Digital audio workstation (DAW) software for BTEC Music syllabus? What do you use?

[Garacesh]

We need some software for the BTEC Music kids and we're, well, a bit stuck.

 

Currently we use a combination of Notate 2, Anvil Studio and Musescore (due to limited budgets), but apparently things have changed recently and that's not enough anymore.

 

The kids, according to our Music teacher, now need to be able to do the following:

• Record input from an instrument, e.g. a MIDI keyboard
  
• Manually enter sheet music by hand
  (Bonus points if it understands/is compatible with MuseScore's .mscz files)
  
• Create loops based on that input
  
• Have multiple audio tracks in one project
  
• Mix those tracks, e.g. reverb, levels
  
• Export the finished project as an audio file
  

 

I've shown her LMMS, she feels it's a sledgehammer-for-a-walnut approach and it's way too complex her for and the kids.

The exam board have recommended PreSonus Studio One 4 Prime, which is free but only provides 5 licenses (though I haven't found any information about those license limitations, so I've tried to run it off an application server to mixed success)

I know FL Studio (formerly Fruity Loops) is still a thing and I do know they do educational discounts but I have no experience with it.

She's enamoured with GarageBand but we can't afford a bank of iPads or Macs.

We had Cubase in the past, but that was only licensed for one machine and the department have lost the accompanying USB dongle which the software won't run without.

Sibelius 7 is licensed for the staff machines but the prevailing opinion is it's way beyond our budget to license it for additional pupil computers (though I'm not sure on the exact price-per-license).

 

What software are other schools using?

Edited November 28, 2018 by Garacesh

[ICTDirect_Dave]

I say it every time this crops up.

 

But IMO Ableton Live is your best bet. It's top quality, has all the functionality you need and has by far the most intuitive interface of all the professional audio mixing software.

 

I can't help you on costs i'm afraid, but I'm sure Live Lite would be enough for your needs.

[DalekSec]

Sibelius 7.5 here, 11 user licenses (small school) along with Logic.

 

In past last School did use Qubase, then went over to Reaper.

 

Sibelius 7.5 does do the job but is a few years of out date now, no idea what current version is like.