mongoose_eyeball
Inspired
Three years ago, I bought a new iMac, and a UA Apollo Twin interface and decide to dive in. I had to make the same decision you're facing now. I had used both Cubase and its more expensive cousin Nuendo, but unlike a smart person, who might say, "I already know this one; I'll just go with it," I figured I'd spend few weeks messing around with several different ones, to see which workflow I liked best (with going back to Cubase as a possibility). I got a copies of Logic, Reaper, Ableton Lite that came with a MIDI controller keyboard I bought around the same time and the free version of PreSonus Studio One. I wanted to try Reason as well, but I couldn't find a cheap or trial version.
I decided to start with Logic. So I did.
Three years later, I haven't gotten around to trying the other ones yet.
I just got used to Logic very quickly. And now, the versions of the other ones are all outdated; if I decided to try them, I'd have to get new copies.
So I think the prevailing wisdom of the thread is correct; you're gonna favor the one you get used to first. The bar for the modern DAW is really high; you can't go wrong with any of the big names.
Of course, it doesn't really answer the question of which one you should get used to first!
I will say that I use the instruments in Logic all the time (Reaper doesn't have those). If you might be using software instruments, you won't have to shell out extra to cover the bases. In fact, once you add the cost of buying extra plug-ins and software instruments to supplement Reaper, Logic is actually a little cheaper ($200 for the full version, much less than buying the full bells-and-whistles versions of the other big names like Cubase, Sonar, Reason, ProTools, Studion One or MOTU Performer).
I decided to start with Logic. So I did.
Three years later, I haven't gotten around to trying the other ones yet.
I just got used to Logic very quickly. And now, the versions of the other ones are all outdated; if I decided to try them, I'd have to get new copies.
So I think the prevailing wisdom of the thread is correct; you're gonna favor the one you get used to first. The bar for the modern DAW is really high; you can't go wrong with any of the big names.
Of course, it doesn't really answer the question of which one you should get used to first!
I will say that I use the instruments in Logic all the time (Reaper doesn't have those). If you might be using software instruments, you won't have to shell out extra to cover the bases. In fact, once you add the cost of buying extra plug-ins and software instruments to supplement Reaper, Logic is actually a little cheaper ($200 for the full version, much less than buying the full bells-and-whistles versions of the other big names like Cubase, Sonar, Reason, ProTools, Studion One or MOTU Performer).