Newbie seeks advice
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Posted on May 14, 2006 09:06 am
MonarKc
Member Since: May 14, 2006
Hello there,
I am quite a newbe in the music recording field but would like to start a musical project with a friend. We have almost no experience in the field except some basic with an old 4 tracks Tascam porta studio...
We intend to layout some tracks first, but would like to end up being able to record something nice without having to spend months fighting with the lurning curve of monster software like Pro tools, Cakewalk/Sonar, Cubase or name it...
I know nothing comes easy without some effort but there must be a way to achieve good results wihtout being overwhelmed by the so many options of all in one ultra professional tools or having to use too many different softwares.
Is there such a thing as a recording pack for the dummies?
Equipment we got so far:
Recent pc computers (2.2Ghz + 1G RAM)with M-Audio Delta 44 card.
Guitar --> POD 2.0
Bass --> POD 2.0
Keyboard with some Roland vintage synth external modules
Beta Monkey and Drums on demand loops.
We are confused with the so many different softwares around: sequencers, loopers, samplers...
Most of these monsters appear to be geared toward midi users...
Basically what we are looking for first, is an effective and easy software to create quality sounding rhythms (cuting & pasting wav drum loops) along with bass tracks. Then some guitar and keyboard tracks will be recorded.
Regarding budget, we plan to spend about $500 max for softwares
Any help would be much appreciated.
thank you
regards
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May 14, 2006 09:42 am Have you looked in to the lower-end Cakewalk products? Cakewalk Home Studio might be a great solution, not big and expensive, but still very feature filled. I looked at it a while ago and was very impressed www.homerecordingconnecti...tory&id=611
best thing is, if you decide to move up to a bigger, badder app eventually, the interface of Home Studio and Sonar are so similar that all the knowledge you gained in using Home Studio will transfer to using Sonar.
Two other options for decent prices and are good apps are MultitrackStudio www.homerecordingconnecti...tory&id=649 and Tracktion www.homerecordingconnecti...tory&id=607
May 14, 2006 10:06 am I can attest to that. I started using Homestudio and just recently switched to Sonar. It is virtually the same exact thing, in fact Sonar seems to just look prettier and give a little more of a pro feel when you are using it.
I would agree that Homestudio is a great way to go and its cheap. I got version 2XL last year for $150 but its up to 4 somethin now.
Lastly, your POD's will record with USB if needed but your synths will need an interface to get into the computer. If you go with homestudio and get great quality for less money then you may want to invest in an interface of some kind with the rest of your cash.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
May 14, 2006 01:27 pm I will third the Cakewalk recomendation as well. Home Studio is an excelant starting point and is loaded with all the goodies you will need and then some. And it is very reasonalby priced too.
When the time comes to upgrade Cakewalk is very good about allowances toward higher end software if the need arises for you.
Also they keep up to date with any changes in an OS that might effect the performance of their product in Windows.
You really cant go wrong going that route. And Cakewalk is also known for being one of the most intuative bits of software to learn. Their tutorials are very good and they as well have online tutorials that go even deeper into their software if the need arises.
Noize
May 15, 2006 09:24 pm Thank you for your help.
I will definitely check that Cakewalk Home Studio 4.
I read somewhere that Cakewalk/Sonar is more a sequencer and not the easiest for editing loops like drum waves more geared toward midi drumming; some were even using other third party softs like Fruityloop or Acid to create the wav rhythm and then importing the tracks in Sonar? Any idea what they mean? I wish to be able to use my beta Monkey loops without a hassle.
On the other hand you are the pro so If you suggest Home Studio I guess I can't go wrong?
May 15, 2006 09:29 pm Sonar comes with a loop editor and has some decent wave editing capabilities. Obviously not as full featured as a serious wave editor like WaveLab or Sound Forge, but pretty decent. Sonar does have an awesome MIDI sequencing feature/functionality, but it is equally good at recording digital audio and editing.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
May 16, 2006 09:11 pm I use loops in Sonar all the time. Have been doing so for years. It is not a problem at all.
I dont have any problems opening a drum synth in Sonar, creating a drum loop and freezing it to a wav file. It will even Acidize a file for you top use just like in Acid. And it imports Acid files as well for use in Sonar.
