Making music starts with a combination of passion, talent, and a great software app. If you have everything down except for the last requirement, this article should help you select the best software app that will help you record, edit, and mix better music.
What is DAW?
DAW stands for Digital Audio Workstation, which is the application that most producers use to record music, edit, and then mix it. Thanks to the advancement of music technology in recent years, the process of creating music has become easier and more digitized. So even if you’re operating out of a bedroom studio, you have a chance to create music that is at par with actual studio producers.
Factors to Consider
When choosing a music production software, consider the following:
- Budget
- Experience level
- Mac/PC
- Performance purposes
- Personal preferences
- Application capacity
- Future plans
The Best Music Production Applications
To create the best music with the most suitable production software for you, here’s a list that you can choose from:
-
Reaper (Mac/Windows)
When it comes to ease of use, Reaper is your best bet, which makes it an excellent software for beginner music producers. Its simple interface can allow you to create music easily, but you can explore more of its features as your skills improve. Since Reaper is a good software app to start with, it’s definitely a valuable investment for novices.
You can try the full version of the Reaper app for 60 days. After this, you have to pay $60 to continue using the licensed version–not a bad price for great, well-rounded software.
-
Apple GarageBand (Mac)
GarageBand is one of the most popular DAWs in the entertainment industry–even mainstream artists like Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar use it to make their music. With this app, you can create all types of music and all genres of songs because the features are so well-rounded. We’re not going to list these features one by one here, so check out a full review to find out more about GarageBand’s abilities.
The major downside to this app is that it’s only available on Apple devices. Nevertheless, it costs way less than other DAWs available today.
-
Cubase (Mac/Windows)
Cubase is one of the oldest music production software, having started as a MIDI application. This app is recommended for beginner and intermediate music producers alike since the app has an extensive amount of features that can put other software to shame. And since the app started as a MIDI software, the MIDI editing features are the best of the best.
While Cubase is one of the most powerful music production software, it’s also one of the most expensive. However, $30 is a rather low price to pay for such a topnotch DAW.
-
FL Studio (Mac/Windows)
FL Studio was created with the hopes of allowing music producers to create great beats quickly and easily. Some great features of this app include 133 instruments, pitch blending, MiniSynth, wave editor, and many, many more. And just as you can produce music in a fast manner, you can also export your creations in the same way by exporting via email, Dropbox, or SoundCloud.
If you don’t want a full-on DAW to create tracks, this app is perfect for you.
-
iMaschine 2 (Mac/Windows)
The IMaschine 2 is an app that will let you produce dope beats. Essentially, it’s a drum machine that comes with 16 buttons, 400 sample sounds, 25 kits, and ten projects. Obviously, you don’t have to worry about assortment.
You can also record your voice and use the keyboard to add more elements to your beat. For this versatile yet straightforward app, it will only set you back $9.99. This is recommended for beginner and intermediate music producers, and even hobbyists who want an easy-to-use app on their device.
-
Ableton Live
Another popular music production app is Ableton Live, a DAW that is versatile enough to be loved by all sorts of music producers since its release in 1999. With Ableton Live, you can do multi-track recording, edit music with splice/cut/paste options, and use the seamless MIDI software to create excellent-sounding tracks.
Ableton Live is recommended for experienced or professional music producers since it doesn’t come cheap. The Live Intro version costs $99, the Live Standard $499, and the Live Suite $799. We recommend starting with the Introversion first before buying the more advanced versions.
Conclusion
Being a music producer involves working with what you have and making great music out of it, no matter what equipment you use. But even with the least amount of instruments, you can still make amazing tracks with the right music production software. That is why we handpicked the best of the best for you–with these DAWs listed here; you won’t have trouble finding the software that will work best for you.
0 Comments