Best DAW for Mac
- Thread starter GTR37
- Start date
MirrorProfiles
Rock Star
- Messages
- 3,256
What do you find a PITA about Logic? I use Pro Tools mostly (and love it) but IMO it’s more about how well you know a DAW than anything else. They can all accomplish the same thing and it’s really about learning each and getting fast with them.
I do find some aspects of Logic annoying - lots of editing functions don’t really let you see what’s going on behind the scenes, it’s kind of dumbed down in an apple way. Fine when it works, but if you want more control it’s frustrating. Same goes for how they handle fades and editing, generally fine when it works but what you see on the screen doesn’t always translate to what you hear.
Logic also lends itself to sessions getting unnecessarily convoluted with lots of different things running at once. Obviously you can keep things as simple or complex as you want but I get sent so many Logic sessions to work on that are a total mess.
On the plus side, I quite like Logic for MIDI/writing and the included instruments and fx are pretty incredible. Unless there is some fundamental reason to leave Logic, I’d just recommend learning it more. Learning a whole new DAW can be even worse.
Fully recommend PT though, but probably not the gimped versions. Studio is well worth it, but not the cheapest.
I do find some aspects of Logic annoying - lots of editing functions don’t really let you see what’s going on behind the scenes, it’s kind of dumbed down in an apple way. Fine when it works, but if you want more control it’s frustrating. Same goes for how they handle fades and editing, generally fine when it works but what you see on the screen doesn’t always translate to what you hear.
Logic also lends itself to sessions getting unnecessarily convoluted with lots of different things running at once. Obviously you can keep things as simple or complex as you want but I get sent so many Logic sessions to work on that are a total mess.
On the plus side, I quite like Logic for MIDI/writing and the included instruments and fx are pretty incredible. Unless there is some fundamental reason to leave Logic, I’d just recommend learning it more. Learning a whole new DAW can be even worse.
Fully recommend PT though, but probably not the gimped versions. Studio is well worth it, but not the cheapest.
GTR37
Rock Star
- Messages
- 3,389
For many of the above reasons you mentioned and just freezing up it honestly has way more than I need
That’s why I thought studio one as it looks like a pretty decent GUI or the Pro tools as it seeems like everybody uses that
MirrorProfiles
Rock Star
- Messages
- 3,256
for something basic and simple to use LUNA and Garageband might be worth a look too. Both are free.
I can’t get on with Reaper at all, but it’s very cheap and powerful/flexible with a strong user community. Never used Studio One
TheTrueZoltan!
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,801
Cubase 13.
Sascha Franck
Rock Star
- Messages
- 6,052
Hm, seriously, I don't think you will find any of the mentioned ones much easier than Logic - perhaps with the exception of Studio One, but not by a wide margin. Oh sure, Garageband is easier, but I think it you will grow out of it fast.
Sascha Franck
Rock Star
- Messages
- 6,052
But then, you may as well just use GB. And in case you need something else, just load your GB project in Logic (which is a most excellent thing).
- Messages
- 6,651
Studio One. It's easy, has tons of functionality, great quality plugins and virtual instruments. It's very intuitive but can go deeper if you want.
As much as I like Protools, learned with it and used for years -- I don't even want to go back there except to maybe pull up an old session.
I've also used Logic some and Ableton more. Logic just didn't stick with me? Some love it and swear by it though.
As much as I like Protools, learned with it and used for years -- I don't even want to go back there except to maybe pull up an old session.
I've also used Logic some and Ableton more. Logic just didn't stick with me? Some love it and swear by it though.
- Messages
- 1,668
I've been using GB since 2015. Switched to Reaper very briefly 4 or 5 years ago, but it didn't do anything (at the time) I couldn't get GB to do and I heard zero quality difference, so I went back to GB. I get that it isn't a professional studio suite and all that, but I'm not running a pro studio either. If I was, I'd likely just move up to Logic.
Especially with that specific complaint, it's always seemed like the best way is to pick a couple things that you find hard and watch tutorials on how to do them in a few different DAWs. Then, if you decide you want to change, pick the one that seems like it's going to make sense to you.
There's no DAW that's substantially easier than another unless it just hides (or doesn't provide) some of the complexity. The difference is just in how comfortable you are with them and, as wu-wu as it seems, how comfortable they make you feel while you're working.
There's no DAW that's substantially easier than another unless it just hides (or doesn't provide) some of the complexity. The difference is just in how comfortable you are with them and, as wu-wu as it seems, how comfortable they make you feel while you're working.
Sascha Franck
Rock Star
- Messages
- 6,052
Fwiw, if you have any specific Logic related questions, feel free to ask away.
laxu
Rock Star
- Messages
- 5,395
I moved from Reaper to Logic recently, it made sense as I'm a lot less cross platform nowadays. For MacOS, it's easily the best overall value.
I gave Studio One a spin and just didn't like how it worked. Can't even name specifics as it's been a while, just didn't gel with me.
Pro Tools seems to have gone the subscription route so that's a big no for me. I am also not touching anything Universal Audio makes.
I gave Studio One a spin and just didn't like how it worked. Can't even name specifics as it's been a while, just didn't gel with me.
Pro Tools seems to have gone the subscription route so that's a big no for me. I am also not touching anything Universal Audio makes.
MirrorProfiles
Rock Star
- Messages
- 3,256
Pro Tools pretty much hard pivoted back to owning last year and actually made things even better for perpetual owners to update whenever it suits them.
I think a lot of old PT devs were hired by UA (presumably when Avid were gearing up for a sale and letting people go), so in theory it should feel similar to PT. Unfortunately, it feels more like IK made it, its bloated and messy IMO.
So...I saw that as well. But, I couldn't find a way to buy a new perpetual license when I looked again...just to buy a year's worth of updates & support for an existing perpetual license.
Got a link you can share?
Fortunately, money is something we can talk about objectively. PT is expensive but not crazy...it's kind of just whether you're opposed to subscriptions and how much their perpetual licenses are (if you can still buy them).
There are a few specific features that would probably push me to PT Ultimate if I was going to go that way. And $600/yr is extremely expensive compared to everything but Seqoia Pro (which is about the same price with a simple $2,500 perpetual license for a single seat).
PT Standard....isn't that much more expensive than Cubase and might be less than Nuendo...as long as you actually do all the updates. They're not quite every year, and the upgrade prices aren't quite as expensive, IIRC. But, they're not worlds apart from what I remember (I don't really like either of them, so I don't remember the details....someone please correct me if I'm wrong). Steinberg also gives good discounts for competitive cross-grades (a few companies do). For example, when I bought Wavelab, I got it for about half off IIRC because I bought Ableton Live several years before. And, none of the paid upgrades have been ridiculous....they were auto-buys for me. But, I use Wavelab quite a lot and prefer it to all its competitors for Mastering (recording or mixing in it would be limited or at least a bit convoluted and overly resource intensive due to a handful of little details that don't affect real-world performance when Mastering).
I don't know the upgrade prices or lifecycles for BitWig because I haven't used it, but I can't imagine it's as much as PT Standard.
Live works out cheaper, if I remember my math, mostly due to the update cycle.
Studio One Pro is probably close to PT Standard, depending on the update cycle and loyalty discounts....I specifically dislike it, so I haven't really looked.
Logic and Reaper seem to be the big players that are flat-out cheap, with Logic very much having the edge for pros (perpetual as opposed to losing the ability to update after a few years). That almost flips if you don't have to buy the pro license for Reaper...then it's probably close to a wash for most people in the long run in practice.
In terms of money, the PT Standard subscription isn't really that bad. It's just that most of them give you the option to not pay for updates or skip versions. And, of course, the ideological objections many of us have to subscriptions.
There are other things that I think are way worse deals. I've been demoing the Metric Halo/Make Believe Sontec EQ plugin for fun. It's good. But, at the end of the day, it's just an EQ with curves that you can't quite match with Pro-Q3 (maybe 3% difference, subjectively), some very slightly mis-labeled (or at least imprecise) controls, and a tiny bit of distortion that most playback systems will never reproduce....for $300...and no history of free vs paid updates. Assuming I wanted it in the first place and was using it professionally, I'd rather put that towards 6-months of PT Ultimate than buying that EQ forever. Just as an example, but there are others. I'd put UAD hardware on that list in general too, depending on your needs.
There are also examples of much better deals, IMHO, with Reaper and Logic high on the list, along with some of the loyalty discounts from companies like iZotope and FabFilter, sales from Plugin Alliance (and potentially using some of their subscription tiers as extended trials), etc..
But, at the end of the day, we're making music. At some point, especially if you're a pro, familiarity, comfort, and inspiration are probably worth a few hundred bucks a year.
MirrorProfiles
Rock Star
- Messages
- 3,256
Which features, out of interest?
For ages I wished that Avid would open up a lot of the Ultimate features to the standard (now called Studio) version, and they've largely done that. The advanced automation features were a big one that I was very happy to get in studio.
it feels to me like Ultimate is slightly more geared towards the guys working in post, or the guys in large commercial facilities where they are dealing with LOTS of people at any one time and need particularly robust and flexible rigs.
At one point I was so close to upgrading to Ultimate, but I'm genuinely totally satisfied with Studio now. Just sucks paying the yearly upgrade fee, although at least now you can let it lapse until you are ready for update.
Avid Pro Tools Studio Perpetual License
Pro Tools Studio for professional music creatorsCreate huge mixes with up to 512 audio tracks and 512 instrument tracksRecord up to 64 audio sources simultaneouslyGet inspired with over 120 plugins, plusMelodyne 5 essential and SoundFlow CloudAvid EditionMix in stereo, surround, and immersive...
www.audiodeluxe.com
Pro Tools Studio Perpetual License at Gear4music
Pro Tools Studio Perpetual License at Gear4music
Avid Pro Tools Studio Perpetual Activation Card Box favorable buyi...
The latest full version of Pro Tools including 12 months of all software updates and full Avid support.
Pro Tools Studio Perpetual (Serial Download) - Avid from Inta Audio UK
Avid Pro Tools Studio Perpetual (Serial Download) Computer Music @ Inta-Audio is the UKs leading Pro Audio company specialising in Music PC Systems and Computer Music Solutions. Inta-Audio supply Pro Audio Music PC Systems and specialist computer music solutions to home studios and professional...
www.inta-audio.com
Avid Sequencing Software and Virtual Studios
Large selection of Avid Sequencing Software and Virtual Studios ᐅ Browse and shop now at Thomann - Europe's largest music store | free shipping ✓ 30 days money back ✓
www.thomann.de
Actually, you're right, everything I cared about got rolled into PT Studio unless I wanted to buy HDX cards. That was not the case the last time I looked at the comparison page.
Avid Pro Tools Studio Perpetual License
Pro Tools Studio for professional music creatorsCreate huge mixes with up to 512 audio tracks and 512 instrument tracksRecord up to 64 audio sources simultaneouslyGet inspired with over 120 plugins, plusMelodyne 5 essential and SoundFlow CloudAvid EditionMix in stereo, surround, and immersive...
Pro Tools Studio Perpetual License at Gear4music
Pro Tools Studio Perpetual License at Gear4musicwww.gear4music.com
Avid Pro Tools Studio Perpetual Activation Card Box favorable buyi...
The latest full version of Pro Tools including 12 months of all software updates and full Avid support.www.dv247.com
Pro Tools Studio Perpetual (Serial Download) - Avid from Inta Audio UK
Avid Pro Tools Studio Perpetual (Serial Download) Computer Music @ Inta-Audio is the UKs leading Pro Audio company specialising in Music PC Systems and Computer Music Solutions. Inta-Audio supply Pro Audio Music PC Systems and specialist computer music solutions to home studios and professional...
Avid Sequencing Software and Virtual Studios
Large selection of Avid Sequencing Software and Virtual Studios ᐅ Browse and shop now at Thomann - Europe's largest music store | free shipping ✓ 30 days money back ✓
Interesting. So....everybody sells it other than Avid's website. That's....odd.
NightWalker
Roadie
- Messages
- 174
i tried Cubase,Reaper,Studio One,Ableton,Protools,but i like to use Logic Pro,for my need is perfect.
Monkey Man
Newbie
- Messages
- 11
Digital Performer.
You won't have to keep up with macOS as you do with Logic. You won't be ripped off a la PT.
You'll be able to load projects you created in 1983 if you'd been using the app that long. IOW, if longevity means anything to you, it's IMHO the safest bet.
Logic is easily the best value-for-money buy for the Mac 'though.
You won't have to keep up with macOS as you do with Logic. You won't be ripped off a la PT.
You'll be able to load projects you created in 1983 if you'd been using the app that long. IOW, if longevity means anything to you, it's IMHO the safest bet.
Logic is easily the best value-for-money buy for the Mac 'though.
One overhyped aspect of Logic Pro is the virtual instrument library. Can you live without it?
I don't like Logic Pro's virtual instruments. Their horn sections sound like a harmonica, out of the box. Not worth the tuning effort in my book. The effects are decent and are a step up from Garage Band.
I'm still using Logic Pro, I paid $200 so I might as well use it. I've moved on to Native Instruments and ToonTrack for my virtual instruments.
Take some time to map out all the dependancies. Good luck if you move on.
Similar threads
![[Nathan]](/data/avatars/s/0/613.jpg?1726885163){kind=avatar}
