DAW preference for old dog

1poorplayer

Power User
I'm using a Mac. I'm revamping my old studio , ....finally.
I messed with Logic ( years ago ) , and found it tricky to get going.
I messed with Cubase , and found it buggy.
I messed with Studio One , but didn't give it a fair try , because my interface setup was poor and troublesome.

I now have a nice imac. I'll be getting an Apollo 8P , and likely try running an octopre thru the adat , along with some old rack preamps and compressors. I may even pick up a pair of Raven MTi 2's.

I have video that will need to be sync'd to the audio projects as well.

I did most of my best work when I had a Mackie D8b and an HDR 24/96 , back in the 90's. I loved that setup. Simple and worked. ( Before it quit working - that is )
Advice anyone ?
 
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Honestly, there's so many good DAW's these days, that it's really all about personal preference, or even just whichever you happen to know well. I use Ableton Live and Logic. But I've also been tempted by Bitwig, Studio One, and Cuebase. They're all so cool in their own way, with various pros/cons for each. The only one I don't really like is Pro Tools... it's petty, but I think the UI looks so dated.

If price matters, Logic is probably the best deal you're going to get on a DAW by far when you consider what is included.
 
Reaper. Dirt cheap ($60). Ultra stable. Lots of documentation and instructional videos on their website. Unlimited and unrestricted free demo.

It can be extremely powerful and complex for those who need it, but also very simple and straightforward for those who just want basic recording and editing. It certainly can't hurt to give it a try.
 
Reaper. Dirt cheap ($60). Ultra stable. Lots of documentation and instructional videos on their website. Unlimited and unrestricted free demo.

It can be extremely powerful and complex for those who need it, but also very simple and straightforward for those who just want basic recording and editing. It certainly can't hurt to give it a try.

I forgot about that one! I always keep an install of it around to open MOGG files. I never really got into using it because it's native plugin collection was lacking. I didn't have enough 3rd party plugins to make up for it. A solid DAW for sure.
 
I recently moved to Mixbus 32C from Harrison.

Wow that think makes so much sense. It's a DAW modeling a top dollar console, both in the sound and in the workflow. Every track has its own semi parametric eq, compressor, trim like a real console. Plus there are the mixbusses, with the tape saturation emulation.
For me it's a great mixing platform. Non perfect (yet) as a composition tool, but good enough if you record instead of programming midi.
 
Harrison definitely sounds great. What concerned me about it is that you apparently can't eliminate the modeling (even though it sounds great). Since I have great channel strip and tape plugins from UA and others, I like the DAW to have an uncolored sound so I can pick and choose my emulations. But if you don't want to deal with the expense or hassle of 3rd party plugs, Harrison sounds really good out of the box.
 
I'm definitely an old dog. That's why I'm STILL using Digital Performer. I have Logic, PT, Ableton Live, all current. I use them when I HAVE to, like a client. But I still like the old show DP. I'm comfortable with it and it does everything I need.
 
Since you have a mac, the nice thing about Logic Pro X is the licensing. Family licensing on all your computers. I bought it in 2013 when it first came out, been getting free updates ever since.
 
Since you're on a Mac, Logic is probably the obvious and easiest choice. The plug-ins in Logic are extensive and sound excellent. It's really all you need. Besides, if you have a MacBook, you can easily move projects back and forth so you can record and mix wherever.
 
Cubase 9.5 is not buggy at all - If you remember how to get around Cubase, that may be a good option.
Thanks
Pauly
 
Another vote for Reaper. Once I tried it, I never looked back. I still use a few others now and then for specialized tricks I'm more comfortable doing in other platforms (Acid or Sonar mostly), but my go-to mainstay DAW is Reaper today, and has been for about 5 years now.

I first bought a license in 2013 for v4.32 and my license is good through 5.99. It's currently at v5.78, so you do the math on how often it gets updated, and how long a license is good for. I'll definitely buy another when it hits 6.0 (which, under the current licensing model will be valid through v7.99).

For $60 it can't be beat really.
 
Reaper will soon support ARA, making Melodyne integration seamless. Looking forward to that. Melodyne 4 is freaking amazing.
 
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