Is Cakewalk by BandLab a good DAW? (2023)

Is BandLab a good DAW?

Cakewalk by BandLab is one of those DAWs, and it works pretty well. Best of all, it is free! In this article, I'll share with you how to get started with Cakewalk, some of its best features, and why I think it is the best DAW for folks who are looking to get into music production.

Cakewalk by BandLab is a continuation of the SONAR Platinum you know and love, and it's significantly better. Cakewalk picks up where SONAR Platinum left off, and has continually evolved with regular updates delivering significant stability and performance enhancements.

Cakewalk's performance and routing are not its strongest side (although still it should not get glitchy after 12 seconds). Reaper, on the other hand, is very flexible with routing and to my personal tests is the most performance-optimized DAW I've ever tried working in.

When comparing FL Studio vs Cakewalk by Bandlab, the Slant community recommends Cakewalk by Bandlab for most people. In the question“What are the best free music making software tools?” Cakewalk by Bandlab is ranked 3rd while FL Studio is ranked 5th.

BandLab offers four high-quality automated mastering settings for your music: Universal, Fire, Clarity, and Tape. You get to choose what sounds best for your music. We don't use machines to make decisions, you get to have the final opinion on what sounds right for your music.

Much like BandLab itself, Cakewalk by BandLab is 100% free.

It's surely the best free DAW out there, but, Cubase is ahead of it in almost every department IMO. Cakewalk development is much more robust than the trickle of updates that Cubase has been getting. I've seen bugs squashed and updates released in as little as a day or two when it comes to Cakewalk.

Each project can have an unlimited number of tracks.

Cross-platform customizable bass, guitar, presets, and vocal FX. Full version collaboration and control tools. Multi-device use across Android, Chromebook, iOS, Mac, tablets, and Windows. Secure storage, collaborations, unlimited projects, high-quality downloads, and algorithmic mastering.

Which DAW is best for beginners?

I find that Cakewalk is a super fun DAW to use for live recording projects and simple audio productions. It comes with all the basics, is incredibly easy to use, it makes it easy to share and collaborate on projects over the web, and it is free.

Cakewalk by BandLab is free.

As for the DAWs used, Billie prefers using Apple's Logic Pro X as her digital audio workstation software for producing music. Logix Pro X is another big hitter in the pop music production industry. Coincidentally, these are also the two that Finneas also likes to use.

Kanye West often does not use a DAW when making music. He uses hardware for sampling, writing, and adding beats. However, he and his team have been seen using both Pro Tools and FL Studio for recording.

Akai MPC 3000

Dre says "I love using the MPC3000.

When you upload to or create Content in BandLab, you remain the owner of the copyright for that Content. However, Forking grants other Users a license to copy, download, modify, synchronise, play, perform, and even potentially commercialise that Content. Read more about our Copyright rules here.

BandLab Autotune | How to use (mobile) - YouTube

Choose the Lowshelf mode, set the frequency to 70Hz, and the gain -10dB. Your vocal should sound silky smooth. BandLab is the flagship digital product in BandLab Technologies' portfolio of music brands, and a leading social music creation platform with a global reach of over 37 million users.

Can you make music with Cakewalk?

What does is teach? DAWs, like Cakewalk, allow for users to record, edit and produce their own music and sounds using sampled audio and hundreds of built-in virtual instruments and effects. Students can record/edit real instruments of their own or use the virtual instruments built into Cakewalk using their keyboard.

To summarize, the best free DAWs are Waveform Free and Cakewalk by BandLab. If you don't require VST plugin support, consider using Studio One Prime by PreSonus. It is an excellent choice for music producers who want to record multi-track audio without using virtual instruments or VST plugins.

From what I have read Cakewalk should be just fine. TTS-1 will work as well. 2022 Audiophile, Windows 11, Cubase Pro 12, Cakewalk Sonar Platinum (now Cakewalk by Bandlab).

"SONAR remains one of the most powerful DAWs on the Windows platform and as is traditional, Cakewalk has bundled even more content with the newest version as well as further improving the core of the application." “The new SONAR is better on all levels: features, stability, and content.

Yes. Cakewalk by BandLab will have VST3 support, so most current VST plugins should operate as normal within the program.

The Cakewalk By BandLab installation files load in the background. There is no progress bar to illustrate that anything is happening but files begin to download as soon as you click on the install button. There are a lot of files in the initial download so reported download times of 30 - 45 minutes are not uncommon.

BandLab itself does currently not generate any revenue. Instead, its parent company Caldecott Music Group makes money from advertising as well as hardware and software sales. Right now, all features and products on BandLab are free to use.

Cakewalk supports two different MIDI file formats, MIDI Format 0 and MIDI Format 1. Format 0 MIDI files contain a single track, with all events stored in that track. Format 1 MIDI files can store up to 7256 tracks, just like Cakewalk project files.

BandLab differs from GarageBand and other DAWs on multiple fronts. It was built from the ground up with a new type of user in mind. BandLab works across devices, using real-time updates and version control like Google Docs instead of static files.

Whether you are brand new to music production or a DAW veteran, BandLab comes with everything a musician needs to create music on the go. If you're looking for a free alternative to Ableton Live, Logic Pro or FL Studio, Band Lab is the best music production application available on iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Does Cakewalk come with instruments?

Cakewalk Studio Instruments includes a high quality Drum Kit, Bass Guitar, Electric Piano, and String Section that can be played stand alone or inside your favorite music-making software such as Cakewalk Music Creator, Apple GarageBand, Magix Music Maker Deluxe, SONY ACID Music Studio, and more (see list below for ...

Cockos Reaper 6 is known as an affordable DAW with a deep feature set. After its generous 60-day, fully featured free trial runs out, it costs only $60 for an individual, noncommercial license.

FL Studio. FL Studio is a go-to for most producers as it's affordable, accessible and a great DAW to learn on. The clean and fun interface means FL Studio is great for arranging samples and writing with pre-recorded audio.

BandLab Autotune | How to use (mobile) - YouTube

BandLab: Me mastered: I think the results from BandLab, sound good, but not great. Still, if you don't want to hire a mastering engineer or take the time and expense of learning how to master, I think BandLab offers a pretty decent choice.

BandLab differs from GarageBand and other DAWs on multiple fronts. It was built from the ground up with a new type of user in mind. BandLab works across devices, using real-time updates and version control like Google Docs instead of static files.

The easiest and most versatile DAW software is PreSonus Studio One. It's easy to use, affordable and is becoming widely used by many professional musicians, engineers and recording studios around the world. Read our full review below and our evaluation of some other great DAW software on the market.

What is the best FX in BandLab?

Choose the Lowshelf mode, set the frequency to 70Hz, and the gain -10dB. Your vocal should sound silky smooth. BandLab is the flagship digital product in BandLab Technologies' portfolio of music brands, and a leading social music creation platform with a global reach of over 37 million users.

Cakewalk by BandLab Free Autotune Tutorial with GSnap - YouTube

The Verdict

Overall, BandLab is an excellent website and integrated app that has a vast number of useful functions and features, and it's free! While the software is fairly new to the industry, it still provides unlimited quality track mastering that is as good as many other similar platforms.

When you upload to or create Content in BandLab, you remain the owner of the copyright for that Content. However, Forking grants other Users a license to copy, download, modify, synchronise, play, perform, and even potentially commercialise that Content. Read more about our Copyright rules here.

Platforms like BandLab allow you as an artist or independent label to make money from your music and fully control your own content. Take BandLab's Albums feature for example – it is completely free to upload an Album, LP, EP, Mixtape or Single to BandLab, and you can then decide how you want to charge for it.

To become a professional mastering engineer can take years but with Bandlab you can sound your best at all times. You will get all the tools you need to show off your talent and the best part is BandLab won't take any credit for it. With Bandlab mastering you also get three unique settings: CD Quality.

Kanye West often does not use a DAW when making music. He uses hardware for sampling, writing, and adding beats. However, he and his team have been seen using both Pro Tools and FL Studio for recording.

What is the cheapest DAW?

Cockos Reaper 6 is known as an affordable DAW with a deep feature set. After its generous 60-day, fully featured free trial runs out, it costs only $60 for an individual, noncommercial license.