What DAWs is everyone using and why did you choose that particular one or more? Mine is Steinberg Nuendo 4.3. I also just got FL Studio.

In a commercial, release-ready track, do you prefer live acoustic drums or an e-kit? I'm not asking "what's more fun to play" or "what's more authentic." I mean purely from a results and workflow standpoint: consistency, translation, mix speed, revision flexibility, and final master impact. If you're recording a real kit in a typical home or project studio scenario, you're dealing with mic count, placement, phase, bleed, and room tone. In your experience, does the final record actually benefit enough to justify the time, expense, and risk? I have both types of kit, but only enough room to set one up at a time, and the e-kit is much easier to work around. I find that in my studio the acoustic kit's cymbals are much too loud in the final mix compared to the e-kit, but, then again, the e-kit cymbals often feel like they're lacking some character or charm. That might just be my e-kit, though. It's a budget Alesis kit. I'm genuinely curious where experienced ears land on this in 2026. If the goal is a commercial track that competes, do you prefer live drums, an e-kit, or a hybrid (live cymbals with sampled shells, room mics plus triggers, etc.)? What's your default and what makes you change your mind?

Hello, Is there a common ratio/volume balance for Kick + Sub bass in EDM/EBM/Rock genre? So let's say, if my kick is hitting at -6dbs, should the sub bass (not the main bass layer) be hitting at that same level, louder, or lower? So far I have been putting up the sub bass volume by ear, but find it hard to know when it is right. Everything sounds good to me :-)