Reply To: With which other DAWs can/should compete Podium?

So much I could respond to in your short but content-packed post, MLS.

First, to dispense with and get onto the more urgent. Compare — hmm, doesn’t the mixer on Mixbus look strangely similar to certain other things? A small touch of Motu DP8 but even bigger nod to UAD plugins and others in the $200-plus-each range? Yes, very interesting throughout.

I want to clarify that my discussion of the whole REAPER ‘thing’ and experience is that many many — in fact, even I, did not really understand that DAW and hardy anything they were attempting to do, and also the raving of their dedicated users . . . until I got right in there and tore into it. Truly a revelation, and I actually must thank Zynewave for all of it. It came back when I was struggling with certain features and a situation with Podium — a mere hurdle as I look back. But I almost jumped ship; I had already purchased REAPER at nearly the same time I licensed Podium (I’m one of those ‘backup paranoids’ you’ve probably met), but REAPER sat unused. As I stayed with Podium but brought the other online and up to snuff, I was delighted. Having both of these under one’s belt is a dangerous setup. It is to my mind unsurpassed (and shockingly cheap too)!

Ah, cute, sweet Ableton. My oldest son will use no other. I could convert but won’t. I understand Ableton. It has several advantages, particularly for Dub and loops and segment work. I gladly boast that my son has just mixed for a Grammy-winning artist, using only his LIve 8 and probably only Live’s own plugs — effects and instruments. Some of his own material seems as close to breaking big as we could want. I see how many of the younger composers and musicians can like it so much. But I came to the track-based DAWs like Podium, still licking my wounds from the total crash and burn of yet another (SONY DAW but largely hardware) studio. Trained originally on all tape starting about mid-’70s, it was not easy, but software such as Podium ‘saved me’ from a fate I shudder to think about. I rarely knock Ableton, but it does continue to have its serious problems: Plugin Latency Compensation still isn’t fixed going into Live 9, and it has so many issues with 3rd-party plugins that it’s been nicknamed ‘Disableton’ by the industry, including some of its own users. If you are a DJ, you might better get it, but I can’t recommend it for serious track, standard rock, pop, certainly classical(!) recording and mixing. The price puts it up there with Cubase anyway. Costly.

I have only passing knowledge of UVI stuff, but hear good things. This REX issue is everywhere. REAPER is attempting to deal with, seems to be very slowly getting there. I’ve been avoiding the whole thing, hoping all will have things sorted by the time many of us just can’t put it off any longer. P.S. I try to use only WAV for audio also.