DAWs: Difference between revisions

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<div style="width:100%; max-height:400pt; overflow:auto; background-color:#f8f9fa; border: 1px solid #eaecf0; padding:0em"><pre style="margin:0px;border:none;background:none;word-wrap:break-word;white-space: pre-wrap ! important" class="old-revision-html">This page discusses the relative merits of various **Digital Audio Workstations** (**DAW**s - [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio_workstation|Wikipedia article]]) from a microtonal perspective. Since many keyboards and a few softsynths are retunable via sysex, and most keyboards and softsynths are only retunable via multiple-midi-channels-with-pitch-bends, special focus is given to how each DAW handles channels and sysexes.

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&lt;span style="display: block; text-align: left;"&gt;Preliminary study indicates that all softsynths require only a single instance to be retunable via the pitch bend method!

Many DAWs can load instrument plugins. A plugin is a software synthesizer which can be accessed within the DAW, affording the user more sounds. Usually the plugin is loaded on a MIDI track. Some instrument plugins are capable of being microtuned. By using such a plugin, it is possible to make microtonal music within a DAW that otherwise cannot be microtuned.

===Plugin Microtuning Methods===  

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<div style="width:100%; max-height:400pt; overflow:auto; background-color:#f8f9fa; border: 1px solid #eaecf0; padding:0em"><pre style="margin:0px;border:none;background:none;word-wrap:break-word;width:200%;white-space: pre-wrap ! important" class="old-revision-html">&lt;html&gt;&lt;head&gt;&lt;title&gt;DAWs&lt;/title&gt;&lt;/head&gt;&lt;body&gt;This page discusses the relative merits of various &lt;strong&gt;Digital Audio Workstations&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;strong&gt;DAW&lt;/strong&gt;s - &lt;a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio_workstation" rel="nofollow"&gt;Wikipedia article&lt;/a&gt;) from a microtonal perspective. Since many keyboards and a few softsynths are retunable via sysex, and most keyboards and softsynths are only retunable via multiple-midi-channels-with-pitch-bends, special focus is given to how each DAW handles channels and sysexes.&lt;br /&gt;

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  - Extremely flexible midi and audio routing. No built-in softsynths except ReaSynth. The piano roll on the midi editor can be completely customized, e.g. more than 12 notes per octave.&lt;br /&gt;

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  - Logic's built-in instruments are of very high quality. There's a global setting for tuning them, and you can also import a .scl file. But they accept only 12-note-octave-repeating scales with max. +/-100 cent deviations from 12tet pitches. Logic only understands .scl files with this limitation. Logic is also incapable of changing the tuning via midi or automation, and you can only have one tuning per song.&lt;br /&gt;

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  - won't let you export its midi to any other DAW except Logic Pro. In other words it is a &amp;quot;midi trap&amp;quot;. GarageBand won't load VST effects, only AU effects.&lt;br /&gt;

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&lt;span style="display: block; text-align: left;"&gt;Preliminary study indicates that all softsynths require only a single instance to be retunable via the pitch bend method!&lt;br /&gt;

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  - has a midi insert plug-in for tuning. But it only accepts 12-note-octave-repeating scales with max. +/-100 cent deviations from 12tet pitches. However you can change the tuning in the course of a song, and have multiple tunings simultaneously (on several midi channels). However, the plug-in only works with two or three older VSTi's and not with the new, better instruments that come with Cubase 7, so in effect, it has been discontinued.&lt;br /&gt;

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  - doesn't allow recording or playback of sysexes. Apparently Studio One also doesn't allow multi-channel midi files (see link). &lt;a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://forums.presonus.com/posts/list/31118.page" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"&gt;forums.presonus.com/posts/list/31118.page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;

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  Many DAWs can load instrument plugins. A plugin is a software synthesizer which can be accessed within the DAW, affording the user more sounds. Usually the plugin is loaded on a MIDI track. Some instrument plugins are capable of being microtuned. By using such a plugin, it is possible to make microtonal music within a DAW that otherwise cannot be microtuned.&lt;br /&gt;

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  Instrument plugins can be developed by anybody. As such, there is no standard way to set the tuning/scale of a plugin via user input. Navigating these competing methods of inputting microtonal scales can be rather messy. But generally we can group the methods like so:&lt;br /&gt;

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