After its introduction onto the scene back in 2001, Ableton changed the expectation of what a standard DAW could be. You can thank the makers of Ableton Live for that massive library of music editing apps out there because this is where it all started. Video can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Ableton Live: A Beginners Guide () Without further stalling, and in no particular order, here are some of the best DAWs for Windows! 1. That said, Windows arguably has an advantage over Mac just with Cakewalk by BandLab-one of the best free DAWs for Windows only (more on that later!). The good part about music production software these days is that they are very few operating system restrictions, so you can take your pick of the industry’s finest. If you’re getting into your first DAW to test out recording and production, you may not need the professional package. Again, intended use comes into play here.

Most of the major DAWs offer tiered packages where you can get the barebones version for around a hundred bucks, while the most complete version weighs in at up to several hundred dollars. Apart from the free DAWs, you’ll find the prices across different softwares to be comparable. Each DAW has its own strengths and weaknesses, in which the strengths indicate its primary use.Īnother important factor for most people is cost. Some DAWs cater towards electronic music producers, some towards songwriters, some towards ‘professional’ users like engineers and mixers, and more. The biggest factor you should consider before choosing a DAW is intended use. In fact, one of the best DAWs out there is actually Windows-exclusive-and it’s totally free.

Some titles are Mac-only, like Apple’s own Logic Pro, but for the most part options won’t be limited if you’ve chosen Windows as your primary platform. Most of today’s DAWs are cross-platform, making it easy to choose if you’re running PC.

What is the best daw for mac