Page 1 of 2
Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 1:36 am
by kri5py
Hi Guys,
I'm new here and I just want to say how impressed I am with this whole community. It is unlike any other online forum I have been apart of. Ive spent the last 3 weeks brushing up on my dub step produciton bible - AMAZING resource btw, thanks soo much Daft tnuc and Futures Untold for compiling that!
I think I am ready to start actually making some music but wanted to get an opinion from you all. Which is your favourite DAW? I can handle making some decent wobbles in Massive, but now it comes time to put it all togther and I'm a little lost. I've got Reason and Sonar thinking about getting Cubase, which one would you guys recommend for a beginner?
I am having a hard time figuring out how to input the sounds from massive to Sonar, any tips on that?
Im hooking up my Edrums to sonar and the possibilities seem endless, so excited! I cant wait to see what kind of sounds I can trigger with this kit..
So me Real question is WHICH DAW SHOULD I GET GOOD AT USING? obviously, it comes down to opinions, whatever suits me best, etc. I wanted to use Logic, but Alas I am a PC user and MAC sold us out when they made it exclusive to MAC users, so fuck them! lol
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 2:09 am
by Recessive Trait
so now we've got a krispy and a kri5py?
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 2:30 am
by wayoftheworld
i'd suggest trying out the demos of the different daws and see which one you vibe with the most
with that said, i think for a beginner trying to get their head around basic programming and how daws work, you can't go wrong with fruity loops. and don't be turned off by the name, it's a powerful piece of software and well rounded overall. it's simple enough to get ideas down quick and definetly powerful enough for the big producers - skream, benga, pinch, ramadanman, hudson mohawke, etc etc etc
each daw has their own set of strengths and weaknesses, it's just a matter of trying them all out and seeing which glove fits.
good luck

Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 7:27 am
by krispy
PICK A BETTER NAME FOR STARTERS
THAT ONE IS TAKEN
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 7:57 am
by therapist
krispy wrote:PICK A BETTER NAME FOR STARTERS
THAT ONE IS TAKEN
Shit isn't it?
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 8:55 am
by Depone
Welcome!
This new hobby will soon consume your life!
Reason is actually a great starting block for learning practical studio techniques and is very user friendly.
Cubase is full of power but you may become stuck if you dont know what your looking for.
People favor fruityloops for beginners and pros alike, some people click with it quickly, some (like me) dont.
So yeah whatever you feel comfortable with. Also reaper gets an honorable mention for having a no restriction demo and is very cheap and powerful .
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 12:55 pm
by paravrais
kri5py wrote:obviously, it comes down to opinions, whatever suits me best, etc.
kri5py wrote:obviously, it comes down to opinions, whatever suits me best, etc.
kri5py wrote:obviously, it comes down to opinions, whatever suits me best, etc.
kri5py wrote:obviously, it comes down to opinions, whatever suits me best, etc.
kri5py wrote:obviously, it comes down to opinions, whatever suits me best, etc.
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 9:27 pm
by futures_untold
This thread will be useful to you, specifically the first section on 'starting out' in music production.
http://www.dubstepforum.com/dubstep-pro ... 59713.html
Patrick
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:10 am
by Stab Master Arson
Alllllright that is pretty gay having 2 krispys, so I changed my name to Stab Master Arson, bonus points to whoever can tell me what movie that is from...
now that some time has passed I've tried a couple different daws. I've made my decision.
Ableton Live 8.1, it seems very powerful and I've noticed there is quite a lot of resources for it. Youtube is great. I got some new headphones on the way, you guys know anything about the Audio Technica ATH-M50? I read a bunch of reviews including the ones in the bible (very helpful) and think they are my best bet. What do you guys think? I paid 115 Canadian with taxes and delivery from ebay....
I cant wait to actually get a song done, I'll post some stuff once its ready to be ripped apart by you guys ha. I'm still in the very early stages thoughh, trying to get a decent wobble bass for the low end before I free style some electronic drums over it... I'm curious if it'll actualy work out like I'm hoping it will...
I'll keep you guys posted...
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:24 am
by paravrais
therapist wrote:krispy wrote:PICK A BETTER NAME FOR STARTERS
THAT ONE IS TAKEN
Shit isn't it?
There's more than one guy called the rapist??
:p
Also, OP, good choice, you know it makes sense. Ableton is boss!
Oh and don't forget to post your first track in the appropriate feedback thread up top, don't make a new thread for it or people will put their cyberdicks in your cyberass.
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:35 am
by amidoinitrite
as most have mentioned.. Try demos.. but if you already have software.. I would stick to learning those before spending more money on software. Once you get the basics then start looking at other programs and see what they actually have to offer.
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 1:00 am
by amphibian
I've played with 3 DAWs so far (reason, logic, and ableton), and I have to say that so long as you have a rough idea as to what things are for, you'll pick them all up pretty quickly if you lock yourself away for a day or two. I played with logic once I was really into it, then started picking up ableton as I'm quite interested in doing live performances (if I get the chance), so decided that I'd use it for that AND production

Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 1:11 am
by Stab Master Arson
Yeah, it seems to be working pretty well for me so far. A lot of the problem is I don't even know what I'm looking for. I have no idea the different names or what is even possible. so I'm going to keep doing tutorials and reading all the tip threads on here until I have a better understanding of it.
Is ableton better for live performances? I'm really digging all the midi controller stuff. right now I have it hooked up to my drum set but I think at some point in the next 6 months I'll have to get an actual midi controller...
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 2:20 am
by amphibian
Stab Master Arson wrote:Yeah, it seems to be working pretty well for me so far. A lot of the problem is I don't even know what I'm looking for. I have no idea the different names or what is even possible. so I'm going to keep doing tutorials and reading all the tip threads on here until I have a better understanding of it.
Is ableton better for live performances? I'm really digging all the midi controller stuff. right now I have it hooked up to my drum set but I think at some point in the next 6 months I'll have to get an actual midi controller...
I thought midi-assigning in logic was amazing until I started using ableton live. It's like it was made to be paired with a controller. I'm not sure whether or not it's "better" for live performances, but the whole session view is meant to be used for exactly that reason. Aka, load up a stack of clips of the tracks you work on + other people's songs and start practising

Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 2:54 am
by krispy
Yeah man Ableton is a good choice, thats what I use
We must think alike since you chose the same name as me

Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 4:48 am
by FrostByte
Give FL9 a shot man. It's very user friendly, and if you are a beat oriented person like myself, then FL9 is the DAW for you.
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 7:54 am
by Stab Master Arson
haha, yah krispy, ableton is really good so far, im liking it. why did you pick that name anyways? any particular reason? my first name is chris, and my last name starts with p so krispy was a natural choice lol...
how long have you guys been doing this stuff? any formal education or mostly self taught? I've been a drummer for around 10 years, never really had any lesson (only 2) but im pumped to start drum lessons again next week, really hoping to bring up my skills and one day play live over pre recorded dub step beats I think the potential is huge.... Where are you guys from? Mostly UK? US? Where the Canucks at?
**edit
haha also krispy I just noticed your metal slug avatar, pretty dope, thats one of the best side scroling games ever. I often play metal slug 3 on my phone..
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:07 pm
by Genevieve

Awww, a bonding session. You two are DSF's new 'hot couple'

Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 2:56 pm
by Recessive Trait
Stab Master Arson wrote:Stab Master Arson, bonus points to whoever can tell me what movie that is from...
CB-4
Re: Best DAW for a beginner?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 8:42 pm
by FrostByte