DAW Beginner

Hello everyone,
To begin with, I apologize for my approximate English (I'm using ChatGPT for assistance).

I'm new to the field of music and recently bought a keyboard from Native Instruments to have some fun. I don't intend to become a professional, but I've been facing several challenges during the installation process.

Specifically, I opted to install Cakewalk because it's free, but I'm struggling to get it to work properly despite my efforts and those of other users on various forums who seem to be experiencing similar issues.

I'm also a bit lost when it comes to choosing a DAW that suits my amateur needs. The tutorials I've found on the Native Instruments website seem to only cover paid options aimed at professionals, which doesn't fit my situation.

Could you recommend resources or solutions to help me correctly install my keyboard and choose a free DAW that would be suitable for a beginner like me?

Thank you in advance for your help and advice.

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Accepted answers

PK The DJ

If you've bought a Native Instruments keyboard, then you already have a DAW included with your purchase.

Ableton Live Lite.

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JesterMgee

Well, if you want the full experience of integration from Komplete Kontrol with a DAW, a free option is not going to cut it.

As a start, this is what is "officially" supported for full integration with Komplete Kontrol:

https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/4406832231441-How-to-Integrate-Your-Kontrol-Keyboard-with-Your-DAW

This is not to say KK cannot be used in other DAWs, it can load as a plugin in any DAW but will just not offer control of playback/track navigation within the DAW like the above mentioned ones.

There are many DAWs around with many different ways of working because there are many different individuals with varying degrees of how they like to work and what they find intuitive. That is to say, what one may suggest is not what another will say works for them. Choosing a DAW is more about how you like to work when putting together a project.

There are Linear daws that just have a timeline you slot things into, like Cubase, Pro Tools, Logic

There are "Session" based or non-linear DAWs that you can create patterns and scenes such as Ableton, Bitwig and FL Studio

There are more old school "Tracker" DAWs that some still like to use like Buzz Tracker (one of my old faves), FastTracker etc.

Then there are more experimental "sandbox" DAWs which are non-linear but also designed more for creative workflow and quick generation of ideas like Reason and Maschine.

What works for you will depend how you decide you like to work and that will take some time to figure out but i'd say for a beginner, starting off with something like Maschine or FL Studio may be the best start, usually after some time you find the limitations and then progress from there. There are also options such as Reaper which is linear and a little complicated to get started on but the license is pretty cheap and it is fully functional and unlimited with just a startup nag screen so you can test as long as you like and there is a lot of support for it, even unofficial KK support I have heard.

It is not uncommon for most people to use multiple DAWs over time or switch from one to another at some stage. Often most of us will simply pick a DAW to get started, something that looks interesting to get into then learn what you can about it and dedicate time to actually learn it.

Guess the basic question is simply, what do YOU want to actually do?

geiger167

You need to give a bit more information for anyone to give you advice. What operating system are your on, windows or mac ? What keyboard did you get ? What type of music are planning on doing, instrument based or more loop based. All the main DAWs do intro packages depending on what you need, which are usually slightly restricted but offer enough to get you going. Ableton Live/Cubase/Reason etc. Or free ones like UAD Luna/ Reaper/Garageband etc. Depends on what you are on, windows or mac. Set up is usually pretty straightforward as long as your ASIO sound card drivers are uo to date and you follow the set up videos that Native Instruments provide for all their keyboards usually with DAW specific guides

PK The DJ

If you've bought a Native Instruments keyboard, then you already have a DAW included with your purchase.

Ableton Live Lite.

Libella

Thank you very much for your detailed responses!

Let me clarify my situation a bit more: I am using Windows and I recently bought a Komplete Kontrol A61 keyboard ( on this website ). My goal, for now, is to make synthwave music.

Ableron live lite is free with my keyboard ? Really ? Is there a specific page on Native Instruments where this is mentioned ?

PK The DJ

Yes, it's mentioned on the product page. The version included is by Ableton though, not Ableron. 😁

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