Hey folks, I’ve recently had a computer crash and got a new 64-bit machine. I’ve learned that a lot has changed in the DAW landscape. In the past I had been using Acid Pro 7 for working with sample loops. It looks like Acid is basically abandonware. What are you guys using? I really liked the workflow of Acid; I took a look at a FL setup and it made no sense to me.
Any thoughts?

If you want to keep it cheap you can use reaper as a daw, it is only 60 dollar and the first two months you can try it without any limitations. Dont underestimate it because of the cheap price, cause it is realy a good one. If you want to spend more money on it then i would suggest ableton because the interface is simple but it has all you can wish in a daw.
greetz

Been using FL Studio since moving from MIDI only to MIDI/audio DAW. The GUI remains a MIDI/drum machine oriented look and feel, but it manages to work well with audio.

Wrt getting the hang of Fl Studio, it is not intuitive and it continuous to be a learning experience after 20 years. I would not call it friendly.

Nonetheless, I like that it is a powerful tool, the tech support staff is responsive with fixes if you have a repeatable problem, the user/support forum is very active, upgrades are free and Imagine Line seems aggressive about product life cycle management. Millions of FL Studio downloads, but little sexy celeb DAW coverage.

I know I am answering a year late, but it may help someone else.

You are going to be living with your DAW for a long time. In my opinion:
1) Must have plenty of online tutorials, manuals or books.
2) Stable and proven.
3) Try demos.
4) Pick one that isn’t too complex for you.
5) Choose one that suits your workflow and genre.

From your comments, try Maschine:
- “Working with sample loops”
- “Something thats not too complex” (parphrasing)