best computer software for recording

[MIKE KAKOS]

hi all
wanted to thank you for the ideas on syncing my fostex 16 track tape to digital format.
pretty easy fix with some work involved.
i didn't state that i was going to a tascam neo 24 track deck but it
shouldn't be much different than a computer set up.
So what are the best computer based softwares for recording?
What is the biggest input output boards?
Are the peripherals for this costly?
Looked up some of this stuff and the terminology is intimidating.
learning curve is a killer i bet.
help.
thanks
mike k

[mojobone]

Well, a 48 channel mixing board looks intimidating, 'til you learn it's mostly jes' the same channel repeated 48 times and the signal starts at the top and goes down to the fader. Similarly, it's not too hard to get your head wrapped around a DAW, once you know some basics.

Generally speaking, there's no best DAW, it's more a matter of how you like to work; if you're a loop-based composer, you'll want something like Ableton Live. Though most modern DAWs have tools for organizing loops, Live allows you to edit and remix without ever stopping the music, which is probably its strongest feature. Logic's strongest feature is that it's complete; it comes with all the tools and more than enough software instruments for just about any kind of music. (save full-bore orchestral mockups) Digital Performer is similarly full-featured and designed with composers in mind, integrating well with notation software. Cubase has excellent monitor mixing capabilities, plays well with most systems and is cross-platform. Sonar pretty much pwns the 64-bit Windows landscape and has excellent time stretching/compression and beat wrangling tools. Like ProTools, it can be a bit finicky about hardware. Reaper is cheaper, but just as fully equipped, though it ain't pretty to look at. (and you can run it from a thumb drive!) ProTools is the 800lB gorilla; you could think of it as the Microsoft of DAWs because it's ubiquitous in professional studios. It's stupid good for mixing, but has a few serious drawbacks, particularly for the home studio; native versions are crippled, and PT doesn't use floating-point calculations, so there are rounding errors; jury's still out on whether humans can hear them.

Logic and Performer are Mac-only, Sonar is Windows-only; the rest run on either. Those are the usual suspects, there are also a few newcomers and high-end DAWs aimed at mastering facilities; your SAWs your Otari RADARs, and whatnot; most will allow you to download a functioning demo for a limited time (Reaper for an unlimited time, jes' a nag screen when you open it) I'll also throw in a plug for my DAW of choice, Tracktion; it's by far the easiest to learn, and is great for either loop-based or linear recording, is cross-platform and accepts VST plugins. It's also very light in terms of CPU use. You want Tracktion 2, not 3; three's buggy and doesn't like Macs. A T2 license is $29.95, even cheaper than Reaper!



Since your biggest expense (beyond the computer itself) will likely be the interface, I'd suggest you start there. Determine how many inputs and outputs you'll need, and whether you'll want to budget for a control surface, then see what's available and compatible with your DAW of choice (and computer, if you plan to use one you already own)

[t4mh]

Concise moj! Great overview!

Keith

[rnrmachine]

What Mojo said... and I want to add... I use Sonar 8 PE which is Cakewalks flagship recording program. You can do anything and everything within it.. meaning no extras needed although I have found some of the plugins supplied with sonar are as if you bought medium quality FX processors. $500-$700 reverb etc... IF you want the total pro sounding verb you need to step it up by going with 3rd party. Sonar literally has everything though.. Session Drummer 3 is pretty amazing except no anti machine gun so you better pull out the tricks for realism there. Anti mechanical tricks that is. The samples sound GREAT!!! MANY other things that come with Sonar sounds great. I won't remention the things that mojo did.. some of those I do not use and can't truly tell you how good they are. I have TRIED the audio snap and it is VERY finiky about what it will work with and not degrade the audio to the point of non usable.. for what I do. There is also Roland V-Vocal, a pitch correction utility that isn't too shabby. IF you are singing through a high quality chain The V-vocal MAY downgrade your audio sound. I have noticed a couple times when I tried to use it.. it took a tad bit of richness away, not neccessarily in a bad way though.. hard to explain. Matrix veiw is wild although I like tracks and am use to that so I haven't ventured too far into the matrix veiw.

Infinite Tracks, checked only by CPU power, Ram and HD (hard drive) speed... HD speed only if doing a lot of audio tracks. (Is common among ANY of the full versions of those mentioned by Mojo) That is my quick run down in addition to what mojo said about Sonar. I have used Cuebase and ProTools M-Powered and a BRIEF stint with Nuendo but I do not know enough about them to give you anymore info then Mojo did really. I do have Abelton live lite but do not use it as well. I like Sonar, I am comfortable with it and will only change DAWs if I upgrade my sound interface and it uses a different sequencer that I would want to try and learn. BTW, the owner of ADK mics... calls protools.. slowtools LOL

Didn't you get Tascams's audio sequencer with your Neo? You should be able to just transer the wave files from that tascam right into yur computer without a AD converter, same as a file transfer. Also, Unless you can run out of your comp back into the Tascam and use it for a DA converter.. you will need to get a quality one of those. A onboard sound card will not do.

HTH,

Rob

[mazz]

Mojo's analysis is excellent!

I would add that you will be able to learn anything if you are starting from the ground up anyway. It's going to be a matter of which platform you prefer, Mac or PC, and from there it's really based on how you work, as Mojo said. There's really no "best" software out there. There's some that are better at one thing or another, but you'll be able to make music on any of them, and that's the point, right?

Decide on how many channels you can see yourself recording at once now and a little ways into the future and buy an interface accordingly.

You will have a very steep learning curve at first. I strongly suggest that you don't take on any critical projects for several months as you learn whatever new system you decide on. Divide your time between learning the technical stuff and then applying it to your creative composing time. There's no worse buzz kill than trying to learn a complex new system while trying to complete a project. Run your old system in parallel if possible so that your downtime is minimized. You probably have skills and concepts learned from using your other gear that will directly apply in the computer world, try to see the connections and similarities, that will help you on your path.

Good luck!

Mazz

[jfraizer]

Great posts from everyone here.

I have the Tascam Neo 24 track as well. You can simply upload the audio tracks from your tascam to your computer via usb and easily import them to any DAW for mixing. I use Sonar 8.5 producer, and I agree with Rob in that it is a pretty complete package.

Best of luck,

[rnrmachine]

Great posts from everyone here.

I have the Tascam Neo 24 track as well. You can simply upload the audio tracks from your tascam to your computer via usb and easily import them to any DAW for mixing. I use Sonar 8.5 producer, and I agree with Rob in that it is a pretty complete package.

Best of luck,

I love Sonar... I am probaly biased though because of using it for so long. I did a junk recording for a friend once, to prove you do not need pro gear to make a decent recording... using only the stuff I got with Sonar... that was "Give" currently on my Taxi page. Now, I did remix Give with a few new goodies from Sonar 8.5 PE, BUT the guitar and Vocal recordings are still the ones I did with a SBaudigy 2 platinum Card and a junk Behringer mixer that didn't quite work right. LOL

Mazz made some excellent points. I would agree with everything he said as well.

Rob

[mojobone]

@Rob: Audio Snap is not Sonar's only tool for re-arranging your audio; Sonar also incorporates Roland's Variphrase technology; you can often get better results with that.

I should probably also mention Sony's Vegas and Steinberg's (maker of CuBase) Nuendo. If you work (or plan to work) in film, check out (cross-platform) Nuendo; it's making inroads at post production houses that used to be DP's exclusive territory. Vegas (PC only) has a cool trick or two up its sleeve, too. For example you can mix different file types in a single track; WAV, AIFF, FLAC, various flavors of MP3 can all coexist. Vegas is designed to integrate with PC video editing tools. Sony's Sound Forge is a great editor and has some recordig capabilities as well, and Acid is a wonderful loop-cruncher that sorta grew into a DAW.






Oh, and the kudos are greatly appreciated, thanks.

[MIKE KAKOS]

wow!
thanks to all for that great bunch of info.
i think i will get the sonar.
i believe my brother might have sonar 7.
is there a big difference between that and 8.5?
jfrazier is right about the usb from the neo.
i remember that feature now but had forgotten all about it.
( actually not too smart on my part for not saving my works all this time. )
thanks j
well i guess i do have a bit of a learning curve ahead.
till next time. thanks again everyone.
mike kakos

[Len911]

I guess I'm late to the party,lol! IMO the best might be cubase, not only is it complete and can hold it's own with anything out there, it is cross platform, so if you want to change from windows to mac or vice-versa, no big deal. The standard plugins whether effect or instruments are very useable. The convolution reverb with 70 ir's plus the ability to add 3rd party ir's. Not to mention the other reverbs.
I also have steinberg's wavelab that I use alongside it as well. I haven't found it to be lacking in anything. Currently, if you buy cubase5, you can buy the halion orchestra 16bit for $100. The cd's are included with cubase5. If you need a sampler, there is of course the Halion. I like the integration and versatility. There are many plugins included I haven't used yet,such as vari audio that is like auto tune, or they even have another pitch shifting plugin. There is a steep learning curve, and it's almost counter-intuitive at times.
On the other hand, it's pretty complete and if you can't find something or want to work in a certain way, it's there, you just may have to dig a little deeper, find it and figure it out.