MusicRadar's Best DAW vote

[Palmer Eldritch]

I like this skin the most

[9V]

I like this skin the most

it looks like my old audio cassette car radio...

[pencilrocket]

I like this skin the most

it looks like my old audio cassette car radio...

I prefer car radio rhather than excel spreadsheet.

[RECYCLE BIN]

oh, somebody tried to push this thread to the second page. shame on you. GO VOTE !

[skatr2]

Disregard...

[dokx]

Speaking of tools - of course if I wanted to dig a massive hole, I could use a simple shovel, but I could also use a power shovel. The latter gets the work done much more quickly and more comfortable I guess..

In most cases I agree with your analogy, which is why Ableton Live is by far my main music software

However, "there are many types of holes to be dug"...

For example if the hole = editing a MIDI file, I would find that faster in Reason because it has more/better tools - for example the legato adjustment tool is a huge time saver if I want to export the MIDI into Sibelius and quickly get to notation that I can readily use.

Also if somebody sends me a standard MIDI file (happens a lot as a teacher) then I simply open it in Record (Reason 6) and all the CC voices etc are instantly mapped correctly, along with the tempo, etc. Live won't do that so that particular "hole" takes a lot more time to "dig" in Live.

This might be true for this special case (which is a rather rare on I guess), but for the vast majority of problems to solve Live is much more powerful than Reason.

I bet most Reason users rarely consider routing at all. My guess is that a suprisingly large proportion rarely venture beyond using the (excellent and huge array of) presets.

Well, then those people surely never heard of side chaining...

[headquest]

This might be true for this special case (which is a rather rare on I guess), but for the vast majority of problems to solve Live is much more powerful than Reason.

I gave you quite a specific example, but this is actually symptomatic of a bigger context. Put simply, MIDI editing in Reason is far more advanced than in Live. It's not as detailed as in Cubase perhaps, ... but it IS a long way ahead of Live. The Reason MIDI editor tool palette offers a whole bunch of tools that are huge time savers, powerful and easy to use. In Live some of those features can be replicated with real-time MIDI effects and then rendered, but for basic piano roll editing Reason has a BIG edge over Live still at this point.

Another example of this tendency is automation. In Reason you can enter values with minute precision, both for timing and amount. In Live all you can do is drag nodes around and estimate their correct placement. Live's approach - as with the MIDI editing - is to offer a fast visual approach. But it lacks the precision of being able to enter the exact timing and values of an event. It's hardly stellar....

I hope that in the next version of Live, Ableton will at least include a simple event property bar/line as in Cubase, Reason, etc. The lack of precise editing is one reason why so many Live users also have another DAW such as Cubase, Logic, etc. Reason offers those precise tools for MIDI, automation and event editing, but without the bloat and complexity of Cubase/Logic/Sonar... Once again, those who have both programmes are very well catered for

[9V]

standard midi file import, minute precise automation... but no vst support and midi-out

by the way: the poll there is a fake, i have voted 9 times now, it is becoming a fight between me and FL

[headquest]

standard midi file import, minute precise automation... but no vst support and midi-out

Or how about... "VST support and midi-out ... but no MIDI file import/export, no precise automation, no event editing, no comp editing, no 64 bit version, no pitch correction, no CV routing, no analog mixer emulation, etc, etc....."

It doesn't take a genius to see that Live and Reason complement each other very well, and make a powerful pair when combined. Either you get a bloated alternative that does ALL this stuff in one programme, or you take the Reason and Live pair and use whichever the two suits the current job you are working on the best. Easy.

[9V]

standard midi file import, minute precise automation... but no vst support and midi-out

Or how about... "VST support and midi-out ... but no MIDI file import/export, no precise automation, no event editing, no comp editing, no 64 bit version, no pitch correction, no CV routing, no analog mixer emulation, etc, etc....."

It doesn't take a genius to see that Live and Reason complement each other very well, and make a powerful pair when combined. Either you get a bloated alternative that does ALL this stuff in one programme, or you take the Reason and Live pair and use whichever the two suits the current job you are working on the best. Easy.

Vst support and Midi-Out are basic functions, essential for a DAW. The rest is not so important. I've always exported and imported midi files with Live, so i don't understand what you mean when referring to "no midi imp/exp". Automation is very precise in Live, just use the zoom functions if you want it perfect. 64 bit is just a computer feature, not a musical feature. I guess Live 9 will be 64 bit (not for musical questions, but because nowadays the CPUs are all 64 bit: the difference between 32 and 64 bit, musically speaking, is NONE), like every other software out there (not only musical). Pitch correction is for sound engineers, not for musicians. Analog Mixer Emulation is a nonsense, to me. Regarding reason and Live "complementing " each other... such a stupid situation: a DAW rewired in a DAW... nonsense at the Nth degree.

P.S. I remember a certain "headquest" on KVR forum who wrote: Perhaps for long-time users like us, it's Game Over. Reason 6 on its own isn't enough, but Reason 6 inside another DAW is becoming silly and unnecessary.

[littlepig]

by the way: the poll there is a fake, i have voted 9 times now, it is becoming a fight between me and FL

Over here we say 'vote early and vote often'

[9V]

by the way: the poll there is a fake, i have voted 9 times now, it is becoming a fight between me and FL

Over here we say 'vote early and vote often'

live fanboysm rulez

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lK4cX5xGiQ

[Rationalizer]

by the way: the poll there is a fake, i have voted 9 times now, it is becoming a fight between me and FL

Over here we say 'vote early and vote often'

live fanboysm rulez

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lK4cX5xGiQ

As I've stated before in this thread, when voting again it displays the message: "Thank you, we have already counted your vote." on the top of the results. This makes me believe that you can only vote once. So no joke there, I'm afraid.

[dokx]

This might be true for this special case (which is a rather rare on I guess), but for the vast majority of problems to solve Live is much more powerful than Reason.

I gave you quite a specific example, but this is actually symptomatic of a bigger context. Put simply, MIDI editing in Reason is far more advanced than in Live. It's not as detailed as in Cubase perhaps, ... but it IS a long way ahead of Live. The Reason MIDI editor tool palette offers a whole bunch of tools that are huge time savers, powerful and easy to use. In Live some of those features can be replicated with real-time MIDI effects and then rendered, but for basic piano roll editing Reason has a BIG edge over Live still at this point.

Another example of this tendency is automation. In Reason you can enter values with minute precision, both for timing and amount. In Live all you can do is drag nodes around and estimate their correct placement. Live's approach - as with the MIDI editing - is to offer a fast visual approach. But it lacks the precision of being able to enter the exact timing and values of an event. It's hardly stellar....

I hope that in the next version of Live, Ableton will at least include a simple event property bar/line as in Cubase, Reason, etc. The lack of precise editing is one reason why so many Live users also have another DAW such as Cubase, Logic, etc. Reason offers those precise tools for MIDI, automation and event editing, but without the bloat and complexity of Cubase/Logic/Sonar... Once again, those who have both programmes are very well catered for

I am not a sound engineer, I just want to make music without wasting time on unnecessary things. Surely the piano roll could be improved, but nevertheless is good enough for a fast workflow. Same goes for the automation. It just works.

Live might not be the right choice for serious 'producers' and sound engineers, but its the first choice for musicians.

[headquest]

Vst support and Midi-Out are basic functions, essential for a DAW. The rest is not so important.

Personal needs. For the professional engineers at Abbey Road, the ability to comp vocals for example is a must.

I've always exported and imported midi files with Live, so i don't understand what you mean when referring to "no midi imp/exp".

No you haven't. It can't be done. MIDI clips can be imported and exported, but not MIDI files.

Automation is very precise in Live, just use the zoom functions if you want it perfect.

Not true. You can't type in an exact tempo into tempo automation, for example. You get x.xx values, where the .xx is rarely equal to .00.

P.S. I remember a certain "headquest" on KVR forum who wrote: Perhaps for long-time users like us, it's Game Over. Reason 6 on its own isn't enough, but Reason 6 inside another DAW is becoming silly and unnecessary.

...and you're the same 9V who gave Reason 9/10 rating last earlier this month!!

I am willing to listen to the views of others, try things out, and learn from experience. Since writing that comment I have been doing all of those things, plus beta testing Reason 6. And at this point I can certainly see a definite use for Reason as an essential component of my studio. YMMV.