Question 1: “How Do You Primarily Engage with Audio Production?”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
For this question, participants were given three options. I divided music production into two categories: \u201cprofessional\u201d and \u201chobbyist.\u201d However, since nearly all individuals working in post-production operate at a professional level, I did not differentiate between \u201cprofessional\u201d and \u201chobbyist\u201d in this category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Out of 1,247 respondents, 638 indicated they are professionally involved in music production (51%), 550 said they pursue music production as a hobby (44%), and 59 reported working in post-production (audio for visual media), accounting for 5%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The distribution is nearly identical to last year\u2019s results (51% professional, 43% hobbyist, and 6% post-production).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Out of 1,247 respondents, 707 stated they primarily use Windows (57%), 536 reported using macOS (43%), and 4 mentioned using Linux.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year, the share of Windows users was similar at 56%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before announcing the winner of the 2024 DAW survey, I want to note that DAW preferences vary significantly among professionals, hobbyists, and those working in post-production. I\u2019ll delve into these differences in detail below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, let\u2019s reveal the winner of the 2024 DAW survey\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The top spot in the 2024 DAW survey goes to LOGIC PRO<\/strong> (Apple). I find this result fascinating because Logic Pro runs exclusively on macOS! For a DAW limited to a single operating system to take the top spot is truly remarkable!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Breaking down the numbers, Logic Pro received 21% of all votes, 49% of the votes from macOS users, 47% of votes from professional macOS users, and an impressive 61% of votes from hobbyist macOS users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Congratulations, Logic Pro!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past few years, I\u2019ve noticed more and more people in my circle using Logic Pro. It turns out this wasn\u2019t just a local trend\u2014there\u2019s a general shift toward Logic Pro. It makes sense: for a reasonable price, you get an outstanding DAW packed with dozens of audio processing tools and virtual instrument plug-ins. Plus, because it\u2019s designed exclusively for macOS, it runs seamlessly. And as if that weren\u2019t enough, updates are always free of charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In second place is FL STUDIO<\/strong> (Image-Line), which received 19% of all votes. Nearly all FL Studio users are on Windows (95%), and their internal distribution is 48% professional and 52% hobbyist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Third place goes to STUDIO ONE<\/strong> (PreSonus). Despite winning the DAW survey five times\u2014including last year\u2014Studio One finished this year in third place, with 18% of all votes. The majority of Studio One users are on Windows (78%). Among Studio One users overall, including those on macOS, the split between professionals and hobbyists is evenly distributed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fourth place is CUBASE<\/strong> (Steinberg), which received 13% of the votes. Among all DAWs in the survey, Cubase has shown the most fluctuation in rankings. It has twice claimed the top spot, only to experience a decline in subsequent years. In 2020, it regained momentum but narrowly lost the first-place position to Studio One by just one vote. In 2021, Cubase experienced a sharp drop to fifth place, where it remained through 2022 and 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The majority of Cubase users work on Windows (76%). Across all Cubase users, including those on macOS, the breakdown is as follows: 57% professional, 42% hobbyist, and 2% post-production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fifth place goes to LIVE<\/strong> (Ableton). Live has consistently ranked in fourth or fifth place in the survey over the years, and this year was no different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A majority of Live users (58%) work on macOS. Among all Live users, the distribution is 55% professional, 44% hobbyist, and 1% post-production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In sixth place is PRO TOOLS<\/strong> (Avid). Pro Tools has consistently ranked in the sixth or seventh position in recent years, and this year is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The majority of Pro Tools users (80%) work on macOS. Among professionals in music production, 8% prefer Pro Tools, while 54% of those working in post-production choose it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seventh place goes to REAPER<\/strong> (Cockos). Like Live and Pro Tools, Reaper has maintained its position in the rankings consistently over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below is a ranked list of the top seven DAWs from the 2024 survey. The numbers in square brackets indicate each DAW\u2019s position in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the interesting findings from this year\u2019s survey is that the overall rankings are identical to the rankings among professionals in the music production field! As shown in the table below, even the percentages are close. Just like in the overall rankings,\u00a0LOGIC PRO<\/strong>\u00a0(Apple) also came out on top in the list of professionals this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find the rankings and percentage breakdown of professionals\u2019 preferences in the table below (DAWs with less than 1% of votes are excluded).<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, when we separate the responses of professionals and hobbyists in music production, we see some differences in the rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For hobbyists in the 2024 DAW survey, the top choice was FL STUDIO<\/strong> (Image-Line). In second place was STUDIO ONE<\/strong> (PreSonus), followed by LOGIC PRO<\/strong> (Apple) in third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the hobbyist rankings, CUBASE<\/strong> (Steinberg) came in fourth, LIVE<\/strong> (Ableton) was fifth, REAPER<\/strong> (Cockos) took sixth place, and GARAGEBAND<\/strong> (Apple) rounded out the list in seventh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find the rankings and percentage breakdown of hobbyists\u2019 preferences in the table below (DAWs with less than 1% of votes are excluded).<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to operating systems, professionals were evenly split, with 50% using macOS and 50% using Windows. For hobbyists, however, the preference leaned more toward Windows (67%), followed by macOS (32%) and Linux (1%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned earlier, since nearly all individuals working in post-production are professionals, I did not make a distinction between \u201cprofessional\u201d and \u201chobbyist\u201d in this category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 2024 survey, the top choice among those working in post-production was once again PRO TOOLS<\/strong> (Avid), with a significant lead at 54%. While Pro Tools continues to lose popularity in music production, particularly with the rise of home studios, it remains the dominant DAW in the post-production field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In second place was LOGIC PRO<\/strong> (Apple), followed by NUENDO<\/strong> (Steinberg) in third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find the full list of DAWs used in post-production, along with their vote counts and percentages, in the table below (DAWs with less than 1% of votes are excluded).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of operating systems, Mac OS X was the overwhelming choice in the post-production category, preferred by 75% of users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s often assumed that DAW preferences are habitual and not easily changed. However, just like last year, the results of this question challenge that assumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Out of 1,247 respondents, 444 (36%) reported using their primary DAW for 1\u20133 years, while 357 (29%) said they\u2019ve been using it for 4\u20136 years. These results suggest that habits can, in fact, change over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Apple Music\u2019s adoption of spatial audio in 2021 and the subsequent integration of Dolby Atmos into nearly all major DAWs, Atmos has transitioned from being a tool primarily used in high-end studios for audio post-production to gradually becoming more popular. Building on this trend, I asked participants in the 2023 DAW survey whether they had any experience or opportunities to work with Dolby Atmos. This year, I posed the same question to the respondents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 2024 DAW Survey, 8% of participants reported currently working with Dolby Atmos, a slight increase from 7% last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, 21% of respondents stated that they have experienced Atmos. Among those, 52% (representing 11% of all participants) said they plan to incorporate Atmos into their workflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, 58% of respondents indicated they have not yet experienced an Atmos system. Meanwhile, 13% of participants stated that they don\u2019t know what Dolby Atmos or spatial audio is. These percentages are almost identical to last year, suggesting that Atmos has not seen significant growth in popularity throughout 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find the breakdown of responses in the table below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Post-Production Perspective…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The situation is quite different in post-production. In this field, 47% of respondents are already working with Dolby Atmos. Notably, none of the participants working in post-production reported being unaware of Dolby Atmos or spatial audio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A significant majority\u201473% of participants\u2014stated that they do not use a DAW on mobile devices. This is consistent with previous years, where the results ranged between 75\u201378%, showing no significant change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find the breakdown of responses in the table below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ufukonen.com\/tr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024_DAW_Survey_Results_01.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nQuestion 2: “What Is Your Primary Computer Operating System?”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nQuestion 3: “Which DAW Do You Primarily Use?”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#1<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#3<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#4<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#5<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#6<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#7<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nDifferences Between Professional and Hobbyist Preferences<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPost-Production (Audio for Visual Media)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nQuestion 4: “How Long Have You Been Using This DAW?”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nQuestion 5: Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio are now integrated into DAWs like Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Studio One, Cubase, and Ableton Live. Have you had a chance to try or work with it?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nQuestion 6: “Do You Use a DAW on Mobile Devices?”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n