The digital audio workstation – or DAW, as it’s affectionately known – is the backbone of modern music production. If you’ve ever wanted to compose or record music, there’s a strong chance you’re at least somewhat familiar with what this piece of software does.

Put simply, DAWs provide musicians, producers, and sound engineers with a comprehensive set of tools to create, mix, and master music and other audio projects.

• READ MORE: Best MIDI controllers for creating music in your DAW

And today, there are more options than ever. While heavyweights like Logic Pro, Ableton Live, and FL Studio remain the most popular choices, we’re seeing countless innovative upstarts offer fresh and innovative approaches to making music.

To a certain extent, selecting a DAW is a question of personal preference rather than one of functionality. As time has gone by, we’ve seen greater parity of features across DAWs. For example, Ableton finally received comping in Live 11 – a capability Logic Pro and other DAWs have had for years. Meanwhile, Logic Pro’s 10.5 update aped Live’s iconic Session View with its Live Loops feature.

Instead, the software you choose comes down to how it fits into your creative process – whether that’s in terms of workflow, interface, instruments and effects, or simply if it inspires you to create music.

With that said, modern DAWs do still have their own strengths and weaknesses. In this guide, we show you the best DAWs based on a range of musical applications to help you pick the perfect tool for the job.

Best DAWs at a glance:

• Our pick: Ableton Live
• Best mobile DAW: BandLab
• Best free DAW: UA Luna
• Best for sampling and beatmaking: FL Studio
• Best for scoring and soundtracking: Steinberg Cubase Pro
• Best for DJs: DJ.Studio
• Best for mastering and post-production: Steinberg Nuendo
• Best for sound design: Reason
• Best for mixing and arrangement: Logic Pro

Our Pick: Ableton Live 12

Ableton Live is among the most popular DAWs, and it’s easy to see why. It’s incredibly versatile, catering to a wide range of uses across both music production and live performance. A major hallmark of Live is its Session View, which provides a clip-based, non-linear workflow for music creation and improvisation.

But make no mistake, Ableton Live is an incredibly powerful workhorse that’s a capable centrepiece of any setup. It includes some fantastic built-in plugins, like the Operator FM synth, the self-explanatory Wavetable, and more experimental synths like Tension and Collision that offer physical modelling. There’s a full roster of studio-grade effects that let you mix and master your productions too.

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Live’s pitch-shifting and time-stretching features are highly regarded, ideal for chopping samples and remixing audio. And through the Max for Live platform, you can even build your own devices and extend Live’s capabilities, almost infinitely.

With the release of Live 12 in March 2024, Ableton has further cemented its position as one of the best all-round DAWs. New MIDI generation features are sure to spark creativity – as is the new MPE-enabled synth Meld, which is perfect for creating intricate textures and drones. The update brings with it workflow improvements too, letting you tag samples, mix from Arrangement View, and further fine-tune Live’s interface.

Learn more in our review of Ableton Live 12.

Best Mobile DAW: BandLab

Our vote for the best mobile DAW goes to BandLab, the perfect choice if you’re making music on a phone or tablet. Its cloud-based approach offers two significant benefits.

First, it means you can make music anywhere. On the go and sketching out an idea on your phone? Simply log into your BandLab account on desktop and finish things off in the browser.

Secondly, BandLab is great for collaboration. Recording a vocalist? Want input from your band members? Send them an invite to Fork your track and you’ll be able to work together on the project in real time. You can collaborate across iOS and Android devices, plus any computer that can run Google’s Chrome browser. The social media side of BandLab also lets you share tracks, connect with other artists, and discover new music production techniques.

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Other features of the BandLab DAW include a royalty-free sample library of over 100,000 sounds (including many made by MusicTech), stem separation tech, and an AI-powered idea generator, all seamlessly integrated within the platform. The icing on the cake? It’s entirely free to use.

However, BandLab is so much more than just a DAW. It also offers a range of services to help you distribute and promote your music, letting you release on DSPs, earn money from your fans through a tip jar, and submit your music to exciting industry opportunities.

Find out more at bandlab.com.

[Editor’s note: BandLab and MusicTech are both part of Caldecott Music Group]

Best free DAW: UA Luna

Universal Audio is best known for its powerful audio interfaces and sophisticated analogue-style plugins. But in 2020, the company surprised us with the launch of its brand-new DAW, Luna. Previously only available to owners of Universal Audio hardware, the software is now free for all macOS and Windows users.

Despite its lack of price tag, Luna provides a high-quality recording and mixing environment on par with the best-paid DAWs. And, unlike some other free DAWs, the track count is unlimited — you can record or play back as many as your machine can handle. You can also run AU and VST plugins, which greatly expands your capabilities.

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Another major selling point is the focus on analogue emulation – both in terms of sound and workflow. In fact, Luna might just be the closest you can get to an in-the-box mixing desk thanks to advanced summing algorithms modelled on classic consoles from Neve and API.

On top, Luna’s tight integration with other UA products means it works flawlessly with your favourite UAD plugins while providing low latency and high fidelity.

Learn more in our review of Universal Audio’s Luna.

Best for sampling and beatmaking: FL Studio 21

Long affiliated with the hip-hop world – although perfectly capable of handling any genre you throw at it – FL Studio is our pick if you’re looking for a DAW for sampling and beatmaking.

Renowned for its pattern-based workflow and intuitive step sequencer, FL Studio is especially popular with those new to music production. But don’t let its user-friendly appearance deceive you – this DAW is just as suitable for audio pros, offering plenty of advanced features and functionality. The 21.2 update even brought native stem separation to FL Studio, a fantastic tool for remixing content or simply finding new sources of inspiration.

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Starting at £89, FL Studio pricing is highly accessible, but users get free lifetime updates too – we think that’s incredible value for a fully-fledged DAW. Looking for beatmaking software with a tighter focus? Give Serato Studio or MPC Beats a try.

Learn more in our review of FL Studio.

Best for DJs: DJ.Studio

If you’re a DJ or tastemaker focused on crafting mixes and playlists, you likely know the struggle of doing so in a general-purpose audio workstation. Thankfully, DJ.Studio offers an alternative – a DAW aimed specifically at disc jockeys and tastemakers.

Get started by picking tracks from your existing library through integration with popular software like Rekordbox, Serato, and Traktor, and open up new creative possibilities with DJ Studio’s native stem separation.

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Then, easily create your mix in the intuitive timeline-based editor, dialling in precise transitions with built-in effects. You can also leverage DJ Studio’s automix technology to arrange your playlist based on tempo, key, and energy level.

Sharing mixes is simple, with export options including WAV and MP3, Ableton Live projects, and direct publishing to YouTube or Mixcloud. We particularly love the visualiser feature for creating engaging video mixes.

Learn more in our review of DJ.Studio. 

Best DAW for sound design: Reason 12

Reason is a little different to other DAWs – in fact, it nearly transcends the label entirely.

It’s built around the Rack, an emulation of a real hardware rack which users can stock with instruments and effects, and then connect them up in all sorts of different ways. This modular approach makes Reason the sound designer’s best friend. Once you’re done crafting a sound, you can bake it into a single rack unit with a custom faceplate, or even bring it into another DAW by using Reason as a third-party plugin.

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However, it works just as well standalone thanks to the Studio which provides recording and sequencing functionality, audio editing tools, and even a mixing desk modelled on the famous SSL 9000k.

While Reason is available as a one-off purchase, those opting for the monthly Reason+ subscription also get access to a plethora of samples and audio packs along with additional Rack devices and the latest updates.

Learn more in our review of Reason

Best for mixing and arranging: Logic Pro 11

Another heavy hitter, Logic Pro remains near the top among audio hobbyists and professionals alike – and it’s available at a single, affordable price.

The user-friendly interface makes it easy to take a project from an initial sketch to a release-ready master. Comping tools allow for smooth selection of the very best audio takes, while powerful MIDI editing lets you dial in detail when working with soft synths and sample libraries.

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Logic Pro’s mixer offers plenty of advanced bussing and routing options, along with an ever-expanding selection of high-quality effects, whether you’re looking for a surgical EQ, an unwieldy distortion, or an immersive reverb.

Of course, focusing solely on mixing and arrangement is selling this DAW short, and this all-in-one music production suite regularly receives inspiring new features. Recent updates include stem separation, AI-powered pitch correction, smart Session Players, and new hardware emulations that can enhance your mix with some analogue colour.

Learn more in our review of Logic Pro.

Mastering and audio post-production DAW: Nuendo 12

Nuendo from Steinberg offers a truly comprehensive suite of audio post-production tools, making it an excellent choice of DAW for those working with film, TV, game audio, and virtual reality.

The high price tag reflects Nuendo’s long list of features. Automated dialogue replacement (ADR), video cut detection, and content organisation are just a few of its utilities. Sound designers and composers get access to a vast range of high-quality effects and processing. There’s support for surround sound formats like Ambisonics, Dolby Atmos, and Hamasaki 22.2 along with VR head tracking too.

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Nuendo is most definitely overkill if you’re simply looking for a DAW in which to create music – but for industry professionals, its rich functionality is likely worth the higher cost.

Learn more in our review of Steinberg Nuendo.

DAW for soundtracking/scoring: Cubase 13

Steinberg Cubase may lack the aesthetic appeal of DAWs like Ableton Live or FL Studio, but it remains an audio production staple – particularly for those working with moving image.

Off the bat, Cubase integrates well with video, allowing users to accurately sync music with visual content. The platform touts advanced MIDI capabilities too, letting you get the most out of today’s detailed multi-sample libraries to create highly expressive compositions that match the emotion of the scene.

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One drawback? Many features TV or film composers require – such as the Advanced Score Editor, Time Warp, and support for Dolby Atmos – are locked behind the highest pricing tier.

Learn more in our review of Cubase 13.

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