so much different recording/production software out there.... whats best for me?

[Azza666]

hi all,

ok so basically i am looking to setup a home studio for demo recordings etc for my band and a few others..... mainly just blues, rock, metal, etc

i am pretty sweet for now on the hardware side of things, but it is the software that really has me unable to make up my mind

i have never really used anything apart from audition and am looking for some feedback on what software you would recommend for recording, mixing, basic sound effects, etc.... i also have a midi keyboard which i would like to use

ive been looking around and have the following list. i guess its a matter of personal preference but is anyone able to recommend what they use and why? remembering i will only be doing blues, rock, metal, etc

- ableton live
- adobe audition
- audacity
- cubase
- magix music studio
- reaper
- sonar
- sony acid pro
- sound forge

ive been reading alot and just cant seem to workout what the differences between them all are.... do they all do the same things or are some better suited for certain tasks?

ive also heard you can use a thing called rewire to use 2 simultaneously.... but why would you do that, are there any benefits?

any help or advice would be much appreciated as i am really new to all of this and need all the help i can get!!

cheers

[irecordhippies]

I don't know much, but I do know Pro Tools seems to be quite the shizznit. During like 3 weeks of intense research, it was the software name I saw most often.

[Azza666]

hey irecordhippies,

yeah i have heard alot about pro tools, but from what i gather it is quite expensive compared to other software out there and the difference in quality isnt all that great, but i could be wrong....

also i am on windows so it probably wouldnt be of much use to me :P

thanks for the advice man!

[dastrick]

Welcom to the forums.

I can't really tell you what is best for you because all I've ever used is Cubase. Well that's not entirely true. I started out with Audacity and Kristal, but they are very basic and I outgrew them.

I started using Cubase LE 1.0 because it came with my Presonus Firepod. I have since upgraded to Cubase Essential 4 and love it. Of course I really have nothing else to compare it to, but it does everything that I need. I've recorded 16 tracks @ 24/44.1 using my 2 Firepods with no problem at all. I've used my MIDI keyboard to record MIDI and I've had no problems with that, either. I run it on a PC w/ XP SP2.

I think if you mention what platform you are using (Mac or PC) and your budget, people will probably be able to give you a better answer.

And, BTW, there are a lot of people on this forum that use Reaper and it's free.

[Azza666]

hi dastrick

thanks mate great to be part of the community!

i am using windows, and have started to lean towards cubase/reaper along with audition for a few bits and pieces....

would these be suitable for recording drum tracks? i have heard that ableton live is good for this as you are able to run each channel separately (im using a tonport ux8) through a virtual mixer?

as i said, i figure that most of them do same sort of things and its just a matter of personal preference

thanks for the input mate much appreciated!

[dastrick]

You'll be able to record each channel seperately using Cubase or Reaper. I'm not sure about Audition. I've recorded 16 channels at once using Cubase. You should be OK with either one as long as the USB will handle it.

[Bristol Posse]

Most of the DAW programs have free trials on their websites, you can download and use for 30 days to see if you like. I would go that way and decide what works best for you in terms of workflow and ease of use.

There is no best software but there is software that you will find more intuitive and easy to work with (which would make it best suited to you) and only you can decide what that is

couple of points though.
Reason is a MIDI sequencer and you can't record audio with it
Pro Tools requires you use their approved MBox or Digi Design outboard gear so if you don't want to be limited to their choice of gear........