I need new recording software

[The Norwegian Guy]

Hey guys!
I need some new recording software for my new computer.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I could really use a good sequenser and e bad ass EQ.

 

[AndyG]

Oh boy .... talk about an open-ended question!!!!

The software you want will be dependant on a number of things.  First of all, is the new computer a Mac or PC?  (not that it really matters, unless you want to go with Logic as your recording software).  Secondly, are you doing mostly MIDI, mostly live, or a combination of both?  Will you want to record multiple mics/instruments at the same time, or are you going to record everything yourself, 1 instrument at a time?  Do you have MIDI sound modules, or are you looking for a bunch of software synths? 

The only software that is picky about what hardware it is connected to is ProTools (and that may have changed since they released v9 .... ProTools "native", I'm still running v8).  If anything, you should decide how you want to get the signals into your computer first (built-in soundcard or external interface) and decide on the software based on that.

In my experience, all recording software works pretty much the same way, with some having steeper learning curves than others.  The ones that are easy to use generally offer less options (which is what makes them easy to use), and the more complicated ones offer more flexibility.

As far as a "bad-ass EQ", the plugin packages offered with all recording software will usually have something adequate.  If you want to go boutique, you'll have to purchase 3rd party software.

Finally, the all-important question of budget .... how much are you willing to lay down?

 

[ptirman]

He's right, tough question. If you're in the evaluation stage check out Ableton Live 8, Logic Pro/express and Reason. I find Ableton particular friendly and the warp engine is phenomenal, allowing one to fix timing mistakes as well as change tempo and even pitch if you want. I find it easier than flex time.

 

[Superlizard]

Reaper - used by n00bs and pros alike.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Pro Tools 9 doesn't care what you have hooked to it anymore.  If you are running Win 7, it is the only one of the Avid family that works with it now.  You also will need a dongle for Pro Tools 9.

There are other options that are cheaper, or perhaps better suited to your needs.  But, and this really depends on you, Pro Tools is used pretty much anywhere if you are going to collaborate with others.  Not that you can't move things from one software package to another, but that is one of the nice things about using PT.

If I were going about getting the package, I'd get an Digidesign Mbox, and get whomever sold it to me to sign the transfer papers to put it in your name.  Then the Crossgrade is much cheaper.  Unfortunately, that task is not always the easiest to accomplish.
Patrick

 

[The Norwegian Guy]

Sorry for the stupid question. I was half asleep when I posted.
Well... I want something userfriendly that I can just plug into and record without using ages pulling my hair because of bugs and stupid sollutions on things.
And I need a sequencer! I don't have a sequencer now. I'm using Cool Edit Pro 2.0... which is ancient!

 

[Updown]

Thats like me, asking what pickups to use ....  :icon_scratch:
But here is my 0.02c worth.

(I'm on iMac 2.4GHz / 4 Gb / 10.6.4, RME Fireface 400, Virus Ti Synth, VG-99, GR-55, NI Maschine, Kore 2, Komplete 5+6. Of cause Guitars & Bass) etc etc

I use Logic Pro 9 now for many reasons ...  use to use Cubase & tried Ableton.
Great GUI compared to Cubase & Ableton ..... I actually find Ableton weird in a way ie: GUI setup, the look of etc.

Now ... Logic is one platform, meaning it is for iMac / Mac's. Now the way I look at it is, any work / updates in future would be
better & more precise because they are concentrating / working on the one platform. ie: Apple / Logic
There not doing updates for every other type of PC platform.

Where as with other DAW's. Any updates have to be done right across the board of different PC's
(This is where there are always problems)

Logic has other components as well .... Mainstage / Soundtrack Pro / WaveBurner
Great collection of Effects / Synths etc

Logic is the complete package. Where as others you'll probably need other add-ons.

Has a simple layout with lots of widow options.

:sign13:  Logic speaks for it's self .. it's LOGIC  :cool01:  & I'm very happy  :icon_thumright:


                                               

 

[Cagey]

Now ... Logic is one platform, meaning it is for iMac / Mac's. Now the way I look at it is, any work / updates in future would be
better & more precise because they are concentrating / working on the one platform. ie: Apple / Logic
There not doing updates for every other type of PC platform.

Where as with other DAW's. Any updates have to be done right across the board of different PC's
(This is where there are always problems) 

There used to be only two "platforms" to speak of, and anymore there's only one - Intel/AMD. IBM and Motorola are essentially out of the PC business. There are, however, three different operating systems in widespread use, which is more to the point. You have OS/X, Linux, and Windows. OS/X and Linux are similar enough that porting from one to the other would be nearly child's play, but there's not nearly the commercial opportunity in the Linux market to justify the investment. Windows is, of course, unique, bizarre and fraught with pitfalls. But, it's also has such a huge installed base that almost any amount of investment will get repaid in spades.

At one time, if you wanted to do multimedia, you bought some sort of Apple machine. Any more, you needn't spend that kind of money. Everything else does as good or better for a fraction of the cost because widely-distributed high-performance hardware and software has been developed for it.

 

[The Norwegian Guy]

Well, I'm running windows 7 in just a matter of time. I need to finish my pc building project.
The software price isn't an issue. I need something easy with a descent sequencer.

 

[Cagey]

I've got to get a Windows machine up around here one of these days. I have Cubase SE and Emulator X both along with a good interface, all just sitting on the shelf rotting. But, every time I think about installing Windows and all the headaches involved with that, I decide something more exciting like cleaning the toilet or rearranging my sock drawer sounds like a better use of my time <grin>

 

[OzziePete]

At the risk of being howled down by the pack, I'll address the Propellerheads Record and Reason duo package.....

Record is quite intuitive, and the GUI is user friendly as it has real representations of a mixing desk - which I love, a decent compressor on the main mixing panel, and you can lay down some recordings pretty quickly once you see how it all works. I also suggest getting the Reason synth software which is always a good synth/sampling program to have.

BUT...if you go this way there's one BIG drawback to this Record/Reason package.....Record does not cater for VST plug ins. While the Reason synth software can be attached to Propellerheads Record as a plug in program and Reason can be attached to programs like Ableton Live, you cannot 'go the other way' & take a favourite VST plug in and attach it to Propellerheads Record. In a way it is a shame that Propellerheads drew the line in the sand with adaption for VST Plug Ins, but they do not want to field numerous compatibility enquiries for VST Plug Ins that have been developed by other companies and/or public developers and have to adapt their Record coding for that. They say the VST Plug In field is too variant.

Once you have completed your work within Record, you can export the .wav files over to another program for mixing in with VST Plug Ins, like Ableton Live Lite. For quick snappy work I find the Record program much better to work with than Ableton Live. I have a fun time working with the Mixing Desk, as it is laid out like you see with real hardware. Get two monitors and you can split the mixing desk on one monitor and the sequencer or rack effects windows on the other. But yeah, then when your work is complete, if it needs further enhancement/editing etc. on VST Plug Ins, you have to export out of Record.

Just in case you see the Propellerheads package and start thinking about it, that is why I put this up here, so you can see that while it is a good laid out program and quite decent to work with, it has drawbacks.... I use Win 7 for this btw.

I think if I was starting out today, I'd be inclined to go with ProTools 9 and just get used to it. That way if you need to later take your work into a professional studio, they will have Pro Tools and exporting your work will be that much easier. Also you will be familiar with the interfaces that Pro Tools uses and make working on your music that much easier in a professional environment away from home. It has taken Pro Tools a long time to get to the stage where they now offer a program that can run on generic (well, non-Pro Tools native to be more specific!) equipment and is cost effective for home studio owners, but I believe that even Pro Tools 9 does not offer support for VST Plug Ins. They probably have a similar dilemma to what Propellerheads have with the format.

Andreas, I think you would do yourself a good turn by checking out the numerous You Tube vids on whatever software packages take your fancy, and see how their GUI looks and whether it is something you would feel comfortable working with. :icon_thumright:

 

[AndyG]

It has taken Pro Tools a long time to get to the stage where they now offer a program that can run on generic (well, non-Pro Tools native to be more specific!) equipment and is cost effective for home studio owners, but I believe that even Pro Tools 9 does not offer support for VST Plug Ins. They probably have a similar dilemma to what Propellerheads have with the format.

I don't know for sure about V9, but ProTools is compatible with VST plugins using a "wrapper" that you can get from FXpansion.

I use ProTools every day at work, and play with it as often as I can at home.  I will admit that the biggest drawback is the initial cost, and you are forced to use their own audio interfaces.  Other than that, I really like the way the software works.  The audio handling makes sense for anyone who has worked linearly or non-linearly, and the mix window is set up in much the same way as an analog console.  The MIDI capabilities are also very good and easy to use.  The software comes bundled with a bunch of great plugins and virtual instruments, and 3rd party plugin support is almost second to none.

If you do want to take a home project to "the next level", just about every professional studio has a ProTools rig, so file transfers are a complete no-brainer.

The question you have to ask is whether the recording you want to do at home is worth the initial expense.  If that answer is yes, I would give ProTools a serious look.  If your home recording is simply a "scratch pad" for ideas, the expense is probably not worth it.

 

[Superlizard]

I'm all for boycotting Pro Tools... the fact that you have to have their hardware (proprietary) to
run their software is another fine example of douchebaggery; not to mention they had to have
their very own plugin format (RTAS).

I'd put my money on the reason as to why all the big wigs use Pro Tools is the fallacious
reasoning of, "the more $$$ you pay the better quality" - which isn't always the case.  "Oh
I see Pro Tools is by far the most expensive, let's get that".

Certainly the interface/GUI is nice and clicky and all, but so are many other companies'
interfaces; doubtful Pro Tools has the magic smoke it adds to your tracks that elicits the
10000% markup in price.

But this is the world of computerized recording, so there are no ground rules.

 

[AndyG]

I'd put my money on the reason as to why all the big wigs use Pro Tools is the fallacious
reasoning of, "the more $$$ you pay the better quality" - which isn't always the case.  "Oh
I see Pro Tools is by far the most expensive, let's get that".

Actually, the main reason the "bigwigs" use ProTools is because of how easily you can work with picture .... and 80-90% of work being done in pro studios is film/televison and commercial production.  File transfers between Avid or Final Cut Pro will import into a ProTools session seamlessly.

The RTAS plugin format was developed second ... as the original ProTools systems were all TDM, which also required hardware that Digidesign also developed.

And, in the history of computers, as a general rule when hardware and software are developed together, they tend to work together with fewer problems.  The world of being proprietary has worked great for some (Apple), and not so much for others (Sony/Betamax) in the conusmer world, but as for the latter example, the Sony Beta format was THE standard in professional video for decades ...  so has ProTools become the professional standard for audio.

I don't wish to argue the merits or deficits of ProTools.  It is an available option to those who wish to use it.  

 

[Superlizard]

I'd put my money on the reason as to why all the big wigs use Pro Tools is the fallacious
reasoning of, "the more $$$ you pay the better quality" - which isn't always the case.  "Oh
I see Pro Tools is by far the most expensive, let's get that".

Actually, the main reason the "bigwigs" use ProTools is because of how easily you can work with picture .... and 80-90% of work being done in pro studios is film/televison and commercial production.  File transfers between Avid or Final Cut Pro will import into a ProTools session seamlessly.

The RTAS plugin format was developed second ... as the original ProTools systems were all TDM, which also required hardware that Digidesign also developed.

And, in the history of computers, as a general rule when hardware and software are developed together, they tend to work together with fewer problems.  The world of being proprietary has worked great for some (Apple), and not so much for others (Sony/Betamax) in the conusmer world, but as for the latter example, the Sony Beta format was THE standard in professional video for decades ...  so has ProTools become the professional standard for audio.

I don't wish to argue the merits or deficits of ProTools.  It is an available option to those who wish to use it.  

An alternative is Nuendo; which also targets the film/television crowd (also works for audio, of course).

I just love seeing competition when it comes to products.  Any time you have someone doing proprietary
stuff, there's a good chance of a monopoly and skyrocketing prices if it catches on. 

Competition means better product at a lower price for the consumer.

 

[AndyG]

An alternative is Nuendo; which also targets the film/television crowd (also works for audio, of course).

I just love seeing competition when it comes to products.  Any time you have someone doing proprietary
stuff, there's a good chance of a monopoly and skyrocketing prices if it catches on. 

Competition means better product at a lower price for the consumer.

The other thing that you have to consider is that Digidesign came out with ProTools first to work as a post-production tool, and now, yes, many other manufacturers are getting in on the audio-to-picture bandwagon.
Studios that have been around for years will want to be cutting-edge when technology comes out, and there is a whole domino effect that follows ... all of the engineers are trained to work with ProTools, there are usually incentives for hardware/software upgrades that are less expensive than re-investing in a whole new system, syncronization (when we were still locking to tape) required hardware and software that the other manufacturers didn't support, etc.
You have to remember that Digidesign came into the home studio market only about 12-13 years ago.  That was when the only other options were stand-alone midi-disc recorders, and the big competition in the home recording market was ADAT vs DA88.  Logic and Cubase (along with a host of others) were pretty much strictly MIDI software, with very little audio capability at the time.  In recent years, yes, there have been tons of other options that have been made available, and many of those options are less expensive.  Whether they are better/worse/the same is subjective.

That was the whole point of this thread.

 

[Superlizard]

Whether they are better/worse/the same is subjective.

I fully agree with your statement:

In my experience, all recording software works pretty much the same way

It's because of that statement that I have no use for Pro Tools, nor do I recommend it to other players
who are looking to get into recording their tracks (Death by Diezel here, for ex.)... or even experienced
DAW users looking for an alternative package.  Not that Pro Tools "sucks" for usage, just that there are
similar alternatives out there that do the same exact job for less $$$.

 

[swarfrat]

http://ardour.org/ its free

 

[AndyG]

Whether they are better/worse/the same is subjective.

I fully agree with your statement:

In my experience, all recording software works pretty much the same way

It's because of that statement that I have no use for Pro Tools, nor do I recommend it to other players
who are looking to get into recording their tracks (Death by Diezel here, for ex.)... or even experienced
DAW users looking for an alternative package.  Not that Pro Tools "sucks" for usage, just that there are
similar alternatives out there that do the same exact job for less $$$.

Ahhh ... the out-of-context, partial quote.  How Fox News has been making money since its inception      :glasses9:
You realise that the exact same arguement can be used against buying a Strat (or building a Warmoth) .... when a Squire has 6 strings, 3 pickups, and allows you to play various chords and scales, why invest in something better?  Software choice is based on usage and need.  Not everyone NEEDS ProTools, nor does everyone NEED a boutique guitar.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

I'm all for boycotting Pro Tools... the fact that you have to have their hardware (proprietary) to
run their software is another fine example of douchebaggery;

As of ProTools version 9 it is not tied to hardware anymore.