Feb 28, 2007 01:15 pm MIDI capabilities? Cakewalk Sonar is the best...in my not-so-humble opinion.
Whats everyone using for a Recording Program?
Posted on Feb 28, 2007 01:14 pm
sampson_mike
Member Since: Feb 27, 2007
I'm currently using Adobe Audition but I find it very limited. I'm not an overly experienced home recordist but I have been doing this for about a year and am doing as much as I can with Audition...I'm looking for something with Midi capabilities. Anyone has any suggestions or sites whatever, where I might be able to try it, let me know !
Thanks
Mike
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Feb 28, 2007 01:15 pm MIDI capabilities? Cakewalk Sonar is the best...in my not-so-humble opinion.
Feb 28, 2007 01:49 pm I use Kristal Audio Engine just for recording cause I like the nice simple big lay-out and I mix everything in Adobe Audition 2.0
And I master everything in T-Racks24
Feb 28, 2007 01:58 pm Audition 2.0 for me. It is fantastic for everything except.... *drum roll* MIDI :)
Other than that though, what did you find limiting about it?
Feb 28, 2007 02:27 pm I used AA 2.0 for awhile but I switched away from it due to the CPU overhead. I'm now using Sonar 6 which seems a lot more efficient.
Feb 28, 2007 02:51 pm I used Kristal Audio for a while, but it has no MIDI support.
I use Cubase SE now, and while its great for tracking audio, using MIDI in it is a bit like trying to paint a portrait with finger paints.
OK bad analogy...its hard. there.
Feb 28, 2007 03:15 pm That's odd. Some of my mixes are nearing 30 tracks with effects and what not. I'm pretty smart about using Buss tracks now but I never really thought it to be CPU intensive.
I'm on a 3.2 with a raptor for programs and a 160 seagate for swap file though.
Feb 28, 2007 03:32 pm I've been toying with Reaper for awhile, it's quite full-featured.
It's MIDI is coming along quite quickly.
I've been using FL studio for midi/ synth/ drum work. It's quite nice to work in, but it gets pricey to do midi and the synth I use (sytrus).
Reaper is 40$ for non-commercial use.
www.cockos.com/reaper
Feb 28, 2007 10:33 pm Well, my problem is I sing, play guitar/piano/bass. But most times, its easier to VST the piano and bass and midi them....but AA 2.0 which I have, but as you all know....no midi support. I then went out and bought (on sale) Mackie Tracktion but oddly enough it won't let me output the midi sound to my M-Audio Mobile Pre, which is pissing me off (if anyone knows Tracktion.....let me know) so its been a big heap of hell and a waste of money. I've been told Sonar is pretty well put together recording Virtual Instruments through Midi......maybe I'll spend more money and try it :S
thanks guys !
Feb 28, 2007 10:50 pm I'm sure you would be happy with Sonar but at the same time Reaper is really starting to gain good ground. It might be an idea to ride that wave so to speak.
Feb 28, 2007 10:52 pm i really [REALLY] dig Sony Acid Pro 6.0! it has great multitrack and MIDI capabilities!!!
Mar 03, 2007 11:43 pm I use Sonar 6 Producer Edition along with Project 5 version 2. Both of course from Cakewalk.
Mar 04, 2007 09:36 am Ardour and other Linux stuff here
Mar 05, 2007 02:21 pm AGAIN I TELL YOU!! ACID ROX!! i just did a comparison between acid and REEPER!!
ACID = Reaper [well almost at least but acid is hundreds more!!]
if u want quality use ProTools
Mar 05, 2007 02:25 pm Quote:
if u want quality use ProTools
OUCH!
Mar 05, 2007 02:28 pm Quote:
if u want quality use ProTools
pfffffffft, so untrue it laughable.
More like "if you have money burning a hole in your pocket and want to spend more than you have to use ProTools"
Mar 05, 2007 03:23 pm Digidesign are like drug pushers...er....man.....
You like it kid....yeah?.....you're going to need an upgrade....and you're going to need a new interface....and here's the new version.........You wanna do what?...sure!.....you just need to buy this....and this...and this....and two of these.....
Mar 05, 2007 10:10 pm hahahhaa yeah!! but it does sound good and has krap-load of extras [tones, low-latency, etc.]
does anyone know any freeware versions of protools or sonar for Windows?!?!
Mar 06, 2007 05:58 am yeah, there is a free version of ProTools, but I think it's still designed for Windows 98 :-)
Mar 06, 2007 10:04 pm hey! im not sure if u guys saw my other post. but i just bought magix music maker 11.. is it any good? do u know any places i could get instructions on how to use it???
Mar 06, 2007 10:34 pm I've not seen it, but ,
site.magix.net/english-us...usic-tutorials/
here's some starters.
Mar 06, 2007 10:37 pm I tried the Magix stuff... didn't like what it sounded like after mixdown . Something wasn't right... kind'a weird . Maybe 11 is their lucky number ?
As far as help is concerned, there's always the Help menu .
Mar 07, 2007 10:35 pm This is my second stab (the whole message
just got erased for some reason). BMonkey, I responded to your other post about Magix--I would
try using 11. You need to just hunker down and
start recording with it, and before long you'll swear by it. My eyes glazed over the first few times I tried Magix 2005, and my first few recordings sounded bad. Not anymore. (At least I don't think they do!) It's a bit overwhelming at
first, but remember that three quarters of the stuff you see you don't need to use--not at first.
I'll post some music here one of these days when I figure out how to do that, so you can get some idea of what I've been doing with this particular
DAW.
Mar 07, 2007 10:41 pm Yep, PT is for those who don't know what to do with their money except spend it on dumb stuff that cost too much so they can say they have the best. Most expensive yes, best, not hardly. I will toss my Sonar 6 PE and audio interface gear up against most any PT rig out there. It isn't how much you spent on it, its how you use it. And 7a5% of they users out there haven't got a clue.
Just so you know, Sonar comes with 10 times the pluggins and usable stuff then PT. And it will also use several differant types of pluggins and synths. Can PT do that? Nope! Is there any free pluggins for PT? Nope.
Mar 07, 2007 10:54 pm Also, doesn't PT require the use of their
own proprietary sound card? (Digidesign, I
think). Anyway, from what I've read, PT is the DAW of choice for many, many producers and mixers
in the upper reaches of the recording world, where
money is often no object. Pro Tools has hit the
pinnacle, and it will probably remain there for some time. Me, I'll keep slavin' away with what I got. If I had unlimited funds (and more importantly, time), I'd get it all, and learn it all. In the end, noize to u is right.
Mar 07, 2007 11:02 pm Yeah, PT is a hardware/software package...at this point, from interviews and articles I have read PT is the choice these days because they need to be compatible with other studios, so nobody will move off of it...a few forward thinking studios are saying hell with it and moving to Nuendo, Cubase or Sonar...with a few impressive names and credits behind each of them.
Mar 08, 2007 01:48 am Logic Pro 7.2 - i'm still getting to grips with it, always been a Cubase user, but i got Logic cheap and i like the darker screen, less distracting while mixing.
Mar 08, 2007 09:03 am ive been using magix 11 and i am surely getting hooked.. except i tend to use a lil too much reverb [makes my songs sound too echo and far away]
Mar 08, 2007 09:04 am how can i use magix to make the song full and rich sounding w/o making it echo-y and springy.
Mar 08, 2007 09:27 am that'd be best done after mixing, in the mastering of the music.
HarBal would help you with easy, quality mastering.
Mar 08, 2007 11:18 am compression on tracks, EQ, then compression again on master. Maybe a little different type, for different needs.
Then HB, like dB said.
Mar 08, 2007 11:25 am Steinberg Magneto rocks too, really adds a lot to a good mix. As well as Waves Ultramaximizer
Mar 08, 2007 10:24 pm I don't know, BMonkey, because I don't know
what kind of music you're recording. I do know
that I've . . . never used compression! That's right, I've never used it. Well, I've tried it
with some stereo-tracked drums (five mics mixed down to stereo and then recorded), but I always get rid of it again, and wind up using EQ, with
some judicious reverb. I think if you are getting
that "echoey, springy" effect with the reverb, you are using too much, in the wrong way. It took me a while to figure out the reverb (actually, I'm not done figuring it out yet), where to use it, and what kind, and how much.
I'm pretty sure the compression thing comes from the old days of analog tape, where tape saturation
yielded that wonderful "packed" sound. My reluctance to use it comes from something I read about ten years ago, by a Chicago-based engineer and producer named Steve Albini. "I hate compression," he wrote. "It makes everything sound like a f**kin" beer commercial."
Of course, that's one man's opinion. Here's a good tip about reverb, though: Get some freeware called SIR. It something called convolution reverb, and it's out of this world.
It was written by a German fellow. I can't remember the exact name of the site , but try
googling the all-caps name. Down load it, and
begin experimenting with it as a plug-in in the DAW.
One more thing: Don't add any processing until a nice, strong signal is on tracks. I know some people do add compression going in, but this seems unnecessary to me, even though I don't use it. I used to add EQ to a mic before I recorded, but stopped doing that--once its added, its impossible to remove, but easy to add later.
If you can't find SIR, I'll post the site later in the week.
Mar 11, 2007 02:16 pm I use Pro Tools LE7
If I could do it all over again...
I'd inherit three million dollars and get Pro Tools HD 7. Everyone talks smack about PT, not cause it sucks, but because living in hollywood is cheaper
Mar 13, 2007 10:23 pm Every one talks smack about PT because it is way over priced for what you get. I'm sorry but my rig is as good as any PT rig of equal input and was less then one quarter the cost, probably even less.
One thing that is just not correct is the fact that people think you can't work in PT and another DAW. It's just not true. Granted proprietary project formats aren't readily transferred from DAW to DAW. But I have worked cross platform for many years using wav and OMF files. It is just a matter of export and import, simple as that.
Mar 13, 2007 10:51 pm I talk smack about PT because they had me on hold for 6 hours...
Mar 14, 2007 04:16 am You can cross-platform between pretty much everything if you use wavs lined up to the same start position.
I still do a lot in Cubase LE as it's so familiar and then take it over to Logic to mix. I still find the editing far easier in Cubase.
Mar 14, 2007 08:59 pm I ended up goin with Sonar5PE, after upgrading from GTP3... and upgraded again to PE6, shortly there after . I think I'll be happy with this set up for many years to come, as it offers much room for growth .
Which reminds me, I haven't said this in a while, and since this topic is so relative to my studios growth through software choices...
Thanks HRC ! Thankyou for providing a place that sorts out all the bullshit . Y'all ROCK !
Mar 16, 2007 09:01 pm Hey Hue, you know your welcome. And your also one who helps others sort out the bull. Thats what makes this site rock!
And I'll second about crossing systems and platforms. I have been doing it for years without any problems at all. Its just like striping a tape with a test tone in the old days. I still do that even in the digital world when I know I'm going to be going across a couple different DAW's.
Apr 19, 2007 07:04 pm I'm using Reason to compose and mix before Re-wiring to Logic to add audio tracks (Logic's good for composition and arranging too, though!) Seem to be the only guy using Reason to record good old rocknroll and more experimental stuff - or does someone out there know a Reason-related site not overun with wannabe DJ's and Trance kids?
Apr 20, 2007 02:42 am I like the sound of test tones .
Like the 'ol chrome cassettes that had 'em... even before chrome...
I'd use 'em just for the feel of it...
Almost like a countdown to listen... I like the notion it lends the listener... like...
"Shad'ap... it's On ."
Rock on, man .
May 28, 2007 07:14 pm I use Sony acid music studio.
May 28, 2007 08:39 pm I'm using Tracktion 2, awaiting the arrival of the upgrade to the tracktion 3 ultimate bundle upgrade.I have never used anything else before and I thought this had a smaller learning curve. So far I love the parts I've been able to figure out. Then again I have no idea what I'm missing.
May 29, 2007 12:14 pm I used Cool Edit Pro for awhile and then upgraded to Adobe Audition 2.0. It is a nice DAW, but one thing I realized right away was the fact that it is a major CPU hog. If I have 8 tracks and decide to use the built-in Parametric Equalizer, I can barely play the tracks back because of all of the hiccups and what not. Then I got a demo version of Isotope and decided to use it in Multi-track non-destructive mode, and that crashed me all together, just applying the plug-in to one measily track. I ultimately can freeze the tracks, I know but still. I have had Sonar 6.0 Home sitting in my PC for a few months now and decided to give it a shot over the weekend, and wow what a difference. I imported 8 wavs into it from the latest song I've been working on and used Isotope on 3 of the 8 tracks so far and I am only taking 46% of the CPU's usage so far. Bottom line is that Sonar 6 is alot less of a hog and sounds great too. It's taking me some getting used too, but I think I'll live. I also love the little picture icons you can place on the track, hehe. I am recording the vocals and keyboards today before band practice, so I will now get a chance to try recording with Sonar and not just importing already recorded WAVs. Is there a major difference in the quality of sound between AA2.0 and Sonar that anyone has experienced here?? What about Sonar in comparison with others as far as quality of sound goes??
May 29, 2007 12:23 pm I hated CEP because I thought the sound quality sucked back in the CEP days, before Sonar Cakewalk's app was called "Pro Audio", and I didn't like that sound quality either, Cubase was far superior for my ears. When Cakewalk dumped the "Pro Audio" name and released Sonar 1.0 their sound quality improved 100%...today, in my opinion, it is no different from Cubase, ProTools or any of the other big named apps out there. AA I have never even seen, much less used so I can't comment on that.
May 29, 2007 03:46 pm In AA2.0 you want to change your buffers. Keep them low when recording, and jack them up when applying effects and mixing. It's under the Audio Hardware setup. I run a P4 and can compress/EQ my tracks, apply some verb and run izotope on the master at the same time without locking tracks.
May 29, 2007 08:50 pm I was until recently using AA 2.0, I've since switched over to Sonar 6PE. I got tired of waiting for them implement midi support and the total lack of support in resolving bugs present in 2.0. I still use it for wav editing when I have the need but thats it.
Dan
May 30, 2007 01:14 pm I went into AA2.0 and found the Buffer Size for WAV's in the Edit/Preferences section. I changed it from 32mb to 256mb and I still get hiccups. What can you suggest I change the buffer size too??
May 30, 2007 07:07 pm I like Cubase, it has many capabilites and great for midi stuff!
I cut my teeth on Cakewalk programs didn't much care for them, you couldn't give me one for free.
Just my 2 cents, with inflation that's $14.75
May 30, 2007 08:23 pm I use anything but more importantly, I hear better than you.
just kidding
no really
Jun 02, 2007 01:07 am Used to use Cubase, but I went to ProTools and am never looking back.
Jun 02, 2007 02:33 am Pro tools... I cant wait till I can afford it... Maybe then I can actually try it out and see for myself what all the fuss is about...mlol
Jun 02, 2007 09:16 am You can easily (and afford to) just do an LE system or M-Powered. I run M-powered at home, you can do an interface and the program for like 400 bucks. It has an ADAT input as well so you can expand whenever you want. After using the other programs, ProTools seems much more logical and I find the feautres to be better than the competitors. Definately worth the time and money. I think when everyone thinks ProTools they think they have to get an HD rig which you can easily spend over 10 grand on, but honestly, that's a waste unless you're doing monster projects. LE is extremely powerful and if you have a rockin' computer, a lot of times it will out perform an HD rig. I know mine does.
Jun 02, 2007 09:23 am ProTools will give you absolutely, positively nothing more than Sonar, Cubase or a multitude of other solutions...it's comical to me that ProTools is still such a sought-after product.
Jun 02, 2007 10:05 am Pro Tools is popular because the studios use it, it's the industry standard. Having said that, I tried the Pro Tools m powered LE, used it once and with great joy returned back to Cubase.
People like what they like and what they feel comfortable with. I've tried them all and for me Cuase meets my every need.
Jun 02, 2007 10:22 am Yup, Pro Tools is one very large investement for a studio and it is unlikely they are going to move away anytime soon. It is just that an industry standard. Schools center around Cubase to offer student's the hope of being hired into a studio, etc. In the real world, and that is becoming more predominant even with established groups all of the above progs are being used with equal or greater success. I have chosen Cubase. It too has a financial burden to keep up with new releases etc. but nothing like Pro Tools. To date I've seen no reason to 'jump ship' and move to another prog. Not that the other progs are inferior. They simply don't offer anything more than Cubase and as I now purchase upgrades and have numerous plugs for Cubase, it makes no financial sense to move.
Jun 02, 2007 07:43 pm I had to learn ProTools when I was at school. Before that I was into Cubase, but after working with ProTools for a few months it seemed to make more sense to me. I find it to work more like a console especially the automation part. There's alot of great program out there though.
Jun 03, 2007 12:29 am I take it you have never used Sonar then. I run huge projects and custom build the consoles right in Sonar as I go. Bussing architecture is superb and as good or better the PT LE. And the factory pluggins that come with Sonar PE are far and above more useful then what I have seen in any of the M-Powered systems. Not dissing those who choose that route, but I would never send anyone in that direction. I'm not tied to any proprietary pluggin architecture and don't have to pay extra to use some converter to run pluggins that aren't native to my DAW. As well if you want to export to an OMF file it will cost you $500 for the ability to do that. And OMF is becoming the most common way to transfer project between studios using different DAW's.
And what happens if you suddenly need to plug in a rig to get more than 10 channels of audio coming in at once? I simply plug it in, no need to upgrade to another more expensive version.
Jun 03, 2007 12:49 am Everybody's got preferences. Like I said, lots of great programs out there. And with any of the "standards" i.e. Sonar, Cubase, ProTools, they will all serve their purpose to great extents it's just what you're into to. I still dig Cubase, but ProTools is for me.
Jun 10, 2007 01:03 pm Im fresh out the womb. If all I want to do is record some acoustic, vocals, and maybe a key board every now and again, what program would you suggest? I don't need all the bells and whistles, I just want decent equalizing capables ect. Also, I go to college and live off of noodles and beans, so the cheaper the better, efficiency is the route i choose. Aaalso, would anyone suggest me using a mixer just for acoustic? I usually do straight from a mic (one i splurged on) but it doesnt seem to help much, is it the WAY im recording? I use audacity now and the Cool Edit Pro free trial as programs currently. thanks!
Jun 10, 2007 04:00 pm IF you run through this thread you will see many different application's listed. Some are cheaper then others. If you take a look in our software links, www.homerecordingconnecti...8&cat_id=18 you will find many freeware, shareware and full on applications.
If you are just starting out I would suggest trying out one of the freeware app's and see what feels good to you. Then you can look into something like Cakewalk Home Studio or the like which are a light version without all the big pluggins that are in their larger applicatioin's.
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