Recent Production Expert blog survey of which DAW

[KevWind]

just got this e-mail from production expert on a recent survey the did asking the members/viewers which DAW the used for Music production and also Post Production

[b1j]

I’ve found Studio One to be amateur-friendly, and there are always frequent additions to the existing vast video instruction universe. Yet, in the past few updates it has taken on nearly the same functionality as Pro Tools, according to what I read. What it doesn’t do I can manage without.

[jim1960]

No real surprises there.

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by b1j

I’ve found Studio One to be amateur-friendly, and there are always frequent additions to the existing vast video instruction universe. Yet, in the past few updates it has taken on nearly the same functionality as Pro Tools, according to what I read. What it doesn’t do I can manage without.

Yea Bob, for me, there's only one or two things Pro Tools does better than Studio One and honestly, there's a whole bunch of things Studio One does better than Pro Tools. Pro Tools indeed is still the undisputed king of audio editing. I certainly can do everything (editing-wise) in Studio One that Pro Tools provides, but it's a bit more time-consuming. I also miss the destructive editing that Pro Tools Audio Suite plug-ins provide. It's just light years faster, especially for things like noise reduction. I can bounce tracks/effects in Studio One but it's clunky compared to the audio suite method.

Other than audio editing, and perhaps the somewhat clumsy i/o, templates, and midi set-up, Studio One just does everything so smoothly that I find that I almost never open Pro Tools for my music production anymore. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised Studio One didn't take a bigger bite outta Pro Tools in the above pole.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Joseph Hanna

Yea Bob, for me, there's only one or two things Pro Tools does better than Studio One and honestly, there's a whole bunch of things Studio One does better than Pro Tools. Pro Tools indeed is still the undisputed king of audio editing. I certainly can do everything (editing-wise) in Studio One that Pro Tools provides, but it's a bit more time-consuming. I also miss the destructive editing that Pro Tools Audio Suite plug-ins provide. It's just light years faster, especially for things like noise reduction. I can bounce tracks/effects in Studio One but it's clunky compared to the audio suite method.

Other than audio editing, and perhaps the somewhat clumsy i/o, templates, and midi set-up, Studio One just does everything so smoothly that I find that I almost never open Pro Tools for my music production anymore. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised Studio One didn't take a bigger bite outta Pro Tools in the above pole.

Well in all fairness The Production Expert blog started as the Pro Tools Expert blog and later branched into Logic and Studio One so that could maybe skew the replies toward PT ?

I was fairly excited when I got Studio One ( version 4 I think) one big reason because of its drag and drop features etc.

But unfortunately when got my Avid Carbon a year ago last December all of sudden I could no longer get the S1 hardware routing insert plugin (PipelineXT) to function properly .... and unlike PT you have to use the insert plugin to route hardware like an insert .. I contacted S1 support but they seem to think it was related to Carbon connecting via AVB ethernet , I asked if was an S1 driver issue and would it possibly be addressed in a later version,,, but they more or less told me it was Avid's problem .

So I sit with S1 version 4.5 basically unused

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by jim1960

No real surprises there.

I think the only thing I found interesting was Reaper being Number 2 in (Post )
I would have thought it would have been Nuendo

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Well in all fairness The Production Expert blog started as the Pro Tools Expert blog and later branched into Logic and Studio One so that could maybe skew the replies toward PT ?

I was fairly excited when I got Studio One ( version 4 I think) one big reason because of its drag and drop features etc.

But unfortunately when got my Avid Carbon a year ago last December all of sudden I could no longer get the S1 hardware routing insert plugin (PipelineXT) to function properly .... and unlike PT you have to use the insert plugin to route hardware like an insert .. I contacted S1 support but they seem to think it was related to Carbon connecting via AVB ethernet , I asked if was an S1 driver issue and would it possibly be addressed in a later version,,, but they more or less told me it was Avid's problem .

So I sit with S1 version 4.5 basically unused

That's just a huge drag Kev. I remember you mentioning this once before. Nothing worse than unresolved tech issues I wonder if talking to Avid and seeing if anything in their database would help? I know it's not their product but it might be worth a call. Also, Presonus has always been pretty good, not perfect, but pretty good at tech help. I wonder if they've hit upon a solution since last you tried.

There's certainly nothing wrong with your Pro Tools rig so you have that feather in your cap, but I do think Studio One is a fresher, more intuitive workflow, and I also think you'd really like it if you could get things sorted.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by Joseph Hanna

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised Studio One didn't take a bigger bite outta Pro Tools in the above pole.

I think there are a couple of reasons that are likely at the root of that...
First, and I fall into this category, there are people who are reluctant to switch and learn a new daw. I've been using only Pro Tools for more than 20 years. Unless I was hurting badly for money, I can't imagine what would motivate me to leave the daw I know really well for something different, especially since it isn't going to make anything sound any better.

Second, deserved or not, PreSonus has a reputation for making cheap gear. The name has a similar reputation as Behringer (although Behringer, I'd argue, is worse now because they're the new Monster Cables of litigation). On top of that, PreSonus was sold to Fender in late 2021. No one knows in what direction the company is going to take any of the PreSonus stuff since this is not really in Fender's wheelhouse. That probably adds to the issue.

Full Disclosure - I have a good friend who is a PT guru and that's another reason I don't switch. In 20+ years, I think I only ever had to call Avid once and that was over a licensing issue. Any other time I had a problem, my friend would pop over and get me sorted. If I switch daws, I lose my free in-person support tech.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Joseph Hanna

That's just a huge drag Kev. I remember you mentioning this once before. Nothing worse than unresolved tech issues I wonder if talking to Avid and seeing if anything in their database would help? I know it's not their product but it might be worth a call. Also, Presonus has always been pretty good, not perfect, but pretty good at tech help. I wonder if they've hit upon a solution since last you tried.

There's certainly nothing wrong with your Pro Tools rig so you have that feather in your cap, but I do think Studio One is a fresher, more intuitive workflow, and I also think you'd really like it if you could get things sorted.

Worth a try with Avid I suppose..
S1 support did infer that it could possibly be addressed in future S1 version but had no info on that .. I thought about pointing out that if it was "Avids problem" then how would a future S1 version address it ???? But just gave up instead.

And of course I could just bite the bullet ,update to latest S1 version and see if it works ? And realistically I can certainly mix sans my Hardware, but it's just that it has become such an integral part of my work flow, and such an easy implementation in PT

My only other observation (and maybe it has changed) But the pan controls and send level control in S1 are pretty archaic and cumbersome compared to PT
But I guess as Mick J said "Ya can't always get what you want"

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by jim1960

I think there are a couple of reasons that are likely at the root of that...
First, and I fall into this category, there are people who are reluctant to switch and learn a new daw. I've been using only Pro Tools for more than 20 years. Unless I was hurting badly for money, I can't imagine what would motivate me to leave the daw I know really well for something different, especially since it isn't going to make anything sound any better.

Second, deserved or not, PreSonus has a reputation for making cheap gear. The name has a similar reputation as Behringer (although Behringer, I'd argue, is worse now because they're the new Monster Cables of litigation). On top of that, PreSonus was sold to Fender in late 2021. No one knows in what direction the company is going to take any of the PreSonus stuff since this is not really in Fender's wheelhouse. That probably adds to the issue.

Full Disclosure - I have a good friend who is a PT guru and that's another reason I don't switch. In 20+ years, I think I only ever had to call Avid once and that was over a licensing issue. Any other time I had a problem, my friend would pop over and get me sorted. If I switch daws, I lose my free in-person support tech.

Yea you know I was motivated to try Studio One way back when. I still have my nose in Pro Tools 10 hours a day for work. I wanted an environment for my music that didn't remind me of my combat mixing during the day. I tried Studio One as a relief and have never really looked back.

In the end, I think we all realize all the current DAW's are pretty dang good, but I do see a tangible ease and intuitiveness in Studio One that's not there in Pro Tools. Nothing major mind you but still there!

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by Joseph Hanna

Yea you know I was motivated to try Studio One way back when. I still have my nose in Pro Tools 10 hours a day for work. I wanted an environment for my music that didn't remind me of my combat mixing during the day. I tried Studio One as a relief and have never really looked back.

In the end, I think we all realize all the current DAW's are pretty dang good, but I do see a tangible ease and intuitiveness in Studio One that's not there in Pro Tools. Nothing major mind you but still there!

If you lived in the next town over and could pop over and troubleshoot any issues that come up, I might switch.

[AcousticDreams]

I believe Pro Tools is a yearly price of $199. Which just after 5 years adds up $1000 dollars. Is that how that works?

Logic Pro is a one time price $199

PreSonus Studio one 6 is also a one time price of $399.

So I am Very curious as to what are the differences in DAW's that make each worth investing in? Because I have never used other DAWS, I am sincerely asking in earnest. Not mocking any of the DAWS because of their price difference.

In the old days people did buy smaller mixers for their functions. More tracts, more outputs, & more functions. But the larger consoles were bought mostly for the Sound characteristics it had to offer. Or was that not so? From what I gather from the conversations here, DAWS are about workflow? I think I have heard that there is no difference in Sonic's with DAWS? Only Function?

What features makes the different DAWs better for each individual? I only chose Logic Pro because I have a Mac, and it was the right price. And I figured it might work well with Mac since it was designed to work with Mac?

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

I believe Pro Tools is a yearly price of $199. Which just after 5 years adds up $1000 dollars. Is that how that works?

Logic Pro is a one time price $199

PreSonus Studio one 6 is also a one time price of $399.

So I am Very curious as to what are the differences in DAW's that make each worth investing in? Because I have never used other DAWS, I am sincerely asking in earnest. Not mocking any of the DAWS because of their price difference.

What features makes the different DAWs better for each individual? I only chose Logic Pro because I have a Mac, and it was the right price. And I figured it might work well with Mac since it was designed to work with Mac?

Ok well first to start with Pro tools is more complex than just an annual price of $199 --with a 4 tiers , and 2 types and multiple license (states) pricing structure = subscription , perpetual , current perpetual with annual support and update plan etc.etc.etc.
Don't really want to get into here but basically it ranges (depending on tier, type, and state) from free for Pro Tools Intro ---to $99 to $199 to $299 to $399 to $549 etc. And a few dealers still having a few Pro Tools Ultimate Perpetual with 1 year of support and updates for $2500

Yes both Logic and Studio One have a one time purchase price and But there is additional (reduced upgrade price) for new number versions when they come out .

This is just my take ::
Now days the differences are few.. All do more or less the same thing as far as being able to record and do a basic mix fairly quickly..

That said the difference are more specific to being work flow related , than basic function related
Where a different workflow can (sometimes ) make it easer or more efficient for specific tasks related to what your workflow is more focused on.
Some DAWs like Logic are favored by those composing using VI's and are said to be a bit more midi focused
Some DAWs like Pro Tools are favored for Audio Editing and are said to be a bit more Audio focused
Some like Studio One seem to be a good compromise between the two focuses .

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by jim1960

If you lived in the next town over and could pop over and troubleshoot any issues that come up, I might switch.

.................

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

I believe Pro Tools is a yearly price of $199. Which just after 5 years adds up $1000 dollars. Is that how that works?

Logic Pro is a one time price $199

PreSonus Studio one 6 is also a one time price of $399.

So I am Very curious as to what are the differences in DAW's that make each worth investing in? Because I have never used other DAWS, I am sincerely asking in earnest. Not mocking any of the DAWS because of their price difference.

In the old days people did buy smaller mixers for their functions. More tracts, more outputs, & more functions. But the larger consoles were bought mostly for the Sound characteristics it had to offer. Or was that not so? From what I gather from the conversations here, DAWS are about workflow? I think I have heard that there is no difference in Sonic's with DAWS? Only Function?

What features makes the different DAWs better for each individual? I only chose Logic Pro because I have a Mac, and it was the right price. And I figured it might work well with Mac since it was designed to work with Mac?

Well...with certainty there isn't a fundamental audio quality difference between any. I think there is a parody in many of the plug-ins as well. Soft synths are a bit different story. Logic and Studio One have REALLY great stock softsynths. Reason's softsynth list is almost comically large and some of them these days, are really quite good. As Jim and Kev mentioned, much of it has to do with familiarity and workflow issues. I do think there are some absolutes, however. As I mentioned earlier, nothing does audio editing better than Pro Tools. I couldn't survive at my job without it. On the other hand Logic, Studio One, and Reason are far better midi environments. There is also the truth that every Post Production facility here in Los Angeles is Pro Tools so there is a built-in advantage and user base and part of the reason Pro Tools showed up in the #1 spot in the survey.