DAW (Digital Audio Workspace) Tutorials and Usage [BEGINNER'S GUIDE!]

hullo! this is a thread compiling tutorials, tips, advice, etc. for using DAW softwares (software such as FL Studio, LMMS, Logic, Ableton, etc.). anyone can contribute! i will be posting some tutorials once i manage to compile them

MUMI'S DAW GUIDE I: Vocabulary

This guide will be focused on vocabulary and terms you may find when working with a DAW or looking for information about DAWs! Might not be needed for everyone, but helpful to know nonetheless.

DAW: Digital Audio Workspace. Basically just the software you're using to make the silly little tunes.

Channel: Sort of a source of a sound, one of the many instruments in the entire song. This may have a different name in some softwares. There are many types of channels you can have! Each software comes with different kinds you can add (or the ability to add your own types) but here's some examples that are more common:

Channel Type	Definition/Usage
Automation Clip/Channel/Track	A channel used to automate (make a thing happen) certain modifiers of other channels such as volume, panning, pitch, etc.
Sampler	A channel for using sound samples as instruments, usually .WAV files.
Soundfont, SF2 Player, Etc.	A channel that utilizes .SF2 files (or similar) type soundbanks as instruments.
VST (Virtual Studio Technology)	A channel that supports custom plug-ins as sources of sound (such as Delay Lama, Sonatina Orchestra, Meowsynth). Sometimes, a software lets you use VSTs without a specialized channel, and as it's own channel instead.

Playlist: Shows all of the components of the song put together. Some softwares have this, some do not, some put it under a different name.
Sequencer/Step Sequencer: Similar to a playlist, but only shows one section of a song/pattern (for instance maybe only the intro). Think of it as a mini-playlist.
Piano Roll: Essentially, this is where you sequence MIDIs (or the patterns that make up your song such as melody, rhythm) for your song. You can do this by hand/mouse or with an external MIDI device/keyboard plugged in. You will almost always use it to touch up the song even if you recorded it with a MIDI device.
Mixer: A section/tool you use to mix and master the song. In some softwares, this is where you apply effects plugins to individual channels. You can also add effects, change stuff, etc. to the entire song through this.

And here's some vocabulary that is more music-general but is very helpful to know!:

Volume: The 'loudness' so to speak of a song. Think of it as your vertical axis of your song's depth.
Panning: When wearing headphones, what side of them the song/instrument is leaning towards. Think of it as the horizontal axis of your song's depth.
EQ/Equalization: This can be many things, but you essentially use it to modify parts of a sound. This can change how it sounds. This is sort of the Z axis of song depth, like when you're working in a 3D space.
Tempo: Speed of your song.
BPM: Beats per minute, often structured as 4/4, 2/4, etc. The most common is 4/4.
Metronome: A tool or setting that lets you hear the counting of beats while you play your song.

MUMI'S DAW GUIDE II: What DAW to Use?

Welcome to part 2 of my DAW Guide! This section covers how to decide what DAW you want to use. Selecting a DAW can be hard, especially since a lot of the more powerful ones are gated behind expensive costs if you don't want to sail the high seas. I'll be explaining what factors to consider + which options I know of, as well as my personal experience with it!

The Factors:

So, you wanna get into making music with a computer? Consider the following things:

What type of music are you wanting to make? Retro game music? Realistic sounding? Funky MIDI beats reminiscent of the 90s?
What file types do you need to export to? Do you just need the standard ones or do you need something more specific?
What is your budget? Are you willing to obtain your software through your wallet, or would you prefer to work entirely on freeware?
What extra tools does the software come with? Some software comes with built-in plugins that are helpful for making music.
What are your ideals? This might be important for some people, but it might not be for others. However, it's helpful to note that might influence what you're willing to get, especially considering the unfortunate trend of some software turning into Subscription Models.

Once you've considered all of that, you've likely narrowed down what your needs are for your software. It's time to move onto reviewing options.

The Software:

There are many, MANY options out there for DAWs and similar tools.
If you're looking to emulate an older/retro feel to an authentic degree, you may be interested in these:

Famitracker: One of the most commonly known tracker-type softwares for emulating a classic feel.
FamiStudio: Similar to Famitracker. I've used this one. Sometimes it works fine, but other times it kinda breaks? Dunno why.
Any old Amiga or Early Windows Music Tracker: Don't have any particular software links for this one, but if you can find a good Tracker for Amiga or Windows, it's a great tool. I've listened to old Amiga Demos and it's got that nice retro feel, plus its made on retro software!

If you want a free DAW with more flexibility than just retro sound, these may be your cup of tea:

LMMS: This is my GO-TO free DAW, and I still use it even though I have that old FL build (because the old FL build doesn't support some of my VSTs and sometimes sounds clicky for some instruments). It is POWERFUL, and has pretty much all of the tools you need. I would highly suggest it.
Garageband: I have no idea how good this is because I have never used it, but a lot of people suggest it as a free DAW. It runs natively on Mac but I believe there are Windows versions out there.

Unfortunately, I don't know of many free DAWs other than retro ones or demos/lite versions of paid DAWs. If you have any suggestions, I will add them to this list!
If you're willing to pay (or say aye-aye, cap'n!), these options are for you:

FL Studio: I have experience with a VERY OUTDATED version of this one (FL Studio 6 XXL). It works great, and comes with a lot of useful plugins and tools. My only gripe is that the company is very restrictive with how users use the software they paid for. One example is that you can make custom skins easily (at least on the old version i'm on), but they go on a RAMPAGE if they hear any word of someone using one. With how expensive the software is, you should be able to use it how you see fit :/
Logic: I have used Logic in my old Music Production class. It's a bit complicated at first, but it's very powerful. I do not know the price nor if it works on anything other than Mac, but it is certainly an option.
Ableton: Have never used this one, no clue how good it is, but I hear a lot of people use this one.
Cubase: Same case as Ableton, never used but people do recommend it.

What I Use:

I primarily use two pieces of software: LMMS and FL Studio 6 XXL. I primarily use the old FL Studio build, but will dip into LMMS for the tools that don't work on there or for simplicity's sake at times. Sometimes, I will use a different software if I have the need for it! I have dabbled in older software for funsies. You can't easily find FL Studio 6 XXL on the web since Image-Line does not keep the old versions available (to my knowledge at least), but there might be a download somewhere on the web, who knows. I got mine from an old disc my mom gave me, which is primarily why I don't have the updated version- the account is attached to an old email we no longer use- and rather use the old one. The old one is still very powerful though, with tools such as FL Slayer and FPC serving as very good emulation of a guitar and rock drums. The plug-ins are also very helpful. One of my favorites (because it can be used for breakcore) is Fruity Slicer. I like LMMS a lot as well as I have become very used to it, and its automation editor is easy to find. It took me ages to find the automation editor in FL Studio.

MUMI'S DAW GUIDE III: Common File Types

Welcome to part 3 of the DAW guide! I'm going to cover basic file types used in DAW softwares and what the differences are (to my knowledge). This is more of a small tid-bit type of part to the guide, and something most people probably won't need, but it helps to provide it!

We'll be splitting this into two sections: Input and Output. Input are files you, for whatever reason, may input into a DAW. You might also be able to export them, but their main use is to be input into the software. Output are files that you typically export, or in other words a finished product.

Input File Types

.MID / .MIDI - Midi files. They're like project files that you can transport between different DAWs. They will usually contain the song patterns, automation tracks, etc.
.SF2, .SF3, .SFZ, etc. - Soundfont files. These are used in soundfont player channels to produce sound. They may contain one sound, or an entire soundbank.
.DLL - While these files are used in a lot of software for varying purposes, this can be the file extension used for VST plug-ins in DAWs.

Output File Types

.WAV - Wav files are the LEAST compressed version of an audio, meaning it's the most high-quality export of it. However, they take up the most space.
.FLAC - Flac files are compressed audio, but they use lossless compression, meaning that it is near-indistinguishable in quality from .WAV files. It takes up less space as a result.
.MP3 - Another lossless compression format, MP3s are one of the most popular formats that you will find audio in. They compress to very, very small sizes, making for excellent storage-saving. The quality difference isn't very noticeable but compression to MP3 does permenantly delete some audio info.
.OGG - Lossy compression for audio, meaning it loses some data in the compression. Despite being lossy and deleting certain audio info permenantly, it is better than MP3 in some cases as it exports smaller and can even sound better.

WOAH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS THREAD, THIS IS SUPER USEFUL!!! Very Happy

Totel wrote:: WOAH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS THREAD, THIS IS SUPER USEFUL!!!

np! i plan on updating with more guides eventually, just been super busy