Providing you have already read our previous article dedicated to DAWs or you have made some basic research on the topic using some other resources, your head might be filled with various questions about this software. In order to make it easier for you to navigate through them, this article has been created comprising the most frequently asked questions about DAWs with sufficient explonation.
How much will you have to pay for a DAW?
Let’s get down to the question of cost. How expensive these DAWs are? Honestly, there was a time when DAWs used to cost a lot but since those days are over, let’s cut to the chase.
The prices of modern DAWs vary based on your needs. There are ones which you can buy for once and you are done with some intermittent add ups which may cost you some extra bucks. Others may give you their functions on a subscription basis. In general, the costs of this type of software is generally affordable to all ranges of people. What may cost you more is the add-on and setups in general. Such as, you will need a decent amount of processing power for your computer, a pair of studio monitors of a high quality, your gears and other equipment needed based on how professionally you want to create your world of music production.
Is it difficult to use DAWs?
Next, there is the most common occurrence of a question about the complexity of using DAWs. Honestly, I have come across lot of people who are all hyped up to start music but eventually get freaked out by the GUI and leave it. It seems many musicians simply unable to build up the patience to explore the software and make it worthwhile.
Still, if you have the curious mind to explore things and you are really motivated as you know what for you are doing it, you will explore the structure of such programmes and learn to use them. Certainly the only thing it requires is your amount of time spent on any DAW to really answer the question asked here. You can easily read the official documentation of the DAW you have chosen available online, refer to the manual book, watch tutorials or explore all by yourself on the go and discover the fun stuff. It is not thus difficult. All it requires is your time and dedication.
Do you have to a be professional to work with a DAW?
To master any DAW, again comes down to the question of how much time you are spending on a DAW. You can poke around and keep building and creating tracks or songs until you at some point navigate your way around the DAWs as your second sense at work. Primarily this is a matter of habit.
To keep it as short and delicate possible, “NO!” you do not necessarily need to be a professional to use a DAW at all but you do need a DAW to become a professional producer. So, it is kind of the other way around.
The DAWs to choose from
Now it comes down to the kind of DAW you want to use. There plenty of DAWs out there. Which one to use is solely based on your preferences. There are Ableton Live, Cubase, Fl studio, Sonar, Mixcraft etc. Research about the one sounds good to you.