https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
StudioOne+, they make you sign in to get the price. Makes me decide that I really don't want to know. but for those who already know, how much does this cost?
Nevermind, I dug a little deeper and only find subscription services. Who in their right mind would pay a monthly subscription for their DAW? and by the way, that is a rhetorical question.
Studio One Version 6.2 is a maintenance update. For me, it was free. It took all of five minutes to download and install, and a lot of that time was for the program to re-scan my system for plug-ins.
Studio One may be purchased separately and that's what I did a few years ago. I have not had to pay anything to continue using it. Those who opt for the subscription purchase what PreSonus calls Sphere, and they get everything PreSonus makes. I do not need everything PreSonus makes, and I share your dislike for subscription-based software.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Thanks Mario. The last thing I want to do is start a DAW-WAR. But I have to ask. How does a home studio hobbiest justify $400 for Studio One Pro when Reaper is $60 (and that is if you want to pay)?. I don't presume to know what's best for a Pro Studio owner who is charging and making money as their business. But for a home studio user, I can tell you that extra cost makes no sense. Just my opinion.
I doubt my story is the same as for others, but I looked at many possible DAWS when SONAR seemed like it would disappear. After trying many demos, I bought Studio One using their cross-grade pricing, and, as I mentioned, I only bought the DAW and not the subscription.
I had several reasons for choosing Studio One. The most important was the integration with Notion notation software (same company). Then I decided to swap out my Focusrite interfaces for one from PreSonus so that the PreSonus Control Software would give me tight integration with both the audio interface and their Faderport Control Surface. I much prefer the PreSonus Control software to the Focusrite software.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
It’s about workflow. I have used both DAWs, and several others as well. To name a few NTracks studio Multitrackstudio, powertracks, Realband, Acid Pro versions 2,4, 5, Cakewalk from home studio 2 to Sonar to Bandlab, studio one from version 2 to 6, reaper versions 3,4,6. Now Harrison Mixbus. Sometimes I think I am nuts.
The reason I preferred Studio one is workflow and for that point polished workflow. Take just one area. While Reaper does comping very effectively it is waaaaay behind Studio one in the slick workflow. Same with bus routing Reaper is far more flexible, but also far more confusing.
Bottom line is studio one is polished and smooth, professional looking and acting. Still the old Reaps does a very nice job. It also has some things none of the others have. The video while not fancy is far more useful. The fact it is light weight and easy on the system is attractive. I am going to give both Mixbus and Reaper a fair shake down. Cause as you mentioned they are less expensive. Reaper in particular at $60 and that covers two release cycles is a bargain.so really it is $30 per release. Studio one pro is $149 for an upgrade.
Your point is well taken. Still for someone who love what they are doing as a hobby a $350 software package is still less than $.50 a day entertainment.
I am re-evaluating my needs. I use Band in a Box to create a lot of my music. And I just need a simple program to mix and render it. I could use Realband, as I did in the past. But I don’t particularly like the workflow. I mixed a song yesterday in Mixbus and I have to say the results were nothing less than amazing. I used nothing but the channel strips and master strip built 32c fx. With the exception of one reverb bus, and one Waves SSL 4000 G master plugin on the master bus.
I mixed the same song in Reaper and also got a very good result. I used the set of Waves CLA plugins and the SSL master on that. I loved the end result on both. Reaper is a capable package as is. I have watched many Kenny G. videos and well as the most of the videos Nathan and Ben put out over at Harrison.
If one likes Studio one (I still do) the price is not ridiculous in the long run. I have friend who play golf, and feel for recreation or hobby that $40 green fees every week is affordable. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaay did I say way more than the cost of amp DAW.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
Dan, many of us are using Studio One because of Cakewalk Sonar's failure. I have had a copy of Reaper for years but just found Sonar more intuitive to use. When Sonar went bankrupt I moved to Studio One.
As far as cost goes, what we pay for a DAW is a minor part of the total cost of just software no matter what DAW you use. That says nothing about the cost of instruments. Matt most likely has a small fortune invested in horns. I have a ton of money invested in guitars and amps. So...the DAWs are not a material amount of money in relation to the other cost.
It is becoming expensive to have this music hobby. I just paid close to $300 for four vacuum tubes for a new amp I am building. The two stupid little three-string-guitars I just finished building most likely cost two or three hundred dollars in parts.
Every year or so I buy another version of BIAB at whatever audiophile cost.
Homeowner's insurance doubled this year. Car insurance went up by $400 a year. Electricity is up by $100 a month. The cost of living is out of control no matter how much money you make.
I did buy a two-dollar Powerball ticket for the billion-dollar jackpot...lol
I am 78 and still working, not every day but...
Cheers,
Billy
EDIT: Here is a photo of the four hundred drawers of electronic parts I have collected over the last ten years. God only knows what all that stuff costs...lol
Last edited by Planobilly; 07/19/2303:01 PM.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
Thanks for the very polite and respectful and informational comments. This is why I like this place. You don't have to fear "stirring the pot" on occasion. You all make good points. Each to their own.
It’s is supposed to be fun so we each decide what is fun to us. You made an honest and thoughtful comment. You are also a reasonable user of the Reapster. It is a viable choice. Heck any of the solid products on the table today will Git ‘er done!
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
Studio One's newie costs, in Australia, the misquote number of the beast + $0.14. I've been lead to understand it & Pro Tools are the ant's pants. I'm more than happy with the ant's G String. "Reaps"? Pros? Studes? Sons? Auds? RealBs? To each according to needs & means.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
These seem to be the most popular DAWs, in no particular order.
Ableton Live 11 Logic Pro Studio One 5/6 Bitwig Studio 4 Audacity Pro Tools Garage Band Steinberg Cubase Pro 10 FL Studio 20 REAPER
Other forums I have seen that have people producing music that is not always for profit seem to like Alberton, Logic Pro, Studio One, and Cubase.
Pro Tools is the industry standard for hire recording studios. It is most likely the best for live drum tracking. It is not necessarily well received for the sort of creative processes we use here on this forum.
I have tried most of the major DAWs. They all do a pretty good job. I could live with any of them but some are just a bit more intuitive to me. Quality results can be obtained with any of the DAWs on the above list.
Whatever DAW produces the results you are looking for with the least amount of work is the one to use if you can justify the cost.
Not all of us are doing the same thing with the DAW we use. I, for example, don't record live instruments nearly so much any longer. I do not use my DAW to try to produce top-quality recordings. If I need a top-quality recording I go to a professional studio and let the experts deal with the issues.
I understand why someone would not like to change to a new DAW even if it was better. Learning new software takes work and can be frustrating.
One of the reasons I use Studio One is that it is pretty similar to Sonar and was easy to transition to for me.
Certain forums are pretty famous for being adamant about certain products.
There is always the Fender-Gibson discussion. Ford Chevy, you know the drill.
I tend to be open-minded enough to try new things. I have also found products I will likely never change from. Anderson guitars for example. Not so many people even know Tom Anderson exist must less have ever played one.
As I have said before, the cost issue is becoming more of a problem every year.
Reaper is most likely the best value for a small amount of money. Cakewalk for free is a no-brainer.
Trying to convince everyone that some particular DAW is the end-all-be-all is typical internet nonsense.
Buy what is useful to you.
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
Well said Billy. A few years back I was using a product called Multitrackstudios, It is still around today. I used it then because it was perfect for my needs at the time. I will say it tracked simple projects far easier than anything else I tried at the time. It treats audio and midi the same when it comes to FX. Very analog approach but fully digital. I moved on when I started really using BiaB. That’s when I started with studio one because I got the Artist version with my interface. It is a great DAW. I also used Realband a lot along then because I was doing live shows on street jelly each week and playing for small gatherings. I made backing tracks in Realband and used the jukebox to play them. I now use Jamzone if I play for a audience. So my needs changed again.
I love Studio one, Cakewalk, Realband, Reaper, and now Mixbus is tickling my fancy. At the heart of most projects is BiaB and the BiaB plugin. I know some don’t like the plugin but for me it flat out gets stuff done quick and easy. It lets me put RTs in my projects super easy. I can’t imagine how long projects would take if I had to go back and create them with midi or by playing them.
The first collaboration I did with a friend a few years back I actually played the drum track on my computer keyboard! Sure is easy to grab an RD track, or grab the midi file and send it through EZDrummer.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
It’s about workflow. I have used both DAWs, and several others as well. To name a few NTracks studio Multitrackstudio, powertracks, Realband, Acid Pro versions 2,4, 5, Cakewalk from home studio 2 to Sonar to Bandlab, studio one from version 2 to 6, reaper versions 3,4,6. Now Harrison Mixbus. Sometimes I think I am nuts.
The reason I preferred Studio one is workflow and for that point polished workflow. Take just one area. While Reaper does comping very effectively it is waaaaay behind Studio one in the slick workflow. Same with bus routing Reaper is far more flexible, but also far more confusing.
Bottom line is studio one is polished and smooth, professional looking and acting. Still the old Reaps does a very nice job. It also has some things none of the others have. The video while not fancy is far more useful. The fact it is light weight and easy on the system is attractive. I am going to give both Mixbus and Reaper a fair shake down. Cause as you mentioned they are less expensive. Reaper in particular at $60 and that covers two release cycles is a bargain.so really it is $30 per release. Studio one pro is $149 for an upgrade.
Your point is well taken. Still for someone who love what they are doing as a hobby a $350 software package is still less than $.50 a day entertainment.
I am re-evaluating my needs. I use Band in a Box to create a lot of my music. And I just need a simple program to mix and render it. I could use Realband, as I did in the past. But I don’t particularly like the workflow. I mixed a song yesterday in Mixbus and I have to say the results were nothing less than amazing. I used nothing but the channel strips and master strip built 32c fx. With the exception of one reverb bus, and one Waves SSL 4000 G master plugin on the master bus.
I mixed the same song in Reaper and also got a very good result. I used the set of Waves CLA plugins and the SSL master on that. I loved the end result on both. Reaper is a capable package as is. I have watched many Kenny G. videos and well as the most of the videos Nathan and Ben put out over at Harrison.
If one likes Studio one (I still do) the price is not ridiculous in the long run. I have friend who play golf, and feel for recreation or hobby that $40 green fees every week is affordable. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaay did I say way more than the cost of amp DAW.
Studio One Artist is, I think, $99. It also comes free with many of their audio interfaces, which are very good. Since v5, the Artist version supports 3rd party VSTs, so it's no longer necessary to pay extra for that support. Artist doesn't include many of PreSonus virtual instruments, but if you're not using them now, that is no big deal.
A Reaper license for home or small business use is $60, and is good for two major versions. I had a license that covered v4 and v5, and chose to buy a new one to cover v6 and v7. That was FOUR years ago, and Reaper is still on v6. That's a bargain.
Studio One issues a major version update every 2-3 years, which I purchase. Much more reasonable that what Steinberg does with Cubase.
If it is purely a money issue, you can't beat Reaper. But for an extra $40, Studio One Artist is great bang for the buck. And, as mentioned previously, the workflow in Studio One is a lot more straightforward than it is in Reaper. Just check out Kenny Gioia's excellent Reaper videos on YouTube. No other DAW has that level of resource available. I watch his new videos on release, but, holy smokes, they leave me overwhelmed sometimes. Just the number and size of the text menus in Reaper is eyewatering. In Studio One? Drag and drop almost anything anywhere.
And don't get me going on the black hole for time that is themes for Reaper. A DAW should be used for making music, not playing with the GUI.
ThinkPad i9 32GB RAM 7TB SSD; Win11 Pro; RME Fireface UCX II; BiaB 2026 Ultra Bitwig Studio 6; Studio Pro 8; Melodyne Studio 5; Tonalic Studio 1; Acoustica Premium 7 Gig Performer 5; NI S61 MK3; Focal Shape 65; Beyerdynamic DT 880 & 770
Studio one i have tracked about a dozen serious projects in and maybe 40 or 50 little ones. I am super familiar with it. Reaper not so much really. I do like Reaper for it's basic look and flexibility. My problem is the routing. it can be overwhelming and confusing. I think sometimes Reaper shoots it's self in the foot simply by it's own nature. It is kind of user driven to a large part. Sometimes that can be a double edged sword.
Bottom line is all these excellent programs do a cool job. One just has to find a workflow that suits them, at a price point that make sense.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
My problem is the routing. it can be overwhelming and confusing. I think sometimes Reaper shoots it's self in the foot simply by it's own nature. It is kind of user driven to a large part. Sometimes that can be a double edged sword.
Here is Kenny taking on that topic. Maybe this would help.
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and by the way, that is a rhetorical question. 
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