Gear of the Year 2016 – Best DAW of 2016

2016 was a less crazy year for DAW upgrades than 2015, which saw pretty much every sequencer get a major upgrade. But while this year only saw tweaks, some of them were significant…

Highly Commended DAW – Steinberg Cubase

Details
Price £444
Distributor Steinberg
Contact via website
Web www.steinberg.net

It’s hard to believe that Cubase has been with us for the better part of three decades; indeed, there are certain members of the MusicTech team who remember using the very first version on a floppy disc. It consequently has a huge fanbase and regularly tops our Best DAW category.

The latest version, 8.5, includes some great new features and we’d also urge you to try the iOS version, one of the best music-production experiences you can currently enjoy on an iPad.

Winner – Ableton Live

Details
Price €519
Contact Ableton +49 302 887 630
Web www.ableton.com

2016 was a less crazy year for DAW upgrades than 2015, which saw pretty much every sequencer get a major upgrade. But while this year only saw tweaks, some of them were significant, with Ableton Live nudging up to 9.7 with enhancements that make it even more intertwined with the rather great Push 2 controller.

“I’ve been using the 9.7 beta for some time and, by the way, it’s been very reliable in my setup,” said reviewer and Live expert Martin Delaney.

“There are enough workflow improvements in the update to make it a lot more about Push working without touching the computer, or even looking at it, a lot of the time, and Live 9.7 is really hammering that point home. I was personally a little lukewarm about Push back in the early days, but it really is growing into the monster it always promised to be.”