In years past I had quite a number of hardware synthesizers. When you spend 25 years as an editor at a magazine called Keyboard, it's an occupational hazard. But I've downsized. The only hardware synth I own is in its case, in a closet, in the other room. I do, however, have a ridiculous collection of software synthesizers. More than a hundred of them.
Software is cheaper than hardware, and you can fit more instruments into a bedroom studio. But you do still need both a good computer and a recording platform (software) to do music with them. This type of software is called a digital audio workstation, or DAW for short.
I've used various DAWs over the years. During the MIDI-only years, before digital audio became a viable option in a computer, I used Dr. T's KCS, Steinberg Cubase, and C-Lab Notator. Notator later morphed into Emagic Logic, which was acquired by Apple. Since I'm a PC guy, not a Mac guy, Logic is not an option for me.
For a while I used Cubase (with audio, now) on the PC. Later I switched to FL Studio. But for some years now Reason has been my DAW of choice. It has some features that I really like. There are also a few things about it that drive me bats. So last month I decided it was time to have a look around.
One of the things I do is, I write software reviews for a website called Synth & Software. On top of earning a little pocket money, I often (though not always) get a free license for the software.
I had heard good things about Bitwig, so last month I reviewed Bitwig 5. It has some great features, but there are a few things about it that would definitely drive me bats. So this month I'm taking a look at Ableton Live 12.
Live is possibly the most popular DAW in the world. It's hugely successful and richly endowed with wonderful features -- and there are a few things about it that are driving me bats.
When you use a DAW, you develop a workflow. Click on this to record a track. Click there to edit the notes in a track. And so on. It's not to be expected that the workflow will be identical in every DAW. The relevant question, not for a reviewer but for the individual user, is whether the irritations that arise because the workflow is different are outweighed by the advantages of the new program.
Reason has the best suite of built-in instruments of any of these programs, hands down. Its major weaknesses will make little sense to you unless you're familiar with the technology, but I'll mention them anyway. It doesn't support multi-channel MIDI at the input, which means a few plug-in synths can't use all of their features. Specifically, the new MPE (MIDI Performance Expression) functionality is not supported by Reason, and probably never will be. It also doesn't support MIDI output from VST plug-ins, which again means that a few features of a few instruments are simply not available, and a couple of plug-ins that Reason can't use at all.
Aside from that, it has only a few little annoyances. When you double-click on a MIDI clip to edit the notes inside, Reason doesn't know how to display the notes to the screen in a sensible way. Sometimes most of the screen is blank, because the playback cursor is off past the end of the clip and Reason thinks that's where you want to be. Other times the first few notes of the clip are off the left side of the screen, so you have to scroll left to view them. Little things like that will drive you crazy.
What I'm finding, though, is that Bitwig and Live are just as well equipped with annoyances. And great features too, make no mistake! Live has easily the most massive collection of downloadable content. Bitwig's system for adding modulators to sound generators is brilliant. They both do things, including MPE support, that Reason doesn't. But do I care?
One of the factors that comes into play is what kind of music you're making. I'm a MIDI guy. I compose music one note at a time. Live is strongly oriented toward music that's built out of audio loops. That's not me. Live's deficiencies in MIDI editing would make my life a nightmare, but most modern pop musicians either won't care, or will happily put up with the little problems because of Live's other strengths. Bitwig's preset browser is a mess and its built-in instruments are pretty sad, but it has a few things that Live doesn't.
You're not gonna get everything you want, not in one program. A guy I used to know many years ago, a cynic and a sexist, once said that the way to evaluate a wife or girlfriend was, "Is the screwing you're getting worth the screwing you're getting?" I wouldn't dream of subscribing to his view on that particular subject, but I think it's an apt way of looking at which DAW to choose.
No comments:
Post a Comment