Studio One Pro versus Apple Garage Band......Compare

[ajm]

I'm thinking of transitioning into the 21st century and upgrading my recording system.
I presently use an old dinosaur Tascam 788. It still works, but someday it will probably cease functioning. Tascam no longer makes ANY portastudios that have MIDI or CD (don't get me started).

I'd either go with:
a) A PC with Studio One Pro, or
b) A lower line Apple with the stock Garage Band that come with it.

Costs: With any luck the costs between the two would be close.

Application: I will be using this for home recording, piecing together songs by doing 1-2 tracks at a time.
Not a live band recording or pro studio environment.
I will need to be able to master 8-16 tracks down to stereo with reverb/delay/etc.
I will need to create an MP3 from that for CD/thumb drive/internet uploading/etc. (I believe that S1 Artist and Prime will not create MP3 files without an add on, unless they've changed that.)

Interface: Yes, I will need an interface regardless of which way I go.

Yes, I know that Studio One is on sale. But it's the holidays, so everything is on sale.

Given all of that.......

Performance: Are both of these DAWs capable of all of that?

Drums: I will not be recording live drums with a drummer.
I'm assuming that both Studio One Pro and GB come with drum kits. True?
If not, any issues with either DAW creating and syncing up via a MIDI clock, and using an old fashioned drum machine?

Any gotchas that I need to be aware of?
I can think of one: Make sure that the computer has plenty of USB ports. At least two, maybe three.

Thanks in advance.

[Bob Hoffnar]

Both will work fine for what you are talking about. I found Reaper to be a great option also.

It will take a bit of work to learn how to use any of them but it is worth it. There are youtube instructions for everything.

I would also assume that once you learn how to set up a grid and try out drum loops your drum machine will be history.

[Tony Prior]

Studio One is a true full featured DAW,Garage band is a nice package offered by Apple. They really should not be compared. They are not equal.

If Garage Band works for the intent, then great.

here's the deal, just like anything else in life. We start something with the intent of simplicity but then reach a point where the simplicity becomes a burden.

Those who choose the DAW path such as Studio One, Pro Tools, Sonar, etc...They do so because they KNOW that in all practicality there will never be a road block. The daily process may only be using a portion of the"production tools" and maybe they will never use more than those features. BUT, one day, when you become more advanced, more skilled, more creative, the additional production tools may now become part of every day life.

Another way to say it is, When working with a full featured DAW it allows you to do what YOU want rather than being limited to what it only allows you to do.

In recording, there really is no such thing as I just wanna record a few simple tracks, I don't need all those extra bells and whistles. Fact of the matter is you really don't know what you need while tracking a session to completion until you actually get to the end !

Maybe a better option would be something like a small 8 track workstation such as a Zoom R8. Easy to use and gets the job done. No Pc, no interface no software etc...Theres a lot to be said with starting on something like a Zoom R8. The recording process is exactly the same , the tools in front of you are not.

just my take

[Jack Stoner]

I have a couple of PC DAWS including Sonar and Studio One 4.1 Pro. I also have Garage Band on an iPod. For me, there's no comparison, a "real" DAW such as the Studio One you mentioned is the way to go.

I still use a drum machine (An Alesis SR-16 or 18). I have MIDI drum samples and an old version of EZ Drummer but for traditional country the Alesis serves the purpose.

[Tim Kowalski]

I also recommend Reaper DAW. You can try it free with no limitations. If you don't like it, you are out nothing.
It can do everything that the more popular and more expensive programs will. If you DO like it, it is only 60.00 to license and includes all future updates.
Great support and tons of tutorials from installing the software to completing a mix and all points in between on YouTube.
Choice of DAW is very subjective, so this is only my personal opinion. I am sure that each one has its pros and cons.
I transitioned from a 16 track Fostex HD recorder and never looked back - except to transfer tracks to Reaper for re-mixing.

[Jack Stoner]

Better yet, Cakewalk Sonar, by BandLab, is free. It is Sonar Platinum (best version) with some fixes and add ons. I have Sonar and Studio One but mostly use Sonar.

You have to download the BandLab app first and then Sonar but after that you don't need the BandLab app unless there is a new Sonar version to download.

https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk

[Rick Schacter]

Here’s something that looks interesting to me.
If you’re only planning to record one or two tracks at a time, this might work for you.
You can always export your tracks to a DAW for editting later if you need to.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pYnWNp2PRK8

https://www.zzounds.com/item--IZOSPIRES ... iid=233674

[Tony Prior]

Here’s something that looks interesting to me.
If you’re only planning to record one or two tracks at a time, this might work for you.
You can always export your tracks to a DAW for editting later if you need to.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pYnWNp2PRK8

https://www.zzounds.com/item--IZOSPIRES ... iid=233674

Interesting Gadget !

But for $300 you can buy a Zoom R8 !

Anyway, many here still only record one track at a time even with the most powerful DAW ! The DAW is still just a tool, use it in it's most simplistic mode, or not ! There are no rules. It's a means to an end.

The premise that we only need a recorder to track 1 or 2 simple tracks sounds very good at the get go, but typically the journey either comes to a crashing halt or requires some intervention ! (also called editing) !

[Rick Schacter]

Interesting Gadget !

But for $300 you can buy a Zoom R8 !

Anyway, many here still only record one track at a time even with the most powerful DAW ! The DAW is still just a tool, use it in it's most simplistic mode, or not ! There are no rules. It's a means to an end.

The premise that we only need a recorder to track 1 or 2 simple tracks sounds very good at the get go, but typically the journey either comes to a crashing halt or requires some intervention ! (also called editing) !

Yep! I agree.
I was just showing ajm yet another option.
There are many good ones these days.
This seems like it would be a nice portable gadget for a songwriter.
If your budget allows you to also get a DAW to import the tracks to, that would be icing on the cake!
It all just depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.

[ajm]

The Zooms AFAIK do not have a MIDI interface.
That negates syncing a drum machine to it.
AFAIK Tascam and Zoom are the only companies left making all in one studios. None of them have MIDI (or CD either).

The Zooms do have some sort of drum machine in them, but I don't know how flexible it is. I have suspicions, though.

I negated to mention that I am very familiar with the Tascam 788. I have owned and used it since 2001. The Tascam 788, for as ancient as it is, is/was a great machine. Even though it's a dinosaur, if they reissued it, I'd buy another one. If they still offered the DP-24 or 32 (notice that I didn't say DP-24 or 32.....SD) I'd buy one of those.

I personally would have to struggle to think of a time when I was limited by having only 8 tracks. For what I do it has been fine. And there's this thing called planning.....

The main thing that comes to mind off the top of my head that I don't like with the 788 is the external CD drive. That is basically the only way to get your files burned to a CD, or to back up your work to WAVs, etc etc etc.
And the CD drive is proprietary, so if it goes down you're basically sunk.
Buying used: There are other issues that negate that option. For me the safest option is to move into the computer generation.

I can "master" on the 788, with no need to export to a DAW.
Yes, I know it is not a super "Pro" level studio. I mentioned that in the original post.

I asked in the OP if either one of them are capable of doing what I outlined.
It sounds like the answer is that they will.

Price wise, an Apple system with an interface is (or can be) in the same ballpark as a PC-interface-Studio One.
I'm sort of leaning one way, but it changes from day to day.

I have a couple of friends that use Cakewalk and like it. I had sort of forgotten about it.
I have also heard good things about Reaper.
The reason that I asked about Studio One is that it's on sale.

Thanks to all for your responses and the discussion.