Simple 5.1 DAW in 2023 for untrained idiot?

[somethingcleveridunno]

If I've got no experience working in DAWs, just doing basic cleanup/mixing in Audacity/Adobe Premiere, and having worked with a physical mixing board quite a lot some 20 years ago in college... what Windows program would any of you recommend for me to play around making surround mixes from stems in (current year)?

 

[Mr. Afternoon]

If I've got no experience working in DAWs, just doing basic cleanup/mixing in Audacity/Adobe Premiere, and having worked with a physical mixing board quite a lot some 20 years ago in college... what Windows program would any of you recommend for me to play around making surround mixes from stems in (current year)?

Reaper. But it's got a higher learning curve.

If you've got Adobe Suite try using Audition first.

 

[somethingcleveridunno]

Reaper. But it's got a higher learning curve.

If you've got Adobe Suite try using Audition first.

Shallow learning curve with a lower ceiling is definitely where I'm at!

 

[Old Quad Guy]

Adobe Audition 3 and earlier versions have the nice surround window to mix very easy. But, if I’m remembering right, they removed this with version 4, along with the center extraction option, not allowing to do Quad decoding with the scripts. Not sure what AA looks like now.

 

[Mr. Afternoon]

Adobe Audition 3 and earlier versions have the nice surround window to mix very easy. But, if I’m remembering right, they removed this with version 4, along with the center extraction option, not allowing to do Quad decoding with the scripts. Not sure what AA looks like now.

Modern AA works fine for surround.

 

[Mr. Afternoon]

Shallow learning curve with a lower ceiling is definitely where I'm at!

AA probably a good choice then.

 

[JediJoker]

The easiest to learn, for a newbie, is probably Apple Logic Pro X. It's only $200 for a perpetual license, which is a screaming deal for a full-featured DAW, especially one as jam-packed with built-in content as Logic. It includes support for up to 7.2.4, if I'm not mistaken, and maybe beyond.

Of course, it's only for macOS, so it won't work for you if you're on Windows or Linux.

 

[Methuselah’s Grandpa]

I used to only use Audacity, it actually works pretty well for surround sound, but it's kind of clunky & you'll need to utilize more 3rd-party plug-ins than you would if you just used Adobe Audition, which has a lot of built-in effects, processes, utilities, etc. that are engineered for 5.1 audio. I mix A LOT of songs in surround, do it everyday & I mainly use Audition. If you're interested, there's many YouTube videos, forums, & also a subreddit for tutorials & such.

I do still use Audacity to create mixes with more than 6 channels (5.1.4, 7.1, 7.1.4, etc) but the bulk of the mixing is still done with Adobe. One day I might attempt to switch to Reaper & see what all the fuss is about. If you decide on Audition & have trouble figuring something out, I might be able to help.

 

[fetchmybeer]

Reaper. But it's got a higher learning curve.

If you've got Adobe Suite try using Audition first.

I use Reaper and figuring out how to route everything for 5.1 has proven to be way too daunting. I"d need a couple weekends, I think. I keep hoping against hope that one of their updates will make the process much more user friendly.

 

[mandrix]

Audition has been my go to for years. Mixed with a little Plogue Bidule as well. Bidule is not a DAW so much as people think of them, yet a very configurable audio software.
Routing the audio in Audition can be a pita (above 5.1) but persistence pays off.