Hi,
I am about to buy an iMac and set up a home studio with my motif XS8.
I am wondering from others experience which is the preferred software to use in terms of integration and setup with the motif. Which has the easiest to understand documentation and is the most user friendly.
I know that ProTools has been the industry standard or prefered software in pro-recording studios for years.
I have noted in the forums here that many have difficulty setting up Cubase and motif with both Mac and PC systems.
Apple sells Logic which they state is designed to integrate with Garage Band.
Obviously they all offer different features but they all seem similar as well.
I appreciate your advice on this.

Lex

i have changed from cubase to reaper....easy, intuitive and fast with an amazing support by the developers. 60 bucks well spend

reaper OSX

Thanks,
I’ll take a look at it.

Make some audio comparisons, if sound quality is at all important to you. I highly recommend that you take a .wav file and put it on a USB stick… then go to a local retailer that supports music production software… drag your .wav file into the programs you are considering and do your own listening test.

If you think all programs are going to sound the same ... (I have a bridge you can purchase that connects the borough of Manhattan to the borough of Brooklyn… and I can get it for you cheap).... that’s all I’m saying. If you don’t hear a difference then by all means save that money… I know that you will hear a difference.

But do the test for yourself… I think you will be surprised by how much difference you hear with just this simple test.

From what I’ve read it’s the converters and interfaces that have the biggest influence on how a setup sounds. There is the ‘null test’ which can compare audio files to find the differences between them (if they are identical, the null test will result in silence as they cancel each other out).

Null tests comparing the usual suspects (Cubase, Live, Logic etc. etc.) have indicated that for the most part the audio files produced by these DAWs as a result of applying the same processing to the same input audio files are bit-for-bit identical. However there is no disputing that the D/A converters and related circuitry in whatever audio interface you use has a far bigger impact on the sound than the mathematical engine inside a DAW.

It’s all pretty academic really, as if you put good stuff into any DAW and use it properly, you’ll get good stuff out. No beginner really needs concern themselves with the ‘quality of audio’ within any of the main DAWs.

Find one that suits your workflow, buy decent audio interfaces and monitors and you can’t go far wrong.

Df.

Cubase has the best integration with the XS8 (using Studio Connections). You already own a copy...Cubase AI came with your XS8, so try it and see what you think. It’s usable out of the box and you can upgrade to the full version at any time.

As far as Pro Tools, the main advantage is on the audio side and unless you buy the full pro HD version many of the benefits are lost.

The advantage of Logic is it is tightly coupled to the Mac.