New guy needing recording software advice

[Joey-T]

Hello, another new guy here. Love the site.

I need some advice on recording software, so I'll give you an idea of what I got going on...

I have an older Compaq Presario 5280 (433MHz, 160Mb ram) running Windows XP. I use Fruity Loops 4.5 Producer Edition to make loops with. I then use the loops in Acid Muisc Studio 5 to make songs. I also have a MIDI keyboard hooked up and a few other programs to help make sounds for loops. The line out goes to an amp with a pair of monitors, and the line in is connected to a mic preamp. This setup allows me to sing with the songs I made, which is good for practice I guess, and since it all seems to work, I recon it is configured correct enough for recording software to record (cheap soundcard aside). However, this computer really strains when Acid and Fruity are both open, or when one or the other has alot of samples/loops going at once.

Enter computer #2. It is a HP Pavilion 734n (2.0GHz, 1GHz ram), also running XP. And, for the time being, also a cheap soundcard, but has line in/out. What I'd like to do is use the HP for recording to hard disk, while continuing to run Fruity and Acid on the Compaq.

I was thinking of using a small mixer: 2 channels for stereo from the Compaq, 2 channels from the mic preamp, and whatever channels left for whatever in the future. Then feed the mixer's out to the ins on the HP. This will work, right? I know it will limit me compared to a card with plenty of I/O, but would it work to get me by until I can afford a better interface?

And also, what would be a good, decent price, easy to use recording program to record the incoming music/vocals? I am pretty new at using a computer to record with... I've been doing "semi-live" going straight to a cassette deck, and it's getting a bit frustrating. I'm really into making music, and I will be getting better gear to chase my dreams with, but at the moment, I'm just recording children's music for a local charity, so the production doesn't have to be super pro at the moment. On the plus side, at least I'm recording while I'm learning! Thanks in advance for your insight.

 

[Joey-T]

No one has a software reccomendation?

 

[Paganinio]

you obviously outwitted 90% of the newbies here. I don't understand what you're talking about except your own software selections are quite professional

 

[tourettes5139]

No one has a software reccomendation?

Define decent price. You could go with something free, like Audacity, all the way up to Cubase SX for $600, and beyond. Cubase SE is only $99, and a bunch of others are around that same price, I believe. There are a lot of options here.

Your setup would work until you can upgrade, albeit kind of awkward. Why don't you just export the files from Acid/Fruity Loops onto your HP computer, and then not have to worry about mixing the signals from the 2 computers?

When you upgrade your interface, depending on which one you get, you will probably be able to get some software included with your interface. The Presonus Firepod comes with Cubase LE, and you can get an MBox with Pro-Tools LE. Again, there are lots of options out there.

Have fun!!

 

[ssscientist]

And also, what would be a good, decent price, easy to use recording program to record the incoming music/vocals? .

Download the Tracktion demo and see how it suits your needs. You'll find it here. Then invest $100 in this.

If the HP has the horsepower - and it should - you can run Fruity Loops and Tracktion together in sync with a protocol called 'ReWire' that's built into Tracktion. Just pull the 'ReWire' filter down to an empty track, tell it to bring up FL and away you go. You'll probably still be stuck using a cassette deck for mixdowns until you get a CD burner (unless the HP has one on board) but you'll be way better off that trying to deal with the nightmare of keeping two separate computers in sync. Tracktion also has nice features built in for owners of slower machines like the ability to 'freeze' tracks so they consume way less CPU power...