What is the best alternative to ScoreCloud?

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score 152 · Answer 1

MuseScore

Top Pro

Lightweight

Contrary to most of its commercial counterparts, MuseScore is lightweight (less than 100MB) and can run acceptably on aging computers. See More

Top Con

No real-time transcription tool

If you are looking to play your MIDI keyboard and have the computer attempt to transcribe and print out your latest masterwork as you play, MuseScore is not the tool for you. It does, however, have a "semi-realtime" note input mode, which is kind of the same thing as a transcription tool. See More

Top Pro

Free and open source

The pricing means you can dump it on any computer you like, without having to empty your wallet for a license. It also means you have a chance to use this program as a starting point for your own engraving software program, if you are also a programmer. See More

Top Con

Cannot copy and paste time signature changes

Copying a section of music with multiple time changes not possible. Muse developers talk of this as an enhancement rather than a basic need. See More

Top Pro

MusicXML import and export ensures a degree of compatibility with other programs

If you are submitting files to a publisher, MusicXML format can be read by the big engraving programs: Sibelius, Finale, MuseScore, etc. Often there are some display issues that will need to be tweaked when using MusicXML between different programs, but publishers will spend a lot of time tweaking the file anyhow. See More

Top Con

Cymbal rolls sound bad

There is no easy way to add good-sounding cymbal rolls. See More

Top Pro

Easy inscription

The newest version of MuseScore added collision detection for elements - so unless you're importing something really wonky, you shouldn't have text and notes overlapping or hitting each other. You can save your favorite spacing and size preferences to a file and have MuseScore automatically load it when you start a new project, or load it manually from the file. See More

Top Con

Bad sounds

Although its ok for basic composing, the default sounds can sound inferior to other more polished sounds. In fact, it will remind you of old mario games with midi music; because that is pretty much what it is. See More

Top Pro

Polished GUI

Looks on par with Apple software. Better than almost all FOSS software. See More

Top Con

Bad support for microtonal music

Although Musescore does offer in addition to the Western 𝄫/♭/♮/♯/𝄪 accidentals also nonstandard ones, but they are essentially just glyphs; MuseScore does not know how to resolve them or use them in key signatures, let alone offer proper tuning of the playback pitches. (Playback pitch can be set manually in cents, but this is very cumbersome and error-prone.) See More

Top Pro

Automatic part generation

MuseScore can automatically generate scores for individual parts which 'link' to the main score - you can change things on the score and see that change appear in the relevant part, and vice versa. See More

Top Pro

Great sheet sharing web page

So you composed a new score! Now what? Well, you can start by putting it on the muse score sheet music sharing web page where others will be able to enjoy it and comment on it. Or maybe you're just looking for a score from an old video game: in that case, you should probably search the page for it, and download one of the many available formats (pdf, muse score format, mp3, xml, etc). See More

Top Pro

Bugs quickly fixed

The fact that Musescore is open source and relies on a huge community of volunteers, combined with a strraightforward issue tracker ensure the rapid development of musescore. See More

Top Pro

Easy to add new sounds

If you're not happy with the default sounds (a good, but aging set from Roland), you can import any .sf2 and .sf3 soundfonts and easily use them. You can even have multiple soundfonts running simultaneously. See More

Top Pro

Decent tutorial

Walks your through all the features. See More

Top Pro

Available on Mobile

Android and iOS. See More

Top Pro

Ultimate Guitar Merger gives hope for professional improvements

With Ultimate Guitar merger, hopefully, needed improvements will be done in a timely fashion and a lot fewer workarounds. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows, Linux, Mac

See All Experiences

152 13

score 5 · Answer 2

Soundslice

Top Pro

Web-based

Nothing to download or install. See More

Top Con

Little control over engraving

The sheet music is "responsive," meaning it wraps to fit whatever device you're on. So this isn't intended for creating notation for print publication — it is native to the web. See More

Top Pro

Imports Guitar Pro files

Great support for importing Guitar Pro files, of which there are many across the internet. See More

Top Pro

Imports MusicXML

Great support for importing MusicXML from other notation editors. See More

Top Pro

Great for transcribing

The editor can sync with YouTube videos or MP3s, which makes for a very efficient transcription workflow. See More

Top Pro

Free

The basic version is free, though there are paid features such as ability to add custom keyboard shortcuts. See More

5 0

score 37 · Answer 3

Dorico

Top Pro

Great support team

Top Con

Expensive

Ranging from $150 to $844 (depending on the version), Dorico is by no means a cheap application. The price can be rather painful for students, or people who just want to try notation. See More

Top Pro

Produces high quality scores

The scores produced by Dorico look really nice on paper and on the screen, and much better than any other software I've used, making this an ideal software for engravers. See More

Top Pro

An intuitive interface

The interface makes the use very intuitive. Easy to use, for musicians. See More

Top Pro

Suitable for contemporary music

Developers are aware of the needs of contemporary music (experimental notation, accidentals on each note, nested tuplets) and will add even more features to meet them. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows, Mac, iPad

37 3

score 7 · Answer 4

DeluxeNote

Top Pro

Parallax score

It has a mode to display scores in a sort of parallax scrolling. Quite amazing. See More

Top Pro

Fast and smooth

Fast launch, fast file open, fast copy-paste, faste undo, the display moves smoothly... with no need to have a top computer. It's a pleasure! See More

Top Pro

Really easy to use

You don't need to search for the symbols you want to use, they are always at your fingertips when you need them. See More

7 0

score 49 · Answer 5

Lilypond

Top Pro

Customisable in every detail

Lilypond is easily the most powerful free/libre engraver, and arguably even more powerful than the commercial heavyweights Sibelius and Finale, mostly because it is set up as a Turing-complete programming language: it can be extended for any notation task whatsoever. For most common tasks this is of course not necessary (Lilypond has them built in), but whenever some feature doesn't exist yet, the user can just add it. See More

Top Con

There's a big learning curve at first

Top Pro

Best Typographical placement of musical elements, most readable engraving

Although there is a learning curve, the output of Lilypond is superior in every way. Very little after engraving adjustment is needed and the typography is both beautiful and very readable. See More

Top Con

Even for fans of text-based languages, Lilypond is not easy to use

Lilypond's syntax is influenced by both LaTeX and Lisp, and one might argue that it combines the disadvantages of both: it is both inconsistent and verbose. For simple tasks, ABCjs is more convenient to write, whereas for big projects a proper AST layout would be desirable. See More

Top Pro

Free and open source, much effective for mass engraving

Lilypond is free, and open source. Lilypond community is active and helpful. Lilypond is much effective for mass engraving, by typing text instead of 1-button mouse clicking. See More

Top Pro

Imports various sound files formats

There are converters that could convert from midi, encore (.enc), ABC music (.abc), MusicXML(*. mxml), etc. See More

Top Pro

Very very lightweight

Even more lightweight than MuseScore, just need the binary, some libraries (that come preinstalled with almost all systems), and a text editor (even ed will do). See More

Top Pro

Most stable software & files

Lilypond is quite stable as a software. As files are text files they're virtually incorruptible, the files could be edited with any text editor. See More

See All Experiences

49 4

score 406 · Answer 6

Studio One

Top Pro

Efficient DAW workflow

The Studio One DAW doesn't expect users to deal with a lot of windows, answer questions, or use the mouse excessively. This DAW is known for lettings users be creative without getting in the way. See More

Top Con

The DAW can't be used as a ReWire component

The DAW can be used as a ReWire host, but cannot be used as a ReWire component. This is frustrating if you like some of the instrument sounds and virtual synths in Studio One, but prefer another DAW to do your main work in. See More

Top Pro

Easy to use DAW interface

All components are laid out in an understandable fashion and almost everything is drag and drop. See More

Top Con

Free version does not support 3rd party plugins

He can limit the tracks or etc., but no vst support for free version makes this piece of software a garbage! See More

Top Pro

Melodyne built-in

The Real Melodyne is integrated in the actual DAW. No other DAW is set up to streamline Melodyne. See More

Top Con

Bad customer service

Top Pro

Awesome smart tool

Hovering over different parts of the events in the arrange window activates different tools. See More

Top Con

Frustrating controls

The mouse wheel is used for both scrolling and for controls (fader, pan, etc.) manipulation, depending on what's under the pointer; you may very well be scrolling through the tracks in the mixer only to suddenly discover that you are changing the volume of a track because the pointer entered the fader space. Users have been requesting a fix for this for several years now (there can't possibly be anyone who thinks this is a good design), but it's still a problem. Also, you may try to select a track only to end up changing its color or some other unexpected behavior. See More

Top Pro

Creative songwriting and arrangement tools

Use the 'scratch pad' work on multiple versions for your song without leaving the main window. See More

Top Con

Archaic

Top Pro

Lightweight on lower CPU

Top Con

Interface

The interface Graphical is comic bookish. While the DAW is useful there are better interfaces out there. One of the biggest issues is how the signal path is selected. Other DAW's work more like a patchbay allowing for a more visual interaction with the program. Studio One is different and a little obtuse. For example, Digital performer 11, Protools 11, Sonar Producer provide a better experience. See More

Top Pro

Good interface compatibility

Works great with interfaces, and doesn't fight with ASIO drivers. See More

Top Con

Interface signal selection is obtuse and not as intuitive as other DAWs

Top Pro

Automatic delay compensation

When a plugin takes time to process a sound, the Studio One DAW detects the gap and compensates. See More

Top Con

Stuck notes when working with hardware synths

Working with multiple hardware synths with a MIDI hub is impossible as of version 6. SO creates stuck notes and it's midi panic system can't fix the issue. See More

Top Pro

Very stable DAW

Performance is rock solid and very efficient, even on lower spec computers. See More

Top Con

Limited feature set

Top Pro

Multiple key command templates

Possible to use key commands from Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, etc. See More

Top Con

Crashes often, not very stable and runs poorly even on powerful systems

Top Pro

Drag and Drop feature is quite flexible and allows for massive free form modification on the fly

Top Con

Melodyne/Vocaline/Splitter

All those tools are there for a show off and crash engine 9 times out of 10. Using all 3 in one project will increase chance of crash by 3 making program unusable. See More

Top Pro

Eficient quality , all more easy and fast

Top Con

Built in instruments

All built in instruments and most of effect are primitive and worthless. See More

Top Pro

The best DAW in Market and future standard

Top Con

Not always clear how to undo your changes

Some controls are very easy to set, only to be nearly impossible to figure out how to undo. For example, hiding a track is a simple right-click away, but unhiding the track requires finding a hidden screen and clicking on a dot beside the track name. See More

Top Pro

Chord track

Chord track can be used by inserting chords or getting them from an inserted track. See More

Top Con

Non-free software

Does not respect your freedom. Does not provide source code. See More

Top Pro

Dedicated mastering page

Studio one has a page dedicated specifically to mastering which can be very useful when trying to finish your song. See More

Top Con

Automation

Only my complaint so far is the automation. It affects the fader, so if you use automation for the volume, the fader gets useless. Other DAWs such as Reaper and Mixcraft offers separate automation function and it doesn't affect the fader. Another one if I pick, the design of the plugins has been changed too colorful and it's not necessary though. I prefer the design of version 4, simple grey and white style. The prettier, the more CPU usage. See More

Top Pro

Bounces MIDI in place

When bouncing from MIDI to audio, a new track won't be created, the clip will stay in the same place. When bouncing a specific part of a MIDI clip, it will be placed in a new track. See More

Top Pro

Vocalign built in

Vocalign Project is can be integrated with the option to upgrade to Vocalign Pro. See More

Top Pro

Available with a rent-to-own option from Splice

For those that can't afford to pay for a full professional DAW in one swoop, this is an amazing opportunity to get Studio One 4 Professional in monthly payments. Pause and resume payments when you want or cancel at any time. See More

Top Pro

Score view

This view is very powerful because it not only “shows” the MIDI notes as a score, but it also lets you add, edit and remove notes in standard music notation. It includes all the formatting rules, articulations, note values, clefs and general symbols from Presonus’ Notion software. See More

Top Pro

Show page

Allows you to go from the studio to the stage or stream with other musicians through the interface. You can create a Setlist using your Songs created in Studio One, and combine them with a mix of live instruments, pre-recorded tracks, and virtual instruments. Each song in the Setlist can have its own unique instrumentation. Songs in your set can be rearranged on the fly using drag-and-drop, and any element from your Song files can be added to your Show via simple copy-and-paste or direct export. Switching to Performance view with a meter and customisable control over each parameter, means you can adjust in real-time while on Stage. See More

Top Pro

Almost perfect

Can't complain about Studio One so much. It is almost perfect. See More

Top Pro

Insert plugins on actual events, not just tracks

Have you ever wanted a delay on just a word or so. No need to automate or move to a separate track. No need to print it to the clip and run out of room on the audio file. Simply amazing feature. See More

Top Pro

Clip gain envelopes

Clip Gain Envelopes represent a new layer of gain introduced in Studio One 5, which is independent from the audio event as well as the volume automation. This feature is ideal for applying gain correction before the signal hits the inserts, specially useful when dealing with extremely dynamic vocal tracks and sections in general that are too soft or too loud. The user can create breakpoints within the clip by clicking on the curve, and then dragging either up or down in order to increment or reduce the clip’s gain. These gain modifications will be shown on the waveform. The process is simple, fast, and extremely effective. See More

Top Pro

Working with your iPad makes it easier

Top Pro

Has retrospective recording

Retrospective Recording captures everything you play on your keyboard or controller—even without hitting record! It works invisibly in the background on a track-by-track basis. See More

Top Pro

Full Screen MIDI editor

Top Pro

Powerful Track/Channel search and filter options

Managing large projects with a huge track and channel count is now faster and easier than ever with the addition of powerful search and filter options. See More

Top Pro

Secondary Timeline Ruler option

View minutes:seconds with bars and beats at the same time! A must for film composers. See More

Top Pro

Notion 6 easy and full integration for scoring

Top Pro

Studio One+ Subscription - best subscription under 20$

Software of Studio One plus cloud storage and packs, and a lot of other stuff included just for a tiny fee each month or year. See More

Top Pro

Best stock plugins

Top Pro

Support for Atmos - Surround

They now support surround . in version 6.5. See More

Top Pro

Scratch Pad

Area to arrange all your tracks without touching the main arrangement. See More

Top Pro

Easy Macros and creating new ones

Top Pro

Easy sidechain routing

Top Pro

Big features in Minor Updates

Studio One doesnt wait putting big features until a major updates comes. See More

Top Pro

Size in HDD/SSD

It's the lightest DAW there is, Studio One is less than 400mb. See More

Top Pro

Converts project from Bitwing

Top Pro

Version 5 is the law

Specs

Compatibility:Windows, Mac

Max number of tracks:Unlimited

406 58

score 255 · Answer 7

Logic Pro X

Top Pro

High quality instruments and effects

Good range of high quality synths: analog, FM, wavetable, string modulation, sampler, organ, clarinet, epiano. See More

Top Con

Only compatible with Mac

No Windows or Linux versions are available. See More

Top Pro

UI designed for ease of use

The Logic Pro X DAW has made an effort to keep clutter out of the equation so producers can focus on the music. See More

Top Con

It is next to impossible to organize your mixer channels

There are lots of work arounds, but a straight rearrange the mixing channel would be appreciated. See More

Top Pro

Free update from Logic

As of 1/21/2015, Apple has released an update that allows users to upgrade from Logic to Logic Pro X. See More

Top Con

Poor audio editor

Audio editor is a lot less intuitive and accessible than other DAWs. See More

Top Pro

Studio standard

If you take music production seriously then one day maybe you'll enter professional studio, where you will most likely find the Logic DAW along with Pro Tools. See More

Top Con

No support for 32-bit plugins without 3rd Party Plugin 32 Lives

Top Pro

Comes with 57gb content

The initial download of Logic Pro X gives users 2gb of samples, but the DAW automatically downloads 57gb of samples once the Logic Pro X DAW is installed. See More

Top Con

Unusable with lots of plugins: stutters and clicks

Top Pro

Easy to learn, makes writing easy, and keeps technical in the background

It is easy, intuitive, and easy-to-implement. See More

Top Con

Lags or crashes often

This happens usually when there is a lot going on in the track. See More

Top Pro

Cheaper than similar programs

This program costs US$200 and must be bought from the app store. See More

Top Con

Rarely updated

Since Apple purchased this software, the updates are rare and none. The latest update was less than great and has forced users to look elsewhere, especially the Pro community. See More

Top Pro

Allows users to program their own tools

The Logic Pro X DAW lets users make their own effects using with javascript leveraging its Scripter API. See More

Top Con

Not open source

Top Pro

Supports expressive MIDI - MPE

Works with new controllers like Seaboard Rise, Linnstrument, Continuum Board, etc. See More

Top Con

Very buggy

Top Pro

Many instruments

Different kinds of instruments all around. See More

Top Con

Too big

The app is too big! See More

Top Pro

Full external MIDI support

Poly aftertouch, sysex and two modes of controlling external midi instruments. See More

Top Pro

Free corresponding iPad app

In order to allow more control, the Logic Pro X DAW has added a free iPad app called Logic Remote. Logic Remote is available in several different views, and is capable of MIDI input and parameter adjustment. It comes with a full library and browser. Navigation is easy as well via the navigation bar along the top of the screen. Many interesting views are available, such as chord strips. This view allows users to play a series of preset chords that are already in the right key. Gestures are supported with this app, so loop speed and other properties can quickly be adjusted. This app connects to Logic through WiFi, so the app and program should be running on the same network. See More

Top Pro

Many plug-ins

Top Pro

Uses minimum amount of CPU

The Logic Pro X DAW is optimized for CPU usage, which makes the DAW more stable. See More

Top Pro

Virtual drummer

Allows to create high quality drum tracks even if you are not a drummer. See More

Top Pro

Does a lot of work for you

Switch in to Alchemy on the synth and you get an intuitive template to adjust wavetables and eq visually, plus various modes and styles. Handy tool. See More

Top Pro

Incorporating iOS devices, accessing Apps/Synths/Effects

A totally overlooked feature.... The Setup is as Easy as Pie. Create an aggregate audio setup and midi device incorporating your iOS devices and wham bam....Instruments / Audio / FX all accessible within logic., An AU... An Audio I/O.. Brilliant. See More

Top Pro

Professional mixing and mastering tools

Top Pro

Regular Updates

Top Pro

Great support

Top Pro

Good community

Plenty of videos, tutorials and groups for tips and learning fast. See More

Top Pro

Used by celebrities

This includes: Prodigy - Invaders Must Die (everything except guitars), John Powell - How to train your dragon, other works, and Tycho (until 2011 when he switched to Reaper to finish his album). Though , Still to this day uses Logic for composing. Lets also not forget Boris Blank that in essence is Yello, and One of the pioneers of electronic based music. See More

Top Pro

The best value for Mac users

I prefer mac than windows for music production. And because of this is really hard to beat the deal of logic. All its quality plugins and community make learn to use it very easy. I love the youtube channel Why logic pro rules is all there. See More

Top Pro

With Pro Tools it's the DAW mainly used in professional studios

Top Pro

Live loops

Originally an Ableton Live feature, Logic Pro allows you to record live loops and experiment with the best combinations, and drag your loops into the arrangement view to complete your work. See More

Top Pro

Old but nice look

I think from all the old DAWs (Pro tools, Cubase, Digital performer etc) Logic is the one that looks better and well organized. See More

Top Pro

Garageband little bro

For ideas and working remotely, you can use garageband on your Iphone or iPad and then send that information to logic to give it the professional end. See More

Specs

Compatibility:Mac

Max number of tracks:Unlimited

MIDI?:Yes

Processing type:64 Bit

See All Specs

See All Experiences

255 53

score 978 · Answer 8

Reaper

Top Pro

Highly customizable

You can easily customize a GUI. See More

Top Con

Long drop down menus

There are many features that you'll find nested deep in the menu system. This is fine, but can be a bit of a workflow-stopper. Everything is there but somethings are difficult to find. This can be remedied, somewhat, using the action list. See More

Top Pro

Extremely stable, rarely crashes

Reaper receives high praise for its stability. It's one of the many talking points of the software. See More

Top Con

Overwhelming amount of features available

The programmable interface means that tweaking features is daunting for some. See More

Top Pro

Supports unlimited number of tracks with unlimited number of effects

There are no limits to the amount of tracks or effects that Reaper can run. Reaper is stable enough to handle comically dense projects with style. See More

Top Con

Bad defaults, especially MIDI Editor

People dislike reaper because of the bad defaults. This is something the devs can work on but chose not to. See More

Top Pro

Constantly updated

Reaper's developers add features based on user request at lightspeed. This is what makes Reaper reliable and trustworthy. Fans of Reaper are so adamant about the software because of this. Contrary to Music Radar's review of FL Studio, Reaper is the true "People's DAW". See More

Top Con

Closed-source

The privacy conscious may be unnerved to find that Reaper is closed-source. This means that what the software may or may not know about you is invisible. Try to protect your data when using closed-source software. See More

Top Pro

Very low cpu usage

Reaper's will tailor itself to fit your computer's processing power by automatically using the "anticipative FX processing" feature. See More

Top Con

Feels like an unfinished product

There are lots of menu options and shortcuts, but then there's a ton of other stuff that's hidden away in options and "actions" screens, and absolutely none of it is intuitive. Also, many controls default to text boxes or basic sliders, when knobs would be more useful. See More

Top Pro

Easy to install

No complex activation shenanigans. No dongle and such. See More

Top Con

Midi latency is still an issue

Top Pro

Multiple recording and playback formats

Records in WAV, AIFF, FLAC, WAVPACK, OGG and MP3. See More

Top Con

The MIDI editor is not intuitive and feels very clumsy and inconsistent

It costs time and extra clicks to control the MIDI velocities. If you use the MIDI editor a lot, Reaper is just not for you. See More

Top Pro

Huge community support

Top Con

Lacks VSTis

Doesn't come with a wealth of VSTis. Plugins for things like piano, cello, guitar have to be found elsewhere. But is highly compatible with other providers of those products. See More

Top Pro

Comes with ~300 free plugins

In addition to its powerful inbuilt plugins, Reaper comes bundled with about 300 little plugins written in its own EEL2 (aka Jesusonic) scripting language. This is also open-source so the end user can create or edit preexisting ones to get exactly what they want. See More

Top Con

Unreliable controller interface support

Reaper may or may not natively support your control surface. If it doesn't, you can add it manually, but it may often lose connection to it (and will constantly nag you about the lost connection). See More

Top Pro

Auto-bridges 32-bit plugins in a 64-bit environment

When using a 64-bit installation of Reaper, all 32-bit plugins will still work alongside 64-bit plugins. On computers with an x86-64 CPU and an OS that supports multi-architecture, you can also run bridged 64-bit plugins on 32-bit Reaper. See More

Top Con

Super complicated and unintuitive DAW

Although many users have asked to make it simple, the dev team hasn't listened to it at all. Plus, many things are opposite comparing to other DAWs and it's pretty annoying. They may have reverse psychology. They're trying to make musicians to coders. You'll waste your time for tweaking it. Reaper also gives you a challenge how your memory function sucks. You'll easily forget anything if you don't use it for several days. Even though Reaper offers many time-saving features, you'll waste time remembering all of them. It's non-sense. See More

Top Pro

Portable

Reaper is lightweight enough to be run off of a flash drive; the installer weights less than 20 MB and the portable installation option is included in it. See More

Top Con

No native groove quantize feature

Straight quantization is available, but the Reaper 4 DAW is still missing groove integration. This feature can be made available with the free SWS extension. See More

Top Pro

DRM-free

Although it may seem otherwise, Reaper is shareware. After your 60-day free trial runs out, the program remains full-featured. Like WinRAR, the only person forcing you to get a license is you. See More

Top Con

Midi dropout or inconsistent when render a track

When rendering a track with multiple vst, the midi note either having drop out issue, or not playing on time in render. Tried all render method such as offline full speed, offline 1x and online render, with both case of enabling or disabling the "allow anticipative FX processing", even tried to change the performance options on individual track, the problem still occurs. However, it is still nice to do mixing and recording with all these handful of tools. See More

Top Pro

Application is extendable

Reaper has no limitations. Once you understand it, Reaper becomes a mixing, mastering and editing mainstay. Reaper punches way above its price range in terms of sheer brevity. See More

Top Con

Midi drum editing not so fast or easy

Cubase has more features for creating and editing midi drum tracks. See More

Top Pro

Very full featured but basic recording and production can be learned and done in a few hours

Without prior experience with DAW, you can install Reaper, set up ASIO drivers, connect to your amp and mikes, get the hang of recording/re-recording tracks, and render an mp3 in just a few hours. You can accomplish the basics very fast. See More

Top Con

Some edge features come across as somewhat janky

The video editor acts as its own little IDE rather than a polished plugin with a frontend like other JS plugins. The MIDI export function is not integrated with the larger render window. It's a sort of death by a thousand paper cuts - although many of the features that are janky here simply don't exist in other DAWs. See More

Top Pro

Many time-saving features

Thought has been given to many time-saving features and shortcuts which speed up workflow considerably. See More

Top Con

Potentially unattractive GUI

For some, Reaper appears very dated or clunky. The GUI is nowhere near as fluid as its competitors. Ableton, Bitwig, Reason (and others) all provide smoother animations or skeuomorphic feedback. Reaper's instruments and effects come in the form of sliders and very small knobs. It takes the user out of the fantasy of working with certain equipment. This makes Reaper very boring to watch from a distance for some. However, this means nothing in terms of Reaper's raw power. By trading appearance and initial impression for functionality, Reaper stays ahead. See More

Top Pro

Highly affordable

Reaper can be purchased in two different ways: A commercial license (225 USD) and a discounted license (60 USD). You can use Reaper unhindered with either license. You can only get the discount if your salary does not exceed 20,000 USD. See More

Top Pro

Lua scripting can be done in the DAW with a built-in IDE

Top Pro

Universal tracks

In Reaper, you can record MIDI and Audio onto the same track. As well, there are no distinctions between any form of audio. Surround Sound, Mono, Stereo files, and anything else you can think of; all of this can be recorded onto the same track. See More

Top Pro

Tabbing multiple projects

You can have multiple projects open via tabs at the top left. You can then drag and drop clips, instruments or ideas between projects with ease. See More

Top Pro

The software advances with you

If you want to use it as a glorified tape machine and nothing else, you'll still be able to get work done. If you want to learn all the shortcuts, scripts, custom actions and macros and really unlock what Reaper can do, you can do that as well. Either way, you'll still be able to make music. See More

Top Pro

Native Linux support

No need to install Wine, Reaper supports Linux natively! See More

Top Pro

Potential to be the most beautiful DAW

You can customize Reaper with hundreds of themes, or make them yourself. See More

Top Pro

Multi-level freezing

A freeze can be applied to a group, and then picked apart track by track. See More

Top Pro

Notation editing

Miraculously, composition-focused musicians can now find a home in Reaper. See More

Top Pro

Free Reaplugs VST/VSTi bundle

Allows usage of the basic bundled like EQ's and comp plugins in any DAW. See More

Top Pro

Clean, easy-to-read GUI

While some may disagree, the GUI has been widely celebrated for its informative nature. Everything you need to see is there or reachable. For more analytical types, Reaper can be of use. See More

Top Pro

Editing audio can be done on track

You don't have to go to a separate editor to edit audio files. You can work directly on the track, and drop/drag pieces to other tracks, sew them together. It's a fun sandbox and easy peasy. See More

Top Pro

OSC support

You can control almost everything via OSC (and MIDI, too). See More

Top Pro

Supports ReWire

Top Pro

Tool-less interface

Set the cursor, press a key, done. Reaper's cursor is extremely intuitive. A monkey could understand it. Unlike Cakewalk, Bitwig, etc., there is no need to switch cursor editing modes or work around "smart" cursors. See More

Top Pro

Smooth

Running smoothly with 50 tracks on i5 gen3 RAM 4GB laptop (mixing and mastering work done separately). See More

Top Pro

Lightweight and affordable price

These two things are the biggest advantage of Reaper. No other DAW can beat it based on CPU efficiency. Some people say Reaper isn't a professional DAW by look, but it's not true. Reaper is a full-featured professional DAW. You can do anything whatever you want for music production. The price is also reasonable. They are even generous with the evaluation policy. If they offer the simple and intuitive version, I'll be back to Reaper. See More

Top Pro

Runs well on Wine in Linux

While other DAWs drag their feet on Windows, Reaper hits a solid stride even on Linux. See More

Top Pro

Excellent license model

You can have one version and the future version when its out . See More

Top Pro

Can edit while you're recording

Reaper allows editing while you're recording for a performative and fluid workflow. This feature can also help save time when mixing. See More

Top Pro

Script tools

Can run edited Script tools programmed by users. See More

Top Pro

Good CPU multithreading support

Not like Ableton which forces all master/track plugins chain to 1-core See More

Top Pro

Can mix on arranger view without console (mixer) or inspector

Specs

Compatibility:Windows , Mac, Linux

Max number of tracks:Unlimited

978 188

score 215 · Answer 9

Cakewalk by Bandlab

Top Pro

ProChannel

It has an integrated Channel Strip on every track/bus with excellent and easy to use Audio FX: EQ, Comp, Reverbs, Saturation, Console Emulators etc.In addition to saving presets of the entire ProChannel chain (all modules), you can also save and load presets of individual modules. The per module preset controls are located on the left side of each module header bar. See More

Top Con

Old code

Cakewalk is based on old code, that is why you see errors randomly. Since more than a decade ago no function has been improved - they were more concerned in the past with buzzwords and packaging third party software than in improving their own tools. The result is that it is now a decade behind developing competitors. There are better DAWs on the market that outperform Cakewalk. Free doesn't mean having the latest and greatest in technology - Cakewalk has never had it, there are important components of that DAW that haven't been touched for almost two decades, and they will likely never get the upgrade they need. See More

Top Pro

SONAR Platinum without the 3rd parties like Melodyne, etc.

It is basically SONAR for free after they shut down. See More

Top Con

Frequent crashes

Cakewalk has constant errors such as engine crashing when working with songs with more than 100 tracks, it loses saved settings, BSOD, it randomly stops recognizing your midi controller and disconnects, do not try to disconnect it, the software goes crazy, your tracks are exchanged for other vst or midi clips known bug years ago. See More

Top Pro

Best plugins

There are a variety of tools available, including the fantastic reverb plugin from Overloud, Breverb2. See More

Top Con

Windows only

Cakewalk by BandLab is currently available exclusively for 64 bit versions of Windows 7, 8, and 10. There are no current plans for availability on other operating systems. See More

Top Pro

32/64 bits plugin

The program itself is only 64 bits but it runs 32 and 64 bits plugin. If you still have a great plugin that never got to 64 bits this comes in handy. See More

Top Con

Uses middleware for installation

It's a con for those who don't like having to use a program to install and update another program. The Bandlab's installer doesn't even have the courtesy to stop and ask you where you want the middleware installed. See More

Top Pro

Unlimited tracks

No track and busses limitation. See More

Top Con

Non-free software

Does not respect your freedom. Does not provide source code.also if it were really free, there wouldn't be any need for the Bandlab Assistant and signing up, and having to reauthorize every 6 months or drop into 'Demo' mode (get that? Demo mode in a FREE product :lol: :clap:), you would just download, install, done . . . there is a price to pay. See More

Top Pro

ARA 2 integration

This feature makes working with Celemony Melodyne and other ARA compatible plug-ins a breeze. See More

Top Con

Unfinished features

Cakewalk has some buggy and unfinished features, probably due to marketing decisions and the changes of ownerships: Staff view, Matrix View, Audiosnap etc. See More

Top Pro

Basic set of instruments

Cakewalk comes with a basic set of VST instruments: A general MIDI synth, drums, e-piano, bass and a string section. See More

Top Con

Crashes too often

For a complete and free package it is amazing what Bandlab is offering here. But crashes on startup or audio engine failures happen too often. See More

Top Pro

Updated frequently

Top Con

Doesn't always ask for or respect your drive assignment choices during installation

If you are squished for space on your boot drive, don't install this. It automatically sets up the Bandlab Assistant on C without giving you the opportunity to put it elsewhere. If you choose to use certain Cakewalkfeatures like the Drum replacer, it just starts installing all the drum samples onto drive C regardless of the fact that you've already set up a Cakewalk Content directory on D. See More

Top Pro

Intuitive workflow

Cakewalk comes with friendly defaults and it has a similar workflow to analog studio gear. See More

Top Con

Obsolete VST

Unfortunately Cakewalk has a kind of philosophy of recycling old plugins under the DX and DXi code such as the sonitus fx and the newly added Classic Creative Suite audio effects (which were included in old versions of previously known SONAR) in its new update, which requires to new users or beginners to look for free or paid plugins, since these plugins are once again surpassed by the best vst in the market in addition to that they often sometimes block the software and disappear strangely, which is sad since most Of the DAW's on the market, both paid and free, include their own factory plugins so that the user does not have to spend any penny on third-party plugins. See More

Top Pro

Much improved stability of late, especially recent releases such as 2019.07

Top Con

Stability and unfinished features

Stability and tools are unfinished. As an example, AudioSnap simply does not work as it should when editing transients in the audio and staff view it does not work correctly. See More

Top Pro

Advanced comping workflow with Audio and MIDI Take Lanes and Automation Lanes

Easily create a final comp of all your recorded takes with simple drag and select gestures using the smart tool. See More

Top Con

Incompatible hardware

If you like to work with external hardware, this software is not compatible with most software: when inserting an external effect on a track or bus, the DAW will crash and send you an error message. This is because Cakewalk has not fixed in years the problem with external insertions, which puts it behind the competition. See More

Top Pro

Laptop-friendly interface

Good for people with a small-screened laptop. See More

Top Con

No real support for synth hardware

SO3 cannot control your synth. You cannot see/control or access patches, their names, or SysEx. It seems that everything is centered around use of virtual instruments, and not hardware synth. See More

Top Pro

Edit MIDI Automation on Instrument Tracks

Top Con

Does not offer sampling instrument

Cakewalk does not have a sampling instrument for multisample playback and import. Third-party plug-ins exist but they often crash the DAW. It is strange that cakewalk does not have a sampler for the modern musician. See More

Top Pro

VST3 Support

Top Con

No future

Cakewalk by Bandlab does not have a promising future since the company that acquired it does not even market it. For example, Cakewalk's social media platforms are practically dead, the user base seems small and, in general, it seems past for high. The Bandlab pages are live, but without even minimal mentions of Cakewalk on your website or social media, it will one day die quietly. See More

Top Pro

Arranger Track

The Arranger track is an arrangement tool that provides several workflow benefits .For example, instantly swap the positions of the first and second chorus for all tracks, or copy the first verse in order to double its duration.Experiment with different song structures in a non-destructive and non-linear manner. You can Create arbitrary song sections anywhere on the project timeline and then stitch them together for seamless playback, sections provide an additional way to make time-based project selections and edits. You can also create an unlimited number of arrangements per project, which can all be exported simultaneously. See More

Top Con

Does not have a Drum sampler

In the same way, Cakewalk does not have a drum sampler for playing and creating beats from jazz musicians to EDM producers. See More

Top Pro

Highly customizable user interface

The Cakewalk By Bandlab DAW comes with a new and improved user interface with an additional focus on being customizable. See More

Top Con

Too laggy

It doesn't matter if you have a decent enough PC or solid and robust cakewalk is too laggy when one navigates between the mixing console the PRV. It is not optimized for Windows 10. See More

Top Pro

In-app updater

You can now download and install future updates directly from Cakewalk instead of using BandLab Assistant. See More

Top Con

Unusable Pro-Channel

Unusable third party Pro-Channel modules such as Softube (Mix Bundle) and Overloud (BREVERB and REMATRIX) will not work properly when trying to open a project with them will cause Cakewalk to crash on the desktop. See More

Top Pro

Articulation Maps

Cakewalk by Bandlab recently added Articulation Maps If you work with sample libraries and virtual instruments, articulation maps are sure to improve your MIDI and articulation / keyswitch workflow Articulation maps provide a much easier way to change articulation, without having to manually edit events MIDI on the track. See More

Top Pro

Export to Standard MIDI File

Top Pro

Step Sequencer

The Step Sequencer makes it easy to compose patterns using a grid, where each cell (step) represents a note. You create patterns by clicking the cells in the grid to turn notes on or off, or by using step recording. See More

Top Pro

In-app activation

You can now activate Cakewalk directly from within the app, without requiring BandLab Assistant. Cakewalk must be activate once every 6 months. See More

Top Pro

Cakewalk Theme Editor

Cakewalk Theme Editor allows you to easily customize the look of Cakewalk by editing existing UI themes or creating your own UI themes. You can change colors directly and you can even customize images when used in combination with an external image editor such as Adobe Photoshop. See More

Top Pro

Mix Recall

Mix Recall allows you to save and recall multiple mixes for the same project, without having to save multiple copies of the project file. A mix can be saved as a Mix Scene within the project, and each project can store multiple Mix Scenes. A Mix Scene contains all track, bus, hardware output, ProChannel and plug-in static and automation mix settings. See More

Top Pro

Compatible with touchscreens

Top Pro

Runs smooth with lots of tracks and VSTs in a project

Without stuttering even without ASIO hardware because of recent overhaul of the audio engine See More

Specs

Compatibility:Windows

Included plugins:Yes

VST2:Yes (32 and 64 bit)

VST3:Yes

See All Specs

See All Experiences

215 54

score 34 · Answer 10

Finale

Top Con

Not straightforward rules

Top Pro

There’s nothing it can’t do

Top Con

A little heavy on the wallet

Although students can get a special deal, Finale comes in a little pricey. See More

Top Pro

Improved professional program

Improved program from the early years. If it wasn't for Sibelius competition, Finale wouldn't be as good as it is now and improving. See More

Top Pro

Nice sounds

Although violins still sound very synthetic, overall Finale has very nice instrumental sounds. See More

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