Basic recording software for PC?

marianozz · #1 06-07-2009, 01:28 PM

Hey guys, im getting an itch to record some ideas and stuff, so im plugging my Tonelab into my computer's line in.

Could someone recomend sofware thats easy/intuitive, lets me record separate tracks and play them simultaneously, maybe add some drums and export to wav / mp3?

btw, im on XP, not Mac.

Thanx!

nato101010 · #2 06-07-2009, 08:57 PM

Buy a Mac with Garageband.....

jordanstreet · #3 06-08-2009, 01:41 AM

Just so you know, without an audio interface with ASIO drivers you won't have live input monitoring. Not prob though as long as you don't need live feedback from your input source through your computer. (You could just listen through your amp)

Besides that reaper (reaper.fm) is the best software I have found. Easy to use, powerful, and fast. Although its not technically free you can use the demo with full functionality for an undefined amount of time. You are encouraged to buy it.

For drums if all you want is simple stuff (kick, snare hi-hat, crash) the addictive drums demo lasts forever your just limited to the previously stated pieces of the kit. It also comes with a selection of their groove library so you can just pop those patterns into your song and not have to mess with making your own. (no fills however but you can make them yourself) addictivedrums.com

If you need more pieces of the kit there are a bunch of free vst (plugin format) drum modules out there just google it.

and last but for sure not least
http://tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
turns noobs into educated noobs

marianozz · #4 06-08-2009, 11:38 AM

I checked out Reaper's website, i like it... even if im a little intimidated with all the things it lets you do!

And then, addictivedrums is a plugin that i can use inside Reaper? Im not sure i quite understand that part... Can try it out now at work, but ill do it later at home...

If i need to, i monitor with headphones from the Tonelab itself, remember i wont be mic'ing an amp for now, ill just use the stereo line in of my computer. Maybe if i get the hang of things ill buy a microphone down the road, we'll see

Thanx man, any other tips or recomendations will be welcome!

jordanstreet · #5 06-08-2009, 12:56 PM

Quote:

And then, addictivedrums is a plugin that i can use inside Reaper?

yup.

Let me know if you have any questions.

dabbler121 · #6 06-09-2009, 10:30 AM

The Reaper printed User Guide by Geoffrey Francis is available from Lulu dot com and is excellent. Useful VST plugins are:
- Ambience reverb
- GTune tuner
- TubeScreamer
- LFX-1310
- Rednef Twin

Pianoteq is a fantastic software piano if you want one of those.

jordanstreet · #7 06-09-2009, 12:27 PM

yes and in addition to those the Classic series from Kjaerhus Audio have worked quite well for me.

http://www.kjaerhusaudio.com/classic-series.php

albee1952 · #8 06-28-2009, 11:45 PM

Any DAW system will have a learning curve. I would check out the M-Audio interfaces and Pro Tools M-Powered. But check your PC against what Digidesign is compatible with first. Digi and Pro Tools are very picky about PC hardware. I know many will suggest a Mac. I have no ax to grind with them but you can get great performance on a PC IF (BIG IF) you do some homework first. Check out the support forum at duc.digidesign.com as they have a section devoted to M-Powered on PC.

rty13ibz98 · #9 06-29-2009, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by albee1952

Any DAW system will have a learning curve. I would check out the M-Audio interfaces and Pro Tools M-Powered. But check your PC against what Digidesign is compatible with first. Digi and Pro Tools are very picky about PC hardware. I know many will suggest a Mac. I have no ax to grind with them but you can get great performance on a PC IF (BIG IF) you do some homework first. Check out the support forum at duc.digidesign.com as they have a section devoted to M-Powered on PC.

big thumbs up!

not a big fan of PT, but i am almost locked into sonar for all the time invested. whatever you choose, pick a popular DAW as the support will be there and there will be less proprietary stuff to that program. weird, cheap programs have stuff that you can't use outside of that program and some don't like certain types of plugins. just do your homework.
just keep in mind, no particular one is the best. it will come down to what is best for you.
btw, reaper gets great reviews for its ease of use, resource usage is good, and the learning curve is decent. not to mention it is affordable.

rich

Ironjose · #10 07-07-2009, 10:13 PM

hey you guys i have just about the same question, but last time i was in the same situation i had a pod xt live and use to record thru the usb and sonar... but i sold the pod and now i'm having trouble making a decision on what to buy to record at home and on rehearsel...
first i had the option of getting a line6 backtrack + mic which is a basic gadget to record my ideas and to grab the new ideas at rehearsels... but i've read a lot of bad reviews
then a guy told not to bother on the little gadget and i should be focusing on getting an audio interfase and since i got a laptop it should run normally with no problems at all... he offer me a tascam u-122L with cubase Le but a friend told me that he saw an Alesis usb recording kit which has the same software but on the bundle includes two mics and active monitors... so i really dont know what to get...

would guys advice me plz???

this a pic of the alesis bundle

6fingers · #11 07-07-2009, 10:16 PM

pro tools is the best.
I've been working on studios including my own and pro tools is the best recording software.
Not only because it's like plug and play,very easy to use but you can comunicate to the whole world.

albee1952 · #12 07-31-2009, 02:05 PM

As along-time Pro Tools user and fan, I really have to say that NO DAW is the best. Its really what's best for the user. Nuendo and Logic are 2 that are certainly as capable as Pro Tools(and probably the same can be said for DP, Sonar and Cubase as well). I can't speak for the others, but Pro Tools is very picky about computers. You absolutely need a compatible motherboard and firewire card(if you want a firewire interface or hard drive). Firewire hard drives must have an Oxford chipset. ANY DAW needs a separate hard drive for recording more than a handful of tracks. As for compatibility with the "rest of the world", the simple solution is to record audio as wav files, print your midi tracks to audio(once you have editing all done) and consolidate/render each audio track as a single continuous file. Those can be exported and imported into any DAW system on any computer. SSL makes a program to convert sessions to different DAW formats but I don't know how well it works.

themadsplatter · #13 07-31-2009, 02:33 PM

what do you guys think about adobe audition????

themadsplatter · #14 08-06-2009, 04:08 PM

nuthin?????

MrCheese · #15 08-07-2009, 03:02 AM

another vote here for Reaper.

I was initially overwhelmed by all the features so I decided to write down a short list of the things I wanted to do (record a guitar track thru a Line6 UX2, add drums etc, loop / slow down tracks ..). I then spend an entire Saturday just figuring out how to do this without messing around on the guitar.

I found that once I'd nailed the basics on Reaper its super easy to use.

Also, a big monitor with a high resolution makes the whole thing easier as you can keep everything on the screen.