Craig Anderton
Well-known member
Here's an issue to consider. Are beginners enticed by a pro-level program with a zillion options, but bolts on some features intended for those new to recording? I suspect they would prefer a program built from the ground up toward that goal. That may be what Universal Audio is attempting with Luna.
Interestingly, I tried to address this issue in a proposal for PreSonus well over a decade ago, when Studio One was in its infancy. My goal was a DAW that could appeal to users throughout the process of learning how to make music with a DAW. The core concept was not to follow a multitrack tape studio model like everyone else, but a videogame model with multiple, distinct skill levels. For example, Level 1 would have an ADAT-type user interface - record, play back, and punch, with a mixer to set levels, mute, solo, and pan. That's all. Level 2 would add effects plug-ins. Level 3 would add MIDI and virtual instruments. Level 4 would include comping, and so on.
I had heard PreSonus wanted to crack the educational market, so the proposal involved pairing the DAW with a course on recording that would take the user through each level. I also saw it as a logical way to deal with upgrades. For example, each level would be another $20-$50. Once you hit the 10th level, that would be the final version and would receive periodic free or paid updates. If you were a veteran, you could start there if you wanted. The lower levels would receive only bug fixes, because the whole point was that they would not have "feature creep." The videogame model would also have been ripe for certification, and have psychological ramifications - every time you completed a level, you'd have a feeling of accomplishment, and be excited to move on to the next level.
But the thinking was just too far out of the box at that time, and there was no interest in pursuing it. Nonetheless, I still think the videogame paradigm would be a viable way to create a DAW capable of catering seamlessly to multiple levels of expertise. Or maybe it's just another one of my crazy ideas, like multiband distortion
Interestingly, I tried to address this issue in a proposal for PreSonus well over a decade ago, when Studio One was in its infancy. My goal was a DAW that could appeal to users throughout the process of learning how to make music with a DAW. The core concept was not to follow a multitrack tape studio model like everyone else, but a videogame model with multiple, distinct skill levels. For example, Level 1 would have an ADAT-type user interface - record, play back, and punch, with a mixer to set levels, mute, solo, and pan. That's all. Level 2 would add effects plug-ins. Level 3 would add MIDI and virtual instruments. Level 4 would include comping, and so on.
I had heard PreSonus wanted to crack the educational market, so the proposal involved pairing the DAW with a course on recording that would take the user through each level. I also saw it as a logical way to deal with upgrades. For example, each level would be another $20-$50. Once you hit the 10th level, that would be the final version and would receive periodic free or paid updates. If you were a veteran, you could start there if you wanted. The lower levels would receive only bug fixes, because the whole point was that they would not have "feature creep." The videogame model would also have been ripe for certification, and have psychological ramifications - every time you completed a level, you'd have a feeling of accomplishment, and be excited to move on to the next level.
But the thinking was just too far out of the box at that time, and there was no interest in pursuing it. Nonetheless, I still think the videogame paradigm would be a viable way to create a DAW capable of catering seamlessly to multiple levels of expertise. Or maybe it's just another one of my crazy ideas, like multiband distortion