Recording Software Comparison Chart

Making your musical ideas reality...which recording software can do the trick and which one can't ?

The world of computer based recording became pretty complicated even for seasoned Pros these days. Too many "standards", too many platform fights and too little cooperation between the different manufacturers of recording software and the appropriate hardware.

There's the big player, Pro Tools, with it's own strategy of selling software with proprietary hardware only. There's the platform war between Apple and Mac. There are the different driver "standards" and vast array of different hardware that's more or less compatible with an also constantly growing amount of software.

Another aspect is that every recording software seems to implement all the missing functions time after time. Therefore applications become more and more similar and it's getting harder to hold them apart.

Result?

The customer is left in the cold with the decision to join a party that's not easy to leave, and he has to deal with all these incompatibilities.

This situation doesn't make it easy to choose the right recording setup for your personal needs. You either have to dive into the blue and grab the first recording software package that seems to satisfy your needs, or it means days or weeks of meticulous comparison work between different constellations, before you can make a sound decision.

As a counselor for recording studios it became harder every day to decide which recording software is the right one for a special client or studio. As this can be a very basic decision, with often costly consequences, I took it quite serious.

After struggling for a while with that problem, I decided to sort the pile of notes on my desk and make up a comparison chart, that lists all the important features of recording software. That gave me and my clients a sound decision base and a good overview about the market of recording software.

As the work is done, why not put it on my website?

Well, here it is. Maybe you also need a little help. You can easily compare the important features of today's recording software. It let's you quickly eliminate all the programs that don't have the features you need and zoom in on a smaller group of interesting recording software that needs further investigation.

Please, don't hit me if there is a mistake in this chart but report it here.

 

 


 

If you would like to suggest another recording software or another feature that should be compared, fill out the form below the chart, please.

Well, happy comparing!

Recording Software
Comparison Chart
Logic Pro
7.2
Cubase SX-3 Nuendo 3,0 Sonar 5.0 Digital Performer 4.5 Pro-Tools HD 7 Pro-Tools LE 7 Pro Tools  MP 7 FL
Studio
6
Melodyne Studio
3.0
Acid Pro 5.0 Acid Pro 6.0 Adobe Audition 2.0 Mackie Tracktion 2.0 Garage Band 3.0
System
PC - -
Mac - - - - -
Audio Engine 32bit fp 32bit fp 32bit fp 64bit fp 64bit fp 64bit fp 48bit 48bit 32bit fp 32bit fp 32bit fp 32bit fp 32bit fp 64bit fp 32bit fp
Network distributed processing 1 1 - - - - - - - - - - - -
Additional DSP hardware TDM - - - TDM TDM - - - - - - - - -
Supported Hardware
Most interfaces - - -
Proprietary hardware only - - - - - 3 4 - - - - - - -
Hardware controller -
Audio driver
DirectX - - - - - - - - -
WDM - - - - - - - - - -
MME - - - - - - - - - -
Asio - - - - -
Core Audio (Mac) - - - - - - - -
MAS - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
DAE - - - - - - - - - - - -
Pro Tools LE hardware - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Pro Tools M-powered hardware - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Main orientation
Pattern - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Track -
Chord - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Audio Handling
Simultaneous audio tracks 255stereo 192 32stereo 32stereo 255
Max. resolution 24 bit 32 bit 24 bit 32 bit 24 bit 24 bit 24 bit 24 bit 32 bit 32 bit 24 bit 24 bit 32 bit 32 bit 16 bit
Max. sampling frequency 192kHz 96kHz 192kHz 500kHz 192kHz 192kHz 96 kHz 96 kHz 96kHz 192kHz 192kHz 192kHz 192kHz 192kHz 44,1kHz
Freeze Track - - - - - - -
Autom. tempo correction - - - -
Autom. pitch correction - - - - - - - - - - - -
Realistic pitch transformation - - - - - - - - - - - - -
MIDI Handling
Max. # of MIDI tracks 128 128 128 na/6 -
Record - -
Play -
Piano roll editor - -
Drum editor - - - - - - - -
List editor - - - - - - - -
Notation editor - - - - - - - - -
Virtual Instruments
Max. # of instrument tracks 128 64 64 256 256 - -
AU (Audio Unit) host - - - host - - - - host/client - - - - host
VSTi host/shell host host host host/shell - - - host/client host/client - host - host -
RTAS host - - - host host host host - client - - - - -
TDM host - - - host host - - - - - - - - -
HTDM host - - - host host - - - - - - - - -
DirectXI - host host host - - - - host/client client - - - - -
MAS - - - - host - - - - - - - - - -
FL - - - - - - - - host - - - - - -
ReWire host host host host host host host host host/client client host/client host/client host host host
Plug in Standards
AU - - - - - - - - - - -
VST with shell with shell with shell with shell with shell -
RTAS - - - - - - - - - -
DirectX - - - - - - - -
MAS - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
FL - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TDM - - - - - - - - - - - -
HTDM - - - - - - - - - - - -
AudioSuite - - - - - - - - - -
Delay compensation - - - - - -
Handling of Loops
REX Files 5 - - - - - - -
Acid Loops - -
Audition Loops - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Garage Band Loops - - - - - - - - - - - -
Auto tempo matching - - - - -
Auto pitch matching - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mixer
Channels 383 256 256 297 128 32 32 68
Inserts per channel 15 8 8 20 5 5 5 8 16 16 7 4
Aux sends per channel 8 8 8 10 10 10 67 16 16 7 2
Busses 64 256 256 64 128 32 32 - 26 26 -
Surround - - - - - - -
Automation
Mixer -
Effects - -
Instruments - - -

1...over VST link capability
..,only limited by available processing power
3...only with Pro Tools LE Hardware
4...only with M Audio Hardware
5...only with REX shared library that installs with Reason demo
6...999 patterns

7...16 either Aux-sends or Inserts

Now, here's the form for suggesting another recording software to be included in this comparison chart. You can also suggest additional (important!) features that should be included in the chart.

Submit Form for Recording Software Comparison Chart
Name of Recording Software
Which Computer System?
PC
Mac
Bit Depth of the audio engine?
Expansion of processing power?
by network distributed processing
by additional DSP hardware
Supported hardware?
most audio interfaces
proprietary interfaces only
hardware controller
Supported Audio Driver?
DirectX
WDM
MME
Asio
Core Audio (Mac)
MAS (Digital Performer)
DAE (Pro-Tools HD)
Pro Tools LE hardware
Pro Tools M-powered hardware
Basic Layout?
Track oriented
Pattern oriented
Chord oriented
Simultaneously playable audio tracks?
Maximum audio file depth in bit?
Maximum sampling frequency in kHz?
Audio handling?
Freeze Track function
Automatic Tempo correction
Realistic Pitch transposition
Maximum number of MIDI tracks?
MIDI handling?
record MIDI
play MIDI
piano editor
drum editor
list editor
notation editor
Maximum number of virtual instrument tracks
Virtual instrument host?
AU (Audio Unit)
VSTi
RTAS
TDM
HTDM
DirectXI
MAS
FL
ReWire
Virtual instrument client?
AU (Audio Unit)
VSTi
RTAS
TDM
HTDM
DirectXI
MAS
FL
ReWire
Plug in effect standards?
AU
VST
RTAS
DirectX
MAS
FL
TDM
HTDM
AudioSuite
Effect processing?
Plug-in Latency Compensation
Import types of loops?
REX Files
Acid Loops
Audition Loops
Garage Band Loops
Loop processing?
Auto tempo matching
Auto pitch matching
Mixer audio channels count?
Mixer inserts per channel?
Mixer aux-sends per channel?
Mixer busses?
 
Surround Sound mixing?
Automation?
Mixer
Effects
Instruments
Any other basic functions of recording software that should be included in this comparison chart?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


If you need further information about recording software go here to find out more about specific programs.