Software

[cecerre]

Heres what I use:
-Anaglog mixer for recording with decent condensor mics, dynamic mics, etc
- Alesis ADAT HD24

Heres what I want:
- Software to mix/master with
- Import the wav's from Alesis
- Edit (WAV) tracks/cut paste, etc
- effects, nothing fancy, but reliable and quality
- MIDI capability
- Output (Mix down) to MP3/WAV
- Does NOT need to be greater than CD quality (44.1kHz)
- Logical GUI (graphical user interface) IE reasonably ez to learn
- Support for at least 32 digital audio/32 MIDI tracks
- I do not do video so that is not important to me

Heres what I've considered so far
- Pro Tools - This appears to do *way* more than I need
- Pro Logic - Same as above
- Logic LE - Seems to do everything I need

Why I am posting this:
- Quite frankly after reading up on all the software out there my freakin head is spinning. I've used software in the past but its no longer made/supported. I really need some input to help figure what I can get that won't break the bank but will perform reliably.

[MadAudio]

Before you get to software you're going to need an interface that can handle moving all those tracks into your computer at once.

Reaper is good.

http://www.reaper.fm

I don't have experience with anything else except Adobe Audition which has little/no support for MIDI.

[cecerre]

Danny, thanks mate, Im going to DL the uncrippled unexpiring software and check it out! What OS/Hardware do you use it with? Is it stable and do you know if its stable in a dual proc setup?

Thanks!

Reaper is advertised as working with multiple processors and multiple-core processors. I don't have that, in fact my computer isn't that great. But it's the most lightweight DAW I've used and has way more features than I'll ever need.

It's never crashed once.

Edit: I use Windows XP Pro SP2, AMD Athlon (1.2GHz?) processor, 512MB RAM, 80GB 7200RPM hard drive.

[midwesttribune]

of course pro tools is going to do way more than you need, its an industry standard as far as music producing. It does tons on its own an then when theres something you can figure out how to do then you can buy the plugins that you need, that work all with thin pro tools. You can never have something that does to much, much wider range of available creativity, and you will earn respect from other producers when saying you use this. just a thought

[pipelineaudio]

Originally Posted by midwesttribune

of course pro tools is going to do way more than you need, its an industry standard as far as music producing.

Unless of course you need something basic like delay compensation or to actually see what you are editing

[Drumz519]

Originally Posted by pipelineaudio

Unless of course you need something basic like delay compensation or to actually see what you are editing

I was under the impression that I was looking at a rendering of the waveform when I looked at a track in Pro Tools. What am I actually seeing?

[cusebassman]

I think to import all those tracks from the HD24, you just hook up the HD24 through ethernet and FTP them into the computer - you don't need an external converter to get em over there

[pipelineaudio]

Originally Posted by Drumz519

I was under the impression that I was looking at a rendering of the waveform when I looked at a track in Pro Tools. What am I actually seeing?

Try seeing the waveforms inside the events as you move them and are attempting to line them up with other things.

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by pipelineaudio

Try seeing the waveforms inside the events as you move them and are attempting to line them up with other things.

What does this mean???

[pipelineaudio]

move an event in PT and youll see what it means.

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by pipelineaudio

move an event in PT and youll see what it means.

Originally Posted by pipelineaudio

Unless of course you need something basic like delay compensation or to actually see what you are editing

These seem to be disparaging remarks which is fine if proffered in an attempt to help the original poster with his or her choices about software.

The ADC thing has been discussed ad nauseam and there are tons of work around's that is to say if one really needs ADC as direly as the wives tale permits in the first place. Further ADC is different for every major software solution out there and frankly some of them are not as effective as they'd have you believe. When ADC is implemented properly it's a great thing but the lack there in does not represent a project stopping roadblock.

I still don't know what you mean by moving and seeing events. My guess is you're talking about regions (but if you are) I move regions about all day long and often to the sample level. I have no trouble editing or seeing things down to the sample level.

I'm sure you offer this advice to the poster with good intentions but in all fairness to the poster (particularly if he or she is new to software) perhaps negative reviews could be explained in a manor in which the original poster can gain something from your expertise on the matter.

[pipelineaudio]

I mean that you cant see the contents of events while you are moving them in PT. This can mean no-go for some when editing...some people like the nudge or guess and pray way, some dont.

As for the importance of PDC?

Come on

[Lectric_Lab]

cecerre...I use basically the same recording gear that you are using (asides from the PT thing) I too had concerns and not alot of options when I hooked up my HD24XR to a computer. Regardless of the software you have to get the recorded material into your program. What I use is the M-Audio Profire Lightbridge. I bought this unit when it first came out in January 07' and was skeptical, but the unit has served me well. Here's my chain:
Ghost 24LE console-> HD24XR-> Lightbridge-> (T.I. chipset firewire card)-> computer-> Masterlink ML9600 (spdif i/o)-> Reference monitors

M-Audio's asio drivers work good, my software consists of Cubase3 and Adobe Audition 2.0 (good editing) and I have the Antares pitch correction/mic modeler. That's about it and so far I am satisfied with the Profire Lightbridge's performance as a lightpipe converter. I record at 24/48 either direct through or dump tracks ...either way.

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by pipelineaudio

I mean that you cant see the contents of events while you are moving them in PT. This can mean no-go for some when editing...some people like the nudge or guess and pray way, some dont.

As for the importance of PDC? Come on

Well...at the risk of beating poor Mr. Ed one more time.

I move dialog audio around all day long and am often forced to drag a piece of dialog that has been moved by a video editor. It is to picture so it simply must be sample accurate. I can drag it left and right, up and down, reverse it expand it, contract it...see it and edit it all the way down to sample level all in real time.

As far as ADC I'm perfectly willing to throw myself under the bus and be the shinning example of the dumb audio muck. Especially if we can learn from the experience.

I would love to hear of one situation.

A specific real world event, where the lack of delay compensation caused a problem that was so significant you couldn't move forward. Session over. Clients and or friends threw their hands up in frustration and left. One where a solution for the MOST severe of "lack of delay compensation" would take more than 5 seconds to correct.

[pipelineaudio]

delay comp would MAYBE not be as much of a problem if PT did nonrealtime bounce, then you could render and line things up, but then wait were back to the issue of not being able to see what you are doing.

I dont know how to explain this easier, the contents of events do not show as you move an event, it just shows you a block, and empty block as you move it around. Most other apps show you the contents of items as you move them.

PDC is important as maintaining correct phase relationships is ALWAYS important.

Go stick two mics on a guitar cab, get them set right, and have someone bump one off an inch and lets see if you dont think its important.

What does PDC stand for?

Edit: Oh, Plugin Delay Compensation?

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by pipelineaudio

delay comp would MAYBE not be as much of a problem if PT did nonrealtime bounce, then you could render and line things up, but then wait were back to the issue of not being able to see what you are doing.

I find the lack of a real time bounce function in Pro Tools a bit of a pain in the arse. That said however it's a brilliant piece of software (as are all the others out there) and I'm not willing to pitch the program because of it. Digidesign's core engine does not allow for the real time bounce and I'm okay with that.

Originally Posted by pipelineaudio

I dont know how to explain this easier, the contents of events do not show as you move an event, it just shows you a block, and empty block as you move it around. Most other apps show you the contents of items as you move them.

Pro Tools does offer a "regions block view" but it is NOT the default view and is seldom if ever used by most. Similar to block view in DP. A simple toggle to change views is available to see regions anyway one chooses. Again the default view is similar to any other DAW region wave form view and most would argue Pro Tools is ahead of the game when it comes to audio editing. Particularly from a view to edit perspective.

Originally Posted by pipelineaudio

PDC is important as maintaining correct phase relationships is ALWAYS important.

Go stick two mics on a guitar cab, get them set right, and have someone bump one off an inch and lets see if you don't think its important.

Yes of course maintaining phase coherency is always important and simply goes without saying. However the above example has absolutely nothing to do with Delay Compensation.

Phase coherency and things being in or out of phase were around LONG before software DAW's existed and simple audio 101 rules for micing techniques and ways to avoid phase problems have been around since the dawn of history. All things being equal if you have a phase problem at the source level no amount of ADC will help and clearly that's not what the idea of ADC is intended for.

That said delay compensation can be handy and I'd rather have a decent working ADC in place than not.

However......

The consternation that has become the evils of Digidesign and their lack of this function in their LE software is a) more often than not not fully understood by the very folk who scream it's evils loudest. b) usually and more often than not a very simple work around not worthy of the condemnation the software takes over the lack there in.

Again I'd like to hear of one real world, specific situation where the lack of ADC caused a problem that simple couldn't be quickly and easily fixed.