Here's a question that Comes up quite a bit
What is the best DAW software for Windows 10?
and the answer isn't going to be the same for everyone
so in this video I'm going to go over 11 of the best DAWs in 2020 for Windows 10
and you can decide which one might be the best for you
download some of them and see which one is best for your style
they all have free demos and at least one of them is free
links and timecodes are in the description
by the way I'm Zane and on this cannel I do weekly audio tech tips
tutorials and reviews to help you conquer the tech & unleash your creativity
and I just want to say that this list is in no particular order now let's get into the best DAW software of 2020
and first up we have FL Studio
this one is great for people that want to work with virtual instruments & loops
FL Studio makes it very easy to work with midi & even the audio recording is decent
you can easily become a one man band or use this in conjunction with your band
one of the best parts about FL Studio is you get lifetime upgrades
so you buy it once and you can always download the latest update for free
you also get some decent instruments and effects to get you started
this digital audio workstation doesn't have the traditional workflow
and layout that a lot of the other programs have
but if you're a solo musician and you don't care about the traditional workflow
FL Studio might be the best DAW for you
you can download the FL Studio demo that gives you access to pretty much everything
but if you save a project you won't be able to open it until you purchase a license
The next digital audio workstation on the list is Pro Tools
this is still referred to as the industry standard
the reason for that is that it's been the go to DAW in many pro studios
and has been used on a very large number of hit songs
if you're thinking of getting into audio production more seriously
maybe working in or owning a studio one day
then you should learn Pro Tools as you will likely run into it quite a bit
Pro Tools comes with 115 plugins
this includes an assortment of professional quality effects & instruments
this is a great choice for home studio owners that plan on recording bands
or a large number of inputs at the same time but it can also be a great choice for solo artists too
you can actually download a free limited version called Pro Tools First
and take it for a bit of a test drive
next on the list of best DAW for Windows 10 is Reaper
this DAW has been making its way into more and more studios all the time
it gives you that traditional workflow that some musicians really like
if you've worked with Pro Tools or like the looks of Pro Tools
Reaper is very similar but you can customize it quite a bit more
you get a large variety of effects but no instruments
however you can find free instrument plugins all over the internet
so that's not really a huge negative
Reaper is a great choice for bands and home studio owners that want a budget friendly
but very powerful digital audio workstation
but of course solo musicians and beat creators can get great results with this too
Reaper DAW will give you professional audio recording and editing
and it's pretty budget friendly a license is just $60 for an individual
or just over $200 for commercial use
you can actually download the Reaper demo which is completely unlocked
and use it for 60 days
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now let's get back into the list of best DAWs for Windows 10 in 2020
and this one is Cubase
Cubase is a very powerful digital audio workstation that works
very well with the modern musician
it comes with several great quality instruments and effects
the workflow is similar to the traditional style of Pro Tools
but it has its own unique twist that's intended to speed up your workflow
Cubase can be great for solo musicians, beat creators, bands, and home studio owners
there are several editions depending on your needs
The Pro and Artist options require an USB e-licenser
which can be annoying for some users
but if you don't mind that then this is a great program for you
you can download a free 30 day trial of Cubase Elements
unless you already have a USB e-licenser
then you can download a free trial of Cubase Pro
the next DAW on the list is a little different from the traditional workflow
This is Ableton Live
if you're comfortable with the traditional workflow of recording and editing
Ableton Live can handle that no problem too
but it also adds a whole other dimension to it... The Session View
which can help you with composing songs or performing live
you load samples or midi clips into the tracks
and then you can trigger the tracks and clips as you like
you can also record this so you can go back and listen to your session
sometimes the best beats and sounds come from freestyling
and Ableton allows you to easily capture it & transform it into a song
Ableton is popular with beat creators, DJs, and pretty much any electronic music style
but you can use it to record bands or whatever else
it's very versatile you can download a free 30 day trial
but if you've purchased an audio interface or midi keyboard
you may have got a license for Ableton Live Lite
which is a free limited version of Ableton Live
and speaking of free music production software
this next digital audio workstation is completely free
Cakewalk by Bandlab formerly known as Sonar Platinum
this is a free and powerful DAW
it has that traditional layout and workflow
plus you get several instruments and effects with it
Bandlab updates Cakewalk all the time so it's not like this is an abandoned piece of software
the idea is to use Cakewalk to get people into their music community
there are no limitations with Cakewalk
you can record full bands, drum sets or whatever you want
if you're a solo artist you can easily access the piano roll and all the features to make music on your own
this is a great choice for bands, musicians, and home studio owners on a tight budget
you'll need to download the Bandlab Assistant program and use that to install Cakewalk
this next program really doesn't get the attention that it deserves
This is Harrison Mixbus
Harrison have been making recording consoles for over 40 years
this DAW gives you the power of an actual studio console
with all of the great features of a modern digital audio workstation
the mixing workflow of Mixbus is where it really shines as the mixer
is very well laid out with many of the key features
easily accessible right on the screen
there's no clicking and searching for things
this one can be great for bands, solo musicians
beat makers and pretty much any studio
if you want to get that classic analog feel without having to purchase a huge console
then this program might be for you
it's easy to use and it's only $79
give Harrison Mixbus a try you can download a free demo. Links are in the description below
up next on the best DAW list is Presonus Studio One
this is another Digital audio workstation that's making its way into more and more studios
the workflow is designed to help you quickly record, edit, and mix music
it comes with some great quality instruments & effects that can be used in a variety of situations
Presonus Studio One can be great for bands, solo musicians, and beat creators
and home studio owners
there is a free version called Studio One Prime
it's fairly limited but you can download that & see if it works well with your workflow
next on the list is Tracktion Waveform 10
Tracktion Daws have come a long way and Tracktion Waveform 10 is a
very capable digital audio workstation with a unique workflow
everything can be accessed from a single screen
and you can easily modify the user interface to suit your workflow
you get some really decent instruments with Waveform 10 and some decent effects
Waveform can be great for full bands, solo artists,
beat makers or really anyone making music
the chord track can speed up your music creation or even inspire it
you can download a 30 day free trial of Waveform 10 and see if it's for you
the next digital audio workstation on the list is Acoustica Mixcraft 9
this one is very popular amongst guitar players and solo musicians
but it can be used with full bands and beat creators as well
it actuall comes with over 7500 loops
so if you're someone that likes to work with loops & samples this might be the one for you
you also get a decent collection of effects and synths with Mixcraft
and where it really shines is with its workflow and ease of use
if you're looking for an all-in-one package with an easy to use workflow
be sure to check out Mixcraft 9
there's actually 2 editions the Recording Studio edition and the Pro Studio edition
prices start at just $75
they have a free 14 day trial that you can download so give it a test drive
and see if Mixcraft 9 is for you
this is number 11 on the list of best DAWs in 2020
I do have a few honorable mentions after this one
but right now lets look at Bitwig
this is a really interesting program that's very flexible
you can adjust the layout to suite your needs
and it comes with over 80 instruments & effects
the grid is an interesting concept where you can create a custom synth or custom effect
to create a signature sound that is all your own
there are so many customization options in Bitwig
and if you love to tinker with synths and gadgets
this DAW might be the one for you
it can be great for solo musicians beat makers and any other electronic music makers
but it can be used for full bands as well
now for some honorable mentions and the first one is MuLab
this one is actually a great program for Beat creators and solo musicians
it actually has some really great features and it's fairly affordable too
however it didn't really stand out against the rest on the list and that's why I put it as an honorbale mention
it may be a great program for you so check it out
and another honorable mention is Ardour
this one can be a very capable program but I couldn't find anything but the price
that makes it stand out from the others
you can get it free if you can compile the source code or you can pay $1 and download it
click here for my list of over 30 free VST plugins
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thank you so much for watching. For Simple Green Tech, I'm Zane. Keep creating & we'll talk soon