I will be joining a mixing and mastering class in the spring time. I have taken a mixing and mastering class at DubSpot and I used Ableton 9.5 and above for that. I was advised to use Logic Pro. I bought it but I never really sunk my teeth into it, taking the easier path and using my go-to-DAW.
In a real sense I want to do a mixing mastering course with a fresh start. I’m willing to look again at a DAW for mixing and mastering. Here are my options:
Protools - i own a copy of 9 - I don’t think that matters with the subscription model ($250 a year)
Cubase 9.5 Pro with Edu discount ($325-340)
Bitwig 2.3 (I own this already)
Logic Pro 10+ (I own this already)
Would anyone recommend mixing in Bitwig over the others?
There seems to be a lot of enthusiasm here about Cubase. I like to use Cubasis on iPad. My brother produces in Cubase and Cubase works on Windows as well as Mac. I like to produce on both Windows and Mac (and sometimes Linux with Bigwig) so that tends to rule out Logic Pro.
Please share your thoughts. If I’m going to mix in Cubase this spring I have to get busy with the basics.
Thanks in advance.
Joe
I don’t think you could go wrong with Cubase, Pro Tools or Studio One for mixing duties. LPX is also very good for mixing but not for you if working on both OS. I have always thought of Bitwig, Ableton and FL Studio as creative/production DAWS and are lacking in their mixing features/workflow.
I’d like also to be clear about ranking the criticisms people cite that makes Ableton sub-optimal for mixing and mastering. I come up with three categories:
Sound engine: summing and pan laws
Bussing, sub-groups, aux, returns
Workflow, macros, screensets, workspaces
How would you rate Ableton vs. the best in each category? What are the reasons for that rating?
If I make the move to a separate mixing DAW, I want to be clear about the advantages of spending $340 US for edu version.
People can be really passionate about their DAWS. The best answer is the one that works for you. The one that feels best and has the best workflow. With that said because you have not taken the Mixing and Mastering classes yet I would highly suggest NOT spending another dime on a DAW at least until you have gotten into it. Instead spend the money on the plugins that you are going to use in class - FabFilter Plugins, Slate Plugins etc. As you go through the class you will learn some of the strengths and weaknesses of many of the DAWs and plugins. After you are well into the class you will have a better idea of which one is going to do the job for you.
@BigBreakMusic pretty much said it all, and said it well. I’ll add my input since I have used alot of DAWs throughout the years. when you are ready for a new DAW or to make the decision on which one to choose, it really depends on your workflow and focus. I produce almost 100% ITB these days so for me Ableton is superior to any other DAW Ive used in terms of speed, efficiency, and ease of use. Pro-Tools is the absolute worst (I went through PT training in college). Bitwig probably approximates Ableton but I’ve never used it so can’t really comment on it. I tend to do my rough/final mixing as well as mastering in Logic Pro X. To my ears the sound engine is cleaner than Ableton’s (although this is debatable with Danny even reconsidering his opinion on this), and IMO the routing and configuration is alot more flexible and in depth than Ableton. Studio One is an amazing DAW and I love it, but Presonus needs to work out the CPU maximization issues before I can utilize it again. I’ve never used Cubase but alot of people seem to really like it. My final opinion is that for me Ableton for producing/composing, and Logic for post-production. One great way to compare is to just produce a simple 8 bar loop in each DAW that you have (or have a demo for) start to finish (compose, mix, master) and then you should have at least a starting point of reference from which to make an educated decision : )
I should clarify - I have taken a full music production program at DubSpot including a mixing and mastering class based upon Danny Wyatt’s videos. That material was dope but the instruction and level of the community was … not so much. I came away with so many questions…
At the time I took Dubspot Mixing and Mastering I plunked down some serious dimes on plugins
All fab filter
Sound toys
Alloy 2
Ozone 7
Neutron
Waves bundle
Altiverby
Trash 2
I have NI Komplete universal
Ableton suite 10
Oxford - limiter , inflator
Logic Pro latest…
I’ve produced over 30 complete tracks (kithara on soundcloud)
I’d be ready to go with Slate
UAD seems like a huge investment and not justified by my situation. My day job is IT so I’m not in the music business yet.
I could just continue producing in Ableton and do start mixing and mastering in Logic since I already own it. and not buy a DAW right now. that would satisfy some of the criticisms about Ableton.
I’ve heard really good things about Studio One. At this point though I already have too many options and it gets confusing. If I add a second DAW dedicated to mixing and mastering I would pick between what I own already, Logic Pro X and Cubase Pro. I see alot more training and a very large community around this product and if I make the move to Cubase that would be critical.
Hey Joe one other alternative to UAD you might check out is Acustica Audio. I personally think they sound better than UAD. (They ‘sample’ hardware. No one else has the same technique and I hear a significant difference…) They are quite CPU intensive however so using them typically requires quite a bit of bouncing in place… Just a option to look into…
If you like creating and producing in Ableton but would a like to mix and master in the same DAW, I would highly recommend using Bitwig. I have used FL Studio, Reaper, Cubase, Studio One, Pro Tools, and Logic over the years and continue to see plenty of tutorials that use them so I see many of their strengths and limits still. I personally like the convenience of producing and mixing in the same DAW for many reasons. Bitwig is the only DAW that I can do it all in without compromise. It’s so similar to Ableton on the creative side, that I have probably learned more watching Ableton tutorials than Bitwig tutorials. I of course had to learn the basics first in Bitwig. Bitwig doesn’t do all of it’s routing quite the same as some of the other good mixing DAWs, but in some ways I like it better while in others I see the disadvantage. But either way, it can do the job from start to finish with an excellent workflow. If you don’t see a way to do something, search or ask on the KVR or Bitwig forum (or experiment) and you will probably find a good answer to how you can do it.
That said… you may like other DAWs better for personal preferences. I think all of your choices would work fine, but if you already have Logic (unless the mac only thing is a deal killer) then that one should do it all for you. In my opinion, Cubase is great if you have time to use it very regularly. It’s such a deep DAW and not the most intuitive, so it’s easy to forget how to do certain things if you don’t dig deep on a very regular basis. Studio One is much more intuitive if you don’t have as much time to spend in it, but it is still a top choice in my opinion. I haven’t used Logic since it went to mac, so I can’t speak to its learning curve. Pro Tools would be my last choice. It’s a great DAW (as are the others), but it’s expensive overall and I don’t like the business model.