Hi, I need some advice around which DAW to try for home recording

Monosurf

Joined: Oct 29, 2020
Posts: 23

Posted on Oct 25 2021 03:11 PM

Hi - I am curious as to what DAW's people are using for home recording. I am a Windows user, and will be getting a new laptop in the next month or so. I've begun investigating DAW, and am curious as to what other people use. Up until now, I have used a TASCAM studio in a box, but would like to get into DAW so that I can have virtual drums, etc. So far, I have looked at Reaper, Prosonus. Any thoughts? Thanks

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Redfeather

Joined: Jul 30, 2016
Posts: 883
3 Download Pins

Posted on Oct 25 2021 03:34 PM

I use Reaper. Practically free and apparently just as good as any other DAW. It's nice that it's open source. That way you know you're never going to be left without support.

Virtual drums are probably the most important aspect of a home recorder's arsenal. This is the only plugin I've spent money on. I went for Native Instruments 50's Drummer and the sonic value it has added to my music far exceeds the $50 I spent on it (sale price.)

Last edited: Oct 25, 2021 15:40:12

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SixStringSurfer

Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1400
Memphis, TN
United States

Posted on Oct 25 2021 06:34 PM

I use Mixcraft 9 by Acoustica. They call it the "GarageBand" for PC's. As for drummers, I have a professional record a drum track for me. I use a site called "AirGigs," and pay $75 per song. The same drummer has done 3 songs for me. Good luck!

—

MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New Singles "Finish Line" and "Paradiso" on Bandcamp and website.

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djangodeadman

Joined: Jan 25, 2007
Posts: 1566
Brighton UK
2 News Pins

Posted on Oct 26 2021 02:06 AM

I use Cubase and have done so for many years. The truth is, though, that all of the major DAWs are extremely capable and all have their own ways of doing things. As stated above, Reaper is very cheap and Cakewalk by Bandlab is completely free. Most if not all, provide demo versions, so I recommend that you try a few and see which has a workflow which you’re comfortable with and also weigh up which best fits your budget.

—

Los Fantasticos

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Ariel

Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 1556
Israel
Israel

Posted on Oct 26 2021 06:19 AM

REAPER. It's cheap, highly customizable, very capable, fast and has small footprint.

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Monosurf

Joined: Oct 29, 2020
Posts: 23

Posted on Oct 26 2021 11:38 AM

Thanks everybody

Hopefully I will be posting some original music on one of the forums in 2022

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Vince_Ray

Joined: Aug 26, 2015
Posts: 252

Posted on Oct 26 2021 05:11 PM

Just pondering Harrison Mixbus. Lots of folks say it's better for mixing than recording. So I'm planning on dragging files from my Zoom R16 onto the Mac for further treatment. Works ok so far but still experimenting

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matt

Joined: Oct 18, 2010
Posts: 650
Boston, MA
5 News Pins

Posted on Oct 27 2021 03:49 PM

I think just about anything will work. it depends what you need; if you are recording instruments that you are playing, they'll all do that (audacity is free!) I think when you get into virtual instruments, midi etc it starts to matter more. and of course if you're on Mac or PC.

—

Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com

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ldk

Joined: Nov 08, 2017
Posts: 367
San Francisco Bay Area
United States

Posted on Oct 27 2021 07:24 PM

I use Audacity. Free for all OSs. I found it the easiest to learn of the many DAWs I tried.

—

If I'd stop buying old guitars to fix, I might actually learn to play.
Bringing instruments back to life since 2013.

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elmorto

Joined: Feb 23, 2018
Posts: 100
Oslo
Norway

Posted on Oct 28 2021 06:32 AM

I use Reaper for recording and I am pretty satisfied with that one.(Haven't tried that many other DAW's,though.)
I also use EzDrummer for drums and they sound quite good in my ears, if you wanted some tips on virtual drums as well.
You can check out my music here if you are interested. All the songs are recorded and mixed in Reaper with EzDrummer as the drum sounds.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ZFxrxFfQaIwWziSDaOWlh?si=QrpfxfKcRseEyNnV3MS_sA
(Not trying to hijack the thread with self promotion. If you are not interested you don't have to press the link ;) )

—

Beach Bomb - Black Surf from the cold waters of Norway!
https://beachbombband.bandcamp.com

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simoncoil

Joined: Sep 28, 2012
Posts: 911
Berlin, Germany
1 News Pin

Posted on Oct 28 2021 07:45 AM

ldk wrote:

I use Audacity. Free for all OSs. I found it the easiest to learn of the many DAWs I tried.

I also happily used Audacity for quite a while, and have written about my experiences with it in recording surf music here on SG101. But I'm trying to make the transition to Reaper now, mainly because Audacity does not support the (proprietary) Asio4all driver, which is used by a lot of audio interfaces (including the one I bought). (You can incorporate support through a workaround, but it seems to be rather complicated.)
Another reason for changing to Reaper is the possiblity for non-destructive audio editing: With Audacity any effect applied to a track is basically fixed once you save the file. In Reaper you always have the option to change everything later on.

That being said, I did record substantially more in the time, when I was using Audacity, because I got the hang of it very fast, since it is so straight forward. Now I'm constantly postponing things "till I have a better understanding".

—

Los Apollos - cinematic surf music trio (Berlin)
"Postcards from the Scrapyard" Vol. 1, 2 & 3 NOW available on various platforms!
"Chaos at the Lobster Lounge" available as LP and download on Surf Cookie Records!

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thefacialsgaragepunk

Joined: Dec 02, 2012
Posts: 56
Fukuoka
Japan

Posted on Oct 30 2021 11:45 AM

I use Reaper. It's cheap and really
easy to use with great results. There are plenty of videos on Youtube to help when you're stuck too.

Top

SurfHermit

Joined: May 11, 2021
Posts: 10
1 News Pin

Posted on Oct 30 2021 01:07 PM

I also recommend reaper; it will do everything you need it to do.

—

The Surf Hermits on Bandcamp

2nd album Showdown out now on Sharawaji Records!

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Merlin

Joined: Feb 03, 2011
Posts: 111
Brampton, ON
Canada

Posted on Nov 05 2021 07:41 AM

Another Reaper fan here!

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Monosurf

Joined: Oct 29, 2020
Posts: 23

Posted on Nov 05 2021 09:19 AM

Thanks everyone. I have been looking at some Reaper tutorials on youtube. Should be getting our new computer in December, so I will likely download a trial copy and give it a go.

Top

djangodeadman

Joined: Jan 25, 2007
Posts: 1566
Brighton UK
2 News Pins

Posted on Nov 05 2021 09:52 AM

A sensible decision; it’s very good value and well liked. Whichever DAW you choose will involve a learning curve and, unless you have prior experience of another DAW, Reaper is as good a choice as any other.

—

Los Fantasticos

Top

Monosurf Joined: Oct 29, 2020 Posts: 23	Posted on Oct 25 2021 03:11 PM Hi - I am curious as to what DAW's people are using for home recording. I am a Windows user, and will be getting a new laptop in the next month or so. I've begun investigating DAW, and am curious as to what other people use. Up until now, I have used a TASCAM studio in a box, but would like to get into DAW so that I can have virtual drums, etc. So far, I have looked at Reaper, Prosonus. Any thoughts? Thanks Top
Redfeather Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 883	Posted on Oct 25 2021 03:34 PM I use Reaper. Practically free and apparently just as good as any other DAW. It's nice that it's open source. That way you know you're never going to be left without support. Virtual drums are probably the most important aspect of a home recorder's arsenal. This is the only plugin I've spent money on. I went for Native Instruments 50's Drummer and the sonic value it has added to my music far exceeds the $50 I spent on it (sale price.) Last edited: Oct 25, 2021 15:40:12 Top
SixStringSurfer Joined: Sep 23, 2014 Posts: 1400 Memphis, TN	Posted on Oct 25 2021 06:34 PM I use Mixcraft 9 by Acoustica. They call it the "GarageBand" for PC's. As for drummers, I have a professional record a drum track for me. I use a site called "AirGigs," and pay $75 per song. The same drummer has done 3 songs for me. Good luck! — MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale. New Singles "Finish Line" and "Paradiso" on Bandcamp and website. Top
djangodeadman Joined: Jan 25, 2007 Posts: 1566 Brighton UK	Posted on Oct 26 2021 02:06 AM I use Cubase and have done so for many years. The truth is, though, that all of the major DAWs are extremely capable and all have their own ways of doing things. As stated above, Reaper is very cheap and Cakewalk by Bandlab is completely free. Most if not all, provide demo versions, so I recommend that you try a few and see which has a workflow which you’re comfortable with and also weigh up which best fits your budget. — Los Fantasticos Top
Ariel Joined: Aug 29, 2009 Posts: 1556 Israel	Posted on Oct 26 2021 06:19 AM REAPER. It's cheap, highly customizable, very capable, fast and has small footprint. Top
Monosurf Joined: Oct 29, 2020 Posts: 23	Posted on Oct 26 2021 11:38 AM Thanks everybody Hopefully I will be posting some original music on one of the forums in 2022 Top
Vince_Ray Joined: Aug 26, 2015 Posts: 252	Posted on Oct 26 2021 05:11 PM Just pondering Harrison Mixbus. Lots of folks say it's better for mixing than recording. So I'm planning on dragging files from my Zoom R16 onto the Mac for further treatment. Works ok so far but still experimenting Top
matt Joined: Oct 18, 2010 Posts: 650 Boston, MA	Posted on Oct 27 2021 03:49 PM I think just about anything will work. it depends what you need; if you are recording instruments that you are playing, they'll all do that (audacity is free!) I think when you get into virtual instruments, midi etc it starts to matter more. and of course if you're on Mac or PC. — Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo http://www.heatonsurf.com Top
ldk Joined: Nov 08, 2017 Posts: 367 San Francisco Bay Area	Posted on Oct 27 2021 07:24 PM I use Audacity. Free for all OSs. I found it the easiest to learn of the many DAWs I tried. — If I'd stop buying old guitars to fix, I might actually learn to play. Bringing instruments back to life since 2013. Top
elmorto Joined: Feb 23, 2018 Posts: 100 Oslo	Posted on Oct 28 2021 06:32 AM I use Reaper for recording and I am pretty satisfied with that one.(Haven't tried that many other DAW's,though.) I also use EzDrummer for drums and they sound quite good in my ears, if you wanted some tips on virtual drums as well. You can check out my music here if you are interested. All the songs are recorded and mixed in Reaper with EzDrummer as the drum sounds. https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ZFxrxFfQaIwWziSDaOWlh?si=QrpfxfKcRseEyNnV3MS_sA (Not trying to hijack the thread with self promotion. If you are not interested you don't have to press the link ;) ) — Beach Bomb - Black Surf from the cold waters of Norway! https://beachbombband.bandcamp.com Top
simoncoil Joined: Sep 28, 2012 Posts: 911 Berlin, Germany	Posted on Oct 28 2021 07:45 AM ldk wrote: I use Audacity. Free for all OSs. I found it the easiest to learn of the many DAWs I tried. I also happily used Audacity for quite a while, and have written about my experiences with it in recording surf music here on SG101. But I'm trying to make the transition to Reaper now, mainly because Audacity does not support the (proprietary) Asio4all driver, which is used by a lot of audio interfaces (including the one I bought). (You can incorporate support through a workaround, but it seems to be rather complicated.) Another reason for changing to Reaper is the possiblity for non-destructive audio editing: With Audacity any effect applied to a track is basically fixed once you save the file. In Reaper you always have the option to change everything later on. That being said, I did record substantially more in the time, when I was using Audacity, because I got the hang of it very fast, since it is so straight forward. Now I'm constantly postponing things "till I have a better understanding". — Los Apollos - cinematic surf music trio (Berlin) "Postcards from the Scrapyard" Vol. 1, 2 & 3 NOW available on various platforms! "Chaos at the Lobster Lounge" available as LP and download on Surf Cookie Records! Top
thefacialsgaragepunk Joined: Dec 02, 2012 Posts: 56 Fukuoka	Posted on Oct 30 2021 11:45 AM I use Reaper. It's cheap and really easy to use with great results. There are plenty of videos on Youtube to help when you're stuck too. Top
SurfHermit Joined: May 11, 2021 Posts: 10	Posted on Oct 30 2021 01:07 PM I also recommend reaper; it will do everything you need it to do. — The Surf Hermits on Bandcamp 2nd album Showdown out now on Sharawaji Records! Top
Merlin Joined: Feb 03, 2011 Posts: 111 Brampton, ON	Posted on Nov 05 2021 07:41 AM Another Reaper fan here! Top
Monosurf Joined: Oct 29, 2020 Posts: 23	Posted on Nov 05 2021 09:19 AM Thanks everyone. I have been looking at some Reaper tutorials on youtube. Should be getting our new computer in December, so I will likely download a trial copy and give it a go. Top
djangodeadman Joined: Jan 25, 2007 Posts: 1566 Brighton UK	Posted on Nov 05 2021 09:52 AM A sensible decision; it’s very good value and well liked. Whichever DAW you choose will involve a learning curve and, unless you have prior experience of another DAW, Reaper is as good a choice as any other. — Los Fantasticos Top

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Hi, I need some advice around which DAW to try for home recording