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Alternative Daws

I am a fan of Presonus Studio One. I use the Professional version of Studio One 6 but the package recommended comes with the latest version 5 Artist. But there are other DAWs to choose from. One very popular one is REAPER

As you can see, it has a similar layout to Studio One and has similar features. As with the Artist version of the Presonus product you get the ability to use VST. VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology and enables you to download “plug ins” – which are either effects or virtual instruments. I made my CDs etc with the instruments and effects that came with the original Artist version so I didn´t have this feature at the time but I have lots of them now (because a lot of them are free!) You can download Reaper for free and the makers rely on you being honest enough to pay $60 for a license. I have used Reaper in the past and it is excellent although possibly not quite as intuitive as Studio One. Click the button to find out more

You can´t get cheaper than free can you and one DAW that has been going for years is Audacity. As you can see below it is a fairly simple program and it takes a while to learn to use it and it has, unsurprisingly, fewer features than the DAWs mentioned so far. Nevertheless it it very undemanding on computer resources and I have used it myself in the past. It can use downloaded VST instruments and effects but doesn´t come with many. Not what I would recommend for beginners but…it´s free! Find out more by clicking the button

If you own an Apple device you will have a free DAW. Well, you´ve spent a fortune on the device so it´s nice to have something for free (I am not a fan of Apple!) You have Garage Band, which is a cut-down but very well equipped version of their Logic DAW  (see below). Best on a laptop or desktop computer as working from the microphone built into an iPad is not ideal if you want to record voice and guitar seperately as you sing (and you do - so you can adjust the two elements seperately). To do this you will need an interface as we explained in the last section.

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For your iPad you can buy a purpose built interface but you need to be sure what sort of input your device has - USB C on the latest devices, Firewire on earlier ones. This will make it possibly to turn your iPad into a recording studio although I would prefer the bigger screen of a laptop or desktop computer.

There are plenty of others you might want to investigate. Click on them to investigate further.

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Logic Pro – Used in lots of professional studios but for Macs only. As with anything Apple, bloody expensive but good.

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Cakewalk Sonar – Cakewalk has been around for years and is a good DAW with lots of user forums etc It has a huge number of built in effects, drum programmers etc BUT it is no longer being developed and so might become problematic in future but it is FREE and far superior to Audacity

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Ableton Live – As the name suggests if you want to use your DAW during live performances then this is the one for you. Not as intuitive as Studio One but a lot of musicians swear by it.

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So that is your guide to getting started with home recording. Whichever equipment and DAW you choose, having a studio in your home with an almost unlimited selection of instruments at your disposal can only help you create. And talking of instruments - click the button to see how you can have your own Orchestra.

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