October 27, 2024 • 11 mins
Todays show comes from a YouTube video reviewing the five best digital audio workstations (DAWs) for beginners in music production. The video examines each DAW's features, strengths, and weaknesses, providing a comprehensive overview of each program and its suitability for different genres and musical styles. The reviewer offers personal insights and recommendations, including their personal favourite, Logic Pro, while also highlighting the importance of choosing a DAW based on individual needs and preferences.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
All right, so are you ready to make some music?
(00:02):
Because today we're gonna be talking about picking
the perfect digital audio workstation.
That's right, the perfect door for you.
Yeah, and I know it can be kind of overwhelming.
Oh, absolutely, there are so many choices out there.
Yeah, and so we thought we'd take a deep dive
into one particular YouTube video
that we found called,
The Best Doors for Beginners in 2024.
Yes, from the wonderful music by Maddie.
(00:24):
Yeah, music by Maddie.
And in this video, Maddie reviews five of the most popular doors.
Yeah. Ableton Live Garage Band,
FL Studio Reaper, and Logic Pro.
A really good spread.
Yeah, it's a really good spread.
And some of them I think are gonna surprise you.
So let's jump right in.
Yeah, let's dive in.
Let's start with Ableton Live.
Okay, so Ableton Live.
(00:45):
It's known for its live performance
and looping capabilities.
Yeah, Ableton is really the industry standard
when it comes to live performance,
especially for electronic music producers, DJs,
anybody who wants to be able to manipulate their music
on the fly.
Right, Maddie talked about some really cool beat matching
and cross fading tools.
Absolutely seamless transitions.
Yeah, that sounds really cool.
(01:05):
But I know you were saying Ableton
might not be the ideal door for everybody.
Yeah, so one thing to consider with Ableton
is that if you're primarily interested
in recording a full band with live instruments,
drums, guitar-based vocals,
Ableton might not be the best fit.
Oh, interesting.
Because some of its features are really geared
towards electronic music production and loop-based music.
(01:26):
So for example, some of the built-in plugins,
like the guitar amp simulator,
aren't really as powerful or as versatile
as what you might find in other digital audio workstations
that are designed more for recording live instruments.
I see, so it's like if you're walking through a door
into like a fantastic dance club,
it's not necessarily gonna be the right door
to walk into a recording studio.
Exactly, and another thing to consider with Ableton
(01:48):
is that its workflow is very unique.
Okay.
So it's not super intuitive if you're coming in fresh,
but it is very specific to Ableton.
Gotcha.
So the skills that you learn in Ableton
might not be as directly transferable
to other digital audio workstations.
That's a really good point.
Okay.
Okay, so that's Ableton Live.
What about GarageBand?
Oh, GarageBand?
This is the one that comes free on every Mac.
(02:09):
Free on every Mac.
Yeah.
Extremely accessible and a fantastic place to start
if you're just dipping your toes into music production.
That's awesome.
It really is.
You can absolutely make professional-sounding music
with GarageBand.
Maddie even mentioned some hit songs
have been created in GarageBand.
Yeah, absolutely.
And it's really intuitive.
The layout is super user-friendly.
(02:31):
It comes with a lot of decent sounds, basic plugins.
That sounds pretty good for a free door.
It is a very good value proposition.
However, as with anything, there are some trade-offs.
Okay.
So you won't find some of the more advanced features
that you might find in a paid digital audio workstation.
For example, things like busing and routing.
(02:51):
Okay, so think of that as organizing
and manipulating your audio signals.
Exactly.
And the plugin selection is a little bit limited.
And also exporting individual tracks from GarageBand.
Ooh, tell me about it.
Can be.
I've heard some horror stories.
A little bit of a headache.
Let's just say I've spent some late nights
wrestling with GarageBand's export settings.
(03:11):
Oh my God.
But you know what?
For free, you get what you pay for.
But for free, GarageBand is fantastic.
Yeah, I think that's a great point.
So that is GarageBand.
What about FL Studio?
FL Studio.
So this one was formerly known as Fruity Loops.
I remember Fruity Loops.
And it has really evolved into a powerful digital audio work
(03:32):
station.
It sounds a lot more serious now, doesn't it?
It does.
It really does.
You call it FL Studio.
FL Studio has become incredibly popular, particularly
among hip hop producers.
Oh, cool.
And it's also very beginner-friendly.
And one of the things that Maddie points out
that's fantastic about FL Studio is their lifetime updates
policy.
Oh, wow.
So you pay once, and then you get all the updates forever.
(03:53):
Forever.
That's awesome.
That's a great value proposition.
That is a fantastic value proposition.
And FL Studio has some really powerful features
for people who love working with drums and melodies,
particularly the step sequencer and the piano roll.
So like a virtual drum machine and keyboard at your fingertips.
Exactly.
It's super intuitive and really fun to work with.
That sounds like a lot of fun.
(04:14):
So what are the potential downsides to this door?
So while the base version of FL Studio
is relatively affordable, you probably
will end up having to purchase additional plugins
to really unlock its full potential.
OK.
And similar to Ableton, it's not the best choice
for recording live bands.
It's much more geared towards electronic music production.
(04:36):
OK.
And some of the stock sounds, particularly the drums,
aren't necessarily the highest quality.
That's a good point.
I think with all of these doors, you probably
end up having to buy some extra things along the way.
It's like you go.
Going to IKEA.
You know, you get the.
You always.
You always end up buying a couple extra things.
Absolutely.
And it's worth mentioning that with most digital audio work
(04:57):
stations, FL Studio does have a bit of a learning curve.
Oh, yeah, for sure.
So it's going to take a little bit of time
to really master the software.
Yeah.
I mean, honestly, that's probably the case with all of these.
That's why we're doing a deep dive.
You know, we're going to really get into it.
All right.
So we've talked about Ableton Live, which is really great
for electronic music and DJs and live performance.
(05:18):
We've talked about GarageBand, which is awesome because it's
free.
And we've talked about FL Studio, which
seems like it has a lot of great features for beatmakers
and hip hop producers.
Yeah.
What else is there?
Well, now we're going to talk about one that is often referred
to as a hidden gem.
Ooh.
I love hidden gems.
Yeah.
Tell me more.
This is Reaper.
Reaper.
Yeah.
(05:38):
OK, I've heard of this one.
So Reaper is known for being incredibly powerful,
but also very affordable.
OK.
And one of the great things about it is it's cross-platform.
So it runs on Mac.
It runs on Windows.
It even runs on Linux.
Oh, wow.
So no matter what system you're on, you can use Reaper.
Exactly.
It's like having a universal key that can unlock any door.
That's a great analogy.
(05:59):
I like that.
And it's also super fast.
And it's very customizable.
How cool.
So you can really tailor it to your specific needs.
Nice.
And another thing that people rave about with Reaper
is their customer support.
Yeah, like people talk about getting responses
from the developers even at like 3 in the morning.
Wow, that's impressive.
That's dedication.
It is.
It's pretty amazing.
So it seems like there's a lot to love about Reapers,
(06:21):
but there's got to be some downsides.
There are.
So one thing is you might need to invest in some third-party
plugins to really get the most out of it.
OK.
Because it doesn't come with as massive of a library of sounds
and effects as some of the other digital audio workstations.
OK.
So maybe not as much like preloaded stuff.
But you can kind of build it out of how you want.
(06:43):
Yeah, think of it like a blank canvas.
OK.
It gives you the tools and the framework.
Right.
But then you get to decide what colors you're going to paint with.
I like that.
That's a good analogy.
So if Reaper is the blank canvas, what's Logic Pro?
Ah, Logic Pro is like walking into a fully-equipped professional
recording studio.
(07:03):
Oh, wow.
It's got everything you need.
It's got a massive library of sounds, plugins, instruments.
Nice.
The interface is very intuitive.
It's known for having a really smooth recording workflow.
So it's kind of like the opposite of Reaper,
where Reaper is like you build it yourself.
Logic is like it's already built for you.
Yeah.
You just move right in.
I like it.
It's very luxurious.
(07:23):
Nice.
So Logic Pro.
This was music by Maddie's favorite in the video.
It was his personal favorite.
Yeah.
What makes it so special?
Well, in addition to all those things that I mentioned,
it also has some really great features for more advanced users,
things like different session views.
So you can kind of customize your workflow to however
you like to work.
Oh, that's cool.
(07:43):
And it handles routing like a champ.
Like audio routing.
Yeah, audio routing.
Super easy.
And the stock plugins are really fantastic.
So it seems like Logic has a lot going for it.
Are there any downsides?
There are some.
So one thing is that it can be a little bit prone to crashing.
Oh, no.
Especially if you're working on really large projects
(08:05):
with a ton of tracks and plugins,
the load times can also be a little bit slow.
I see.
And it does.
Like all the others have a bit of a learning curve.
Yeah.
I'm sensing a theme here.
That you really.
There is a theme.
Got to put the time in.
Got to put the time in.
No matter what door you choose.
You got to learn the ins and outs.
Got to learn the ins and outs of your door.
That's great advice.
Yeah.
(08:25):
And Logic Pro is also Mac only, right?
That's right.
Mac only.
So if you're on a PC, unfortunately,
Logic is not an option for you.
Gotcha.
And another thing that Maddie mentioned
is that Logic uses a different plugin format
than most of the other digital audio workstations.
Yeah.
So most digital audio workstations
use something called VST plugins.
OK.
But Logic uses something called AU plugins.
(08:47):
OK.
It's not a huge deal, but it is something to keep in mind.
Because it means that not all plugins
are compatible with Logic.
Gotcha.
So it's like you've got this awesome door,
but it only opens with a special key.
Exactly.
So we talked about five different doors.
And they all seem pretty great in their own way.
I'm sure some of our listeners are out there thinking,
(09:10):
OK, this is a lot of information.
How do I actually choose what I do?
That's a great question.
Yeah.
So I think the best advice I can give is to just try them out.
Most of these digital audio workstations
offer free trials or demo versions.
So you can download them.
And you can kind of poke around and see what the interface is
like, play with the instruments and the effects,
(09:31):
maybe try to make a little song.
Yeah.
That's a great idea.
Like, you don't have to commit.
You don't have to commit.
You can test drive the car.
Exactly.
You want to test drive it, make sure it feels good.
Yeah.
And while you're doing that, pay attention
to what feels intuitive.
Does this make sense to me?
(09:51):
Does this workflow make sense?
What excites you?
What frustrates you?
Yeah.
And think about the sounds.
Yeah.
Do you like the way the built-in instruments sound?
Yeah.
Because at the end of the day, you
want something that's going to inspire you to create.
You don't want something where you're fighting it all the time.
You want to have fun.
You want to have fun.
Yeah.
And I think that's a really important takeaway.
Is it's not about finding the quote unquote right door.
(10:14):
No.
It's about finding the one that works for you.
Right.
It's like there's a bunch of different paths that you can take.
Right.
And your needs might change over time.
So maybe you start with one and then you realize,
actually, this other one is a better fit for me.
Right.
And I like that.
You don't have to just stick with one either.
Absolutely not.
You can learn a bunch of different ones if you want.
(10:35):
Experiment.
Have fun.
Yeah.
I like it.
All right.
Well, I think this has been a really great deep dive.
It has been.
You know?
We started talking about all these different doors
and all these choices.
And now, hopefully, you feel a little less overwhelmed
and a little more empowered.
Right.
It's not about being overwhelmed.
It's about having options.
It's about having options.
(10:55):
Yeah.
And finding what works for you.
Exactly.
So go out there, try some things.
Creep.
Have fun.
Let us know what you think.
And what you make.
Yeah, what you make.
And thanks for joining us on the deep dive.
Yeah.
Thanks for listening.
All right, so are you ready to make some music?
(00:02):
Because today we're gonna be talking about picking
the perfect digital audio workstation.
That's right, the perfect door for you.
Yeah, and I know it can be kind of overwhelming.
Oh, absolutely, there are so many choices out there.
Yeah, and so we thought we'd take a deep dive
into one particular YouTube video
that we found called,
The Best Doors for Beginners in 2024.
Yes, from the wonderful music by Maddie.
(00:24):
Yeah, music by Maddie.
And in this video, Maddie reviews five of the most popular doors.
Yeah. Ableton Live Garage Band,
FL Studio Reaper, and Logic Pro.
A really good spread.
Yeah, it's a really good spread.
And some of them I think are gonna surprise you.
So let's jump right in.
Yeah, let's dive in.
Let's start with Ableton Live.
Okay, so Ableton Live.
(00:45):
It's known for its live performance
and looping capabilities.
Yeah, Ableton is really the industry standard
when it comes to live performance,
especially for electronic music producers, DJs,
anybody who wants to be able to manipulate their music
on the fly.
Right, Maddie talked about some really cool beat matching
and cross fading tools.
Absolutely seamless transitions.
Yeah, that sounds really cool.
(01:05):
But I know you were saying Ableton
might not be the ideal door for everybody.
Yeah, so one thing to consider with Ableton
is that if you're primarily interested
in recording a full band with live instruments,
drums, guitar-based vocals,
Ableton might not be the best fit.
Oh, interesting.
Because some of its features are really geared
towards electronic music production and loop-based music.
(01:26):
So for example, some of the built-in plugins,
like the guitar amp simulator,
aren't really as powerful or as versatile
as what you might find in other digital audio workstations
that are designed more for recording live instruments.
I see, so it's like if you're walking through a door
into like a fantastic dance club,
it's not necessarily gonna be the right door
to walk into a recording studio.
Exactly, and another thing to consider with Ableton
(01:48):
is that its workflow is very unique.
Okay.
So it's not super intuitive if you're coming in fresh,
but it is very specific to Ableton.
Gotcha.
So the skills that you learn in Ableton
might not be as directly transferable
to other digital audio workstations.
That's a really good point.
Okay.
Okay, so that's Ableton Live.
What about GarageBand?
Oh, GarageBand?
This is the one that comes free on every Mac.
(02:09):
Free on every Mac.
Yeah.
Extremely accessible and a fantastic place to start
if you're just dipping your toes into music production.
That's awesome.
It really is.
You can absolutely make professional-sounding music
with GarageBand.
Maddie even mentioned some hit songs
have been created in GarageBand.
Yeah, absolutely.
And it's really intuitive.
The layout is super user-friendly.
(02:31):
It comes with a lot of decent sounds, basic plugins.
That sounds pretty good for a free door.
It is a very good value proposition.
However, as with anything, there are some trade-offs.
Okay.
So you won't find some of the more advanced features
that you might find in a paid digital audio workstation.
For example, things like busing and routing.
(02:51):
Okay, so think of that as organizing
and manipulating your audio signals.
Exactly.
And the plugin selection is a little bit limited.
And also exporting individual tracks from GarageBand.
Ooh, tell me about it.
Can be.
I've heard some horror stories.
A little bit of a headache.
Let's just say I've spent some late nights
wrestling with GarageBand's export settings.
(03:11):
Oh my God.
But you know what?
For free, you get what you pay for.
But for free, GarageBand is fantastic.
Yeah, I think that's a great point.
So that is GarageBand.
What about FL Studio?
FL Studio.
So this one was formerly known as Fruity Loops.
I remember Fruity Loops.
And it has really evolved into a powerful digital audio work
(03:32):
station.
It sounds a lot more serious now, doesn't it?
It does.
It really does.
You call it FL Studio.
FL Studio has become incredibly popular, particularly
among hip hop producers.
Oh, cool.
And it's also very beginner-friendly.
And one of the things that Maddie points out
that's fantastic about FL Studio is their lifetime updates
policy.
Oh, wow.
So you pay once, and then you get all the updates forever.
(03:53):
Forever.
That's awesome.
That's a great value proposition.
That is a fantastic value proposition.
And FL Studio has some really powerful features
for people who love working with drums and melodies,
particularly the step sequencer and the piano roll.
So like a virtual drum machine and keyboard at your fingertips.
Exactly.
It's super intuitive and really fun to work with.
That sounds like a lot of fun.
(04:14):
So what are the potential downsides to this door?
So while the base version of FL Studio
is relatively affordable, you probably
will end up having to purchase additional plugins
to really unlock its full potential.
OK.
And similar to Ableton, it's not the best choice
for recording live bands.
It's much more geared towards electronic music production.
(04:36):
OK.
And some of the stock sounds, particularly the drums,
aren't necessarily the highest quality.
That's a good point.
I think with all of these doors, you probably
end up having to buy some extra things along the way.
It's like you go.
Going to IKEA.
You know, you get the.
You always.
You always end up buying a couple extra things.
Absolutely.
And it's worth mentioning that with most digital audio work
(04:57):
stations, FL Studio does have a bit of a learning curve.
Oh, yeah, for sure.
So it's going to take a little bit of time
to really master the software.
Yeah.
I mean, honestly, that's probably the case with all of these.
That's why we're doing a deep dive.
You know, we're going to really get into it.
All right.
So we've talked about Ableton Live, which is really great
for electronic music and DJs and live performance.
(05:18):
We've talked about GarageBand, which is awesome because it's
free.
And we've talked about FL Studio, which
seems like it has a lot of great features for beatmakers
and hip hop producers.
Yeah.
What else is there?
Well, now we're going to talk about one that is often referred
to as a hidden gem.
Ooh.
I love hidden gems.
Yeah.
Tell me more.
This is Reaper.
Reaper.
Yeah.
(05:38):
OK, I've heard of this one.
So Reaper is known for being incredibly powerful,
but also very affordable.
OK.
And one of the great things about it is it's cross-platform.
So it runs on Mac.
It runs on Windows.
It even runs on Linux.
Oh, wow.
So no matter what system you're on, you can use Reaper.
Exactly.
It's like having a universal key that can unlock any door.
That's a great analogy.
(05:59):
I like that.
And it's also super fast.
And it's very customizable.
How cool.
So you can really tailor it to your specific needs.
Nice.
And another thing that people rave about with Reaper
is their customer support.
Yeah, like people talk about getting responses
from the developers even at like 3 in the morning.
Wow, that's impressive.
That's dedication.
It is.
It's pretty amazing.
So it seems like there's a lot to love about Reapers,
(06:21):
but there's got to be some downsides.
There are.
So one thing is you might need to invest in some third-party
plugins to really get the most out of it.
OK.
Because it doesn't come with as massive of a library of sounds
and effects as some of the other digital audio workstations.
OK.
So maybe not as much like preloaded stuff.
But you can kind of build it out of how you want.
(06:43):
Yeah, think of it like a blank canvas.
OK.
It gives you the tools and the framework.
Right.
But then you get to decide what colors you're going to paint with.
I like that.
That's a good analogy.
So if Reaper is the blank canvas, what's Logic Pro?
Ah, Logic Pro is like walking into a fully-equipped professional
recording studio.
(07:03):
Oh, wow.
It's got everything you need.
It's got a massive library of sounds, plugins, instruments.
Nice.
The interface is very intuitive.
It's known for having a really smooth recording workflow.
So it's kind of like the opposite of Reaper,
where Reaper is like you build it yourself.
Logic is like it's already built for you.
Yeah.
You just move right in.
I like it.
It's very luxurious.
(07:23):
Nice.
So Logic Pro.
This was music by Maddie's favorite in the video.
It was his personal favorite.
Yeah.
What makes it so special?
Well, in addition to all those things that I mentioned,
it also has some really great features for more advanced users,
things like different session views.
So you can kind of customize your workflow to however
you like to work.
Oh, that's cool.
(07:43):
And it handles routing like a champ.
Like audio routing.
Yeah, audio routing.
Super easy.
And the stock plugins are really fantastic.
So it seems like Logic has a lot going for it.
Are there any downsides?
There are some.
So one thing is that it can be a little bit prone to crashing.
Oh, no.
Especially if you're working on really large projects
(08:05):
with a ton of tracks and plugins,
the load times can also be a little bit slow.
I see.
And it does.
Like all the others have a bit of a learning curve.
Yeah.
I'm sensing a theme here.
That you really.
There is a theme.
Got to put the time in.
Got to put the time in.
No matter what door you choose.
You got to learn the ins and outs.
Got to learn the ins and outs of your door.
That's great advice.
Yeah.
(08:25):
And Logic Pro is also Mac only, right?
That's right.
Mac only.
So if you're on a PC, unfortunately,
Logic is not an option for you.
Gotcha.
And another thing that Maddie mentioned
is that Logic uses a different plugin format
than most of the other digital audio workstations.
Yeah.
So most digital audio workstations
use something called VST plugins.
OK.
But Logic uses something called AU plugins.
(08:47):
OK.
It's not a huge deal, but it is something to keep in mind.
Because it means that not all plugins
are compatible with Logic.
Gotcha.
So it's like you've got this awesome door,
but it only opens with a special key.
Exactly.
So we talked about five different doors.
And they all seem pretty great in their own way.
I'm sure some of our listeners are out there thinking,
(09:10):
OK, this is a lot of information.
How do I actually choose what I do?
That's a great question.
Yeah.
So I think the best advice I can give is to just try them out.
Most of these digital audio workstations
offer free trials or demo versions.
So you can download them.
And you can kind of poke around and see what the interface is
like, play with the instruments and the effects,
(09:31):
maybe try to make a little song.
Yeah.
That's a great idea.
Like, you don't have to commit.
You don't have to commit.
You can test drive the car.
Exactly.
You want to test drive it, make sure it feels good.
Yeah.
And while you're doing that, pay attention
to what feels intuitive.
Does this make sense to me?
(09:51):
Does this workflow make sense?
What excites you?
What frustrates you?
Yeah.
And think about the sounds.
Yeah.
Do you like the way the built-in instruments sound?
Yeah.
Because at the end of the day, you
want something that's going to inspire you to create.
You don't want something where you're fighting it all the time.
You want to have fun.
You want to have fun.
Yeah.
And I think that's a really important takeaway.
Is it's not about finding the quote unquote right door.
(10:14):
No.
It's about finding the one that works for you.
Right.
It's like there's a bunch of different paths that you can take.
Right.
And your needs might change over time.
So maybe you start with one and then you realize,
actually, this other one is a better fit for me.
Right.
And I like that.
You don't have to just stick with one either.
Absolutely not.
You can learn a bunch of different ones if you want.
(10:35):
Experiment.
Have fun.
Yeah.
I like it.
All right.
Well, I think this has been a really great deep dive.
It has been.
You know?
We started talking about all these different doors
and all these choices.
And now, hopefully, you feel a little less overwhelmed
and a little more empowered.
Right.
It's not about being overwhelmed.
It's about having options.
It's about having options.
(10:55):
Yeah.
And finding what works for you.
Exactly.
So go out there, try some things.
Creep.
Have fun.
Let us know what you think.
And what you make.
Yeah, what you make.
And thanks for joining us on the deep dive.
Yeah.
Thanks for listening.
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