I'm an acid noob...help?

[TylerDrums109]

So basically i want to know how to get the best out of this program as i know a minimal amount about it....i have a few direct questions but any tips you guys use to record/mix drums guitar bass and vocals with i would appreciate...so here goes a few questions...please be patient as i am a noob

1. WHY DO I GET LAG!!!! ALWAYS LAG!!! ITS SO ANNOYING...whats the fix?
2. Are the built in effects even worth using?...or do you guys find some nice vst plugins and use those instead...i would like to find a nice free software compressor if you guys could recommend one...or maybe the onboard one is just fine?
3. Can you guys explain some of the effects on this program and some situations where they would be worth using?

but yeah like i said you guys can feel free to add in anything else you would like to...sorry if these questions sound stupid but i am lost in alot of this

 

[Fourtyfreak]

i would like to find a nice free software compressor if you guys could recommend one...

Blockfish is a good freeware VST compressor, though I've never tried it with Acid. In fact all three fish fillets are handy to have in your collection.

You'll have to google for them as the forum won't let me post links yet as I'm a noob around here.

 

[deejaytrixx]

So basically i want to know how to get the best out of this program as i know a minimal amount about it....i have a few direct questions but any tips you guys use to record/mix drums guitar bass and vocals with i would appreciate...so here goes a few questions...please be patient as i am a noob

1. WHY DO I GET LAG!!!! ALWAYS LAG!!! ITS SO ANNOYING...whats the fix?

It's properly referred to as latency. Its the difference bet. whats going into and out of your computer's sound card. Its caused by shitty sound cards for a lack of a better term. But ACID usually has pretty low latency on basic sound cards. Go into tools --->options----> preferences ----> audio devices and adjust the sound buffer. By adjusting it and making it bigger, you will increase the systems "look ahead" resources..In other words you are telling your computer how much processing power it can assign to the task of reading the sound before its played. In your case, I'm betting lowering it will fix some of the issue. If not, go get yourself a new sound card.

2. Are the built in effects even worth using?...or do you guys find some nice vst plugins and use those instead...i would like to find a nice free software compressor if you guys could recommend one...or maybe the onboard one is just fine?

The built in effects work just fine. Of course it is always worth increasing your plugin library. Go steal some from online like everyone else.

3. Can you guys explain some of the effects on this program and some situations where they would be worth using?

Depends on what version you have..But most DAWs (including ACID) come with two types...dynamic based and time based. Things like compressors and EQs affect a sounds dynamics while reverb affects the length of the audio. Its hard to sum it up here, but if you do a search on vocal chains or dynamic processing, it will get in depth about things such as compressors and eqs. Everything else is a algorathim of these basic prinipals, such as the time stretching or stutter, flange, wah wah effect. Play with each one accordingly and you will easily hear what they do. They all have their uses..If you are using it to mix music for example, these effects are good for making the music all "fit" together sonically with your vocals (only one example in a slue of ways it can be applied.) Hope this helps

ACID is like any other DAW. I personally like it because it was very quick to learn and uses very little processing power as compared to a lot of other audio porgrams. But its as good as you learn it..I've done commerically released remixes on it, and hate using it for recording and mixing. Yet I have friends who have used it for this with great results.