I’m not as nimble.

[@LucasMessore]

I know, I've been wanting cubase to cover all bases and it does on paper bit in use it's the most clunky and has the most quirks. It's a shame. I end up gravitating toward ableton it's just much quicker and I'm sure FL is a similar story.

[@jorgedejesustejedavaldez5283]

As a person that use Cubase and Ableton in the past, I totally recommend you to use Studio One, is like Pro tools, cubase and in some way ableton have a Child lol.

[@LucasMessore]

Yeah, I'm late to the party but I started using it and it alleviates all my issues with all of them. Thanks!

[@jorgedejesustejedavaldez5283]

@@LucasMessore i hope you d a video in the future about that

[@masonthomassax]

Ableton is super fast but for the life of me I just can never find myself inspired while using that program. I always come back to Cubase 😭

[@jasoncruizer]

Use the packs, if you get live suite you get 75 gig of packs, there full of 100s of pre created instruments and sounds.

[@zachvalenti]

Great video! Glad you stayed sane. I can only recommend doing this once more to give REAPER a try. You won’t regret it 😊

[@markkaeder9018]

Ableton also does not support AAF or OMF which has been a big barrier to me giving it a try. I'm very accustomed to being able to throw arrangements between DAWs. I'm a hardcore Cubase guy but am well versed in both PT and Logic.

[@MusicOfDreamweaver]

Hi Lucas. Fun video. I just wanted to mention something about the tempo adjustment in Ableton: When dealing with samples, Ableton ruins long samples because it is set to adjust them on import. Cubase is the other way around. You can have the same functionality in Cubase. You just import, then put on music mode in the pool window. In Ableton you have to turn it off first, then turn it on again if the sample is long. I've had tons of issues with this in Ableton. I would also disagree with your notion that Cubase is diffcult to learn. I found it easier to understand the workflow in Cubase, than I did in Ableton due to it all being ease to read from the UI. I feel that your conclusion at the end with suggetions for who the different DAWs could fit was very good. I use both Ableton and Cubase.

[@LucasMessore]

Hey thanks! You can disable that behaviour in ableton by unchecking "auto warp long samples" in the preferences. And lastly, glad you feel that way! I like them both for different reasons.

[@JeyFish]

You should give Luna a shot. I love it.

[@LucasMessore]

Will do! I tried it when it first came out and it was a bit bare bones but I bet it's improved. Thanks!

[@athenkosinkonyeni1472]

3:15 - In Reason you can hot swap virtually anything: instruments, effects and samples etc.

[@LucasMessore]

You definitely can. Reason is awesome !

[@rihamission487]

I only use daws for practicing and recording my bass (I don't have an amp, only an audio interface). I use heavy third-party effects and amp sim plugins but my laptop is in the low-budget spectrum. In regular practice sessions, I want to worry as little as I can about the program, and only focus on my playing. I have plans for music production in the future, but I'll stick to recording for now. What daw do you think is the best one for me?

[@LucasMessore]

go for ableton, as a musician that one seems to be the most similar to a musical instrument. It's quick and responsive and great for shedding!

[@rihamission487]

@@LucasMessore Thanks a lot for your suggestion. That's what I'll do then.

[@goodshorts]

Next up: Logic Pro, Reason and Presonus Studio!

[@LucasMessore]

And FL Studio, Bitwig, Digital Performer lol

[@patwebb882]

Reason and Logic are so damn🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@Byron101_]

tip: switching from PT to Cubase (Nuendo) kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKvMZmOofpiVr80

[@rockr8840]

Cubase and FL studio user here ❤❤❤..

[@bigbillrecords]

Nice to meet you! I use FL for musical compositions then do drums and all recordings and mixing in Cubase. The best combo imo!

[@terrytimberlake8926]

Hold up.. all daws do the same thing, and that is recording vocals, creating melodies, and making beats. I have all of them because I work with a lot of artists and producers.

[@ErixSamson]

Would you agree that Ableton is rather focused on electronic music and live?

[@LucasMessore]

Yes!

[@jasoncruizer]

But also scoring, i have seen a composer on KZbin who usually uses Cubase, but he did a few scoring sessions inside Ableton. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWTcaGymmJ5josk

[@LOLCoolJ]

You lost me at Ableton is "incredibly stable." 🤣

[@LucasMessore]

Oh no what are you doing that it crashes? That's so annoying

[@jacksp8de]

@@LucasMessoreit crashes constantly but it depends on what plugins you’re using. It always saves when it crashes so I have never lost any work

[@vodkastudios4170]

It can be stable... once you stop using plugins it does not work well with, if you only used stock plugins it is pretty much rock solid, and 95% of other plugins are fine and don't crash it, but man is it a nightmare when a new update comes out and a certain plugin does not work anymore and crashes ableton, then you gotta spend time finding the plugin that caused it, if they sandboxed the external vsts like bitwig, it would fix that problem.

[@foljs5858]

tons of famous musicians/bands people use it for live shows, so it IS stable. You're just using unstable plugins...

[@jacksp8de]

@@foljs5858 I love Ableton. It’s my go to but it definitely crashes and my other DAWS studio one, pro tools, logic, Luna don’t crash nearly as much. So there must be a difference in the way they handle plugins

[@mastaGOfficial]

Cubase fits me, protools? Sorry.

[@JazzyFizzleDrummers]

Avid is so unreliable its a wonder why theyre still the standard. I stopped being a customer when sibelius kept crashing while i was in grad school and they wanted me to pay extra for customer support. ETA I switched to steinberg. I do it all, so cubase's flexibility is extremely useful. I write less sheet music now but i use dorico when i do.

[@LucasMessore]

Pro Tools says CPU Overload Error while recording 1 track with no plugins lol

[@nsassep16]

Cubase is the GOAT

[@hoossembechiri6136]

Nuendo best than cubase...so is goat of thegoat

[@nsassep16]

@@hoossembechiri6136 Cubase has more options with midi workflow and multi track's export