Need help finding new DAW software.

[elfro89]

Hey guys,

I've been running Cubase LE now for about 5 years and it has done everything I have needed of it but now I feel it's hit it's limit and is now time for an upgrade, I'm scoping out a bunch of software and I'm probably gonna invest in an old version of Cubase because it's pretty cheap nowadays. I figured I would ask the good people of this forum if there is any software you would recommend that won't break the bank and supports all my VST software. I need a program that has no man made limits other then the ones that exist naturally in them - really can't be doing with another LE like software designed to frustrate you into buying the full version.

Thanks in advance
Pete

 

[baskruit]

Check out Reaper. Not sure if it has all the features that you want but for me it worked like a charm and it's very very affordable. I'm not so much into recording at the moment (sold most of the gear and went back to my roots: bass playing) but if I'd ever do another recording stint, Reaper would be it.
www.reaper.fm

 

[elfro89]

Thanks for that  :glasses9:

It sounds great it really does, but I rely heavily on VST modules. If it had a more universal way of incorporating them it would be a serious contender.
Thanks for the recommendation.  :laughing7:

 

[pabloman]

Why not upgrade to Essential, Studio or even Cubase 5? I am growing increasingly frustrated with LE and will probably be going one of those directions. Just curious if there are some big reasons not to or if you just haven't checked them out yet. I'm sort of on the fence, I'd like to try something different but also would like to stick with what I know. I think that's just a guitar player's mentallity though. :icon_jokercolor:

 

[hannaugh]

I used to have a Cubase system, and I didn't really like it that much.  Now I have this system, and I'm pretty happy with it.  I got mine on ebay for $189 or somewhere around there, and it comes with Pro Tools LE.  I actually took a class for Pro Tools, so I might be a little biased, but I personally think it is easier to use than Cubase, plus it is the industry standard. 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/digidesign-mbox-2-educational/582021000000000

 

[elfro89]

The price, really don't want to sink £500 into daw software when LE can do what I need, the biggest problem is the severely limited slots available to add mastering and effects plug-ins. What irritates me is deliberate limitations they put onto programs to make you opt for the more expensive complete software.

I understand that guitar companies and other manufacturers might opt for cheaper options to make their budget products as cheap as possible, and then they usually find ways of making those ways better to give you the best possible product at that price (not always true I know). But with software, there is no such justification for deliberately giving you a restricted product because you haven't got the cash to get the full version. That irritates me greatly, and makes me less likely to do business with them.

I'm probably going to get an old full version of cubase because I really don't want to pay for all of Steinberg's latest and greatest developments that mean bugger all to me. I use VST software for everything down to mastering, all I need is an interface that allows to me to utilize it all in one place. Cubase serves that platform to me, I don't need halion or any of the other crap they include in the full version. If anything the cheapest Cubase option should only be that interface only without all the other goodies, like time-streching and pitch-shifting and all that crap that I don't need or use.

 

[elfro89]

Hi Hannah, thanks for the response.

Pro Tools is interesting, I have never used it properly before. I'm not sure if you need specific hardware to use it? Really don't want to go down the road if pro-tools is limited that way.

 

[hannaugh]

I don't think you do, but I don't know for sure.  I definitely think it is worth looking at though because like I said, it is the industry standard, and it is extremely powerful software.  Plus I think (not sure, but I think) that the student version is basically the exact same as the pro version.  At least that's what my friend who is certified to work with Pro Tools told me.   

When I bought my mbox2, it also came with a ton of free plugins that I have found useful.  They're not full versions, but still enough to get some use out of them. 

 

[SustainerPlayer]

I'm using Cubase 4.5 because I've used "Cubase" since running Pro 16 on a C64 back in the days. I have not felt the need to upgrade to ver. 5 or 6 as I feel that 4.5 got me covered.

ProTools is not hardware specific as of version 9. I do have ProTools 8.05 cause it came with the Eleven Rack. But I do not use it.

I've heard that Presonus Studio One is being praised by lots of former Cubase users.

They have a 30 day free trial. So you can check it out if you want to: http://www.presonus.com/demo-studioone/

Good luck on your DAW-hunt.

 

[baskruit]

Thanks for that  :glasses9:

It sounds great it really does, but I rely heavily on VST modules. If it had a more universal way of incorporating them it would be a serious contender.
Thanks for the recommendation.  :laughing7:

I thought Reaper + VST worked fine but then again: I know nothing about VST so there you go. Anyway, best of luck with it.

 

[Justinginn]

Reaper supports VSTs pretty well. I mean I've never worked with pro-tools but as long as you aren't peaking on a bunch of VSTs I haven't had any problems.

 

[bagman67]

On this topic, I'm thinking of picking up one of the modeling amps that has a USB output (one less piece of crap on the computer desk, if I can avoid a dedicated outboard audio interface) and was wondering if anyone's used the Fender Mustang modeling amps with (or without) the Ableton lite that's marketed along with them.  I played a Mustang III in GC over the weekend and am pleasantly surprised by how good it sounded.  Mostly I'd be playing along with jam tracks, nothing particularly sophisticated. 

I am of course completely agnostic as to what tools I use to record, being a total n00b in that arena.  But I'm also a cheapskate, and see no need to drop hundreds of dollars on a version of ProTools when an opensource tool might also do at my level of sophistication.


Bagman

 

[Cagey]

I don't know about Ableton Lite, but you might want to have a look at Audacity. It's a full-featured editor/recording package that's priced to move at $0, being F/OSS.

 

[Stew]

Reaper plays quite happily with VST plugins & instruments ... I'm assuming you're on a Windows PC and not a Mac—not sure if VSTs work with the Mac version (I know AUs do)?

The latest version of ProTools (v9) will work with any hardware that your operating system recognizes. You would need to buy a plugin adapter made (software, about $100) by Fxpansion to run your VST plugins with ProTools (creates versions of your plugins in the native RTAS format—works very well).

I've played with Reaper a bit and it will do pretty much everything any of the other DAWs can do and more. You can download it and try it for free for as long as you like (you get a little nag screen when you first start it) but a home user licence (non-commercial) is only about $50. It will seriously challenge you in regards to learning it's working paradigm ... sometimes not the most intuitive software but most users seem to agree that, once you master it's workflow, it's as fast as any other editing platform.

The other thing you could do is embrace the limitations. The Beatles used four track tape machines for Sgt Peppers ... record and then bounce down ... then record some more. One thing that I find when working 'in the box' is that I can noodle around for hours with things because I don't need to commit anything. This indecision can really stifle the creative juices. Somethimes it's just better to make a decision, print it and move on.

BTW, I use Ableton (the full suite) and I love it ... Ableton Lite sucks worse the Cubase LE in terms of limitations but if you're considering forking out $ for the full version of Ableton it's a good way to test the waters.

... and if you can get multitrack recording and editing with fx happening in Audacity then you're a better man than I  :icon_biggrin:

 

[AndyG]

Just to throw in my 2 cents ....

If you already have a bunch of VST plugins, your best bet would be to stick to Steinberg products .... either Cubase or Nuendo.  They were designed to work seamlessly with that software.

As was mentioned, if you wish to dive into the ProTools world, the FXpansion wrapper will allow you to use your VST plugins.

As I have said before, all recording software works pretty much the same way, with some having steeper learning curves than others.  I would argue that, depending on your needs, hardware is where you should concentrate your disposable money.  Once your signal becomes 1's and 0's, any software will manipulate it easily enough.

It has to be said that you will never get true recording studio quality at home .... there are too many variables involved.  You will be able to get some great recordings, however, with the right combination of hardware, software, and above all, patience!

I would stick to what you know and like to use.  If you are familiar with Cubase, that would be the logical place to concetrate any upgrades.  Any other software will cause at least some initial frustration as you learn how to use it, and if you already have a collection of VST plugins, why not go with a platform that they belong to.  Once again, I would say you should upgrade to the best hardware you can afford/fits your needs before deciding on which software you want to use with it.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Well, after working on a home studio with a friend, I got to be the research lab rat for stuff.  I have found that there is a large difference in the hardware the encodes your tracks.  For instance, a Digi Rack 003 vs an Apogee Ensemble is a no contest, with the Apogee winning by a landslide.  We tried everyone we could, and they all agreed.  After looking into this for quite some time, I understand quite a number of reasons for it.  As was mentioned above, it is hard to get a studio sound in a home studio.  You need to dedicate a couple of rooms to it really, and invest quite a bit into them.  If anyone is interested, I'll go on, but that isn't really what the poster wanted so...

I have ProTools 9.  I got it because I have computers with Win 7 on them.  And It forced me to upgrade.  It doesn't require specific hardware other than a dongle.  It is dandy.  Has a crap load of improvements over the previous versions.  Things are just integrated as they should be, and it is easy to automate.  It is still a lower version of the HD stuff, but I don't mind.  The Fxpansion package is supposed to work flawlessly, if the VST's were written properly.  I have the SSL plugins (well 4 of them) and they are wrapped by the FXpansion software.  Work dandy, sound good. 

But, as has been said quite a number of times, it is pricey.  I started with the software years ago, and upgraded along the way, making the hurt much less.  If you were going to make the plunge, there are several of the hardware units that you can get that have ProTools bundled with them, like Hannah said.  Some even come with the upgrade to 9, though you will probably need to get the dongle as well.  But still, if you were going to get the hardware, it would be very good to read up about which hardware units were good sounding.  Or which ones can be modded at a reasonable cost.  Lots of things can be done to improve the units, and your sound.  A good clock goes a long ways.

So, from the tone of your posts, I am going to assume that you don't want to follow that route.  Knowing what I know now, I would have taken a much different path with the hardware.  I do like the PT9 software.  I also like that it is a standard that I can drop into my friends place and get a good mix.  However, there are a lot of other good options out there that have been mentioned.  I guess any recommendation will depend a lot of what you are trying to accomplish with your system.
Patrick

 

[elfro89]

Thanks for your posts  :glasses9:

Andy G's suggestion seems the most logical, I know cubase pretty well through a number of versions I've used all over the place. I've decided to get hold of the full version of Cubase 6 because I'm a student and get discount, that coupled with windows 7 will give me the update that I'm looking for. Thanks for all your suggestions guys  :laughing7: 

 

[hannaugh]

Student software discounts are so nice.  I still can't believe how many hundreds of dollars I saved on stuff when I was in school.  Good luck with it!  :rock-on:

 

[Volitions Advocate]

I'm a cubase user myself and among the pro software suites I find it the best.  Your interface is a big part of the decision as well.  I don't want to knock Hannaugh's choice here, but i'll politely share my opinion and warn you not to go the mbox route.  If you decide to go with pro tools you'll end up getting a newer version anyway, and since Pro Tools has been bought by Avid they've dropped the hardware pairing requirement, so you should be able to use any interface.  And I'd go with something from Tascam or something similar over an Mbox, if you're going for that light Usb 2 channel max interface type of setup.  If you're getting into the bigger ADAT / Firewire stuff then it changes a bit.  Cubase 6 is also out now and its cheaper than it ever has been before.  I believe it is only 500 USD or so, when Cubase 5 was 800+.  And the student version is usually over 50% off, and has no limitations.  This would give you the advantage of native support for your VST's as Steinberg invented the tech. (which was previously stated).  Cubase also has no hard track limit like Pro Tools does, although it does cap out at a sample rate of 96KHz, which should be enough unless you have massive hard drives and are crazy .

The alternative is to spend no money and put a little bit of elbow grease into it and get the equivalent system with Ardour.

This would involve finding a suitable Linux Distribution (like ubuntu studio or something) and installing Ardour and its related dependencies.  It is open source.  Has all of the functionality of any major DAW software, and surpasses Pro Tools in many features.  Also comes with an overwhelming number of great open source LADSPA plugins, and if you put the effort of compiling the program yourself (there are tutorials) you can add in support for VST's.  Again, your choice of Interface is pretty important here, as not all are able to be used inside of linux, and almost none do it natively. There is another open source project called FFADO that aims to get all audio recording interfaces to work within linux, and they've got over 1000 different pieces of hardware working flawlessly.

If you took this path you'd have to have a free hard drive or make an empty partition on a hard drive to install linux.  Or you could go out and buy a nice fat 3TB hdd for 150 bucks and get to work.  It'll take a little bit of effort, but the time you put into it will be much less than the time you spend working at your job to pay for a top notch DAW program.

http://ardour.org/


EDIT: Oh!, There was a page 2.  *sheepish*  I guess you've got it all figured out already.

 

[elfro89]

EDIT: Oh!, There was a page 2.  *sheepish*  I guess you've got it all figured out already.

Thanks for your input anyway bro, it's all welcome

I just ordered cubase 6 (which I just realized was the German/French/Italian version so that should be interesting...)