How do you choose the right music software for your project and budget?

Software choice usually is greatly dependent of how comfortable the user is, or what they have been trained with, and also ability to collaborate with other studios. Specific use is a clearly definable requirement but the majority of DAWs have multiple uses and are super versatile, so essentially it ends up being a decision on how many specific functions the daw has and what is your intent with the project.

There is no RIGHT music software, it just about fluency. Daw is daw, it's your mind that creates music. Young kids should know this, they are running in the search of best DAW. Learn music theory and apply it on any daw, it will sound beautiful.

I can recommend that you pick one DAW that seems to make sense to you, and learn the stink out of it. You want your DAW to feel like it’s attached directly to your brain, where it just works, and you don’t have to think much about it. Once you learn one really well, if you find that you’ll need to switch, it’s not really a big deal. In my experience, when I am learning, one of the most difficult things is to figure out what the DAW is supposed to be able to do. I would recommend trying to do as much as possible, even if you don’t think you know how – edit dialog, create and edit sound design, create some music, and mix audio, your own or someone else’s. And when you need some advice, find some quality YouTube tutorials.

Para escolher o software de música certo, como o Spotify Soundtrap, para o seu projeto e orçamento, avalie suas necessidades específicas. O Soundtrap é uma ótima escolha para músicos iniciantes ou colaborações remotas, oferecendo uma plataforma intuitiva e acessível. Se você busca gravações profissionais e recursos avançados, pode considerar opções mais robustas, mas lembre-se de que o Soundtrap é uma excelente opção para começar de forma eficaz e econômica.

When starting out in music creation. It's very important to research about the software workflow and TRY the software yourself. Don't spent and infinite amount of time of clickbait videos on YT that wont help you personally in choosing. Most software now come with a trial period from 30 to 60 days. I would suggest you try them before watching videos about them or comparing them. trying different workflows as you would see fit to you is the best practice. I personally started with Cubase one 2005 and now when i want to change i find it alien to me. This is the power of workflow. It is an actual language or instrument that you need to practice in order to truly master.

I don't have much to add to this except that checking versions of software against OS is hugely complex for some DAWs. Also plug-ins and their platforms are sometime quite specific. Computers are generally built up to a decent spec without too much cost... unless you are coming in from baseline.

When I started as a Music Technology teacher I knew that we had a MacLab, so Garage Band was a given going in. That lead to the logical choice of using Logic Pro as the main DAW. Another consideration was startup money. We had money to build a lab, but future funding was iffy. Logic Pro gives you all updates for free once the initial purchase is made. Years later I have added Ableton and FL studio on a few machines for advanced users and independent study.

Most Midi controllers, Audio interfaces, etc. work with all DAW. The real question here would be Ram and Storage. In other words, the OS. For professional music creation, having a powerhouse computer in necessary. This is not your ordinary gaming laptop or computer. Some virtual instruments would recommend 128gb of RAM. That's just for the VST. Imagine running multiple games at once in one instance. This is what your machine should be able to handle if you were a professional music composer or producer.

Budget is always a major consideration when starting out. Of course, this also leads right into your overall goals. If you're planning to learn a specific DAW that might be relevant for your desired job (For example, post work might require extensive ProTools knowledge), then it would be advantageous to focus your budget on learning that DAW. With that being said, it is important not to over complicate it. Many free or inexpensive DAWs offer many features that cover the basics and if your budget is limited, this is a great place to start. Having a fundamental understanding of what a DAW does and how to navigate one is an immensely transferable set of skills when graduating to a more feature-rich DAW.

Different industry arms definitely have preferences. Gaming prefers one daw while post prefers another while music creation is once again so diverse. It probably also has to do with entry point of the user. Try before buy is a dangerous path because the mentality is created that payment is not necessary, but then the artist will demand money for music created.

Yes budget is always a key aspect when choosing a software to start with. But one thing to keep in mind. If you start by focusing just on what's the cheapest or most budget friendly, you'll be stuck with it for a long time. Because if now you can't spent 600$ on a software and you opt for the lower priced one, when you can afford the one you wanted initially it'll be harder for you to learn it from scratch. What i suggest is that most software now have lower tier branches of their pro models that you can start with that are limited. But starting out in music you wont need the pro stuff until later in your career and you'll start to build up the software chain as you move forward in your career.

Learning software is really difficult to navigate. The biggest challenge is the thought that "you don't know what you don't know" which means you might be looming down the wrong path for a function. I have seen that FB forums assist with this tremendously as it allows for very direct response to a need, and might open the requester to new options. College or tutorials work well but are usually broad stroke and sometimes gloss over deeper dive information which becomes the forum question. The best learning guide is probably online manuals linked with concise video tutorials which tackle work related questions, not manual related explanations.

Style of composition is my go to... you aren't going to record a Symphony Orchestra or dummy up a composition in FLS but similarly you won't write a dance track in PT. Definitely a valuable consideration.

To choose the right music software for your project and budget, consider your specific needs and goals, research available options, read reviews, and compare features and pricing. Take advantage of free trials or demos to test software before committing, and prioritize essential features while staying within your budget constraints. Additionally, seek recommendations from peers or industry professionals who have experience with the software you're considering.