The Most Affordable and Professional Cross Platform (Mac/Win) DAW

by DJ Exquiz 2009-07-19, 7 people found this review helpful

I've had many different DAW software programs (Digital Audio Workstation, for those who don't know), from Logic back when it still ran on Windows, to Cakewalk Home Studio and Sonar, to the most recent versions Cubase, and I think that besides Logic (Mac only) Cubase is the only DAW, that has a workflow and set up that meets my needs. Cakewalk has always seemed non-intuitvie and clunky in my opinion, especially when doing basic tasks like copy and pasting audio tracks, etc.

Programs like Ableton Live and dare I say Fruity Loops, or FL Studio as its now called, can be cool for laying ideas down, but I think that they work best when Rewired (run as a slave) to a program like Cubase. Cubase Essential ups the ante with its 32 bit engine, same VST 3 support as its older siblings Cubase 5 studio and pro, 24 Bit recording, Rewire and VST plugin support, it just doesn't have all the extra bells and whistles. One thing that I REALLY like about Cubase vs. Ableton Live LE or similiar program, is that it has the media bay manager (access to all of your audio loops and samples) and has NATIVE RECYCLE Rex 2 file support.

Overall worthwhile if looking for an affordable alternative to some of the more expensive music sequencer and DAW programs.

Pros:
Affordable Music Sequencing/Recording
Stable and Cross platform PC/Mac
VST instrument and plug in support
ASIO and multiple Soundcard support
Rewire host

Cons:
Takes some time learning how to configure different soundcards
Requires a low latency ASIO 2.0 (PC) or MAC core audio soundcard to get full productivity.