Recording software easiest to use any suggestions?

Dennis Smith · Post by **Dennis Smith** » 15 Jun 2016 4:53 pm

I had pro tools but that was not easy for me to use. But it's outdated now and will not run on my computer.
I still have the M box and a PerSonus tube pre.

What I want to do is record a rhythm guitar track and send it to band in a box to add other instruments to get a track to do a voical over and do the same adjustment in bnab aslo. I'm not sure what else I would need. I have a shure mike also.

I'm just looking to have fun and make something that sounds ok to me.
any suggestions?

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 16 Jun 2016 2:34 am

You can try the free "Audacity". It is not a full fledged DAW like ProTools, Sonar, etc.

http://www.audacityteam.org/

Dale Rottacker · Post by **Dale Rottacker** » 16 Jun 2016 6:49 am

I’ve really been happy with PreSonus Studio One 3.2 Professional

Rick Schacter · Post by **Rick Schacter** » 16 Jun 2016 2:38 pm

I've also been enjoying Presonus Studio One.
Extremely intuitive and stable.

There are several good DAW's to choose from these days.

My advice would be to see if you can get trial versions of different DAW's and try them out.

Pick the one that meets your needs and is within your budget.

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 22 Jun 2016 2:15 pm

Im enjoying Cubase Essentials 8 - it was reasonably easy to get my head around and have been using it for 6 months or so now - it has some great features which I haven't even scratched the surface of yet :-}

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 23 Jun 2016 6:38 am

Another strong vote for Presonus Studio One.

RC

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 23 Jun 2016 9:35 am

I have both Sonar Platinum and Presonus Studio One 3 Artist. Sonar wins, for me.

Rick Schacter · Post by **Rick Schacter** » 25 Jun 2016 10:09 am

Jack Stoner wrote:I have both Sonar Platinum and Presonus Studio One 3 Artist. Sonar wins, for me.

I know that Sonar is a fine DAW to use.
But comparing the Platinum version of Sonar with the scaled down version of Studio One isn't a fair comparison.

Studio One Professional is quite a robust DAW.
That being said...I have used Sonar in the past and wouldn't rule out the possibility of using it again.

For now though, I see no need to abandon S1.
It all boils down to personal choice.
Use whatever you like as long as it gets the job done.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 26 Jun 2016 7:23 am

I wonder if we should define "EASY'.

I wish I could teach a class on just how easy PRO TOOLS is to use, especially in it's simplicity.

I think too many times we confuse flexibility with complexity.

Rick Schacter · Post by **Rick Schacter** » 26 Jun 2016 7:42 am

Tony Prior wrote:I wonder if we should define "EASY'.

I wish I could teach a class on just how easy PRO TOOLS is to use, especially in it's simplicity.

I think too many times we confuse flexibility with complexity.

How does the Protools subscription work?
Is it like Sonar where you get to keep all of the updates that you've paid for?

Also, does Protools require a dongle?

I'm very tempted to try their free version.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 26 Jun 2016 11:25 am

Rick, Pro Tools comes in both flavors, I have two versions running with Perpetual License (permanent). 12.2 and 8.1. I have a free upgrade ready on my account 12X account.

You can purchase PT 12 x with Perpetual License for around $550, it comes with the Eleven Rack Processor/Interface, I sold that for $250. So my new version 12 x is at $300 , full version with Perp License. I got mine from Sweetwater on sale about a year ago. I bought PT8 from MF back in 2010 when PT 9 came out, blow out full version , perp license with I-LOK for $149. If you do make the purchase make sure they are giving you the PERP License package, don't take it for granted.

You can also get PT by subscription which comes with support and free upgrades all the time. Thats not a bad thing except I think the price is too high. It's $29/mth. I think they missed the boat on that one. I think it should be in the $10/12 mnth category. That puts users in the $500 range over 5 years which to me seems appropriate. $1500 over 5 years seems a bit high to me especially when you can buy it outright for $500 . Of course they will say you get every upgrade and version along with the subscription.

And yes, PT's requires an AVID dongle ( I-LOK) which is registered to your account. It lives on your PC or MAC. It's not a big deal, both of my versions use a dongle. I think PT's is a fine package but I would get the PERP license package, own it. With the purchase comes a free 12 month version upgrade.

In 5 years you can always upgrade but for me I don't see that happening, 12.X is one heck of a DAW , I will grab 12.4 soon and then be done with it.

Also, I have 12.x on my account as well as the registered dongle ( I-LOk) if the PC dies I can just grab the software download off my account .

Now regarding use and workflow, to me it's a Cadillac. I learn new stuff with each session,I don't look to learn everything it offers until I run into a snag where I need to do something or I read a workflow feature on one of the forums. I run mine on a fresh WIN 7 with 10 gig of Ram on a solid state drive. All of the sessions are on a terabyte ext drive. I read and follow many of the on-line users , You Tube etc, I learn new stuff all the time and my sessions are showing it with improved results. As you know, recording is an on going life, just like playing music. Learn something, add it to your tool bag...

There are many many people who claim there are all sorts of issues with Pro Tools, after the lengthy forum discussions it is mostly revealed that they did something wrong or the issue was related to their PC or MAC and had nothing to do with the DAW.

Regarding Sonar, that is also an excellent package . To me they are very similar and have many things in common with regard to workflow.

Josephus Vroomans · Post by **Josephus Vroomans** » 26 Jun 2016 1:00 pm

When you buy Band in a Box you also receive Realband which should be perfectly capable of recording your vocals, rhythm guitar etcetera.

Rick Schacter · Post by **Rick Schacter** » 26 Jun 2016 2:24 pm

Tony, thank you!...and yes, you are correct.
One of the cool things about being a musician is that there is always something new to learn. It never stops.

It seems to be especially true if you're a recording musician.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 27 Jun 2016 1:57 am

Yes Rick the thing that is often overlooked is that a recording musician wears at least 5 hats. Only one hat is the actual musician playing his or her instrument, thats why I ask "Define Easy"

arranger
producer
engineer
musician
mixing

The hat not mentioned is the technician hat, you know, the person that troubleshoots why things are not going well ! Like why do I have no sound from my guitar , everything is plugged in correctly....

Tim Whitlock · Post by **Tim Whitlock** » 2 Jul 2016 6:59 am

As a fairly new user I have found Audacity to be very user friendly for these reasons:
- Absolutely free - no upcharges for upgrades.
- Full multi-tracking.
- Set up like a tape deck. Just open a track and click the red Record button.
- Ability to export to mp3 or wav (included in the price of $0)
- Lots of effects including track editing, eq, compressor, limiter, delay, reverb, normalization, noise removal and a bunch of others I haven't tried. All are very customizable.

I've tried some other DAWs and Audacity is by far the most intuitive, IMHO.

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 2 Jul 2016 7:54 am

Tony Prior wrote:Yes Rick the thing that is often overlooked is that a recording musician wears at least 5 hats. Only one hat is the actual musician playing his or her instrument, thats why I ask "Define Easy"

arranger
producer
engineer
musician
mixing

The hat not mentioned is the technician hat, you know, the person that troubleshoots why things are not going well ! Like why do I have no sound from my guitar , everything is plugged in correctly....

It's interesting to me that the average person, many musicians included, think that mixing is just a matter of adjusting the levels of the different instruments and singers. They have no idea about EQ, compression, panning, mastering, etc...

RC

James Quillian · Post by **James Quillian** » 2 Jul 2016 5:56 pm

I use Mixcraft 4. The newer versions have more toys, bells and whistles but I just record live instruments so this old version is just fine.

I use a lot of n-tracks plugins. It runs those just fine as wall as any others. It comes with decent plugins also.

I have used it since 2007.

Dennis Smith · Post by **Dennis Smith** » 3 Jul 2016 4:40 pm

Thanks everyone for the info. A couple of questions.
Josephus what do you use to connect to computer and how do you record on Band in a Box I have the new version of that?
And the same thing with audacity what do you use to connect to computer? I have a very old version of pro tools that will not run now because it's old. I still have the M box and a prosonus pre tube.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 4 Jul 2016 12:57 am

Dennis Smith wrote: I have a very old version of pro tools that will not run now because it's old.

True, it is older, but it won't run because it is not compatible with WIN 7 and above operating systems , not because it is old. It will still run just fine on the appropriate 32 bit operating system. It's not broken.

good luck !

Dennis Smith · Post by **Dennis Smith** » 4 Jul 2016 5:28 pm

Thanks Tony, I understand that. But I would have to get a separate computer and windows 2000. If I can work out the record to the band in a box that should be find with what I'm trying to do. What's a good interface to use to with band in a box? Anyone?

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 21 Jul 2016 3:30 am

yes you would have to upgrade your PC to upgrade or rebuild your WIN XP PC to stay at PT8.

I ran into an off Music Row studio owner/engineer this past week, we talked software and other stuff of course. He runs Pro Tools 8 and rebuilds his PC's as necessary. I also know of two local studios that still run PT 8 here in Charlotte. You do not need new software but you do need the required compatible 32 bit operating platform.

Some would argue for/or against hardware but thats not what we are talking about. PT8 is still an active viable package and can facilitate full music production. I know this first hand.

thats all I am saying.

Others will have to chime in with regard to recording with BIAB, I use it for drum tracks only now and then. I suspect any quality USB 2 in 2 out interface will do the trick.

Godfrey Arthur · Post by **Godfrey Arthur** » 12 Oct 2016 11:56 am

Tony Prior wrote:
PT8 is still an active viable package and can facilitate full music production. I know this first hand.

Dennis Smith wrote:
I have a very old version of pro tools that will not run now because it's old.

I started with PT6 HD3 (photos below) ( HD3=three PCI cards) and Sync i/o in 2003 running on a G4 and knock on wood it's still in pro use today with 192khz i/o hardware 16 channels in 8 out. Yes there are some iLok plugins and you need the iLok key.

But as long as the computer still works the software will also. It's a delicate balance of third party plugins and the TDM. Once you get it running leave it alone unless you need to upgrade and have the budget.

But it is a headache getting an entire system to run without extension conflicts if you constantly upgrade.

Pro Tools recording hardware

Pro Tools Clock

These Pro Tools PCI cards are actually individual computers you stuff into your cpu that gives Pro Tools its power.

128 tracks worth!

If you want something modern and relatively easy:

The Apogee Quartet will run on your iPad:
https://vimeo.com/92098222

Rick said:
It's interesting to me that the average person, many musicians included, think that mixing is just a matter of adjusting the levels of the different instruments and singers. They have no idea about EQ, compression, panning, mastering, etc...

RC

Yes, when "have no idea" meets "you think it's easy" one wants to erase one's face.

And yes Tony, those are the hats and then some.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 12 Dec 2016 1:06 pm

Tim Whitlock wrote:As a fairly new user I have found Audacity to be very user friendly for these reasons:
- Absolutely free - no upcharges for upgrades.
- Full multi-tracking.
- Set up like a tape deck. Just open a track and click the red Record button.
- Ability to export to mp3 or wav (included in the price of $0)
- Lots of effects including track editing, eq, compressor, limiter, delay, reverb, normalization, noise removal and a bunch of others I haven't tried. All are very customizable.

Yes, Audacity, for free, is a nice simple multi track recording system, if it fits your purpose than look no further, free is good !

BUT..and I repeat, BUT...

It is not to be confused with a full featured, full production DAW and it's not supposed to be either.

I have Audacity running on one of my PC's, I use it for MP3 tagging if I grab a file off the internet.

Godfrey Arthur · Post by **Godfrey Arthur** » 12 Dec 2016 2:33 pm

Tony Prior wrote: I have Audacity running on one of my PC's, I use it for MP3 tagging if I grab a file off the internet.

I use Audacity as well. It does have some interesting plugins; speed and tempo, pitch changes. The EQ, reverb, amplify are usable. And yes you can tag encode a file for artist name, genre etc.

Henry Matthews · Post by **Henry Matthews** » 25 Oct 2017 9:27 am

My vote for Studio One with something like the 4 track Presonus interface. It's fairly simple and does a great job.