Perhaps this is a bit off topic but this thread doesn’t seem to die, I also had some reflections on why these expectation comes up a lot with creative software, I don’t think Renoise is the only software that has these issues, spend some time on KVR forums and you get the impression there are a significant number of users looking for that next update with x new features, and then getting a bit hysterical when too much time passes between updates or lack of communication from developers.
Interesting how you don’t get these strong expectations with hardware devices, I mean for the same price as Reniose you can get a pocket operatorand thats all you get, no updates… ever… and a whole lot less in terms of features. However I seem to have a lot more fun with these devices with their limited sets of options…
Like many people, I have more than enough software to make music with, Ableton, Bitwig, NI Komplete + loads of other plugins, but I haven’t written a complete track in around two years… Granted I do get kicks from making lua tools and playing around with new software but this is a distraction taking me on a coding and sound design path and neglecting song writing skills.
The issue therefore is not what DAW you use but what process and workflow you follow. In this regard the limitations of your tools of choice can be beneficial and should be embraced.
As an example for xmas I got an OP-1and at first glance it is nothing special, a bunch of very digital sounding synths and only 4 tracks of audio, it’s almost the antithesis of the modern audio software world with it’s analogue fetishisation, track and plugin counts etc. After coming from all of my software options I found it incredibly infuriating to work with this thing, it is so damn limited.
But then after a while you learn to start working with it’s limitations, you create happy accidents and follow paths you hadn’t previously considered, making music becomes fun again, productivity increases and I started to appreciate again the power limitations can have in fostering creativity. It has made me see Renoise in a new light and actually changed the way I work with it, the whole tracker paradigm takes you down interesting and new paths that mainstream DAWS will never do, that’s what makes it special.
Anyway I could ramble on but probably best to leave that for the pub! In response to the OP however, if you really must, pick any of the mainstream DAW’s, Logic, Cubase, BItwig, Live, Reaper etc… They all do pretty much the same thing and NONE of them will help you make better music than you can do already with Renoise.
What really matters is your creative process, that is where focus should be applied but we don’t really get threads like “Help me find a new creative process” around here. Maybe that is just the nature of forums, people who are happy with Renoise are just getting on with it and forums are inherently always going to give a skewed perspective.
If you really do feel something is missing in your music making and you have some money burning a hole in your pockets then maybe pick up a cheap piece of hardware, pocket operators, korg volca’s, novation circuit all seem to be fun little devices that may help you rediscover the FUN and create new starting points for future tracks.
