Okay,
So I'll try to keep this short. My first introduction to computer based music production was through Ableton Live Lite, which was a free add-on to my first midi controller keyboard, and my audio interface. It was very crippled, but it was pretty cool and I learned with it. I then downloaded the free trial for the Ableton Live Suite, which I messed with for the month and enjoyed. I felt however, that because of certain things about it (no multi-monitor support, and the way it handles VSTi's) I would look carefully at other solutions to be my "permanent" DAW.
Long story, short, I finally decided on Cubase 6 to be my DAW of choice. I don't regret that decision. It's powerful. It's pretty, and it's well integrated with the VSTi's and hardware that I enjoy using (Halion, and the Yamaha VST integration with my Motif). It's also particularly great for more traditional ABA style music, and is great for audio recording, which I found a bit ehhh... awkward in Ableton. So that said, with my normal way of working and genres, Cubase is great, and I'm still learning it of course.
That said, I'm really interested in electronic music genres, and Ableton (for various reasons--not the least of which is its powerful instrument racks, effects chains, session views and built in synths) seems to be the DAW of choice for people who work primarily in this genre. I get it. I really do. I ALSO get that DAWs are... what you make them. And I'm ... mostly convinced that Cubase can be made to do what I would like it to do--but I need your help.
I've seen numorous very cool tutorials watching some pretty talented electronic musicians do their work in Ableton, and it's... really impressive in terms of workflow and how effects are handled.
I guess what I'm asking is... are any of you familiar with both of these DAWs? Perhaps use one for one purpose and one for another? Or are you finding a workflow in Cubase / Reaper / Presonus that rivals some of the stuff that Ableton seems to do easily? I'm not one of those guys who just wants to buy the new thing thinking that my music will improve because of some piece of gear, but I am genuinely curious to hear people's suggestions about this.
To summarize, I find Cubase to be GREAT for audio recording, and more traditional forms of music that don't require processor after processor and effects chain after effects chain to manipulate the sound to within an inch of it's life. But when I try to work on those genres that do tend to require this (experimenting with dubstep for example), I'm completely lost in Cubase and it's... somewhat limited selection of effects compared to what Ableton seems to offer.
Anyone out there doing electronic music and working in Cubase or... similar DAWs have any thoughts?
And I already know the obvious answer ("LEARN YOUR DAW!") I'm working on that, but further and more detailed thoughts would be appreciated.