Any consensus on the 'easiest' DAW for complete beginner with basic needs?

Denalihighway

Howdy
2 parts to this noob query:

1) would there be a general consensus as to what the easiest DAW is for a complete beginner? My requirements are very basic IE:

- mainly putting together tracks for my own enjoyment, maybe for selling in the future if it were possible.
- few guitar tracks, few vox tracks, bass and hopefully be able to set up some basic drum loops etc. Then some synth tinkering and some midi programming and the like.

I had protools before and I didn't have the time to stick at it but it just struck me that there was so much to learn even to get a very basic knowledge and that something simpler might be more suitable for my requirements, perhaps Reaper or Audicity? Just something that's easier to jump into for basic results.


2) I also have an old Zoom MRS 8-track which i used to use a lot. The power jack is fubarred at the moment so I'm going to get it fixed and may just keep using this instead of a DAW since I know my way around it.

My question is (very basic again..) - do you know can I import a mix from the 8-track into a DAW on the PC and work on the individual tracks there (while adding other sundry stuff) or am I stuck with one track which needs to be mixed on the 8-track before I export it to PC?

I used to just use the 8-track for mixing and then export it to Soundforge by recording it in realtime. Then on to CD.

As you can tell, I've really no tech background...apart from briefly being introduced to Cubase in order to programme in midi.

Thanks in advance.

I'd be going in to PC by the way.

Obi-Jim

Hello there,

Regarding your second query; (I'm not familiar with those Zoom devices, but..) Does your Zoom save to an SD card or something that it saves to?

If it does, then the easiest way is to get an SD card reader (to usb) and plug that into your computer, you should then be able to copy the WAV files and import them into any DAW.
An alternative is to just play an individual track and record it through your DAW, and repeat for all tracks. Not hi-tech by any means, but it'll get them to the computer.

And your first query,
Cubase, Audacity, Reaper, Pro Tools. I don't know that any of them are "easier", but a lot of people seem to be able to grasp them and are happy with the results.
They all kind of work the same way really, it's more about learning to record digitally rather than learning a specific program. I'm not sure which would be the most beginner friendly, to be honest. But, I think with a bit of understanding about the basics of inputs and outputs, buses, plugins, shortcut keys, you'd figure out how to work any of them in the same amount of time.
I'd tend to point you in the direction of Reaper though, purely from hearing that a lot of people seem very happy with using it and especially because there's a free unlimited trial. Can't go wrong really. Just put in a little bit of learning time, then make a couple of preset sessions so you can jump in to start a project as quick as you like.
(A good option for mac users is garageband as it's quite user friendly)

Mataguri

+1 for Reaper. Theres a wealth of video tutorials available for it on youtube that should get you up to speed fairly fast.

MilanPan!c

Reaper gets points for being free and having a very helpful community.

Cubase and Sonar are a lot lot easier to use though.

If money is an issue, the only real choice is Reaper.

Denalihighway

Obi-Jim wrote: »

Hello there,

Regarding your second query; (I'm not familiar with those Zoom devices, but..) Does your Zoom save to an SD card or something that it saves to?

If it does, then the easiest way is to get an SD card reader (to usb) and plug that into your computer, you should then be able to copy the WAV files and import them into any DAW.
An alternative is to just play an individual track and record it through your DAW, and repeat for all tracks. Not hi-tech by any means, but it'll get them to the computer.
QUOTE]

nope there's no SD card system...but yes the 2nd option is viable, long-winded but viable in fairness
cheers

anybody else using DAWs for basic song production?

This may have been more suited to the general music forum to be honest, seeing as though most of the guys on here have serious DAW experience and big functionality needs.

Denalihighway

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Reaper gets points for being free and having a very helpful community.

Cubase and Sonar are a lot lot easier to use though.

If money is an issue, the only real choice is Reaper.

i think basic Cubase comes free with a lot of interfaces/soundcards doesn't it? Maybe that would be an option if I need to buy one anyway.

silly sounding question Milanpan!c but....how much easier than Reaper do you think it is?

Like do you think it would it be a complete no-brainer to choose Cubase for user friendliness?

(strange question I know...given you don't know how intelligent/stupid I am )

MilanPan!c

Denalihighway wrote: »

Obi-Jim wrote: »

Hello there,

Regarding your second query; (I'm not familiar with those Zoom devices, but..) Does your Zoom save to an SD card or something that it saves to?

If it does, then the easiest way is to get an SD card reader (to usb) and plug that into your computer, you should then be able to copy the WAV files and import them into any DAW.
An alternative is to just play an individual track and record it through your DAW, and repeat for all tracks. Not hi-tech by any means, but it'll get them to the computer.
QUOTE]

nope there's no SD card system...but yes the 2nd option is viable, long-winded but viable in fairness
cheers

anybody else using DAWs for basic song production?

This may have been more suited to the general music forum to be honest, seeing as though most of the guys on here have serious DAW experience and big functionality needs.

I use my DAW for everything from reciting vox and guitar with a single mix to full on production.

The theory is pretty similar in all of them:

Set up a track (set the source of your audio/midi)
Arm the track
Hit record

repeat for each track

mix


If you think of it as a BIG Zoom it's pretty easy. It just takes a but of practice.

Go grab reaper.
Grab the QuickStart

You'll have the first track up on the PC in a few hours.


Be patient and persistent.

And don't buy crap you don't need unless you're rolling in cash... In which case this consult was 500E.

madtheory

Garageband is the easiest of them all. And you can move on to Logic from there, should you so desire. Only problem is you need a Mac.

Reaper is a bit illogical to a beginner, but I have had success teaching recording with it. Audacity is too limited and unreliable, although it does have lots of fun effects, so probably worth keeping around.

They're all about the same really. If you've used a mixing desk or some kind of multitrack before, it makes it easier.

Best thing though, is to have someone show you the ropes, just an hour, to get started. Pay someone if you have to. It definitely eases the learning curve.

MilanPan!c

madtheory wrote: »

Best thing though, is to have someone show you the ropes, just an hour, to get started. Pay someone if you have to. It definitely eases the learning curve.

This is also very true.

1-2 hours and you'd be sorted for a LONG time.

Denalihighway

thanks for replies folks..

just to backtrack slightly - about the point Milanpan!c made about Cubase being easier than Reaper to pick up - I'm interested to know would others share this view?

I've been exposed to Cubase through programming midi lines etc and I checked yesterday and I still have it on my laptop, I thought I'd deleted it.

Maybe I should just tear into Cubase?

madtheory

Yes, if you've already had a start in Cubase you should give it a go.

JonathanAnon

madtheory wrote: »

Yes, if you've already had a start in Cubase you should give it a go.

I have been using Cubasis VST 5.0 for years for only 70 euro yet it still had most of the main features of full Cubase, still use it for MIDI manipulation cos it is the easiest... Apparently (looking up the website) it's now called Cubase Essentials 4.
http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/legacyproducts/cubaseessential4_product.html

I found Reaper difficult to use, and would consider Cubase a lot easier to use.

The Omen 666

anyone any experience with ableton live 8, i am thinking of pairing it with an axiom pro 61 or novation slMK2

JonathanAnon

Denalihighway wrote: »

just to backtrack slightly - about the point Milanpan!c made about Cubase being easier than Reaper to pick up - I'm interested to know would others share this view?

Yeah completely agree with this. I work with computers full time, and am usually quick at picking up applications, but I found Reaper very non-intuitive and a difficult interface to understand. I moved to Linux Multimedia Studio (Free) and have the run of that now... But I still use cubasis, like I said, for the ease of editing of MIDI files.

That Cubase Essential 5 (i.e. budget Cubase), is actually a bit more expensive that what I originally paid for Cubasis (70 euro).. It's 149 Euro plus VAT if you buy it from Steinberg website.. Or you could buy the educational version.

I assume when you say "I still have Cubase on the laptop" that it's not a proper licensed version?

Valcin

I tried Cubase, Logic and Ableton and I found Ableton to be streets ahead in ease of use. The session view really simplifies everything a lot and makes writing music a lot easier for me.

MilanPan!c

Valcin wrote: »

I tried Cubase, Logic and Ableton and I found Ableton to be streets ahead in ease of use. The session view really simplifies everything a lot and makes writing music a lot easier for me.

It's so funny, if you've used traditional DAWs for years Ableton seems almost randomly thrown together... Not hard, but odd..

It felt like riding a bike after years of driving a car...

old gregg

MilanPan!c wrote: »

It's so funny, if you've used traditional DAWs for years Ableton seems almost randomly thrown together... Not hard, but odd..

It felt like riding a bike after years of driving a car...

Ah man, that's exactly what I found. Funny thing is, I did find it quite hard mostly cos it seemed completely illogical to me having worked with other DAWS.

FL Studio on the other hand came easily to me and I think that's a nicer DAW to work with prior to exporting out for Ableton

MilanPan!c

old gregg wrote: »

Ah man, that's exactly what I found. Funny thing is, I did find it quite hard mostly cos it seemed completely illogical to me having worked with other DAWS.

FL Studio on the other hand came easily to me and I think that's a nicer DAW to work with prior to exporting out for Ableton

It's funny, I wonder if you started with the idea that you 'play' a DAW how difficult switching to more traditional software.

The newest Sonar has a similar tool to the matrix looper thing in Ableton. I need to try it, but don't have a reason.



and I also agree that FL is a great piece of kit, especially for pre-production. Being using that since v1.

madtheory

That makes sense. Pro Tools et al are based on legacy systems (desk, tape recorder, outboard) whereas Ableton more fully exploits the UI of a PC, rather than trying to be a virtual recreation of an analogue system. It's not as black and white as that, but it's something like that IMO.

MilanPan!c

Here's a screenie of the Cakewalk "version" of the idea... it's left to right though, instead of top to bottom.

sryanbruen

Cakewalk Music Creator and Apple's GarageBand are the easiest DAWs to use in my opinion. For example, after watching a short tutorial on Music Creator, though I had to search up Sonar which is a little more complicated than it and I understood the whole DAW! If you have a Mac, GarageBand is the DAW for you and is free to use along with the product.