Top 9 Best DAW Software For Music Producers 2021

The most essential part of your setup you need if you’ve decided to become big in the field of the Music Industry is that you need to choose the Best DAW Software which can make you feel connected with itself.

Because the most important thing in making music is the connection between you and your mind with the instruments or device you are using through the process. Your mind needs to be clear. So in the process, the selection of the best DAW software that suits you is a must.

It doesn’t matter if you do work in a big-budget studio or make music from your bedroom, you will be required a Daw software to start making music.

But first, let us know what is a DAW and Where is it used.

What is a daw software?

The full form of DAW is Digital Audio Workstation and it’s technically defined as an electronic device or application software used for recording, editing, and producing audio files.

But in general words, DAW can be understood as a bridge between musicians’ minds and the music that we hear. When a musician thinks of any rhythm or beat, he/she requires something or some instruments to make that tune live. So DAW comes here as a provider that allows us to use as many instruments simultaneously.

WHy selecting a right daw is necessary?

When you think of choosing a DAW, you’ll get various options to choose from. That doesn’t mean you can choose any you want. Every DAW has its pros and cons.

Today when you bring the talk about the selection of the best DAW Software among several music producers, you’ll get to know about the fight for different DAWs among the music producers community. Every producer has their own set of mind and way of working. And accordingly, they choose their preferable Daw software.

So you need to decide what suits you the best. After all, you are gonna be the one who’ll be using it for the rest of your future.

There are various DAWs paid as well as Free. If you are a beginner and can not invest in the DAW in the beginning phase, there’s no harm in going with the free ones. They also offer quite a lot of features. Well of course not as much as the paid ones, but yet you can make good music.

And in the future, when you become liable to buy one, you can then go with the paid ones with exciting features to explore and create new music from your bedroom or from a studio that you work into.

things to consider before buying a daw

When I tell you about every single feature of any DAW, you can’t get the proper idea of a perfect DAW that could suit you, or what are the things that should be kept in mind before thinking of buying the DAW software.

When we look at the DAWs individually, we’ll see that some of them have special features that others don’t have generally, and this doesn’t mean that others not having the same feature is a bad one. We need to know about certain things that should be necessary features available on every DAWs.

Below I’ve mentioned the things that you need to keep in mind before going out to buy a DAW software.

1. Price you can spend

When you look at the price tags of the DAW Softwares, you’ll get a variety of them. So before selecting the software, you should just look into the price tag in the first place.

If you are looking for more features in a DAW, you’ll get to spend more money on that. Some of the DAW Softwares like Garageband ate not that expensive, but if you go for DAWs like Pro Tools, you are gonna experience the price level of the same.

So focusing on the price point or budget is the prime thing that you should consider before going out to buy the DAW software for you.

2. MAC or pc

The next thing to keep in mind before buying DAW software is that you should look if the DAW you are about to purchase does support your computer system. If you are using a Mac or PC, every DAW doesn’t support both.

Do a double-check before buying any DAW that you are thinking to buy if it does support a MAC if you are using one or otherwise.

3. how are you gonna use it?

If you are looking a DAW Software just for recording and other basic purposes, you’ll get pretty much everything on the free versions or cheap DAW as well. So you don’t need to spend extra money on it.

But if you are looking at the DAW for making electronic music, you need a lot more features than you get on the free software. If you are a person who composes music on your own, then again you need to look at that type of software as some are better than others.

4. your experience level

This is the very basic thing that you need to consider. Focusing on the experience level you can automatically say which DAW will be best for you. You can’t go for the free versions if you make your original songs, and if you are completely a beginner with a limited budget on your hands, going for the free version will be the best option for you.

So consideration of your level of experience helps you decide the perfect DAW software for your use.

free daw vs paid daw

Before entering into the best DAW software list, let us see what is the difference we get between a free version and a paid version. Because for beginners, it’s not always necessary to go directly to the paid versions without any experience.

If you are a beginner and have no idea what a DAW is, I would recommend going with the free version. As you will understand the working of the software and you don’t have to pay even a single penny.

If you have a very limited budget and can’t stretch it even a bit, then I would suggest don’t use it at all. Instead, go for the free version and learn the basics there. When you are sure with yourself that yes this is what you wanna do, you can then buy the pro version.

But if you are completely sure about your music production career, and you want to take it to the next level, you can expand your budget and can go for the paid DAW software. There are many respectful DAW software that you can look for.

Below I’m mentioning the best free DAW software that you can get for free and also the paid ones.

best free daw software

Here I’ll be presenting you the top 4 Free DAWs that you can choose from if you are looking for the free options. Also for the beginner level, these are going to be pretty helpful and easy to use.

1. Audacity

The most famous and widely used DAW software among beginner music producers. It is mostly used to edit the track and for recording. It’s a multi-track audio editor software that allows you to record multiple tracks at a time.

This becomes quite useful for recording a song with various instruments. But, If you use only one audio track, this would be the best option for you and you don’t even need to go for other paid DAW softwares.

Well, the drawback that you’ll face here is that you won’t be able to access the MIDI tracks on Audacity as audacity doesn’t act as a MIDI sequencer. You don’t get any MIDI tracks to use with your virtual instruments. It’s just that you will be needed to record the original instruments.

One more thing that you’ll notice is that using the plugins here in Audacity will be different from using them on pro-DAWs. So you can’t use it as a full production workflow. Audacity is purely focused on the people who are new in the field of the music industry and are on a tight budget.

pros and cons

2. garageband

Garageband is Apple’s entry-level DAW software. This software comes bundled with every computer that runs the Mac OS.

Now if you are reading this on your Mac computer, that means you already have this bundle of Garageband.

When you look into the history of GarageBand, you’ll find out that this DAW software has given the way to music to many big artists. We can say, this was the entry gate for many musicians.

Garageband is given the tag as a DAW software for beginners, but let me tell you, surprisingly, the most effective software for making music, even for the late phase of a music producer.

With Apple’s brand name, you get a distinctive and clean design of the software and the ease-in-use feature. You won’t require deep knowledge on using this DAW software as most of the features are basics. And you can learn them in a few days.

so, If you are a Mac user, and looking for an option of the best DAW for beginners, my advice will be that you shouldn’t overlook it. Probably one of the best DAWs and surely the best among the free ones.

PROS and cons

3. ableton live lite

When you think of electronic and sample-based genres, Ableton Live Lite comes as one of the biggest names in the free version, and Ableton Live comes under the biggest name in the paid version on the field.

Well, you can’t get this DAW directly from any store, instead, you can get it bundled with some MIDI keyboard, plugins, etc. And that is also for free.

There is no doubt using this free version that has unique session views from which you can make a song very easily using just a loop.

Ableton Live Lite is a lighter version of Ableton Live that allows you to use popular software packages and your sounds using a MIDI keyboard. The warp features of this DAW software are easy to use and powerful.

You get offered a license for plugins, MIDI controllers, and also even for some ios apps, which means you don’t need to worry about anything.

To make music and use DAW software from your bedroom, you will be needed a proper HOME STUDIO SETUP. And also other STUDIO GEARS that you are needed to look into.

The best thing about using the lite version of Ableton Live is that you’ll get used to the software and in the future if ever you got a budget, you’ll already be familiar with the Pro version of the DAW software.

pros and cons

4. PRO TOOLS first

Pro Tools First is the introductory version of a premium version of a Standard DAW software – Pro Tools. You get awesome features that allow you to choose this as one of your options among already available free DAWs.

As it provides a lot of things, you get certain limitations which might make you think again if you want to go for this alternative. The first limitation you get here is that you are allowed to add just 16 tracks of audio and you can use up to 16 virtual instruments.

It comes with 500MB archives of samples which will encourage you to unleash your creativity and you don’t need to worry about it. Also, you get samples templates of multiple genres that are going to help you to create your music immediately.

Even after the limitations, when you’ll visit any big studios, you’ll witness Pro tools as the primal DAW software they are using. So starting from the basic version of the Pro Tools, You will get familiar with its interface and can use the Pro version in the future without any difficulty.

Pros and cons

best paid daw software

Well above was the option for free versions, but if you have the budget and can afford the pro-DAW software, or you’ve already been through free versions and wanna up your game, here are the top 3 best paid DAW software that you can look up to.

1. fl studio

If you are in the field of the music industry and want to be a music producer, there’s no need to introduce you to this DAW software. FL Studio is one of the most famous and favorite to many.

Every other artist must have used it in their beginning phase and they get attached to it so much that they pursue it to their career.

With a very clean UI and a simple informative interface, you get everything that you need to create pro music in it.

FL Studio has a huge library of synths and plugins that can be suited to any genre that you like to make. You can make Trance, House ambient, Techno, or any other genre that you can think of. You don’t need to worry about it, just open your creative imagination and the DAW. There’s nothing in between.

But with all the positive points, you get negative points as well. And here the negative point is that you can’t make a metal genre that well here. This fruity loop is clearly not designed in a way for this type of music.

Well, there’s no need to be sad about it, as there are ample genres that you can explore. I would just say that FL Studio is fit for beginners rather than already players. But some pro music producers become used to it and continue to use it furthermore.

pros and cons

2. logic pro x

This is the most popular DAW software that you’ll find. If you’re been following your favorite music producer or others for that matter. you’ll find out one thing in common is Logic Pro X.

By looking at the popularity itself you must have already known how perfect this DAW software would be. Logic is the best value for money product you’ll get in the market.

Talking about the functions, this software is extremely powerful and fully functional. Also, some say that this is the more powerful version of a Garageband.

With the name Logic Pro, we’re sure there aren’t any complaints about the workflow and technicalities. It comes with unique features along with native VSTs. It’s said, Logic Pro X is the best contender and the best all-around DAW software.

Talking about the genre that Logic Pro suits the most are Rock, Pop, Jazz, and also Folk. So you don’t need to think even a little more about the genre you are in.

Now about the drawbacks, we all know the major drawback of a Logic Pro X is its exclusivity. It is available only for Mac computers. Music producers who use windows, can’t get the benefit of this wonderful DAW software.

Logic Pro is captivating 50% of the market by only being available for Mac Computers. But for some, just imagine if it was open for every type of computer.

pros and cons

3. Ableton Live

The last on the list of ‘The Best Daw Softwares’ is Ableton Live. Who doesn’t know this software? Now if the thing is said, I’ll say that This is the Daw software I use.

Ableton Live is very simple to use and provides a great variety of presets and virtual instruments. About the build quality, you’ll experience this has the best interface that will make you fall in love.

Along with the inbuilt presets, by learning a little about music production, you will be free to create your favorite instrument presets that you can use in your upcoming tracks. And you don’t need to buy any expensive gears for that purpose. You can use your computer keyboard as a MIDI controller to create the same.

I started using Ableton Live at the beginning of my career and now, It became quite a part of my life. I can not think of shifting to any other DAW. Well of course I have the basic knowledge about every DAW software, but the feeling I get here, can’t be the same anywhere else.

The Synths you get along with Ableton Live bundle, are organized very well and are extremely easy to understand. When you sit in front of your DAW, there aren’t gonna be any problems that you’ll be going to face.

Talking about the downside, the price here is quite high when compared to FL Studio. You need to pay an extra high price to get more quality synths. So if your budget is tight, you might think of other options such as FL Studio.

pros and cons

4. PreSonus Studio One 5

The PreSonus Studio One professional Is one of the best Digital Audio workstations that has something unique and time-saving to offer. I love the one feature among many, and that is a super-handy module for organizing and mastering the album. The feature above helps in giving a smooth performance during doing live videos or performing live.

Recently, PreSonus has launched or say unveiled Sphere: It is a software that delivers the entirety of the company’s music software portfolio, and also the storage and collaborative feature. All that in a catchy and affordable price of just $15 per month.

It doesn’t matter if you are into any other DAW these days, you can not outlook this very powerful suite of music tools.

If we talk about the design and the features of the DAW software, there’s nothing startling about Studio One’s Presonus design. However, when you look in the history, you’ll find out that, in 2009, PreSonus was the first DAW software that was introduced with the drag and drop paned design. You are needed to drag the effect and instruments to the timeline in order to add them to the tracks, or if you want to create a new track.

pros and cons

5. Steinberg Cubase Pro 11

Cubase is a music production solution, a Digital Audio Workstation, that serves industries in the music industry to remodel audio files, produce new tracks, and ascertain personalized workflows. The platform comprises chord pads, which allow composers to adjust the chords, enhance performance by editing tension and voicings and play audio files with the help of a MIDI controller.

The quantize panel in Cubase lets users control various attributes of tracks including tempo, arrangement, and audio distribution with the help of warp markers.

The Cubase 5 includes features such as sample tracks, batch exporter, notepad, scale assistant, latency monitoring, colorized mixer channel, and many more. Additionally, music producers can search and regulate content using the MediaBay tool to access them and modify tracks, projects, and events using the built-in project browser.

Cubase’s track import functionality lets musicians synchronize data between projects and import folders, tracks, groups, and FX from other projects. You get the option of one-time payments and support is provided through phone, email, and other various online measures.

Cubase 5 is going to provide you with the functionalities that you aren’t going to find in other DAWs. Using it is extremely easy even though the DAW was created to compose more elaborately. The software has a good quality/price ratio and is also one of the most complete DAWs on the market.

pros and cons

conclusion for Best DAW Software

If you talk about my recommendation for the best DAW software, I would say, just follow your mind. Choose the basic one in the beginning, and if found comfortable, it’s yours.

While purchasing the DAW software, keep in your mind that whatever you choose, that should be easy to understand by you and you need to connect with it. Because after all, you are going to need a partner who can work according to your likings, and when you get connected to any software, then there’s no turnback.

You will be ready to create the tracks from your heart and someday, they are going to rule in the hearts of millions.

So be ready from the beginning by choosing the best DAW software for yourself.

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