Most beginner/user friendly DAW for Mac to record VSL piano?

nwu

I would like to record a piece I am playing on my VSL piano. VSL doesn't have a built-in record feature. I've read that you are supposed to load it into a DAW. I have no idea how to use one. To be honest, I am quite intimidated by it, as I've seen videos and pictures of what a DAW software looks like and it looks overwhelming with the amount of buttons and sliders, etc.

I'm pretty technically illiterate when it comes to stuff like this. There are also so many DAWs out there; I don't even know where to start.

What basic and super user-friendly Mac compatible DAW would you recommend that I look into? (preferably free)

Thanks!

David B

nwu What basic and super user-friendly Mac compatible DAW would you recommend that I look into? (preferably free)

Thanks!

Hi nwu,

Since you have the good fortune us using a Mac you can use the free GarageBand software as your DAW. You can go to the Apple Store and download it if it's not already installed on your computer. It's free and very intuitive to use. You can open your VSL plugin in a software track and start recording. If you're not sure what I mean by that you can search YouTube for "how to load plugin in GarageBand" and I'm sure you'll find a video demonstrating it.

I like recording myself because it helps me to hear what I'm doing without the the distraction of having to do it in real time. It helps me figure out where I need to improve voicing and dynamics, etc. Hope this helps.

God Bless,
David

Joannchr

nwu in my own experience , as a Mac user, I can only recommend using GarageBand for simple DAW tasks . Then if you need a more sophisticated DAW you can use Logic PRO X which is (with PRO tools) the most powerful DAW ( the specific low latency mode is great for VST’s) and for live performance with multiple instruments playing with a band , MainStage is really good . For a Mac user, it is a great workflow and there are a lot of inter compatibilities with these Apple products which are really useful . For instance , if you create markers in Logic Pro , to separate different portions of a piece , these markers will be created in MainStage as well . So when you want to play with a band or use MainStage to drive orchestra back track for MMO music , this is top notch .

nwu

David B Thanks, I'll try GarageBand out!

Marcus

+1 for Garageband. Very easy to use.

Down the line when you want to get a bit fancier there is Ableton which isn't TOO hard to figure out. And Reaper for PC is open source and completely free with lots of pro features. The reality is you have to spend time with all of them to learn the basics, but they aren't that hard to learn.

Johnstaf

Marcus Reaper is neither free nor open source.

dore_m

Johnstaf Reaper is neither free nor open source.

Reaper is multiplatform, including Win/Mac/Linux. It's not free, but very affordable, and allows a somewhat unlimited trial.

MacMacMac

Before moving to Kontakt-based instruments ... I used to use NanoHost, Minihost, MinihostModular, and SaviHost.
All are free, and all are very easy to use.

You just select your MIDI input device and sound output device (as with any host).
Then you just load your instrument and play.

No bells. No whistles. No hassles.