# Switching From Apple and Logic X to a Windows Computer - Which Windows-Based DAW?



## Tinesaeriel (Sep 15, 2020)

Hey, folks!

Gonna be getting a new Windows PC in the coming weeks. I'll be coming from a MacBook Pro using Logic X that I've been using since mid-2014, and I need some advice on what DAW to get for Windows. 

What I'm mainly looking for are these 2 things:

STABILITY: I want to be able to use a DAW that can handle big workloads and many different samples using many different plug-ins, such as Kontakt, PLAY, SINE, Spitfire Audio's Sample Library Plugin, etc., without too much fuss or hassle and not crash constantly on me or freeze up a lot. I'm not saying never - I know that any DAW or computer program can crash - but I'd like for it not to be a habit. 

LEARNING CURVE: I've gotten pretty used to how I do things in Logic X over these last 6 years, especially in regards to how I apply reverb and processing effects, and also how I do audio editing. I'm looking for a Windows DAW that will be easy for me to transition to using from Logic, that I can just open for the first time and know how to work everything in an hour or so. And if it's not set-up like Logic X, how easy it is for it to be set-up exactly like or similarly to Logic X.

I'm looking at 3 options right now:

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1 - Cubase Pro

Pros 

The big appeal for this is that I can get a crossgrade for already owning Logic X and save some money. I've also seen Cubase be reported to be a relatively stable DAW and not usually crash and freeze up - it just works like its supposed to. I'm also looking at a program that I'll be able to use if I ever switch back to a Mac computer at some point down the road. 

Cons

I am definitely not a fan that I am forced to use a dongle for this program - my PC will have limited USB ports, and the fact that I would have to use one up for this dongle bugs me quite a bit. It's not the end of the world, as I'll only need 5 USB ports at any one time, and this computer will have 5 ports, but I'd still rather have one or some ports free in any event.

2 - Studio ONE

Pros

I've heard this is a DAW that is super easy to dive into coming from Logic X and it's super intuitive to use regardless. I'm also super happy I don't need a dongle for it. 

Cons

I've heard some not so great things about this program's stability, especially using newer sample library players like SINE and the one made by Spitfire Audio. I'm also a little weary of the price tag. 


3 - Reaper

Pros 

The cheapest option available, no dongle needed, and from reports, it looks like it's pretty stable.

Cons

I'm not sure about the learning curve coming from Logic X to this program. I'd need more first-hand accounts from people who switched from Logic X. 

------------------

Any advice y'all could give me would be great!

Thanks so much, folks.

Best,
Adam


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## jcrosby (Sep 15, 2020)

I have Studio One and Cubase in addition to Logic... (Can't let go of Logic yet!)... I personally found Studio One easier to pick up. That said you're pretty much guaranteed to get a fairly mixed answer. Probably fairly evenly spread as well..

For me re-mapping keyboard shortcuts combined with a somewhat similar workflow made Studio One feel more Logic-y. But there are a lot of people who've migrated to Cubase that feel the same way...I personally found Cubase buggier at the time. Seems like lately there are more threads with people having issues in Cubase, but I could also be wrong about that... I'd personally demo all 3 for as long, and as aggressively as possible.

Time-wise... Honestly I think you're being a bit unrealistic. Depending on how long you've used Logic, and how nerdy you get, it's going to take you a little time to find your way around any DAW.

Sure you can be writing by the end of the day, but it isn't going to feel like home for a while, and all those little things that you currently think don't matter actually add up, and will take you longer to adapt to until you've spent enough time in front of the DAW. E.g. if you have a lot of custom shortcuts it'll take you a while to find all of that DAW's equivalent features, then re-assign all of your hot keys. The UI may or may not be an issue, for me I've always found it a challenge to re-adapt to a completely different looking program and get used to where everything is. 

My biggest advice would be to remain skeptical and demo aggressively until you feel like you have a clear preference. I.e. Cubase and Studio One can be pretty pricy if not on sale so make sure you know which one you prefer before pulling the trigger... (Check for crossgrades on all DAWs as well. Pretty sure all of them have some kind of crossgrade discount.)


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## dylanmixer (Sep 15, 2020)

I've been a Cubase user (previously Pro Tools) for maybe 8 years now. It's an amazing daw. Deep functionality and customization. I feel like every time I use it I discover another thing it can do. And at least for me on Windows 10, it doesn't crash. 

With that said there are obviously many quirks. HiDPI support is still broken. Meaning if you have a 4K monitor, you'll have to deal with blurry textures and fonts. It has many bugs that the latest version (10.5) introduced, but still have not been fixed. It feels like support has slowed down to a grinding halt. Hoping 11 will be a big step in the right direction but we will have to see. 

There's many things that have made me consider checking out S1, but as of now, Cubase still has a lot of features I can't live without.


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## Shad0wLandsUK (Sep 15, 2020)

I have to say that Cubase is rated highly if you want to use outboard gear (Synths, pre-amps, fx etc)
I also started my music life on Cubase Studio 4 and I have never let it go in my mind

I moved to Logic Pro 9 in University, however I always wanted to come back to Cubase, again and again I tried the demo and then in the end I purchased Cubase Pro 10

I own Pro Tools (use this for live recording in our church for Concerts)
Also Ableton Live 10 Suite
And Cubase Pro 10.5

So yeah, there is much out there

As someone who works in IT, I am also very familiar with PCs
I own an Enthusiast PC myself as one of my Sample Library slaves. along with a Mac Pro 2012 12-Core
I plan to upgrade to an AMD system as my primary Windows Slave!


I think some good questions to ask would be the following:
How many tracks do you want to run?
What budget do you have for everything?
What is your workflow like when it comes to samples and tracks?
Do you have any outboard gear or plan to own any?

Thanks,

Christopher


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## SupremeFist (Sep 15, 2020)

Out of interest, why are you switching?


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## b_elliott (Sep 15, 2020)

Based on your specific needs I think you might find exploring this [link below] worthy of your time before you make the dive. This guy spends 100s of hours covering 11 different DAWs and even produced a detailed comparison chart. Have fun. 






The DAW Feature Chart


Things that you want which you can't find anywhere else




www.admiralbumblebee.com


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## jonathanwright (Sep 15, 2020)

You can download demos for both Cubase and Studio One on to your current Mac. So you can try them out in advance to see which one you prefer.


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## Al Maurice (Sep 15, 2020)

jonathanwright said:


> You can download demos for both Cubase and Studio One on to your current Mac. So you can try them out in advance to see which one you prefer.



That's true -- but if you would like to demo the features of Cubase Pro or Artist, you'll still need to purchase a dongle.


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## Dewdman42 (Sep 15, 2020)

You just have to try them all and decide. 

I have already decided that if I switch to pc it will be cubase.


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## IFM (Sep 15, 2020)

Don't forget about DP.


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## greggybud (Sep 15, 2020)

Tinesaeriel said:


> I am definitely not a fan that I am forced to use a dongle for this program - my PC will have limited USB ports, and the fact that I would have to use one up for this dongle bugs me quite a bit.



Im I just really lucky? I use a very old USB hub and that's where I put the Cubase & Wavelab dongles. I'm a daily user and I rarely have had any dongle issues. Of course when things go bad, support will say insert the dongle into the PC direct, but I have very rarely had to do that.

I'm guessing as soon as Steinberg figures out a 100% secure solution, they will offer Cubase dongleless. But remember Cubase hasn't been cracked in ages. Personally I don't like subsidizing freeloaders, and while I recognize the disadvantages of a dongle, I view Cubase the same way as I do UAD...both very secure.

Considering the future, are you sure you will only need 5? Not counting a hub, I have 16 usb ports on my PC and I sometimes worry about running out.

As said above, definitley look at admiralBumblebees website.





The DAW Feature Chart


Things that you want which you can't find anywhere else




www.admiralbumblebee.com


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## Saxer (Sep 15, 2020)

Changing DAWs is a bit like changing your main instrument. Like playing accordion as a guitar player. You know exactly what you want but have no idea how to do it.
My best advice would be: meet someone in his/her place who works with the DAW and watch how they work. Ask questions to follow what happens or how you could achieve things you normally do in your workflow. Even if you pay this as a lesson it's very effective.


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## jcrosby (Sep 15, 2020)

Saxer said:


> Changing DAWs is a bit like changing your main instrument. Like playing accordion as a guitar player. You know exactly what you want but have no idea how to do it.
> My best advice would be: meet someone in his/her place who works with the DAW and watch how they work. Ask questions to follow what happens or how you could achieve things you normally do in your workflow. Even if you pay this as a lesson it's very effective.


Great analogy. Excellent advice for sure.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Sep 17, 2020)

Logic Pro X after turning your machine into a Hackintosh.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Sep 17, 2020)

Sorry, I couldn't resist being a jerk.

By the way, I'm going to remove the posts about pirated software even though I understand that nobody here is advocating that.


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## robh (Sep 17, 2020)

You (Adam) could use VE Pro with the new PC then you won't have to lose your familiarity with Logic.

Rob


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## wayne_rowley (Sep 18, 2020)

Cubase. If I were ever to switch from Logic that is what I would switch to. Why? Well, probably not for the reasons you may think.

Not features - you can make great music on all modern DAW platforms. All have their strengths, weaknesses and quirks feature-wise.

Not stability - it comes and goes on all to a certain extent.

Ease of use/preference? Everyone has preferences but most DAW users are smart people who can learn to use pretty much any DAW.

So what is my reason? Greatest chance of _smooth _compatibility with 3rd-party audio hardware and software. Which DAWs can you guarantee that developers will test against? Which will they likely be quicker in addressing bugs for? Almost certainly Logic, Cubase and Pro Tools. I don't think you can guarantee that any other will get the same attention.

(I may be wrong on that of course.)

Wayne


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## jcrosby (Sep 18, 2020)

wayne_rowley said:


> Cubase. If I were ever to switch from Logic that is what I would switch to. Why? Well, probably not for the reasons you may think.
> 
> Not features - you can make great music on all modern DAW platforms. All have their strengths, weaknesses and quirks feature-wise.
> 
> ...


I don't agree. Ableton Live has the biggest user base as far as I understand it. FL Studio was for a long time, (and may very well still be for all I know). On top of that Studio One has become very widely used.

Live easily makes the priority list because of its wide user base, Studio One almost certainly does as well as it has captured a large percentage of Avid's mid-tier crowd that have jumped ship on Pro Tools in the past few years after it became pricy and it started lagging behind in compatibility. Not to mention the quickly growing user base it was already amassing...

I'm just saying unless you have some stats that you can look to I wouldn't bank on it as a theory...


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## Michael Antrum (Sep 18, 2020)

I moved to PC for a new laptop last year - largely becuase I wanst going to pay top dollar for a laptop with both thermal and keyboard issues. So I got a Razer Blade 15" with 64gb Ram and 2 tb NVME for a bout half the cost of a Mac. I still run my desktop system on Mac.

I do miss OSX, though not as much as I thought I would, and Windows 10, for all it's faults, is probably the best version of Windows since, like, forever. Although it does take a short while, I got comfortable with it relatively quickly.

So as regards the DAW. I use Cubase & Dorico. I also have Ableton Live, Studio One, but Cubase is the one I use. It its big, it is powerful, ad it has Expression Maps, which whilst not perfect, are better than almost any other system I've tried. The dongle is not really an issue to me - yeah I'd probably prefer to be without it, but I also use a lot of VSL products, and I also have an iLok too. With interfaces, extenral drives etc, you are almost certainly going to end up with a small USB hub anyway.

I would recommend you forget the cost of your new DAW - the cost in cash terms is insignificant when you compare it to the amount of time you are going to put into learning it. 

In many respects, this question is liek to old Nikon/Canon argument that photographers have. In the end it won't really matter too much. Wonderful work can be created with any of them. They all have their limitations and faults and strengths, and you will end up working around them.

One thing in Cubase's favour, however, is that there does seem to be a significantly wider selection of training materials available than other DAW's, or at least that's my impression.

(PS: I have heard from people whose opinions I respect, that f you are a 'mega-template' kind of person, then Studio One can be a little unstable with large numbers of tracks.... I'm don't build mega templates - but lots of people do.)


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## wayne_rowley (Sep 19, 2020)

jcrosby said:


> I don't agree. Ableton Live has the biggest user base as far as I understand it. FL Studio was for a long time, (and may very well still be for all I know). On top of that Studio One has become very widely used.
> 
> Live easily makes the priority list because of its wide user base, Studio One almost certainly does as well as it has captured a large percentage of Avid's mid-tier crowd that have jumped ship on Pro Tools in the past few years after it became pricy and it started lagging behind in compatibility. Not to mention the quickly growing user base it was already amassing...
> 
> I'm just saying unless you have some stats that you can look to I wouldn't bank on it as a theory...



No stats - although I distinctly remember Christian Henson making a similar comment in one of his videos - and he probably has more knowledge of what’s going on with DAW developers.

Anecdotally though, I work in the software industry. Not music software but for many years I worked in web development. Consider how many different browser versions there are, across OSs. Not to mention mobile variants. Its a question of cost, time, budget and customer needs that determine which ones get the most focus in testing. Some of that is based on usage stats of course. But it’s fair to say that not all versions on all OSs get the same attention in testing.

Wayne


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## stigc56 (Sep 19, 2020)

greggybud said:


> Im I just really lucky? I use a very old USB hub and that's where I put the Cubase & Wavelab dongles. I'm a daily user and I rarely have had any dongle issues. Of course when things go bad, support will say insert the dongle into the PC direct, but I have very rarely had to do that.
> 
> I'm guessing as soon as Steinberg figures out a 100% secure solution, they will offer Cubase dongleless. But remember Cubase hasn't been cracked in ages. Personally I don't like subsidizing freeloaders, and while I recognize the disadvantages of a dongle, I view Cubase the same way as I do UAD...both very secure.
> 
> ...


I just took a look at this comparison table, and it's interesting. Though not quite my experience in some of the subjects. Take "Articulations" defined as:
_Some sample libraries use MIDI data to trigger switching between sets of samples that express different instrument articulations. Keyswitches are a common method of achieving this (and often used interchangeably with the concept of articulations). You can thing of this as real-time metadata that’s included in the stream of performance data. Perhaps a simpler way of saying it is “MIDI that change how the instrument sounds”._
In this field Logic scores 10 and Cubase 7.
That's hard to understand considering the rather deep implementation in Cubase. In Logic it's working fine, but I still find that it's under par comparing with Cubase.


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## ChisTimothy16 (Sep 19, 2020)

if your main hesitance with cubase is because of a dongle, get cubase. This is the DAW you will be using on for quite some time, and that matters more than a dongle. Also, just spend 6$ and get a usb hub. I plug it into one usb and all my dongles, keyboard, and mouse are plugged into it.


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## easyrider (Sep 19, 2020)

I have both....the workflow in Studio one is amazing...I found cubase clunky...the dongle is a PITA especially if you have two computers....

I just started using Studio One more and more and found it very stable....along with a Faderport 16 and Console One its a hands on feature rich DAW without the need to pay for incremental updates every 5 minutes...

Of course this is just my opinion....


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## Dewdman42 (Sep 19, 2020)

I used to be very anti-dongle and avoided all dongle products out of principle. In the past couple years I have finally given in and purchased numerous dongle products, including VSL, Steinberg and others. I have three protection dongles plugged into my USB hub. I don't see any personal advantage to me by using dongles, slightly annoying that I have to use them at all and had to buy a hub, but honestly it works fine. It has been well worth it in order to use those particular products, which in many cases are often some of the best products in the business. It is what it is, I don't love dongles for sure, but they work fine and its worth it to use the products that require them IMHO.

Cubase is a great product. Don't let the dongle hold you back if that is the only thing.

Studio One is also pretty good, for less money, but while it has some interesting work flow approaches, and its worth watching it grow and following it, I still lacks some of the deeper functionality of say cubase and logic. I am definitely keeping an eye on it, but I chose not to upgrade to v5 because for my money, its just not deep enough yet in a few key areas. Its pretty cool though and I'm optimistic about its future, but expect it to be numerous years before I would take it too seriously. For me.

In my view Cubase and Logic are the two big ones, both around for numerous decades with DEEP functionality. For my money they include the best features related to articulation management, which for me is the deal killer on the others. DP is a good old workhouse also, which is Deep and also has some unique features, but until they add articulation management its off the table for me. 

The others that have been mentioned, like Bitwig, FL Studio, and a few others...are definitely kind of interesting, but it just depends on the kind of music you like to make and how you like to work. They have some innovative features that you don't really find in the big old work horse DAW's. But they are not as deep in other ways.. Try them out...see if you like them, why not...but if you're coming from Logic, i think they will leave you wanting most likely.. In my view DP or Cubase are the obvious replacements for Logic.

Then of course you have the free, or close-to-free options like Sonar or Reaper. no comment, hey they are cheap enough to try out for a while, why not. I have Reaper on my mac. I never use it though, the GUI hurts my brain.

ProTools is its own thing. If you don't know that you need it, then you don't need it.


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## jsnleo (Sep 19, 2020)

I think Cubase still wins. But Studio One is 50% off right now. I always wanted to give Reaper a try but every time I was downloading it I clicked cancel... It just looks too freeware, Windows 98 to me.


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## InLight-Tone (Sep 19, 2020)

I went the other way, Windows to Mac, over the past year, and hate Windows even more so than I did after spending most of my Life using it. I've also gravitated to Studio One. For mixed Mudia composition, I think it's great especially version 5.


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## Travis Banks (Sep 19, 2020)

As a longtime Windows user, I can also tell you to be prepared for a latency struggle and ASIO driver juggling. The Cubase low latency ASIO driver tends to work better for me than the one made for my SSL interface. I use Cubase, Ableton, and occasionally Reason, although Reason mostly as a plugin now. I can get past latency, but I use a game booster app to shut down all unnecessary background tasks and turn off my antivirus before working on any music. I have the Cubase dongle and an ilok, plugged into one of my hubs, and a couple of SSD drives and hard drives. I wouldn't worry about tying up a USB port. You are going to want at least one sizeable powered hub anyway. I tried out Studio One, and I did really like it too; I just wasn't missing anything from my other DAWs. If I was to do it all over again, I might choose Apple so that I don't have to deal with ASIO drivers. I doubt any of this is terribly helpful now that I read what I wrote. 😜


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## Travis Banks (Sep 19, 2020)

jsnleo said:


> I think Cubase still wins. But Studio One is 50% off right now. I always wanted to give Reaper a try but every time I was downloading it, I clicked cancel... It just looks too freeware, Windows 98 to me.


Wait, where is Studio One 50% off? At that price, it would be worth picking up. Plus, I'm a software hoarder anyway.


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## jcrosby (Sep 19, 2020)

Travis Banks said:


> Wait, where is Studio One 50% off? At that price, it would be worth picking up. Plus, I'm a software harder anyway.


Not that I've seen. Unless some place like Audiodeluxe has a specific deal, the product prices I'm seeing are the same as always..


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## Markrs (Sep 19, 2020)

Travis Banks said:


> Wait, where is Studio One 50% off? At that price, it would be worth picking up. Plus, I'm a software harder anyway.


They currently have a studio one 5 crossgrade from any DAW (though you might Want to check that) deal ongoing at plugin boutique https://www.pluginboutique.com/products/6549 which is only £153.03 until 30 September with code: f6460a6l

i often see it on sale on VI-C / KVR / Knobcloud for around similar prices or less


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## Nate Johnson (Sep 20, 2020)

Dewdman42 said:


> Studio One is also pretty good, for less money, but while it has some interesting work flow approaches, and its worth watching it grow and following it, I still lacks some of the deeper functionality of say cubase and logic. I am definitely keeping an eye on it, but I chose not to upgrade to v5 because for my money, its just not deep enough yet in a few key areas. Its pretty cool though and I'm optimistic about its future, but expect it to be numerous years before I would take it too seriously. For me.



Can you expand on what depth is lacking in Studio One? Just curious. 

I love Logic, but would be lying if I said switching to PC was off the table. I've got Bitwig, but haven't gotten very far with it. To me, Cubase is definitely the 'natural' cross-platform alternative to Logic. But since Studio One was mentioned a few times, I'm realizing it should be on my radar as well....


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## Dewdman42 (Sep 20, 2020)

Nate Johnson said:


> Can you expand on what depth is lacking in Studio One?



just one example. Compare closely s1’s articulation management to cubase. S1 has a feature but with much less depth and capability them cubase. I don’t have time to spell out the details but you can investigate it yourself to see what I mean. 

You will find that many thingsin s1 are like that, lacking the depth compared to cubase and logic and dp.

s1 does have a few clever workflow features and some people are enamored with that a d perhaps don’t miss the depth of cubase.

if I leave Mac I will definitely be on cubase, and I don’t trust dp on Windows either FWIW.


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## Nate Johnson (Sep 20, 2020)

Dewdman42 said:


> just one example. Compare closely s1’s articulation management to cubase. S1 has a feature but with much less depth and capability them cubase. I don’t have time to spell out the details but you can investigate it yourself to see what I mean.
> 
> You will find that many thingsin s1 are like that, lacking the depth compared to cubase and logic and dp.
> 
> ...



hmm that doesn’t affect my world, but I can see how that might be an issue for some. I might download the demo (or maybe it was a free version?) just to see what its all about.


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## Dewdman42 (Sep 20, 2020)

That’s why I said from the beginning you have to try them to decide. I bought s1 v4 on the used market for $150 and at first I was a bit enamored with it but eventually I realized it doesn’t have the depth of cubase and logic in a LOT of areas. I think it’s pretty cool in some ways for writing songs with low track counts. It has some interesting and clever workflow ideas. It’s also pretty inexpensive compared to cubase. It’s some years away from being the workhorse thet logic and cubase are. You will see, just try it.

i did not upgrade to v5 but I am still watching s1 to see what they do with it.


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## Ozan Colakoglu (Sep 20, 2020)

Most of the time for the same features Studio One has a better and faster workflow than Logic or Cubase but as mentioned they are more mature DAWs and have more pro features due to being developed since forever but at the same time some things are really stuck in the past.
By the way articulations and score view in Studio One has just been introduced with version 5 so I am sure they will be enhanced pretty soon. Presonus is really fast with updates.


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## PJMorgan (Sep 20, 2020)

If I had to choose a No. 1 DAW for me it would probably be Logic. I've tried most of the DAW's out there on multiple OS's including Windows, Macos & Linux, but I'll only focus on the ones I've used extensively:

*Logic:* is for me the best out of the bunch because I think it balances ease of use & advanced features better than any other DAW. It can be as simple to use as garageband or (almost) as advanced feature-wise as Cubase especially in the midi department. But as we all know if you're moving on to Windows Logic's is a no go.

*Reaper:* Is an excellent DAW & I have It setup thanks to the many scripts & addons to do almost anything that the other DAW's can do. But as great as this is it is also Reaper's greatest weakness. You have to put in a lot of work to get there because out of the box without the abundance of addon features & scripts available to it, Reaper is definitely not ready for what most especially on this forum require in a DAW. I used Reaper before jumping to macos & Logic, & then again years later after using Linux as my main OS for about 2 years. But now that I'm using a hackintosh (dual booting Linux & macos) I didn't realise how much I missed having a proper inspector view & midi features that aren't buried deep in an actions list.

*Ableton:* Is probably the best at what it does especially if you're mostly focused on electronic music & sound design. Session view is truly excellent for experimenting with combinations & arrangements, it's a very fun DAW but I wouldn't really recommend it for film scoring & the like although you could definitely do it.

*Studio One:* I have to be honest, I haven't used it in years. When I did use it, it was one of the first DAW's to do the drag & drop thing, then it got macros & I remember the automation being very nice too work with. But the main thing that let it down was how much of a cpu hog it was on both windows & macos, so I moved on. I've kept an eye on it over the years & it has come a long way with some great features added like articulation support & apparently it's much more efficient with the cpu than it was. So probably a pretty good choice if your going to windows.

*Cubase:* I actually started out on a very old version of cubase (SX I think) but back then probably because I didn't really know what I was doing I eventually ditched for Reaper, It just didn't click with me. I've been thinking about reluctantly moving on from macos to Windows. In an ideal world I'd like to stick to Linux but plugin support in linux is still not there, & I got a bit fed up jumping through the hoops of wine & linvst to run windows vsts on linux but that's another story.

I bought cubase in the recent Artist to Pro sale & have to say after watching a few tutorials & getting stuck in with a few projects I'm really loving it, the articulation mapping is up there with Logic & maybe even a bit better because you can use 2 different types of articulation mapping. The midi features are super advanced with a lot of options like the chord track etc. But one of the stars of the show for me is the mixer.

The mixer in Cubase is amazing, you can have multiple mixers all configured differently, the viewing options of eq, gain staging, sends, fx, etc. are brilliant. The way you can expand or contract the width of the mixer to show more tracks is a very nice feature. The show/hide view configurations is another star, that can be setup differently for the arrange window & the mixer. And If want to get really deep with show/hide for a large template the project logical editor combined with some custom macros is very advanced. But your heading into Reaper territory there & I haven't got that far YET. It's not all hunky dory though as Cubase has been known to be a bit on the buggy side over the years. For instance if I'm working on a large project for a few hours, when I save & quit it takes ages for Cubase to close. The length it takes to close seems to depend on how long you were working on the project. It seems to be a known bug & Steinberg are supposed to be working on a fix.

Truth be told though I'm a bit of a DAW junky & tend to jump to a different DAW depending on what I'm working on, If it's DnB or something Electronic I'd tend to use Ableton or Renoise. I use Renoise on Linux & would bounce the stems from REnoise & mix that in Reaper. If I'm working on something orchestral based I'll use Cubase or Logic. Or if it's Rock based I could use Reaper Cubase or Logic. 

I might give Studio One another shot if there's ever another sale on an upgrade but for now my choice of DAW if I was moving to Windows would definitely be Cubase.


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## d_thomas (Sep 20, 2020)

I use logic as my main workhorse but bounce back and forth between mac and windows. I've found studio one to be pretty user friendly for those of us coming from working with logic. Also it's available for rent to own on splice so its a good way to demo it while still getting the full experience without having to commit fully. Best of luck


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## Trensharo (Sep 30, 2020)

I have Cubase Pro - I moved from macOS, as well. The issue with the dongle is if you have to move between Desktop and Laptop with any regularity. Thats when the dongle becomes an issue. 

If you only use a desktop (or laptop), then it's an ignorable detail. Plug it into a hub and off you go. It IS cancerous if you have to move between machines regularly, though. 

I use a backup DAW on my laptop because I can't be bothered risking the dongle (lost, broken, stolen, etc.), or constantly moving my desktop to access it. 

I do mostly MIDI, so its easy to move that data into Cubase when needed.


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## Andy_P (Sep 30, 2020)

Wait for Studio One 5.1 update that will come out in about a few weeks before you decide


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## PuerAzaelis (Sep 30, 2020)

Reaper fan here the price is right!


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## Mornats (Sep 30, 2020)

Travis Banks said:


> but I use a game booster app to shut down all unnecessary background tasks


I never thought of that. Which game booster app do you use? I'd love to try it.


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