Creating music can be fun, frustrating, rewarding and time-consuming. Computer technology is a great leveler, bringing the fun and frustration to just about anyone. It’s “affordable”, not cheap, but musicians have always been willing to spend money on quality.
This article was previously published on the AudioJungle blog, which has moved on to a new format in 2010. We’ll be bringing you an article from the AudioJungle archives each week.
Over the next months we will be running a series of articles on digital audio workstations (DAWs), which allow musicians to record, edit and play back their music. The first time I heard the term “digital audio workstation” was in the mid-80s in an article that described Roland’s new D20, a multitimbral keyboard with a built-in sequencer, allowing you to create and record music on one device.
Today, while some DAWs are integrated devices (see this article for some inexpensive options), the most popular (and most powerful) are computer solutions using specialized hardware and software. This article will introduce you to them.
DAWs Are Not Just Software Programs
When we talk about digital audio workstations we often focus on the computer software, but the term correctly refers to the entire ecosystem, including the computer hardware, computer software, audio interfaces and peripherals.
A standard computer running Audacity does not really qualify as a DAW, though some may debate that. But fortunately it is possible to get started with digital recording with a standard PC and some free software:
- 8 Free, Cross-Platform Apps for Musicians
- 7 Free Digital Recording Apps for Windows
- 29 Music-making Apps for Linux
As you get more serious about digital recording, you will need to invest in more gear:
- A fast computer with lots of RAM and disk space. There are some techniques for making your computer run more efficiently: 14 Tips to Make Windows Break the Sound Barrier.
- An audio interface for converting analog to digital, and digital to analog. These are usually PCI cards connected to a box of canon or phono inputs, though inexpensive USB interfaces are available for laptops. For some inexpensive options, see 8 Budget Audio Interfaces for Your Home Studio.
- A music keyboard and possibly other musical interfaces, such as a device with programable buttons and sliders that you can use for mixing, rather than having to use a mouse.
- A microphone (or set of microphones) and musical instruments.
DAWs Are Powerful
DAWs are professional specialist applications that can feel very overwhelming until you get to know them. Like computer aided design and desktop publishing applications, they come with a long and difficult learning curve. It is probably better to master one DAW than have a passing familiarity with several.
Most DAW interfaces are based on a multitrack tape recorder metaphor, and include transport controls, tracks, and a mixer. This makes DAWs a little easier to learn. But they also have many features that traditional tape recorders don’t, including:
- automation (though many high-end traditional recorders include this)
- cut, copy, paste and undo (like a word processor)
- the ability to record both MIDI and audio
- basic music notation display, though if you are serious about notation you may need a dedicated program
- the ability to master from multitrack down to stereo.
Many of the DAW programs started with different focuses, for example MIDI sequencing, softsynths, loops, and sampling. As features have been added, they cover much of the same ground, and have become increasingly competitive.
DAWs Are Expandable
You want a DAW that will grow with your needs. You need it to adjust as you invest in better computers, a new mixer, and an expanded digital interface. Good DAWs are capable of more than you initially need, allowing them to work with increasingly complex hardware, and saving you from having to learn a new system.
Good DAWs are also expandable in terms of software, by allowing you to extend their functionality with plug-ins. The most common plug-in standard is VST. There is a huge range of plug-ins available for most DAWs, some costing many times more than the DAW itself.
A List of Well-known DAWs
Many DAWs are available, and we will have a close look at some of them over the next months. Leave a comment to let us know which ones you would like covered.
There is no definitive “best” DAW. They come with different focuses and philosophies, so you’ll need to do some research and try out some demos before deciding on which one suits you best. You will also need to consider which are available for your operating system and computer hardware, which suits your budget, and whether you need to collaborate on music projects using a particular DAW.
Here are some popular digital audio workstation applications:
- Ableton Live is a professional loop-based software music sequencer.
- ACID Pro (Sony) is a DAW that developed from a loop-based music sequencer.
- Ardour is an open-source DAW for Linux and Mac.
- Audition (Adobe) was formerly Cool Edit Pro, and features a multitrack, non-destructive mix/edit environment and a destructive-approach waveform editing view.
- Cubase (Steinberg) is a music sequencer and DAW originally developed for the Atari.
- Digital Performer (MOTU) is an intuitive program that lets you record MIDI and audio tracks side by side.
- FL Studio, formerly known as FruityLoops, started as a pattern-based music sequencer.
- Koblo.com is an online (cloud computing) DAW with a focus on collaboration – it is still in its infancy, but looks promising.
- Logic Pro (Apple), a DAW and MIDI sequencer originally developed by Emagic.
- Nuendo (Steinberg) is an expensive state-of-the-art digital audio production environment.
- Pro Tools (Digidesign) is a widely used DAW.
- REAPER (Cockos) is a Rapid Environment for Audio Production, Engineering, and Recording.
- Reason (Propellerhead) emulates a rack of hardware synthesizers, samplers, signal processors, sequencers and mixers.
- SONAR (Cakewalk), a traditional DAW now owned by Roland.
Which DAW do you use? Are you happy with it, or saving up for another? Which DAWs would you like us to have a closer look at? Let us know in the comments.
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By Adrian Try
How to Record Great Music
If you've been thinking about recording music or dabbling in audio engineering, then kick-start the process by grabbing a copy of Björgvin's book and start learning how you can record great music with whatever equipment you've got!
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Which one of DAWs listed is accessible for blind musicians? (Except of Sonar?) People with sight have a choice whether to work with image, sound, or both, blind people have no choice but sound. Unfortunately, most DAWs are heavily mouse-oriented, thus preventing blind users from working with them.
Hi Thomas,
Reaper is also accessible when using ascreenreader. Just like sonar has Caketalking as an accessibility script, Reaper has ReaAcces as an accdssibility plugin. Reaper is also really easy to use without this plugin.
Besides that, Reaper is a fantastic daw! Really flexible, especially the routing functions. It’s the only daw I’m working with, and I can say that I tried some…
Nuendo link 404s – this works: http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/nuendo.html
Thanks James. I’ve updated the link.
I started using Acid before it was bought by Sony, then I upgraded to Cubase because it came with my Tascam US242, not long after I moved to Ardour on Linux and have used it as my primary DAW, however I have used other software too, Reaper, Presonus Studio One, Live, and most recently I’ve been really into Renoise because of its cross platform nature.
For pure DAW, Ardour wins for me.
Don’t forget about Propellerhead Record! =)
Why is Reason even on the list? You can’t record audio tracks in Reason. Isn’t that the most basic required feature for a DAW?
I have tried both Logic and Ableton Live. Of the two I find Ableton Live far the most intuitive to use and I would love to see more Ableton based tutorials on Audiotuts.
Maybe you haven’t used Logic for enough time. I’ve tried Logic and Ableton Live for a long period of time, and i find logic to be much better.
i don’t use either of the mentioned daws, but your comment makes no sense. locke specifically said he finds live more intuitive, not necessarily better. and logic (the one you seem to lack, not the software which you seem to possess
) tells you that can’t change with time, because once you actually learn the stuff, intuition doesn’t come into play anymore. so no matter the amount of time he spends with either daw, live will always have been the more intuitive daw for him (as in having a gentle learning curve), even if he preferred logic after mastering both.
I use FL Studio. Some people find it hard to learn, but it was the opposite for me. But I do feel it has its “limitations”. I’d wanna shift to Logic Pro…but that’s IF I had a Mac. I wanna get a Mac AND shift to Logic Pro.
Turn you laptop into a hackintosh. You can do it with a $30 snow leopard upgrade disc.
I recently got Ableton Live with my M-Audio keyboard but I still fall back to Acid Pro. I’ve been using it for years [it's how I got introduced to sequencing] and quite frankly, I love. Even if I had a Mac, I would most certainly use BootCamp, if only to use that one program [and Project64, heh].
I use FL Studio. I’m fairly new to it and have found it relatively easy to learn. I use it predominantly from Drum & Bass and Dubstep. I’d love to know what it’s limitations are (and the advantages of alternatives). It would be great if you could do an article on it.
There’s gonna be a new (major) player on the table soon. Actually “Studio One” was already released by Presonus, who are known for their recording interfaces.
Studio One is now included with all their hardware in the “Artist” Version which offers quiet a lot of features already. Like Ableton Live the Presonus DAW is a “one window” design and therefor pretty easy to use for newcomers to the recording department. I’m gonna try the “Full” version sometime soon, and it’ll probably be my first article for this awesome site
cheers
Moe
I’m using digital performer for scoring films and I think it is awesome. I’d like to read more about it in these tutorial, that would be grate!
I got myself FL studio and have been getting some fantastic tips from Audiotuts and I am following “most” tuts posted(especially if they FLs related).I am still learning the “ins” and “outs” and will be interested to hear more about FL studio…….
I’m a Sonar guy. Have been since version 2. I love the depth of features, performance and flexibility. The integration of audio and midi is great and no hold ups when using third-party products with it.
Charlie
http://www.intuneaudio.ca
well i find that logic is very nice
I’m using Renoise, a full-scale DAW which evolved from a tracker. Unfortunately, it’s not on your list. Give it a try
.
All I can say is if you’re just starting out and are shopping DAWs, stay away from Adobe Audition.
We used it for years, and it wasn’t until we ran it in a side-by-side comparison (with Magix Samplitude, which I LOVE and should be on this list!) that I realized the shortcomings of the audio engine.
It’s night and day, even though it’s not really supposed to be.
I’m a home recording newbie running Adobe Audition v3.0 for a year now, and its features are powerful and with a deep effects set. I’m curious about other DAW software. I think they all work pretty much the same. So the key is to get knowledgeable about all its features. I would like to move to a Linux platform, and have started researching Ardour and Hydrogen.
I NOW use Ableton Live and Reason. I used Logic pro in the past but was’t quiet satisfied with it. I think ableton and Reason make a great team. Fl studio is also nice.
I use Sonar and Reason, ReWired together. This setup has been serving me really well for over six years. To a newcomer who needs the ability to record live tracks and add loops, rhythm parts and soft synths, I might actually recommend the new Reason 6, as it offers all these things in one package. I’m a creature of habit and don’t want to abandon the setup I’ve become very efficient in, but if I were just starting out, I might check that Reason 6 out.