DAW recommendations to go with my Kronos?

[balfi]

I got my Kronos 88 a few weeks ago and just loving it (no Kronos bashing here ). In fact it has so unleashed my music flow and creativity that I am now itching to get a good DAW to go with it. I would greatly appreciate some recommendations...am prepared to go to a more high end one rather than the lite versions. The last software I got was Cubase on the Atari ST so that shows how out of the loop I am

[jick]

To be honest, I really don't think anyone can answer that for you. There are a few great options, but it really depends on your workflow/personal preferences.

For me, I like Cubase a lot. It's clean, very stable (at least that's my experience) and there's a lot of options. Of course Logic Pro is a good one too if you're a mac user, otherwise check out Ableton or Cakewalk. But if I had to make the choice: Cubase 5 or 6.

[Ksynth]

I got my Kronos 88 a few weeks ago and just loving it (no Kronos bashing here ). In fact it has so unleashed my music flow and creativity that I am now itching to get a good DAW to go with it. I would greatly appreciate some recommendations...am prepared to go to a more high end one rather than the lite versions. The last software I got was Cubase on the Atari ST so that shows how out of the loop I am

Have you heard of FLStudio by Imageline? I think there is a version for $99 - possibly less with a search. Its PC only right now but they are looking at a Mac version too. Also a mobile version is in beta right now. Don't let the price fool you, its an awesome program.

It comes with lifetime free updates / upgrades. Lots of video tutorials too. You can download a demo version I think.

I own Sonar, Live and Acid Pro as well. These have demo versions too.

I find Live is best for flexible routing of midi and audio.

[searlstudio]

Here's an interesting round-up on DAWs that you may find useful. http://www.homemusicproduction.com/reco ... w-roundup/

Of course if you have the Kronos than you're in the park with sequencing.

[Rorcus]

I absolutely love Reaper http://www.reaper.fm/

It runs in 64bit and handles a multiple channel/tracks and devices seamlessly, I have the Kronos, JP80 and Omnisphere all mapped through it. Prior to it I had used FL Studio 10 and Reason 4 but once I tried Reaper (you can use it fully and indefinitely before purchasing it) I don't use either anymore.

[korgvuer]

Before purchasing anything, I think you first need to know what level of recording/mastering you want to work with and end up at. Remember, you always do get what you pay for. That being said, if you are just looking for something that will simply let you capture and prepare some tracks to burn to CD and share with friends and family, then there are a lot of products out there - some even free - to do that with. Check online for these readily available DAWs; some are available for under $100 or so. Your selection of recording programs will also depend on what platform you work with, Mac or PC. BTW, there are also some mighty fine standalone recording units, too, that will let you record 8 tracks to 24 tracks, mix them and burn to a built-in CD burner, all without using a computer at all. These units are portable, great for live recording, and provide high-end mixing features and effect processors.
If you want to take things further to an industry standard of production, then I agree with what jick says about Cubase's DAW software, made by Steinberg. With this product you can record an unlimited number of tracks, layering them as you go, apply effects, etc., and arrive at incredible mixes. To go further still, I'd recommend Steinberg's mastering suite WaveLab to create excellent final mastered tracks. Obviously, Cubase and WaveLab work hand in hand. Utilizing both, you can produce studio quality, industry standard music, ready to burn to disc or create mp3 files you can sell or share via the Internet and other outlets. Steinberg's products are available for Mac or PCs, but they aren't cheap. This is why I say you need to know what level of production you want to end up with. There are other similar products, too, some cheaper, others more expensive, but I chose Cubase & WaveLab after sizing them all up. You will also need an audio interface in order to get your music into your DAW & computer. The standalone recording units provide standard 1/4 inch ports for this.
Good luck with your efforts. With a Kronos and a good DAW you can crank out some amazing stuff.

[jimknopf]

I have been a Cubase user up to Cubase 5.
I simply never really liked the Cubase UI too much.

Now I'm using Sonar X1 Producer and it's workflow and UI flexibility just "fits" for me. But that is a matter of taste and functions you use most.

If you are not too much into very powerful midi programming and are more on the audio side, Presonus Studio One is another option.

Cubase is still the standard program on PCs, but not the only choice for professional jobs.

[SanderXpander]

+1 on Sonar, I've used it since I got a shop deal (I was working in one at the time) on version 6. It's only gotten better since.

But honestly, the best software is the one where you know which button to press. Sonar, Logic and Cubase and to some extent Reaper, Digital Performer, Protools and even Fruityloops share so many common functions that it's more about liking the workflow than about the capabilities. And if it's the fx or softsynths you wants, likely you'll be looking at third party stuff soon enough anyway. It's kind of an endless quest, I'm sorry to have to inform you

Also consider if there are any musicians around you that you'd like to work with (or already work with) and which software they use. It's always easier to exchange projects if you use the same software.

[SanderXpander]

PS I work with Logic, Sonar and Ableton regularly (and Maschine, I suppose) and formerly used Cubase. I've spent a lot of time around Protools as well. Not saying that to make me look like some kind of expert, but just to emphasize that the only reason I stuck with Sonar was that I personally got a nice deal on it and bothered to really learn the program (and shortcut keys etcetera).

[korgvuer]

I have been a Cubase user up to Cubase 5.
I simply never really liked the Cubase UI too ....
Cubase is still the standard program on PCs, but not the only choice for professional jobs.

Yeah, I've heard this from other folks as well. I think these kind of preferences are part personal tastes, what you have gotten used to or exposed to, and financial considerations. On another hand, I really enjoyed using a standalone Yamaha multitrack recording unit I purchased a few years back; I can't remember which one it was right now because I replaced it with DAW equipment a while ago, but it produced really sweet work and was simple to use, resulting in a very good quality CD burn at a relatively low cost.
I guess the moral of the story is, there are some good choices on the market suitable for most tastes. Bottom line may be to get something that you like and is expandable to grow along with you and future technologies, because hopefully it's going to be something that you use a lot now and tomorrow.

[BasariStudios]

Balfi, no matter what we all say here noone is right, of course our words can
help you figure out some things but DAW to me is something like a wife/gf.
I use Cubase since 3.7, thats somewhere in 1997-98, never changed to another
DAW and now i am on Cubase 6. I also own HD ACCELL 3 from Avid/DigiDesign
which most people know as Pro Tools (for commercial purposes) cuz mos of
the musicians i see so far are DUMB...the first question they ask is if you have
Pro Tools and they judge you by that even though they dont even know crap
about recording or anything...just saw some pictures on the net probably.
My point is, Cubase is 5-600$ (of course it costed me well over 2-3000$ over the
years of updates and stuff) but Pro Tools well over 15 000$...and still Pro Tools
for me is Crap which i never use...but thats in my opinion. I will never change
to ANYTHING else except stay on Cubase, even mixing and mastering.
Thats why i said like a wife, it might be ugly and s**t but i still lover her.
(Well, i am divorced, no woman would stay with me, they ask for shoes
i point out to synthesizers).

[popmann]

I think the important question is what you want from a daw.

Record audio?
Sequence midi?
Host virtual instruments?

How much and what kind of editing do you need to do?

For me, vst expression mapping, score editing, the dedicated drum editor/mapping are critical tools I need in Cubase. reaper? None of the above, really...but, if you just want simple multitrack audio, I see no compelling reason to pay for cubase-unless you need to get into surgical tuning and editing...and then protools is arguably more streamlined for that.

My point really is that the reason there are so many opinions is because it depends on which features are most important to you.

Another example-I used Performer, and later Digital Performer for years for midi sequencing sync'd to tape. It's conductor track and tap tempo functions, which were of upmost importance for that work, used to be unique-and are still unparalleled in straightforward ease of use...but, over the years, I've done the same function in Logic and Cubase-it's just not as simple and elegantly implemented. So, if that were your number one feature, DP is still king.

Using libraries like VSL, the Vst Expression mapping of cubase is peerless. But, most people don't use big articulation libraries like that, so they wouldn't even see that as an advantage.

Also, Cubase is cross platform, and I still work on both Mac and Windows-though my main studio box is win7 64bit. Cross platform may not matter to someone else, you know?

I've used all the major packages over the years. Damn quarter century of software midi sequencing...man, I'm old! I don't have a second choice for what I do-between the multitrack drum editing and sample augmentation to midi sequencing hosted complex virtual orchestral instruments...to drum sequencing with different kit pieces transparently mapped to different pieces of hardware and software, no other package does it all as efficiently and as well as Cubase 6.

That said, I still don't mix audio in it, because I've tried a number of software mixers and none have the open imaging and huge low end "headroom" of my old Akai DPS24. If and when it kicks the bucket, I'll buy an analog summing system for the Cubase box. Because I'm comfortable with it and it full IO and Plug delay compensation (which means not that it has it, but that it actually works spot on)...and because none of the software mixers have the sound I am used to.

[jeebustrain]

I absolutely love Reaper http://www.reaper.fm/

It runs in 64bit and handles a multiple channel/tracks and devices seamlessly, I have the Kronos, JP80 and Omnisphere all mapped through it. Prior to it I had used FL Studio 10 and Reason 4 but once I tried Reaper (you can use it fully and indefinitely before purchasing it) I don't use either anymore.

I wholeheartedly second Reaper. It's super powerful, fairly easy to use, cheap, and the developers are pushing out updates like every 3 weeks (adding new features that people request on the forums). It's cross platform (Mac and Windows - and it runs beautifully for me in Linux using Wine). It's small and launches almost instantly. It's also skinnable, so you can actually make it "look" like whatever you want.

I've used Ableton Live, Sonar/Cakewalk since Cakewalk 6.0, and have dabbled with various other DAWs (Cubase, ProTools), and I prefer Reaper over all of them. There are only a few (really minor) gripes I have about it - the only feature that I really miss is a built-in full notation editor - but I've read that is coming soon.