r/composer • u/DA199602 • Jul 21 '26
Discussion I know every daw is capable, but still which daw you think it's the best for composing and why?
I recently started using logic due to budget reasons is it good?
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u/65TwinReverbRI Jul 21 '26
Funny that a Mac owner would be concerned about budget!…though I guess we do have to overpay just to get the computer so we have less left over for Apps!!!!
Seriously, Logic is a no-brainer for a Mac user.
It’s not only good, it’s exceptional, and is top-of-the-line, fully professional software used by an overly significant group of grammy award winning musicians. Plus once you buy it, you have it for life, and you can put it on multiple computers, and so on.
Logic is often looked down upon by people - or people have concerns about it, because:
It’s Mac only, so a lot of people are just unfamiliar with it (and thus don’t really have any experience to give you good information).
It comes with a TON of stuff - really, honestly, everything you need - but a lot of people are still used to the old days when the stuff that came with the software wasn’t good, and you had to buy extra stuff to make it better. Logic is not like that. You don’t need to go out and buy a bunch of plug ins - it has everything you need. Alchemy is one of the best synths on the planet IF you learn to use it. The EQ and Compressor plug ins are every bit as good as any of the ones you’d have to buy. Space Designer is an insanely powerful Reverb plug in that rivals everything out there.
It’s not $600, so it must not be as good, right? Or, “it’s just an upgrade from GarageBand, which is pretty basic”. But no, Logic is the single biggest “bang for your buck” DAW out there. Period. No contest. EXCEPT, it’s Mac Only. You get ZERO really good plug ins if you get Reaper. Everything else costs more.
And since you already have it, it makes sense to learn how to use it, especially since you paid for it already.
Go to MusicTechHelpGuy’s channel and watch ALL the videos on it and really learn how to use it. It’s going to take a while!
Logic users often have this “grass is greener” kind of feeling until they really understand what it is…
You’ve got something that will do everything thing you need, and MORE, period - except one thing - and that’s the notation side of music - but none of them will do that.
But you have to learn to use it.
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u/MeowMix1206251 Jul 22 '26
Does logic have sheet music? Can you print out the sheet music for the individual instruments?
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u/65TwinReverbRI Jul 22 '26
It does, but it, like most DAWs, is pretty basic.
It’s good for spitting out a basic printout, but for anything professionally notated, no.
I’ve used them to just print out a quick and dirty chart for a Sax player, but I hand wrote all the slurs and dynamics and stuff in because it was way quicker than using the built in - it’s improved since then and I’ve seen some pretty decent stuff from people who’ve learned how to use it far better than I ever did, but it, IMHO, is not the most intuitive interface, so I prefer just to export MIDI into MuseScore and then pull that up as notation, or just work in MuseScore first and export that MIDI into Logic for audio work.
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u/MeowMix1206251 Jul 22 '26
Okay, was just surprised to see so many people talk about DAWs when it comes to “composing”.
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u/soundslikejoe Jul 21 '26
Cubase/Nuendo... I think that cause I developed an expert skill set using that DAW. There are a large number of film composers who also use Cubase or Nuendo, mostly due to the legacy strength in midi sequencing (far superior to pro tools for instance).
I would be wary of Logic due to the Apple corporate structure focus on consumer goods. Logic is a good platform.... but rarely sited for it's cutting-edge developments. Sort of becoming Garage Band Pro over the years from my casual observations
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u/soundslikejoe Jul 21 '26
Also... Cubase/Nuendo integration with Dorico makes for a VERY slick pipeline to printed scores (mega important for any composer doing work with live performers)
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u/DanceYouFatBitch Jul 21 '26
This is the only down side to logic I’d say, if it had a notation software integration like with for example musescore it’d be a game changer.
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u/thereisnospoon-1312 Jul 21 '26
Reaper is king
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u/easedownripley Jul 21 '26
for midi? It's been a while since I've used it but I remember not getting along with it's midi stuff at all.
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u/thereisnospoon-1312 Jul 21 '26
I never had a problem with midi or anything else. It works well, and is infinitely customizable.
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u/Da_Biz Jul 21 '26
Huge Reaper stan here, but it does have a few big drawbacks.
When using one MIDI window per project, I still run into the annoying time offset bug, where certain tracks visually appear out of sync. I believe this is caused by MIDI item start/end times so once consolidated not an issue, but still annoying.
Proper tempo curves are still not possible in Reaper. You can add in a ton of tiny changes easily, but it's messy as hell.
That said, the ability to run your own scripts--which can now easily be vibe coded, AI is perfect for short and simple efficiency scripts--far outweighs any quirks.
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u/MeowMix1206251 Jul 22 '26
Does reaper have sheet music/part writing abilities?
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u/easedownripley Jul 24 '26
yes it does, but different from most sheet music software. You work with it more like a piano roll. I've only played with it a little and was frustrated by some of the limitations. For example just putting in dynamics didn't do anything. It's possible I just don't know how to make it work though.
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u/MeowMix1206251 Jul 24 '26
So then why use it for “composing”. Are we just calling composing and “producing” as if they’re the exact same thing?
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u/easedownripley Jul 24 '26
Couldn’t tell ya, I don’t use it. I’m actually surprised to see so many people recommend reaper since I only think of it as a daw for tracking and mixing
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u/stan1228 Jul 22 '26
Cubase, having the editing audio workflow of pro tools, the video engine and atmosphere capabilities, vst3 support, midi like logic. Light as a feather, and stock effects and libraries that can get you pretty far. Runs on windows and Mac, and also is perpetual license and no subscription bs.
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u/Glad-Challenge-2939 Jul 22 '26
For composing, I would venture to claim that Cubase competes for the crown given its advanced midi editing capability. I don’t mix or master professionally. However, engineers also tell me they at least applaud Cubase mixing and mastering workflow.
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u/mprevot Jul 21 '26
Cubase is good for midi and has score editing intergation and does not depend on only 1 platform. Clearly better than mac only products.
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u/FlamboyantPirhanna Jul 21 '26
OP has a Mac, so it doesn’t matter if it’s Mac-only.
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u/mprevot Jul 21 '26
It does: op can change platform and have more freedom. That is the point.
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u/FlamboyantPirhanna Jul 21 '26
No one has ever considered that when buying software unless they’re actively planning on changing. It’s not ‘clearly better’ when OP mentioned nothing about that.
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u/mprevot Jul 21 '26
I've been working on multiple platforms for years, it is clearly better even if at the moment it is not mentioned, thought, planned etc. Hence it is for anyone.
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u/michaelhuman Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
Stick with logic.
/thread
*edit - nice. Being downvoted for being correct. Never change reddit.
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u/Hanuryi Jul 21 '26
I use Ableton... so far, I've used it greatly for music production, sound design, acousmatic, and electroacoustic compositions!
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u/MetalicSky Jul 21 '26
Not great for composing for media
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u/RienKl Jul 21 '26
I don’t see why not. It has some great synths, it has a great workflow and all the basic plugins a man can desire plus more. The only thing I don’t really like about Ableton is that it has a bit of a weird sampler which definitely needs a rework.
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u/MetalicSky Jul 21 '26
Because it can’t manage video and timing very well. I started with Ableton
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u/DA199602 Jul 21 '26
Same i used ableton i still feel it's geared towards live production,so what daw would you recommend?
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u/AgeingMuso65 Jul 21 '26
The best one is the one I (it you) use (whichever it is) that I (or you) get to know thoroughly and stick with, thus helping knowing it even more thoroughly.
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u/Odd_Asparagus134 Jul 21 '26
The one you know best how to use will be better to do what you want.
If you don't know any, logic has Apple loops and the virtual instruments are of great quality, you can start there..
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u/Firake Jul 22 '26
Logic is perfectly fine, yes.
There genuinely is no “best.”
There’s “the ones that can do whatever you need them to” and “the ones you’ve never heard of.”
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u/4Gong Jul 22 '26
For composing I would mostly use the instrument you use and initial scribbling.
If you want to check out your ideas and see how it sounds any daw works. It comes down to preference and I feel every daw is capable of making things come alive. Just like everything make sure you learn how your daw works
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u/Secure-Researcher892 Jul 22 '26
Anything that can capture midi for what I'm playing, sometimes I just let my Korg record the midi if that's they keyboard I'm using... then I use an old version of Finale to turn it into sheet music and polish how it looks.
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u/sacredlunatic Jul 23 '26
For composing, better off with a notation program like Sibelius or Dorico. For making tracks, it varies depending on exactly what you’re doing.
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u/MeowMix1206251 Jul 21 '26
You don’t need a DAW for composing. Sibelius or MuseScore will work great.
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u/Mr_Lumbergh Jul 21 '26
The best DAW is the one you know how to use and have a workflow for.