Live 9 Suite, Logic, Cubase or Reaper?

Heartfeltdawn

Tracktion doesn't seem very dead here. 

http://www.tracktion.com/

mani

You can use the utility effect in Live to convert stereo to mono.

The midi part of Live is very refined as you've found out, I've got DSI & elektron gear integrated in no time, even maps pots & buttons for envelopes.

Another thing to factor in customer support.  From my experience Ableton's is very good.

Session part of Live makes for great creativity IMO.

For me the bottom line is productivity & integration.

dilbert

HollowAxis said:

Reaper

+1. I have tried the lot and have found Reaper not only the best VFM but also the most intuitive. Which is ideal for a part time dabbler like me.

equalsql

Yep.. 'Don't Fear The Reaper' ... another user here.

thomasross20

Heartfeltdawn said:

Tracktion doesn't seem very dead here. 

http://www.tracktion.com/

Agreed, I only just saw that!!! I think I'll stick to what I know. 

The best ones to me appear to be Tracktion, Ableton Live & Reaper. 

Danny1969

The best free one is Reaper (been evaluating it about 8 years now ) 

thomasross20

I thought you had to pay after 3 months use?

Fez

Reaper is so cheap there is no excuse not to pay for a licence and it's a great DAW. I used to like Tracktion but it wasn't really being developed for a while so I went to Reaper. I believe Tracktion has been revitalised.

Danny1969

thomasross20 said:

I thought you had to pay after 3 months use?

No, it's just got a nag screen that pops up when you start the program but you can ignore it and get on and then 30 secs or so you can close it so it's effectively free

wave100

I think it depends what kind of music you want to produce - Live is great for dancey stuff but (in my opinion) not so great for traditional song based stuff, Cubase is better for that.

digitalscream

thomasross20 said:

I thought you had to pay after 3 months use?

No, it just depends on what kind of person you are

Seriously, though...£36 or so is all it costs, and you get two full versions' worth of updates into the bargain. Support the developers

Jalapeno

Heartfeltdawn said:

Tracktion doesn't seem very dead here. 

http://www.tracktion.com/

That is excellent news, Julian Storer is back in control ! 

thomasross20 said:

Oh realy, @Jalapeno!? So it no longer exists? 

That is a CRYING shame as it was very easy to use. Wonder what I'll use now

I take it all back, @thomasross20 - it's resurrected !!!!!

hugbot

I've started using Logic again and I forgot how much it annoys me. Its insanely powerful but it seems like all its power is hidden behind secret menus, I see a youtube video explaining something I didnt know, go "oooh I should try that", forget the keycommnd and end up using ableton again.

thomasross20

@jalapeno - so will you be using Tracktion?

Jalapeno

Maybe, not recording at the moment. Will consider it if/when I get back to recording.

thomasross20

I might consider buying though still have a copy of Tracktion 2 so don't know if it would be worthwhile upgrading. 

Oh - on another note I bought the original jamstix program in 2006 and I can upgrade to the new version for $30! Might consider that, also. 

hugbot

I'm coming to fucking despise logic. In todays adventure, it turns out that clicking "copy" on a section, selecting on an empty space and selecting "paste" does NOT create a copy at that place. Why? Fuck knows.

e; turns out because it creates a fucking copy on the track which you last highlighted in the header (in this case a guitar track I last used yesterday) and at the location of the playhead. Even though I'm clearly clicking in an empty space within a totally unrelated track (midi drum track) which is where I want my copy to go..

This is my logic experience so far, theres usually a logical (lol) reason why something is happening, but the exact nature of the inputs that are making it happen dont always abide by common sense.

thomasross20

I'm going to upgrade my DAW. Question is.... Reeaper or Tracktion... 

I just downloaded a demo version of Reaper and it looks very tight and professional and only $60 if you want to buy it like Tracktion. 

I'll download the Tracktion 5 demo, also. 

Reaper does look good and you get loads of free plugins, but then you get the same in Traktion. 

Will see...!!

Here's a nice comparison:

http://sound-editing.softwareinsider.com/compare/57-75/Cockos-REAPER-vs-Mackie-Tracktion

digitalscream

thomasross20 said:

I'm going to upgrade my DAW. Question is.... Reeaper or Tracktion... 

I just downloaded a demo version of Reaper and it looks very tight and professional and only $60 if you want to buy it like Tracktion. 

I'll download the Tracktion 5 demo, also. 

Reaper does look good and you get loads of free plugins, but then you get the same in Traktion. 

Will see...!!

A key point with Reaper is that you get two full versions' worth of upgrades bundled with the price, so (for example) if you bought it at 4.01, you'd get free upgrades all the way to 5.99. Point releases also include new features, like the new Time Stretch they put into 4.5x (I think).

John_P

I'd also suggest reaper for a starting package, as well as the low price and free upgrades, the reaper forum looks full of helpful tips to get you going.