A digital workstation, or DAW software, is one of the essential tools for quality mastering and mixing. It is the DAW that allows you to correct the most noticeable vocal errors. Without the use of this specific software, modern professional recording is hardly possible.
What’s the best DAW? It is impossible to give a universal answer to this question – it all depends on the specific purpose of vocal processing.
Your goals
DAW has several functions:
- recording;
- storage;
- editor;
- playback.
The primary goal in any processing is to achieve a good recording for advertising and selling your product just like commercial stock music, where not only vocals but also instruments sound. Otherwise, all other functions are meaningless.
The interface
DAW should be not only high-quality functional. It is desirable that it be easy to operate. Therefore, having an intuitive interface is essential. But simplicity should by no means be confused with primitiveness. Even the best free DAW often have limited functionality.
The most positive effect is obtained by processing vocals using the professional programs presented below.
Best DAW for recording
- If you are new to audio production or are choosing your first DAW, Cubase is definitely not for you. One can argue on this topic for an endlessly long time, but experience shows that without minimal knowledge of sequencers, training will be long and painful. Mostly you can find in the arsenal of professional engineers or arrangers. Out of the box, it offers a complete, and most importantly high-quality set of all kinds of plugins and slightly less quality tools. And by installing VST plugins and instruments, you can not worry about anything at all and create music on a production scale.
- FL Studio is one of the few DAWs that can be confidently recommended to both beginners and professionals. It is thanks to them that FL Studio has earned its very controversial fame. Thousands of schoolchildren began to write tracks using a standard set of instruments and seasoning from the built-in equalizer and compressor. And this despite the fact that it is generally forbidden to use standard tools in this DAW. Armed with top plugins, for example, or quality tools, you can safely start creating a quality song.
- Now many are switching from the more popular DAWs to Reaper, as evidenced by hundreds and thousands of training videos on YouTube and many articles on the web. This software has a whole arsenal in its set for working with music and vocals. The interface is pleasant, nothing superfluous and distracting.
- The first thing that catches your eye when opening Ableton Live is Session View, which is more suitable for live performances. The more familiar Arrangement View is toggled in the upper right corner. Based on all this, it can be assumed that the DAW is more suitable for DJs, improvisations and live performances, because offers mixing online, right during the concert. But there are also fans of Ableton Live as a mixing tool due to its simple interface with a lot of effects.
- If you are a Steve Jobs fan, an ardent Apple fan, Logic Pro simply has to stand on your machine, no matter what system you use. For $ 200, you get a top DAW in every way, whether it’s mixing, recording, mixing – you’ll always be one step ahead. However, before buying such an expensive DAW, it is better to start by defining your vocation and getting your hands on other music production software.
- The Swedish company was quite creative in creating its product. Reason is a virtual emulator of the rack to which you connect your fixtures. This DAW is perfect for those who like to turn knobs looking for interesting effects. Definitely not suitable for beginners, but for advanced users it can be useful in narrowly focused areas.
How to get better vocal
It should be remembered that even the best DAW is incapable of eliminating gross vocal defects. If you overdo it with this software, you will end up with a robotic voice suitable only for short-term effects. Therefore, before using a DAW to process vocals, you should still learn to sing.