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Old 10-26-2013, 07:37 AM   #1
matte_kudasai
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Default does one DAW sound different to the next?

hi guys

First post, and new Reaper user. Just purchased it after playing around on the demo the last couple of weeks, and cant wait to start making music.

I wanted to ask peoples opinion on DAW's and if they have their own 'sound'. The reason I ask is because I am coming across from Ableton Live, which I have used the last few years. Ive read articles before which state all DAW's convert audio in an incidental way, therefore they are all transparent and have no difference in sound (when all in their natural unprocessed state).

However I am convinced that Reaper sounds a lot clearer and has a lot more 'air' than Ableton. Well to my ears at least. There is no doubt my mic and vocals sound much better on Reaper.

Interested in other peoples thoughts.

Cheers!
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Old 10-26-2013, 08:02 AM   #2
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All DAWs sound the same. They are simply applying math formulas for summing. This has been demonstrated time and time again. Of course, the bundled plugins are going to sound different. You will also work differently with different DAWs, both in terms of workflow and inspiration, so in that sense the resulting mixes will differ.
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Old 11-30-2013, 01:56 PM   #3
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There are sometimes slight variations because each uses different code for it's algorithms in dealing with audio, and one can react slightly different from one hardware setup (interface) to the next. But in most cases, it doesn't really matter to the average user. And it really comes down to personal preference, and as was said previously, the differences in processing options and workflow.
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Old 11-30-2013, 02:30 PM   #4
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This has been demonstrated time and time again.
Right, if they don't null something is broken. The only exception being something like Harrison MixBus which purposely alters the sound, otherwise, they better sound identical.
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Old 11-30-2013, 02:36 PM   #5
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Doesn't it come down the font of the ones and zeros? eg Cubase has a Calligraphy Gothic style font, perfect for metal etc
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Old 11-30-2013, 03:05 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by morgon View Post
Doesn't it come down the font of the ones and zeros? eg Cubase has a Calligraphy Gothic style font, perfect for metal etc

That is certainly an interesting theory... Can't say I've ever heard that one before.

But no, not at all. They all do pretty much the same thing, just personal choice on the look and setup, and certainly the cost...as long as it gets you to your final result in a way you are happy with.
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Old 11-30-2013, 07:15 PM   #7
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Doesn't it come down the font of the ones and zeros? eg Cubase has a Calligraphy Gothic style font, perfect for metal etc
I used Wingdings once and my vocals sounded like Yoko.
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Old 11-30-2013, 07:35 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matte_kudasai View Post
I am convinced that Reaper sounds a lot clearer and has a lot more 'air' than Ableton.
Reaper has a 64bit fp mix engine vs Ableton's 32bit fp mix engine. This is a straightforward black and white spec. This means the virtual mixing board will preserve the full fidelity of a signal even when you pull the fader way down on a channel in a mix. Enough headroom that the internal digital signals never get 'cropped' as it were. Makes a very noticeable difference as you've found.
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Old 11-30-2013, 07:45 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by pattste View Post
I used Wingdings once and my vocals sounded like Yoko.
Hey Pattste, I really like what you do, checked it out again just now (so theres a bunch more partial plays in the stats), but if mb allocation wasn't an issue I would quite happily listen to all that record,[im a bit cash strapped to buy as my record is financially 'challenged' haha] your style reminds me of cool 60s, Surf, Eagles, Shadows, Ventures, I like that melodic approach, that's in my planning too.
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Old 11-30-2013, 08:57 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by morgon View Post
Hey Pattste, I really like what you do, checked it out again just now (so theres a bunch more partial plays in the stats), but if mb allocation wasn't an issue I would quite happily listen to all that record,[im a bit cash strapped to buy as my record is financially 'challenged' haha] your style reminds me of cool 60s, Surf, Eagles, Shadows, Ventures, I like that melodic approach, that's in my planning too.
Thank you very much!
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Old 12-10-2013, 10:48 AM   #11
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It's not really the DAW that will make your music sound better, but it is probably the type of audio interface that matters. If you use a bad auto interface and a microphone from a 7eleven, of course your music won't sound good no matter how expensive your DAW is.
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Old 12-29-2013, 02:17 AM   #12
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If the settings are the same, every DAW should sound equal, unless the mixer is an emulation of analog hardware.
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Old 12-29-2013, 04:23 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by serr View Post
Reaper has a 64bit fp mix engine vs Ableton's 32bit fp mix engine. This is a straightforward black and white spec. This means the virtual mixing board will preserve the full fidelity of a signal even when you pull the fader way down on a channel in a mix. Enough headroom that the internal digital signals never get 'cropped' as it were. Makes a very noticeable difference as you've found.
Hi, I have a question about this,
I use Reaper 32bit, does that use the 64bit fp mix engine or do you need to install the 64bit Reaper for that?
I always read that 32bit vs 64bit only affects the ammount of RAM that you can use and since I don't need a lot of RAM I haven't yet switched to 64bit.
Thanks in advance.
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Old 12-29-2013, 04:39 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by electricthing View Post
Hi, I have a question about this,
I use Reaper 32bit, does that use the 64bit fp mix engine or do you need to install the 64bit Reaper for that?
I always read that 32bit vs 64bit only affects the ammount of RAM that you can use and since I don't need a lot of RAM I haven't yet switched to 64bit.
Thanks in advance.
Choosing between 32 and 64-bit Reaper and plugins is a completely different thing and doesn't affect sound quality at all. He is talking about 64-bit bit depht when processing audio which I assume is the same for the 32- and 64-bit Reaper.
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Old 12-29-2013, 04:45 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matte_kudasai View Post
However I am convinced that Reaper sounds a lot clearer and has a lot more 'air' than Ableton. Well to my ears at least. There is no doubt my mic and vocals sound much better on Reaper.
I don't think there is an audible difference at all, despite Reapers 64-bit bit depht in audio processing versus Abletons 32-bit. If that's what you hear, this has probably something to do with settings.
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Old 12-29-2013, 07:13 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by osflaa View Post
Choosing between 32 and 64-bit Reaper and plugins is a completely different thing and doesn't affect sound quality at all. He is talking about 64-bit bit depht when processing audio which I assume is the same for the 32- and 64-bit Reaper.
O.K. thanks Osflaa, sometimes I get confused about the stuff I don't understand, the audio-technical side of music. I never was good at physics.
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Old 02-02-2014, 01:58 PM   #17
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Yes they don't
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Old 02-06-2014, 03:16 AM   #18
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If you import .wav files both in Reaper and Ableton (maching the same sample rate and bit depth) and make a mixdown for each daw, the resulting audio files are going to cancel each other completely i think (of course one have to be phase reversed). So in this case i think you are not going to hear any differences between different daws.

What IMHO makes the difference is the implementation of PDC (plugin delay compensation) of the daw. Better it is, better all your tracks, automations and routings will stay in sync in the project, giving more punchy and clear sound. Ableton is awesome but it is also famous for its poorly implemented PDC (especially for automations), so i think the difference you ear is related to this.

I am interested on what others guys think about this...if this makes sense or not.
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Old 02-06-2014, 06:50 AM   #19
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Pro tools.
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Old 02-06-2014, 07:47 AM   #20
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Pro tools.
Do you really mean it or are your just trolling?
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