DAWs

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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.
<span style="display: block; text-align: left;">[[toc]]





</span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;">__**DAWs covered:**__
</span>
ProTools | Reaper | Logic Pro | GarageBand | Ableton Live | FL Studio (Fruity Loops) | Cubase | Studio One

----

=<span style="text-align: left;">Merits of Various DAWs</span>= 
==<span style="text-align: left;">ProTools</span>== 
<span style="display: block; text-align: left;">- Midi tracks in ProTools can't contain multiple channels of midi data.
</span>

==Reaper== 
- 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.


==Logic Pro== 
- 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.


==GarageBand== 
- won't let you export its midi to any other DAW except Logic Pro. In other words it is a "midi trap". GarageBand won't load VST effects, only AU effects.


==<span style="text-align: left;">Ableton Live</span>== 
<span style="display: block; text-align: left;">- merges all midi channels in track sends, effect outputs and max4Live outputs into channel 1, and filters out all sysex messages and all polyphonic aftertouch messages. Midi effects, except for built-in midi effects and max4live midi effects, must be put in the audio effects section of the track. Receiving midi output from an effect requires creating an additional track and setting its input to that effect.
</span>
== == 
==<span style="text-align: left;">FL Studio (Fruity Loops)</span>== 
<span style="display: block; text-align: left;">- filters out sysex messages.
</span>
<span style="display: block; text-align: left;">Preliminary study indicates that all softsynths require only a single instance to be retunable via the pitch bend method!
</span>
[[http://forum.image-line.com/viewtopic.php?p=824112]]
(official FL Studio forum, must register to view the full thread)
Excerpted from a July 2013 conversation with "Reflex", a site admin:
user: "The Voyager PlugSE (VST plugin) from Moog... doesn't work [in FL studio]."
Reflex: "VST plugins can send sysex out of FL, but can't receive it."
user: "Yes I guess it also receives Sysex, and so a bidirectional communication can't be established."
Reflex: "Then I don't know of any way to make it work in FL."
user: "Is it planned to add support for VST plugin to send Sysex?"
Reflex: "They already can. But they can't receive them. And that's not planned."
<span style="display: block; text-align: left;">
</span>
==Cubase== 
- 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.

Cubase has a pitch key tracking setting for all the synths, and if that's set to .50 you get 24 keys per octave, etc., so various EDOs are possible or can be approximated.


==Studio One== 
- doesn't allow recording or playback of sysexes. Apparently Studio One also doesn't allow multi-channel midi files (see link). [[@http://forums.presonus.com/posts/list/31118.page|forums.presonus.com/posts/list/31118.page]]



=Approaches to microtonal composition in a DAW= 
==Software: Instrument plugins (VST/AU/etc.)== 
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.

Instrument plugins interface with your DAW through one of a handful of standards. Steinberg's VST is a standard supported by many DAWs. AudioUnit (AU) is widely supported on Mac computers. RTAS is used by ProTools. Put simply, you should check your DAW's user manual to see what kind of plugins you can run.

View a [[List of Microtonal Software Plugins|list of microtonal software plugins]].

===Plugin Microtuning Methods=== 
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:

**Plugins which are microtuned by reading a 'tuning file' from hard disk.**
A very common method. These plugins ask the user to import a file from their hard disk, which we'll call a tuning file. Within the tuning file is the data for tuning the plugin. Such tuning files come in a variety of formats:
* scl/kbm (in this case, the data is stored in 2 files not 1)
* TUN
* MIDI tuning dump (sysex)

You can know which type of tuning file is supported by your plugin by reading its manual or supporting documentation.

Tuning files can be created by using software. The three options are [[http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/|Scala]] [[@http://www.TallKite.com/alt-tuner.html|alt-tuner]] or [[http://nonoctave.com|LMSO]]. If your plugin supports the scl/kbm format, then you can [[http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/downloads.html|download a large database]] (scroll to the bottom of the page) of these files to start with.

**Plugins which are microtuned via MTS (MIDI Tuning Standard).**
Some plugins can accept MIDI data in the form of SysEx messages. These messages contain the tuning data. The issue with this method, is that many DAWs filter out SysEx messages. However some plugins, such as those created by Xen-Arts, allow the user to load a MIDI file (containing the SysEx messages within) directly into the plugin, thus bypassing the restriction from the DAW. (Such MIDI files can be generated by Scala).
One benefit of using MTS is that tunings can be changed during the course of a piece. This gives much flexibility in tuning for the composer. MIDI Tuning is also highly accurate. Furthermore, the user can send one set of MTS messages to several plugins/hardware synthesizers at once, thereby making the tuning process relatively convenient. However since many DAWs filter out these messages, the real benefit of MTS can not be realized by everybody.

**Plugins which are microtuned by user's direct inputting of values.**
ZynAddSubFX will accept user inputted values. No need to generate a tuning file (though it ZynAddSubFX can also read scl files).

**Plugins which are microtuned via other methods.**
Native Instruments Kontakt - write a script to retune each note (or use Scala to generate one)

**Plugins which have no support for microtuning.**
One workaround is to use pitch-bend to microtune a monophonic MIDI part.

Original HTML content:

<html><head><title>DAWs</title></head><body>This page discusses the relative merits of various <strong>Digital Audio Workstations</strong> (<strong>DAW</strong>s - <a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio_workstation" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia article</a>) 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.<br />
<span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:26:&lt;img id=&quot;wikitext@@toc@@normal&quot; class=&quot;WikiMedia WikiMediaToc&quot; title=&quot;Table of Contents&quot; src=&quot;/site/embedthumbnail/toc/normal?w=225&amp;h=100&quot;/&gt; --><div id="toc"><h1 class="nopad">Table of Contents</h1><!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:26 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:27: --><div style="margin-left: 1em;"><a href="#Merits of Various DAWs">Merits of Various DAWs</a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:27 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:28: --><div style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#Merits of Various DAWs-ProTools">ProTools</a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:28 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:29: --><div style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#Merits of Various DAWs-Reaper">Reaper</a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:29 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:30: --><div style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#Merits of Various DAWs-Logic Pro">Logic Pro</a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:30 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:31: --><div style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#Merits of Various DAWs-GarageBand">GarageBand</a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:31 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:32: --><div style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#Merits of Various DAWs-Ableton Live">Ableton Live</a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:32 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:33: --><div style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#toc6"> </a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:33 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:34: --><div style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#Merits of Various DAWs-FL Studio (Fruity Loops)">FL Studio (Fruity Loops)</a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:34 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:35: --><div style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#Merits of Various DAWs-Cubase">Cubase</a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:35 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:36: --><div style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#Merits of Various DAWs-Studio One">Studio One</a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:36 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:37: --><div style="margin-left: 1em;"><a href="#Approaches to microtonal composition in a DAW">Approaches to microtonal composition in a DAW</a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:37 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:38: --><div style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#Approaches to microtonal composition in a DAW-Software: Instrument plugins (VST/AU/etc.)">Software: Instrument plugins (VST/AU/etc.)</a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:38 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:39: --><div style="margin-left: 3em;"><a href="#Approaches to microtonal composition in a DAW-Software: Instrument plugins (VST/AU/etc.)-Plugin Microtuning Methods">Plugin Microtuning Methods</a></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:39 --><!-- ws:start:WikiTextTocRule:40: --></div>
<!-- ws:end:WikiTextTocRule:40 --><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</span><span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><u><strong>DAWs covered:</strong></u><br />
</span><br />
ProTools | Reaper | Logic Pro | GarageBand | Ableton Live | FL Studio (Fruity Loops) | Cubase | Studio One<br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
<!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:0:&lt;h1&gt; --><h1 id="toc0"><a name="Merits of Various DAWs"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:0 --><span style="text-align: left;">Merits of Various DAWs</span></h1>
 <!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:2:&lt;h2&gt; --><h2 id="toc1"><a name="Merits of Various DAWs-ProTools"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:2 --><span style="text-align: left;">ProTools</span></h2>
 <span style="display: block; text-align: left;">- Midi tracks in ProTools can't contain multiple channels of midi data.<br />
</span><br />
<br />
<!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:4:&lt;h2&gt; --><h2 id="toc2"><a name="Merits of Various DAWs-Reaper"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:4 -->Reaper</h2>
 - 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.<br />
<br />
<br />
<!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:6:&lt;h2&gt; --><h2 id="toc3"><a name="Merits of Various DAWs-Logic Pro"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:6 -->Logic Pro</h2>
 - 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.<br />
<br />
<br />
<!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:8:&lt;h2&gt; --><h2 id="toc4"><a name="Merits of Various DAWs-GarageBand"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:8 -->GarageBand</h2>
 - won't let you export its midi to any other DAW except Logic Pro. In other words it is a &quot;midi trap&quot;. GarageBand won't load VST effects, only AU effects.<br />
<br />
<br />
<!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:10:&lt;h2&gt; --><h2 id="toc5"><a name="Merits of Various DAWs-Ableton Live"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:10 --><span style="text-align: left;">Ableton Live</span></h2>
 <span style="display: block; text-align: left;">- merges all midi channels in track sends, effect outputs and max4Live outputs into channel 1, and filters out all sysex messages and all polyphonic aftertouch messages. Midi effects, except for built-in midi effects and max4live midi effects, must be put in the audio effects section of the track. Receiving midi output from an effect requires creating an additional track and setting its input to that effect.<br />
</span><br />
<!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:12:&lt;h2&gt; --><h2 id="toc6"><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:12 --> </h2>
 <!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:14:&lt;h2&gt; --><h2 id="toc7"><a name="Merits of Various DAWs-FL Studio (Fruity Loops)"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:14 --><span style="text-align: left;">FL Studio (Fruity Loops)</span></h2>
 <span style="display: block; text-align: left;">- filters out sysex messages.<br />
</span><br />
<span style="display: block; text-align: left;">Preliminary study indicates that all softsynths require only a single instance to be retunable via the pitch bend method!<br />
</span><br />
<a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://forum.image-line.com/viewtopic.php?p=824112" rel="nofollow">http://forum.image-line.com/viewtopic.php?p=824112</a><br />
(official FL Studio forum, must register to view the full thread)<br />
Excerpted from a July 2013 conversation with &quot;Reflex&quot;, a site admin:<br />
user: &quot;The Voyager PlugSE (VST plugin) from Moog... doesn't work [in FL studio].&quot;<br />
Reflex: &quot;VST plugins can send sysex out of FL, but can't receive it.&quot;<br />
user: &quot;Yes I guess it also receives Sysex, and so a bidirectional communication can't be established.&quot;<br />
Reflex: &quot;Then I don't know of any way to make it work in FL.&quot;<br />
user: &quot;Is it planned to add support for VST plugin to send Sysex?&quot;<br />
Reflex: &quot;They already can. But they can't receive them. And that's not planned.&quot;<br />
<span style="display: block; text-align: left;"><br />
</span><br />
<!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:16:&lt;h2&gt; --><h2 id="toc8"><a name="Merits of Various DAWs-Cubase"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:16 -->Cubase</h2>
 - 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.<br />
<br />
Cubase has a pitch key tracking setting for all the synths, and if that's set to .50 you get 24 keys per octave, etc., so various EDOs are possible or can be approximated.<br />
<br />
<br />
<!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:18:&lt;h2&gt; --><h2 id="toc9"><a name="Merits of Various DAWs-Studio One"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:18 -->Studio One</h2>
 - doesn't allow recording or playback of sysexes. Apparently Studio One also doesn't allow multi-channel midi files (see link). <a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://forums.presonus.com/posts/list/31118.page" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">forums.presonus.com/posts/list/31118.page</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:20:&lt;h1&gt; --><h1 id="toc10"><a name="Approaches to microtonal composition in a DAW"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:20 -->Approaches to microtonal composition in a DAW</h1>
 <!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:22:&lt;h2&gt; --><h2 id="toc11"><a name="Approaches to microtonal composition in a DAW-Software: Instrument plugins (VST/AU/etc.)"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:22 -->Software: Instrument plugins (VST/AU/etc.)</h2>
 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.<br />
<br />
Instrument plugins interface with your DAW through one of a handful of standards. Steinberg's VST is a standard supported by many DAWs. AudioUnit (AU) is widely supported on Mac computers. RTAS is used by ProTools. Put simply, you should check your DAW's user manual to see what kind of plugins you can run.<br />
<br />
View a <a class="wiki_link" href="/List%20of%20Microtonal%20Software%20Plugins">list of microtonal software plugins</a>.<br />
<br />
<!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:24:&lt;h3&gt; --><h3 id="toc12"><a name="Approaches to microtonal composition in a DAW-Software: Instrument plugins (VST/AU/etc.)-Plugin Microtuning Methods"></a><!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:24 -->Plugin Microtuning Methods</h3>
 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:<br />
<br />
<strong>Plugins which are microtuned by reading a 'tuning file' from hard disk.</strong><br />
A very common method. These plugins ask the user to import a file from their hard disk, which we'll call a tuning file. Within the tuning file is the data for tuning the plugin. Such tuning files come in a variety of formats:<br />
<ul><li>scl/kbm (in this case, the data is stored in 2 files not 1)</li><li>TUN</li><li>MIDI tuning dump (sysex)</li></ul><br />
You can know which type of tuning file is supported by your plugin by reading its manual or supporting documentation.<br />
<br />
Tuning files can be created by using software. The three options are <a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/" rel="nofollow">Scala</a> <a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://www.TallKite.com/alt-tuner.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">alt-tuner</a> or <a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://nonoctave.com" rel="nofollow">LMSO</a>. If your plugin supports the scl/kbm format, then you can <a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/downloads.html" rel="nofollow">download a large database</a> (scroll to the bottom of the page) of these files to start with.<br />
<br />
<strong>Plugins which are microtuned via MTS (MIDI Tuning Standard).</strong><br />
Some plugins can accept MIDI data in the form of SysEx messages. These messages contain the tuning data. The issue with this method, is that many DAWs filter out SysEx messages. However some plugins, such as those created by Xen-Arts, allow the user to load a MIDI file (containing the SysEx messages within) directly into the plugin, thus bypassing the restriction from the DAW. (Such MIDI files can be generated by Scala).<br />
One benefit of using MTS is that tunings can be changed during the course of a piece. This gives much flexibility in tuning for the composer. MIDI Tuning is also highly accurate. Furthermore, the user can send one set of MTS messages to several plugins/hardware synthesizers at once, thereby making the tuning process relatively convenient. However since many DAWs filter out these messages, the real benefit of MTS can not be realized by everybody.<br />
<br />
<strong>Plugins which are microtuned by user's direct inputting of values.</strong><br />
ZynAddSubFX will accept user inputted values. No need to generate a tuning file (though it ZynAddSubFX can also read scl files).<br />
<br />
<strong>Plugins which are microtuned via other methods.</strong><br />
Native Instruments Kontakt - write a script to retune each note (or use Scala to generate one)<br />
<br />
<strong>Plugins which have no support for microtuning.</strong><br />
One workaround is to use pitch-bend to microtune a monophonic MIDI part.</body></html>