Note: I'm asking some pretty broad questions in this topic, and some of them are also fairly open to opinion. In the past we've tried to provide extensive lists of possible software packages, but they were ultimately pretty useless, providing an extensive list with no real guidance on making a choice. I'm hoping that if we get some detailed answers from a variety of different people that this topic might be a valuable resource on how beginners might make their own properly informed decision when choosing software.

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There's a lot of music/audio editing/creation software out there, with a whole range of different features, different pricing structures, etc. and it can be pretty confusing for a beginner to find and choose a good package.

Obviously a big part of making the right choice is finding a package with the features you personally require, at a price you can afford, and which you feel comfortable working with, and a great way to do that is to try out the demo versions of different packages until you find one which meets your needs...

...but how do you narrow down the selections?

What features should every software package offer? Are there any features so important that it's not worth considering a package that doesn't offer them? What are the killer features you personally look for, or which lead you to choose the software you currently use?

Are there any features that would be considered important to the majority of composers but which a beginner might not think to look for?

Is there any particular process you follow when trying out demo versions of software to make sure you've tested thoroughly, or do you just play around with them?

Lastly, what software do you personally use, and why did you choose it? Are there any areas you feel are lacking in your current set up, or is there anything you're really wanting to add to it? Would you recommend the same software to others? //EDIT: I realise these questions in particular are very subjective, but I think the answers would really be of interest to beginners -- as such I'd love to hear everyone's opinions, but would just ask that everyone try to respect the opinions of others as well and try to avoid any holy wars or petty arguments.

Thanks in advance for your time!

What features should every software package offer? Are there any features so important that it's not worth considering a package that doesn't offer them? What are the killer features you personally look for, or which lead you to choose the software you currently use?

First, let's dispel a popular myth: "all DAWs sound different". Short answer, they don't. So, really it's down to feature set. A checklist of requirements:

1) BUDGET!

2) MIDI sequencing capabilities

3) Audio recording/editing capabilities

4) Number of audio tracks required

5) Number of virtual instruments required

6) Video syncing requirments

7) Quality and quantity if bundled instruments, effects and ROMplers

6) (probably the most important) Personal preference.

There's little details such as automation editing functionality, routing options, insert slots and stuff like that but that's not a concern for you at this stage (dip your toes in first!).

DAWs such as Cuckos's Reaper and FL Studio have cheap entry level versions (and I believe you can try Reaper for free for as long as you want). Other DAWs such as Cubse have a variety of pricing structures but there's no demos to try before you buy (although student licences are dirt cheap).

Are there any features that would be considered important to the majority of composers but which a beginner might not think to look for?

In my opinion: when you start out, every DAW is hard to use (with varying degrees, of course). Don't plump for a more limited DAW with an easier learning curve as making the work flow transition to a more featured DAW at a later date is a cost of your time.

Is there any particular process you follow when trying out demo versions of software to make sure you've tested thoroughly, or do you just play around with them?

Really, it's all down to personal preference. Every modern DAW is more than adequate for producing high quality, professional music (it's the entity between the chair and keyboard that counts) but if you're going to be doing, say, a lot of audio recording and editing then something like FL Studio probably isn't your best option. This is a bit of a chicken and egg scenario so your best bet would be to download demos of each DAW (where appropriate) and have a whirl.

Lastly, what software do you personally use, and why did you choose it? Are there any areas you feel are lacking in your current set up, or is there anything you're really wanting to add to it? Would you recommend the same software to others?

We're in flame war territory but I personally use Cubase because it's the most feature rich for the work I do. It's certainly not flawless and in an ideal world I'd have a DAW encompassing the best of all worlds but reality dictates trade offs have to be made. Some options might not be available, such as Logic (Mac only) and FL Studio (PC only). In all likelihood you'll stick to what you started out it so it's all ultimately meaningless (within reason).

What do I like about Cubase? Well, I like the clear separation of arrangement and mixing, the MIDI editing is second to none, the audio recording editing is very strong, the bundled effects are mostly decent and the general suite is comprehensive and competent. Things I dislike are the limited number of insert slots and the rigid routing and signal flow (Cubase is much more of an 80/80 rule piece of software which can be restricting at times).

On top of this a decent audio editor is essential. In order of personal preference: Adobe Audition, Wavelab, SoundForge, possible Audacity (never used it myself but it is free).

To clarify your aims a bit more, what sort of music do you intend to be writing?

To clarify your aims a bit more, what sort of music do you intend to be writing?

I'm actually not, this topic is purely for the benefit of future beginners -- it's actually a bit of an experiment, and it may or may not work out, but I'm hoping that if a variety of people respond offering different perspectives and their own preferences this might be a valuable resource to help future beginners choose their software.

Thanks so much for the detailed response!

The best advice I can offer is to try out a few DAWs (almost all of them offer some kind of demo/trial period at no cost). See which one(s) seem to click more than others. As stated above there's a learning curve with any of them but it's like different brands of cars. All of them basically do the same thing although the names and steps may differ (sometimes only slightly). My point is learn one and you can more easily pick up others.

In my own experience, I started on Cakewalk's Sonar and played around with it exclusively for five years. Then I added in Reason and those were my only two DAWs for the next five years in my home studio. Due to a work studio setup, I had to learn Pro Tools and Logic (as well as Mac). Now my home studio runs Logic, Reason and Pro Tools (although I rarely use it now). And while the stance that all DAWs are pretty much equal do note that some platforms such as Reaper, come with very little bundled instruments so you'd need to have a decent 3rd party collection to produce music.

Edit: Also beware that some don't work with video post production. Reason's a good example and it also doesn't support 3rd party libraries like Native Instruments or East West. Instead they have their own format called Refills which they support. So take a look at what kinds of things you might want to do and see which DAWs support that.

Personally, I'd have to agree with the idea that you should focus more on what features your DAW has.

However, I will add this: it is important to note, especially if you're torn between two or more DAW's after doing your homework on them, that you make sure that you want a particular DAW over the others, given how expensive the best ones are. I have made the mistake of impulse buying a few times when it comes to music software and sounds, and I don't want others to make that same mistake.

I must disagree with the concept, that choosing the right DAW is crucial; it's the external tools that you use within the DAW really matter.
The thing I really pay attention to, is how stable the DAW is when handling 3rd party tools. And this brings me to my second point. Some workstations, like Logic, have big sound libraries. While I agree that those libraries might do the trick in some cases, you shouldn't really rely that much on them. If we're all aiming to be professionals, then our works must sound top notch. That might be just my conservative point of view, but I think, that realistic instruments can't be pulled of with a daw's native libraries. My point is, that you shouldn't look for a DAW that has the biggest library. Instead focus on a DAW that can handle 3rd party instruments with ease.

For instance, I really love Cubase 5, but I often found its lack of stability with some VSTs very troublesome.

Kristoff

The thing I really pay attention to, is how stable the DAW is when handling 3rd party tools.

By 3rd party tools, do you just mean external samples/VSTs/instruments, or are there other tools/plug-ins to be considered? Is in common to need to use external plug-ins, or do some DAWs include all needed functionality out of the box?

I am a relative newbie and from my experience so far (I own FL Studio) you can always find a place for a new plugin. I use vsts for instruments, effects and midi control-- a lot of the plugins I use are freeware. VST is a very common format for plugins, and I would expect vst1/2 with 32bit support in any capable DAW. There are also 64bit plugins and vst3, but I haven't had much success with those yet, or even encountered situations where there wasn't a vst1/2 32bit version (your DAW needs to have support for 64 bit plugins to use them, either natively or via a bridge).

When I was on the market for a DAW, I had no previous experience on the topic. I did have a copy of some old/light version of Sonar which I tried for about 2 seconds before I was convinced that I didn't want anything to do with that. Although of course I would recommend people to try demos before they buy, I personally didn't want to clutter my PC with crap and couldn't commit myself to fairly evaluating any time limited trial versions. It was quite realistic that I could go a month without trying and lose the chance. My decision came down to researching other peoples experiences and trying to gain a perspective of what a DAW is and what to expect for my budget. FL studio seemed to get mentioned a lot, with comments that there were beginner friendly aspects to it and I saw that there was some decent youtube videos I could learn from. Ultimately the lifetime free updates sealed it for me, since I personally like the comfort of knowing the product I chose would get better even if I didn't like some aspect of it. Reaper was a close second for me.

When I started out I convinced myself that because I wanted to compose music electronically, that would mean I would be be satisfied with a quality synth. I researched and found many called Zebra2 the best synth and so I bought it and did use it in many of my early work (I am a hobbiest, by the way-- so 'work' is used loosely), but I found out that what I really wanted the most, 90% of the time, was to be able to replicate the intricate sounds of real instruments. Only recently I've been using samples and even soundfonts, but I do make use of a variety of synths too. In hindsight I did get ahead of myself buying Zebra-- as a beginner, 'programming' synths is not as fun to me as I imagined :P

I can't comment on all DAWs, but I do believe in the general case most people will be using plugins to extend their DAWs functionality. It's like buying an operating system, sure it may come with paint and sure some people will paint a master piece with it, but you will have to buy photoshop or go ahead and download free alternatives like paint.net/gimp etc if you want quality results in good time and lower effort.

The thing I really pay attention to, is how stable the DAW is when handling 3rd party tools.

By 3rd party tools, do you just mean external samples/VSTs/instruments, or are there other tools/plug-ins to be considered? Is in common to need to use external plug-ins, or do some DAWs include all needed functionality out of the box?

I meant VSTs and samples. However now, that you mentioned it, there is also a function in many DAWs called Rewire. What it basically does, is connect other DAWs to your current one. Quite common to see a Reason rewired to some other DAW, like Cubase for instance.

And yes, most of the time, external tools are required for real pro sounds. I know DAWs like Cubase or Logic love to brag about how well supplied are their libraries... but let's be straight - they have their limits. And believe me when I say, you really can hear when some instruments sound artificial.

Kristoff

Anyone else?

There's some great information in the answers so far, but are there any alternative points of view or is there anything anyone would expand on?