SAW vs other DAWS- My Thoughts

[jayalanthomp]

Hey Bob,

Great sounding product. SAW is definitely the best sounding DAW I have tried- and the only one to my ears that has had the dimension in sound similar to tape. I started on the MAC using Vision, then Studio Vision, DP, Garageband, and then finally Logic. I purchased an I7 based PC last year and started trying PC DAWS- including Reaper and Samplitude. I would give Samplitude second place to SAW for clarity. I am primarily using Reaper right now but would rather be using SAW. I took the three .wav files that are in the provided demo file with SAW and threw them into Reaper. SAW had more dimension on playback. I did not bother to render- I do not usually render anyway with DAW's. I mix to 2 track digital.

Because SAW is such a great-sounding product, I respectfully encourage you to simplify the GUI and make things like assigning effects simpler. I believe your sales will take off. SAW and the hard work you have put into this program deserves to be rewarded.

Take care and best wishes with this product!

Yours truly,

Jay Thompson
www.JayAlanThompson.com

[Bob L]

Assigning Fx can be very simple when you learn to use the power of the F-Key workspace views...

Create an F-Key view with the Fx Choices, Pre and Pst Fx patch windows all side by side... then switch to that view and all plugins are now ready to patch.

And, when in this view, you can click in any mixer view (which should also be included in the workspace) and just use the mouse scroll wheel to scroll thru the chans... the patch windows will chase, showing every plugin that is patched on any chan... a simple double-click on the plugin in the patch window, will display it for quick adjustments.

Bob L

[Iain Westland]

would it be possible at some point to have the EDL save an EDL specific set of preferences? I quite often use F9-F12 for views relevant only to that EDL.

I always forget to save them, and when I do I dont want a folder full of band related preferences, just a basic set up that I can tweak to my desire, hit CTRL-S and have those saved just for that edl plus any re-names (I just save as before each set of edits incase i mess up big style)

Iain

I expect this to be in SAW 6.3 so not a biggy

[Grekim]

Hey Bob,

Great sounding product. SAW is definitely the best sounding DAW I have tried- and the only one to my ears that has had the dimension in sound similar to tape. I started on the MAC using Vision, then Studio Vision, DP, Garageband, and then finally Logic. I purchased an I7 based PC last year and started trying PC DAWS- including Reaper and Samplitude. I would give Samplitude second place to SAW for clarity. I am primarily using Reaper right now but would rather be using SAW. I took the three .wav files that are in the provided demo file with SAW and threw them into Reaper. SAW had more dimension on playback. I did not bother to render- I do not usually render anyway with DAW's. I mix to 2 track digital.

Because SAW is such a great-sounding product, I respectfully encourage you to simplify the GUI and make things like assigning effects simpler. I believe your sales will take off. SAW and the hard work you have put into this program deserves to be rewarded.

Take care and best wishes with this product!

Yours truly,

Jay Thompson
www.JayAlanThompson.com (http://www.JayAlanThompson.com)

I had the same too-many-clicks issue initially. Setting up the F-Keys made an huge difference. If you dig the built in compression and EQ then things are great because (in the full version) you can see a dozen or so compressors or EQ's at once. And you can quickly group a bunch tracks and set some basic starting parameters for all tracks in the group at once. I would like to see mutes someday on the multitrack view, however ;).

[Iain Westland]

I would like to see mutes someday on the multitrack view, however ;).

good call, with solo as well maybe, but mutes would be handy

[jayalanthomp]

Assigning Fx can be very simple when you learn to use the power of the F-Key workspace views...

Create an F-Key view with the Fx Choices, Pre and Pst Fx patch windows all side by side... then switch to that view and all plugins are now ready to patch.

And, when in this view, you can click in any mixer view (which should also be included in the workspace) and just use the mouse scroll wheel to scroll thru the chans... the patch windows will chase, showing every plugin that is patched on any chan... a simple double-click on the plugin in the patch window, will display it for quick adjustments.

Bob L


Hey, thanks so much for the quick responses and great information. I will try the f-key methods ASAP. I really appreciate you all taking your time to respond :)

Thanks again,

Jay

[Bruce Callaway]

Because SAW is such a great-sounding product, I respectfully encourage you to simplify the GUI and make things like assigning effects simpler. I believe your sales will take off. SAW and the hard work you have put into this program deserves to be rewarded.

Take care and best wishes with this product!

Yours truly,

Jay Thompson
www.JayAlanThompson.comFrom another perspective, I prefer the SAW interface as it resembles the analogue consoles that I used to work on so it was easy to adapt to. Other DAW software I have played with is hard to drive :-) IHMO, keep it the way it is....

[ivanoff]

From another perspective, I prefer the SAW interface as it resembles the analogue consoles that I used to work on so it was easy to adapt to. Other DAW software I have played with is hard to drive :-) IHMO, keep it the way it is....

+1
Ivanoff

[CurtZHP]

good call, with solo as well maybe, but mutes would be handy


Don't know if you know this or not, so apologies ahead of time.....

If you click on the red Solo "light" at the top right of the MT screen, the active track is soloed. Clicking on any track automatically solos that track until you click on the Solo "light" again.

[Bill Park]

It is not unusual for new users of any product to want to fall into the familiar paradigm of the way that they were used to working with their old choice. Few take enough time to become really versed in their new choice to understand and grow comfortable with the differences before they start making suggestions. But after a time, they either get used to their new choice ro they move on to something that gives them a warm fuzzy.

[AcousticGlue]

Well I looked at Reaper and it didn't give me the warm fuzzy at all. There are a few cool ideas in the interface visuals to spruce up the joint and I like that but not at the expense of major quick-ocity. Reaper does give you some amp plugins and the like for free. I just dont like anything that says 'add track' when I just wanna see em to begin with. I also dont like the way some other programs handle the collection of plugins either.

[Cary B. Cornett]

I'm with Bill here. I had used SAW for years before I ever tinkered with any other DAW app, so Nuendo/Cakewalk/PT all looked very awkward to me. The move from SAWPro to SawStudio did take a little getting used to, though.

Now, for sequencing it was the other way around. For years I used Cakewalk (the last version before they made it a DAW), and I was very comfortable working with it. I knew the interface and its conventions, and could navigate easily. Then I got MWS, and got my first taste of what it must be like for formerly experienced DAW users to come into SawStudio "from the cold". I stumbled around quite a bit at first. It will be a while yet before I am as comfortable with MWS as I am with SawStudio, but I expect to get there eventually.

[jayalanthomp]

It is not unusual for new users of any product to want to fall into the familiar paradigm of the way that they were used to working with their old choice. Few take enough time to become really versed in their new choice to understand and grow comfortable with the differences before they start making suggestions. But after a time, they either get used to their new choice ro they move on to something that gives them a warm fuzzy.

Bill, point well heard and taken- which is why I hesitated to offer any kind of a suggestion to Bob L at all. I really did not want to come across like a newbie clown that hadn't taken the time to get to know the product. SAW has a well-deserved user base im my opinion. I was so excited about finally hearing back what I thought I should be hearing in a DAW that I really wanted Bob L's product to be even better known :)

Because I have been using Reaper lately, I respectfully mentioned my thoughts about SAW- without disparing Reaper- in the Reaper forum and it set off a firestorm. They are still arguing...:) Be amazed that not a single person to my knowledge even tried playing the sample files back like I suggested. I gave step by step instructions of how to download the SAW demo and load the three sound files from the country music demo session. All I said is that I thought SAW had more dimesion to the sound in playback. I gave Reaper kudos for ease of use, etc... Like I said, they are still arguing without even bothering to try the sample files...

I am still glad I tried SAW. I did my first professional recordings on an API console, so my ears got spoiled early on. My ears can hear phase shift even at the lowest levels. Call it a gift or a curse. SAW seems to get it right.

Again, thanks to everyone for their thoughts and suggestions,

Jay

[UpTilDawn]

Bill, point well heard and taken- which is why I hesitated to offer any kind of a suggestion to Bob L at all. I really did not want to come across like a newbie clown that hadn't taken the time to get to know the product. SAW has a well-deserved user base im my opinion. I was so excited about finally hearing back what I thought I should be hearing in a DAW that I really wanted Bob L's product to be even better known :)...

It's interesting that we (here) see a lot of that from people who are sold on SAW and are amazed at the lack of marketing (in the traditional sense)... Bob has his own views of the whole thing and we have come to respect them as we do him. :)


...Because I have been using Reaper lately, I respectfully mentioned my thoughts about SAW- without disparing Reaper- in the Reaper forum and it set off a firestorm. They are still arguing...:) Be amazed that not a single person to my knowledge even tried playing the sample files back like I suggested. I gave step by step instructions of how to download the SAW demo and load the three sound files from the country music demo session. All I said is that I thought SAW had more dimesion to the sound in playback. I gave Reaper kudos for ease of use, etc... Like I said, they are still arguing without even bothering to try the sample files...

That's really interesting since, from the time Reaper first appeared on the scene, one of the things that was really encouraging about its development was some of the parallels in thought and attitude its own developer appears to share with Bob (in my opinion).

Too bad people get so stuck on their choices of products... it becomes like an identity to them and that gets bruised any time someone presents a "challenge", even when it's not meant that way.

DanT

[mikebuzz]

Jay the difference between the 2 forums is HUGE the attitude here is very professional ( lots of good eng's !) the Reaper Forum is more like Gearsluts IMO .
I have Reaper also but only for the Midi ( makes pre-production drums tracks easy for me ) for $45 it was worth it ( I dont use it that much so MWS was too much for my needs ) the automation is lightyears behind SAW's IMO also.

Any how Saw takes some getting used to there are no where near the amount of bells and whistles like in Reaper ( the amount of variables in Reaper is crazy ! ) If you RECORD live music there is no comparison IMO !

These are my opinions ! so take them with a grain of salt

BTW the My DAW sounds better than your DAW is worn out , It really comes down to work flow for most of us the brain is just too subjective !!


Later
Buzz

[Pedro Itriago]

BTW the My DAW sounds better than your DAW is worn out , It really comes down to work flow for most of us the brain is just too subjective !!


Later
Buzz

My computer makes my music sound better than yours :D

[AcousticGlue]

And we need to stop making Bob kludge up the works with needless updates for the few. (Bring on that midi library thing Bob!) :)

[mikebuzz]

Ya but my computer can beat UP your computer !
LMAO :eek::D

Buzz

[jayalanthomp]

Jay the difference between the 2 forums is HUGE the attitude here is very professional ( lots of good eng's !) the Reaper Forum is more like Gearsluts IMO .
I have Reaper also but only for the Midi ( makes pre-production drums tracks easy for me ) for $45 it was worth it ( I dont use it that much so MWS was too much for my needs ) the automation is lightyears behind SAW's IMO also.

Any how Saw takes some getting used to there are no where near the amount of bells and whistles like in Reaper ( the amount of variables in Reaper is crazy ! ) If you RECORD live music there is no comparison IMO !

These are my opinions ! so take them with a grain of salt

BTW the My DAW sounds better than your DAW is worn out , It really comes down to work flow for most of us the brain is just too subjective !!


Later
Buzz

Hey Buzz,

Thanks mucho for the positive energy and the encouraging words ;) After actually taking the time to look at SAW's workflow procedure without the bias of previous DAW's, I am amazed how quickly you can begin to move around in the program.

Mucho Peace,

Jay

[mikebuzz]

Good deal Jay !

Later
Buzz