Your preferred DAW

Reaper. Why?

It works with ASIO4ALL, allowing me to use my MOTU ASIO audio interface simultaneously with my AXE-FX ASIO audio interface. Many PC DAWs do not.

It can be evaluated for free with no functional limitations.

It is extremely inexpensive at $60.

It contains no bloat code for copy protection.

It can be installed as a portable app (all files contained in a single folder) on your hard drive or on a thumb drive that can be inserted into any computer.

It can be used on PC or Mac, with project files created on one platform being compatible with the other (with the exception of AU plugins).

It is in constant development.

It has a well-written comprehensive manual that is updated with every software revision.

It is produced by people whose prime motivation is not money or a corporate bottom line. The original creator made a fortune creating Winamp and selling it to AOL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfaQrOeb_F0

They listen to their customers and integrate new features based on feedback.

It is highly responsive and efficient.

It is relatively easy to learn.

It does what I need it to do.
 
Cubase wins on features (especially composition & MIDI), but implements many of them in a non-intuitive way… expect to refer to the manual frequently while learning it.
ProTools wins on intuitive interface design, but as mentioned, many useful features require paid add-ons, and Avid's business model is consumer-unfriendly, to say the least.
IME they're about even in terms of stability (PT tends to lag behind in OS support, but tends to flake out a bit less if running supported hardware).
I use Cubase, myself, and find it does everything I need after investing the time to figure it out. I run Cubase 8 on a 2009 MacPro, using an aggregate audio interface combining a firewire Metric Halo ULN-2 and the Axe-FX over USB. For plugins I mainly use UAD and Waves.
If you go for Cubase, I would recommend that you start out on one of its entry-level versions (Elements or Artist) and upgrade to the full version if you feel you need to.
 
Why I am the only one who uses Adobe Audition? I freaking love it.

v.3.0 can be had for FREE due to End of Life a few years ago. Adobe released a universal serial number, even.
And it's still pretty capable. Supports VST, VSTi, Midi, an actual WAV editor, even Spectral view editor.

I have it on a Mega account, if anyone want it.. here:
https://mega.nz/#!ZsAEjIAY!B_HNxVlocmAV4w5ZeWbRU1zt6y4wRTrXSf2Jg3STelI

Ya, i used CoolEdit for a lot of work back in the day. Does Audition still have the 'waveform generator' and the extra parameter on compression that allows the attack to be delayed in time, that CoolEdit had?
 
I haven't used it, but Reaper has got to be worth a try for how cheap it is considering it's power as professed by its users. For myself, my preferred DAW is Logic, but I'm using Pro Tools more often as a Berklee online student. Pro Tools is very powerful and fairly user friendly once you learn it a bit. It's definitely more expensive for the full version. I've used the previous version of Studio One and it wasn't bad, the new version is supposed to be good.
 
Logic Pro 9 since sooo many years!
Why?
Started with Logic back in 1995, Audio since 2002, developed my workflow over the years.
Why I'm staying on Logic Pro 9?
I have some very expensive audio hardware, that doesn't allow me to go on 64bit system architecture, such as a 128 channel SSL Duende pre-production external dsp unit with all X-Code options. And I have the old Metric Halo ULN2+DSP interface which runs on mac only but does a great job since many many years.
And beside that - never change a running system. I don't need all that modern smock designed for non-musicians make it easy to make noise crap...... ;)

Cheers
P
 
Ya, i used CoolEdit for a lot of work back in the day. Does Audition still have the 'waveform generator' and the extra parameter on compression that allows the attack to be delayed in time, that CoolEdit had?

Don't know, but probably. Download that file I linked to, and use the serial number included. Completely legit. Apply the 3.0x patch from Adobe to fix a crashing issue that occurs when Spectral view is displayed, I think.
 
Studio One 3. It's so intuitive, yet powerful. I love it. They have a full demo for I think 30 days, so you could try it out.
 
I use Cubase Pro 8. love it!
I also purchase Protools 12.2 but rarely use it.
I've tried most software DAWs (Cakewalk Sonar X2, DP8, Logic, Studio One, Reaper,..) I ultimately returned to using what I started with in the Atari days, Cubase.
:mrgreen
 
Addendum: I realize the OP is on PC, but for anyone on Mac, be advised that OS X 10.11 El Capitan (released last week) has apparently broken many DAWs (and plug-ins). Definitely check the manufacturer's web site for any compatibility information before committing to specific OS / DAW combinations (good advice for any platform).
 
Sonar X3

I started with the first versions of Cakewalk for DOS, only MIDI with no audio (I sync it to one track of my 8 track tape recorder) and moved through all the upgrades up to Sonar X3.
 
If you plan to use the DAW for recording, Reaper should work fine. It's cheap as long as DAWs go, and has a lot of functionality packed in.

I used Cubase, but man that's the most complicated an unintuitive piece of software I've ever used. It's the only program I've encountered which I totally cannot use without referring to the manual all the time. I still have it because it does things others can't, but prefer not to touch it if I can.

My main DAW is Ableton Live though, because nothing beats it for playback of backing tracks.
 
Pro Tools for me, I've used it for years and invested too much money to change. Although Studio One 3 is really nice too.
 
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