Ive tinkered in a couple of DAWS but i love Ableton the most so i ended up investing in it instead of reaper ect. ( The Standard Versionā¦) ( I get Ableton 12 for free when it releases) I just find it easier to use. Im kinda picky when it comes to DAWS. So i bit the bullet and went for Ableton and i love it. Heres The Chain cover I recorded and edited with Ableton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiWWLoOkHYQ I know you probably can do more with reaper and its alot cheaper (Reaper is Cheaper Oh yeah!) Just find Ableton more user friendly!! Im a beginner in DAWS, so thats why I went with it. My setup consists of Ableton, my two mics, akai keyboard for drums, OBS, Camera, My fender squire Bass, My Taylor Guitar, And my gaming computer LOL!!! Am I crazy for spending that much on a DAW? Thoughts?
$400 for a great piece of software?
Why dont people value software as much as say a guitar or whatever? Plenty of skilled people spent a lot of time on it.
Thats what im saying!! I think its great and love it!!! Though I was just pondering if i should have went with reaper? Whats your opinion?
No idea on the cost or feature comparison but DAWs are complex programs and I think if one works for you better than others thats worth more than features you dont use or $ savings you dont need.
Right! I get it! Thanks for your input!
Ableton Live is a good, professional quality DAW with a lot of support, tutorials, et cetera.
Nice one Byron, I use Ableton as well. Although Iām still using the version that came free with my Focusrite 2i2. I even bought reaper but went back to Ableton because like you say itās more intuitive for me too.
Iāve tried several of the available options. The free version of Ableton that came with my Focusrite Scarlett is the first that Iāve been able to enjoy using.
I have a couple of higher gear priorities on the list right now, but I have come to accept that Iāll be buying the standard version of Ableton eventually.
Josh Skaja has a good Substack article on how to learn songs with Abelton Live (and also Logic).
You have to scroll down a bit (though the first section on theory is also worth reading).
Heās also written an extensive post on how to get a free version, but Iād have to dig a bit to find that.
I donāt think Byron would want to learn about that now. 
Maybe not, but others might.
And I assume Byron got extra features by paying full price.
This is so true. Itās also a niche piece of software so itās not going to sell 10 million copies even if it was cheap. You canāt make software like Ableton overnight and you also have to understand the target audience and what they need, so it requires multiple skill sets to make.
People have got used to the crudware that fills the mobile phone app stores and think all software should cost a dollar or less. That stuff makes money because itās either littered with adverts, sells your data and/or is packed full of micro-transactions.
The alternative to premium priced software is subscriptions and people hate that too. That said, thereās a real incentive for the developer to keep actively developing if they want the money to keep coming in. Many years ago I bought Photoshop for similar money to what Ableton costs now and every couple of years thereād be a major update that cost almost as much again. Photoshop changed to subscription so I now pay Ā£10 per month, updates arrive regularly and overall it feels like a better deal. That might not be the correct model for Ableton but itās the other way that premium software can go.
All this to say, if you use it and are happy with it then no you arenāt crazy. Iām not far enough into my musical journey to need such software so I have no opinion about how it compares to cheaper software thatās out there. Iām a firm believer that generally you get what you pay for
Good thing we have options to choose from.
Finding software that works well for you is huge because recording and mixing etc are energy drainers for me 
Agree with everything you said @mattswain. Iām at a similar point in my journey and soaking up as much info on DAWās as I can find on this forum.
Im the type of person who enjoys sitting at home and mixing/recording my songs. I much prefer that then actually going out and performing lol, now thats an energy drainer for me haha! Glad you guys think im not crazy, cus it really is great and intuitive like you guys say!! Really i got the standard version cus i wanted the overdrive effect for my acoustic LOL! Ill def have to dig around to see what else there is for sure! Thanks guys!
In that case itās even more important youāre happy with your DAW --AND-- willing to invest in significant part of your workflow! 
This is a good thread for me right now.
I just got a new computer and itās totally clean. Nothing on it much more than this computer and a browser.
I need a daw.
Why do you find this ableton easier to use?
I had traction waveform on my old computer.
Donāt seem like many folks here use that.
But me, as a beginner daw operator, I would surely welcome āeasier to useā.
The waveform seemed to work fine enough, though it was quite complicated and I only scratched the surface of what itād do. Waveform never crashed on me and worked as I would expect.
Iād like to install only one daw if I could.
Is there a big reason why I should consider ableton vs waveform? Sell me on why I should spend that $400. 
I honestly could not tell you. Iāve never used waveform. But listen to that song I posted. All done in ableton maybe that can give you an idea!
Thanks Byron,
I did listen to your song. The audio was very good. I assume that was from your new ableton daw then sent to mix with the cool videos you did in a movie program.
You did a real nice song and production there.
I was just trying to figure out why you feel the albetron was easier to use compared to whatever old daw you were using. Not necessarily compared to waveform. Only reason I mentioned waveform was thatās what I was using.
Like is your new daw more intuitive for control, or easier to edit, easier to render or maybe better plugins on the new daw. Stuff like that I guess. As compared to what you were using and familiar with.
Like I said, I need a new daw and am open to suggestions and you seemed real happy that your new daw was easier to use. And Iām all about easy to use for sure. Iām near computer illiterate compared to many folks. So the comment āeasy to useā intrigued me.
Iāve only tinkered with reaper and itās confusing for me, though thereās a ton tutorials for it. Ableton for me is more easy to understand. Thatās why I like it! Never messed with or tried waveform so I couldnāt say. I use Sony Vegas pro for my video editor.