If you’re a serious musician, podcaster, or budding audio engineer, you care about the quality of your recordings–or you should. And that’s why the audio recording programs you use matter.
Propellerhead Reason. Ableton Live. MOTU Digital Performer. Steinberg Cubase. Cockos Reaper. Founded back in 2004 Apple Logic Pro X. Back in 2002, a small company known as Emagic built the first version of Logic Avid Pro Tools. In this day and age, Pro Tools has practically become a household name.
However, I’d like to add that it’s not the software that makes the music. It’s your skills as an audio engineer. To illustrate, I’d like to tell you a story of an interesting email thread a while back.
This guy was looking for a home studio, and he was asking around for where to go. An acquaintance of mine chimed in with his answer, with some details about studios and such but there was one comment that infuriated me: You might want to have someone who’s recording onto protools. (sic) Ugh Now, I know that not all musicians are engineers so I should let that slide. And this person is a great musician, but he’s a little off in what makes up a great studio. The thing that bothers me is that software companies are so good at brainwashing the public into believing that their software is crucial to the makings of a good record.
It F.ing isn’t. It doesn’t matter whether you use Pro-Tools, Nuendo, Cubase, Sonar Producer, Logic Pro, Digital Performer, GarageBand, Live, or It’s the least important thing in the grand scheme of: “hey I want to know how to record my songs or have someone do it for me.“ The software isn’t going to tell you what sounds good. It’s not a robot that knows how to engineer. It can’t tell you if you’re overcompressing your drums.
This is something that the engineer needs to know. This is the skill of the engineer, regardless of what software he’s using.
Pro-Tools is not going to make your music sound any better. Ask yourself: If you install (insert preferred software here) onto your computer, is it going to make the any better? Is it going to make the sound of your pre-amps any better?
Will it walk out of the computer, look at your monitors and say, “Gee, maybe you should a little further apart for better imaging.” No, it’s not some mega nerdy Cylon engineer. It’ll just do what you tell it to do. And if you feed it garbage it will give you trash. Skills Make Sounds – Not Software So think more about what skills you need to record a great sound than the software that “they” tell you that you desperately need to get.
Yes, you need software. If you, or the engineer you hire, is excellent at using it. Do I recommend Logic to everybody. My philosophy is that any software that you’re comfortable using is the best software for your situation. The skills and knowledge of engineering are infinitely more important than any audio recording software that’s out there. Now that we’ve got that rant out of the way let’s talk about what software solutions you have available, both free and paid.
Will show you a lot of different options that will give you decision anxiety, so we’ve compiled a list for you to reduce your hyperventilating so that you can go back to what you set out to do before, make music. 71 Free Shortcuts to Easy Separation and Balance in Your Mixes If you’ve been struggling to hear all the instruments in a mix, my EQ cheatsheet will help you out. Learn to clean up your low-end, reduce bleed in your drums and eliminate annoying resonant frequencies from your recordings. Get rid of muddiness in your low-mids, tame the harshness in your mix, and get rid of your boxy sounding drums. Learn where to add presence to your vocals, brilliance to your acoustic guitars, thickness to your keyboards or weight to your bass. These tips are broken down by instrument and help you fix your frequency problems with simple solutions that you can use right away.
Top 5 Free Audio Recording Programs Most run-of-the-mill, audio recording apps that come pre-installed on your computer just won’t cut it (with the possible exception of GarageBand for Macs, a reasonably high-quality recorder for simple projects), and you also may not be willing or able to spend an arm and a leg for professional grade software. However, you’re in luck. There are some great free tools that actually don’t suck and can produce the kind of quality recording that will make anybody who listens to your works of art — or wit if you’re a podcaster — it up and take note of what you have to offer. Here are some of the very best, completely free recording tools that will help bring your sounds to life. Available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux Audacity is the go-to open source audio recording application, and as long as your goals aren’t overly ambitious, it puts an enormous amount of power in your hands. It can record just about anything you throw at it, whether it’s from a microphone, through the line-in jack, or live streaming audio (if supported by your sound card), all in a lightweight and clean interface. Many recording enthusiasts, especially podcasters, appreciate Audacity’s uncomplicated user experience and ease of use.
Audacity supports recording in sample rates from 44.1 to an excessive 192 kHz, which sets the stage for studio-caliber and even ultrasonic recordings if you have the hardware to handle it. Also included is support for 32-bit floating point, providing ample headroom for your recorded signal. It comes with effects such as an equalizer with helpful presets, pitch, speed and tempo controls, delay, compressor, fade in/out, and a noise remover. You can expand this palette thanks to Audacity’s generous support of VST, LADSPA, Nyquist and Audio Unit plugins.
Audacity’s strength is its simplicity. While you can make it do multi-track recording if you’re so inclined, it will never gain centerpiece status in a true recording studio. However, it is beginner-friendly, easy to use for quick edits you need to make on the fly (whether that means filtering out unwanted noise, boosting vocals or other frequencies through equalization, or just cutting and pasting), and extremely well-suited for hobbyist and podcast recording applications. Garageband Available for Mac OS only Garageband comes free with any Mac computer and is pretty legit for most recording needs. Although it can’t do major processing like its, it’s more than able to do any multi-track recording and minor mixing work. Highly recommend for the bedroom recordist that’s just starting out and needs a simple solution to lay down some demos.
Traverso Available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux Traverso, another fully featured DAW that’s sure to meet common recording needs, is all about convenience. This program eschews a traditional “menu” structure in favor of innovative keyboard and mouse shortcuts, which brings a crisp immediacy to recording tasks.
There’s no doubt about it–there will be a bit of a learning curve–but the developers claim to have integrated input and execution so seamlessly that you practically learn how to do things as you go along. Furthermore, users have an array of options that make recording demo CDs a snap. You can create tables of contents and burn discs without ever leaving Traverso. Other features that dovetail nicely with the “stay out of the way” philosophy behind Traverso include non-destructive editing, or the ability to use plugins and make edits without changing the actual sample, and lockless real-time audio processing, which reduces latency and streamlines performance. Traverso’s commitment to intuitive recording and mastering controls makes the program stand out among its similarly free counterparts.
Ardour DAW Available for Mac OS and Linux Ardour is yet another great free DAW: one that is taking aim at cream-of-the-crop professional software and is promising for real studios with low budgets. It features non-destructive editing, 32-bit float, supports unlimited tracks, and has extremely flexible routing capabilities. With support for LADSPA, LV2, and VST plugins, you’ll be able to make your favorite customizations without a hassle. Synchronization with video is supported, and full handling of MIDI recording, playback and editing are expected with the highly-anticipated release of the third edition of Ardour. The thing that sets Ardour apart from the rest of the pack is what’s under the hood.
It runs on JACK, an underlying sound server that facilitates low-latency audio recording and communication among various programs. Although Ardour itself only runs on Mac OS and Linux at present, a Windows port has been conceptualized, and efforts towards building one are in full swing as of June 2012, and JACK is already a true cross-platform utility that runs on the aforementioned systems as well as Windows. JACK is excellent at handling MIDI so that Ardour will take full advantage of that upon the release of the third edition. Ardour is complex and certainly not for newbies.
Some have complained about the potentially confusing graphical user interface (GUI), which is quite inaccessible to someone who’s never seen or seriously worked with a DAW before. But if you’re an audio engineer of any level of experience and strapped for cash, you may find that Ardour fits the bill for your projects quite nicely. Jokosher Available for Windows and Linux Jokosher is billed as the “musician’s DAW” and the Linux alternative to GarageBand, the standard, pre-installed, easy-to-use workstation for Macs.
Here, you won’t find advanced editing and mastering tools by the names that most engineers know: it’s a program that speaks in a music maker’s language. While not as heavyweight as its counterparts, Jokosher takes a lot of the guesswork out of the recording process for people who are new to it. All of the basic, expected editing tools are at the user’s disposal.
Startup is fast, easy and straightforward. Tracks are called “instruments,” and you can set them up based on the type of instrument you intend to record. If it’s an acoustic guitar for example, simply select “Acoustic Guitar,” and the track will be clearly labeled as such with a cute picture to boot, providing an excellent visual layout of instruments used in the mix. Jokosher supports LADSPA plugins only, and as of June 2012 it’s still in its early development stages.
But for musicians and podcasters who want to record simple products and get a first taste of manipulating tracks in a DAW, this simple program is hard to beat. Alternative to Pro-Tools That Won’t Break the Bank Most of the big pro studios are using to make all the records going to the radio these days, but it’s slowly losing its status as an industry standard due to the quality of its competitors.
There are plenty of lower-cost DAWs and a wealth of free and inexpensive plug-ins that bring professional studio sound right to your computer. Even though Pro Tools is the premier name in the industry, there is really no special voodoo under the hood. It is simply a graphical user interface that lets you move some bits (and thus sounds) around inside your computer. There is no difference in the way Pro Tools sounds and the way any of its competitors sound, period. So you can comfortably make a foray into saving money by purchasing one of the many alternatives to Pro Tools –none of which will cause even your fans to hear a difference.
There is the perennially popular, which is perhaps the granddaddy of them all so to speak. The German-engineered application is perhaps the Mercedes-Benz of DAWs, offering pioneering technology and reliable performance.
Apple has two DAWs in its stable: Garageband, a veritable staple discussed before, and Logic Pro. In both cases, the quality of these programs is very high and both will work with a wide assortment of audio hardware. Perhaps the best-kept secret in the world of DAWs is Reaper. Is a heads-on contender for any other DAW on the list, including Pro Tools. The best part is that Reaper is not only among the best, it is also one of the least expensive, coming in at only $60 for the discounted license. All the features are there: real-time recording and editing, unlimited track count, VST and DX plug-in support, and more. Is a great option as well.
It contains everything you need to produce music and seems very intuitive and easy to use. In fact, it’s probably the only DAW that might make me switch from Logic. A lot of my producer and engineer friends use it, and they swear by it, citing its ease of use, sound quality, and simplicity with production. There is nothing wrong with using Pro Tools, of course. But if you can’t afford to shell out the big dollars for the industry’s biggest name, you still get the great results with the above applications. Audio Recording Programs for Any Situation All of the above are solid apps with unique feature sets and strengths, dedicated fan bases, and active support and development teams. The free DAWs don’t have the advanced functionality of much more expensive, industry-standard solutions, but depending on your needs I’m sure you’ll find something that works for you.
Try them out and decide which combination of user experience and specific features works best for you. Happy recording! Parts of this post were contributed by Daniel Kimbrel and Jessica Josh.
![Software Software](/uploads/1/2/5/5/125533368/891148233.png)
If you would like to submit a guest post, Daniel is a movie buff and freelance writer. He contributes to a number of music sites online. Jessica Josh is an Australian freelance writer and blogger. Since 2007 she has been writing about weddings, fashion, and music.
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Since way back in the 90’s, when home recording first started And the earliest versions of the modern DAW began emerging People have always argued about which one is best. And as the options continually improve, the debate rages on. For beginners starting out, that makes for a tough decision, doesn’t it? So to help you guys with the all-too-common problem For today’s post I’ve created an in-depth guide covering the best DAW’s of 2018. But before we get to it, let me first answer the one question you’re all probably wondering Free vs Paid DAW’s Are there free DAW’s out there? Should you use them? In my opinionNo.
But if you can’t take my word for it, try one out for yourself. Personally, I recommend checking out, as it’s the most popular free DAW on the planet. Now at this point, you have two choices:. Waste 2 weeks playing with Audacity, only to decide you need something better. Or skip that part, and get something better now. If you chose option 1, I’ll see you back here in 2 weeks. If you chose option 2, let’s move on Limited vs.
Full Versions Rather than using a free crappy DAWthe smarter plan is to use a “ limited” version of a paid DAW instead. Many companies offer these versions specifically to accommodate smaller home studios on a budget. Most are cheap, some are even free, yet they still include 95% of the same features of the full version. Since only advanced engineers tend to use the “premium” features, you probably won’t even miss them. And if you want to upgrade to a professional platform one day in the future, you can do so without having to learn an entirely new DAW from scratch. So if you want to start off with something free (or at least cheap)THAT’S the plan I recommend. Moving on The Top DAW’s of 2018 Poll 1000 studios to ask them which DAW they preferand you’ll hear a pretty wide range of opinions.
But listen to enough “expert” opinions, and the same few names appear over and over. Because they are the ones that have developed a strong reputation in the industry over many years. And since each of these DAW’s has been used on countless hit recordings, they’re ALL perfectly capable of professional results.
So here they are, in no particular order, starting with 1. Presonus Studio One 3 Long known in the audio industry for making quality hardware at affordable prices Presonus recently decided to add their own DAW line as well. So with the help of several formal developers from Steinberg Cubase Presonus released the first version of Studio One back in 2009. Since then, it has quickly risen to become a serious competitor of other top DAW’s. Click below to check out each version. Studio One PRIME –.
Studio One ARTIST – (///). Studio One PROFESSIONAL – (///) Bedroom producers find this DAW particularly appealing, because Studio One Artist, is included free with any of the following:.
PreSonus AudioBox USB – (///). Presonus AudioBox 22VSL – (///). Presonus Audiobox 44VSL – (///) Up next 2. Cakewalk SONAR While it’s probably my least favorite option on the list Cakewalk Sonar has ranked among the top DAW’s for years now And is definitely worthy of mention. But here’s why I don’t care for it: These days, virtually every top DAW is cross-compatible on both Windows and Mac Yet for some reason, Sonar is a Windows only program. PC lovers might not care, yet no one can argue that a HUGE percentage of musicians are Mac users.
And if you EVER plan to collaborate with any of themSonar is probably NOT your best option. Having said that, here are 2 things I like about Sonar:. The X3 and Studio versions are insanely affordable. Sonar uses serial numbers to unlock their software, rather than the complicated USB dongles required by most DAW’s. Click below to see prices/reviews for each version. Cakewalk Sonar ARTIST – (///).
Cakewalk Sonar PROFESSIONAL – (///). Cakewalk Sonar PLATINUM – (///) Up next 3. FL Studio Formerly known as Fruity Loopsbut after a run-in with Kelloggs, who thought people may confuse it with their breakfast cereal Over a decade ago, Image-Line officially changed the name of their classic software to FL Studio.
A top choice for Hip-Hop, EDM musicians and DJ’s It’s a big hit with ‘ in-the-box’ producers due to its:. spreadsheet-like Playlist. flexible Piano roll. extensive automation capabilities One of the coolest things about FL Studio isit’s the only DAW on the list offering FREE lifetime updates. Purchase either the Producer or Signature bundle and you’ll never have to give them moneyever again. Awesome, huh? Click below to see prices/reviews for each version.
FL Studio 12 FRUITY – (///). FL Studio 12 PRODUCER – (///).
FL Studio 12 SIGNATURE – (///) NOTE: the Fruity Edition does not have audio recordingSo avoid it unless you ONLY produce electronic music. They also offer a cool mobile version known as FL Studio Mobile. Propellerhead Reason Much more than just your average DAW Propellerhead Reason offers one HUGE feature that the others don’t. In addition to being a solid stand-alone DAW It also functions as a suite of virtual instruments that can be used in combination with other DAW’s.
With Reason, electronic musicians can easily collaborate with producers working on virtually any platform. For those who prefer the look and feel of REAL analog gear Its visual interface mimics the design of an actual studio rack, even allowing rear access for cable patching. So if you like virtual instruments, Reason is definitely worth a closer look. Click below to see prices for each version. Reason 9 ESSENTIALS – (///). Reason 9 (FULL) – (///) Up next 5.
Ableton Live What makes Ableton Live so unique Is the fact that it was originally designed as an instrument for live performances. And while it has since evolved into a complete recording package Seamless live performing is still one of its primary goals. This fact is clearly demonstrated, first, with a visual interface that fits entirely on a single laptop screen. And second, by the MANY 3rd party hardware controllers designed specifically for the software. The most popular ones include:. Ableton Push 2 (w/Live 9 Intro) – (///). Akai Professional APC Mini – (///).
Novation Launchpad – (///) If a live performance tool is what you need, Ableton Live is what I recommend. Click below to see prices/reviews for each version. Ableton Live 9 INTRO – (///). Ableton Live 9 STANDARD – (///). Ableton Live 9 SUITE – (///) Up next 6. MOTU Digital Performer One of the oldest DAW’s in existence The first version of Digital Performer appeared way back in 1990 Originally as the front-end of a Digidesign system that would later become Pro Tools.
Earlier “MIDI only” versions of the software existed as far back as 1984. Throughout that time, Digital Performer was known famously as the “Mac only” option. Which is big deal, since back then, and even more so today, the large majority of audio professionals love Apple.
Still, for that reason, they probably missed out on a lot of potential users. But no more Because with their latest release, they’ve finally made themselves cross-compatible with Windows as well. I suppose it’s about damn time, huh? ?.
Digital Performer 9 – (/) Moving on 7. Steinberg Cubase The OTHER “old-timer” on this list The original version of Cubase was released by Steinberg back in 1989, which at the time, was MIDI only. Not long afterward in 1992, they released TWO major advancements to the software Adding BOTH support for audio, and Windows compatibility. From that point forward, they continued to refine the technology, contributing several major advancements to the music industry along the way. Their greatest claim to fame was their introduction of VST plugins in 1996, and VST instruments in 1999, both of which became industry standards for many years after. And even today, Cubase has managed to somehow remain just as relevant as they have been for the past several decades. Click below to see prices/reviews for each version.
Steinberg Cubase Elements 9 – (///). Steinberg Cubase Artist 9 – (///). Steinberg Cubase Pro 9 – (///) Next up 8. Cockos Reaper Founded back in 2004 The developers from Cockos Incorporated began the process of building Reaper (Rapid Environment for Audio Prototyping and Efficient Recording) With a unique bootstrapping business model that quickly positioned them as the top “alternative” to the mainstream DAW’s. With no advertising budget, Reaper was able to build its popularity almost entirely through word-of-mouth from enthusiastic users who loved in the product.
The first big selling point of Reaper is its extremely frequent update releases, which add improvements based on the feedback of users. The second selling point is its price structure.
As of now, there is only one version of Reaper, which can be downloaded for free, and offers full unrestricted use with no time limit. Their only request, is that after 60 days of using their softwareyou purchase either a $60 discounted license for private use, or a $225 commercial license if your business is making money. And yesI said “ request“. Their entire business model is based on the honor system of their customers. Yet somehow, Reaper is still far cheaper than virtually any other DAW on this list. To download the free trial, or purchase a license,. Apple Logic Pro X Back in 2002, a small company known as Emagic built the first version of Logic Which must have looked promising to Apple Because they bought it soon afterward.
And it turned out to be a great investment, because since then Logic has grown to become one of the top DAW’s in the world. No surprise, it is the only DAW on this list NOT compatible with Windows. And while PC users might complain, Mac users can rejoice. And here’s why: By keeping it a “Mac only” platform, Logic users are assured that virtually any audio interface compatible with Mac OSX will work with Logic as well. And since these days Macs are so damn popular with musicians Audio interface makers know that OSX compatibility is a MUST.
Ultimately this means a TON of interface options for the end users. For the latest version of Logic Pro X, you need to visit the and purchase the digital download. Up last on the list, the king of all DAW’s 10. Avid Pro Tools In this day and age, Pro Tools has practically become a household name. Because for many years now It has been the industry standard in music recording. Everyone uses itin pro studios, and home studios alike.
And that alone, is a strong argument why you might want to use it as well. Be aware though, that Pro Tools also has more haters than any of the DAW’s on this list (and some of them may even have valid points). But all this really means is that no DAW is perfect, and each one has both its stronger and weaker points.
So is Pro Tools right for everyone? Of course not. But if you’re a complete beginner, and you really have no idea what to start with, I’d strongly recommend it as a good default option.
Currently, there are 3 versions of Pro Tools available:. Pro Tools First – the beginner version, which is totally free, and can be downloaded. Pro Tools 12 – the intermediate version, which comes included with either the Pro Tools, and interfaces, and is also for use with 3rd-party interfaces. Pro Tools HD 12 – the professional version, which comes included as part of an HD Core System. I recommend starting with Pro Tools 12 if you can afford it. And if not, use Pro Tools First instead. Anyways so that’s the list, hope you enjoyed it.
? What’s Next? Once you’ve chosen a DAW for your studio, next comes the difficult process of actually installing it.
And when I say difficult, I mean DIFFICULT! My first time took me a full two days of work before finally getting things working. Ask any old-timer what his first time was like, and he’ll probably have a horror story for you as well.
Just know that a little frustration here is typical, and it does NOT mean your DAW sucks. That’s just how they are.
Be patient, and know that you only have to do this once. Then again, it’s been years since I’ve had to do it myself, so maybe it’s no longer as hard as it once was. Good luck ?.