The Times They Are A Changing - Recording Software Upgrade Recommendation

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Slackenerny

New member
Getting back into home recording after a hiatus associated with rearing young children and have realised that the recording software I'm using is about 12 years old. So it’s time for an upgrade.
I've been using Cool Edit Pro since the late 90's and am familiar and happy with the workflow, however it appears that Adobe bought Cool Edit and turned it into Audition. It also appears that the new Audition is a subscription model which is something I want nothing to do with. I’m happy to pay for software, but I want to own it and not be continuously milked by a company.
So, basically it appears I need to learn a new product, and given that I only want to do it once, I’d like some recommendations on which one.
I only record via microphone or DI…no looping, sampling etc. So I want is:

1) good wave-form editor
2) good multi-track with non-destructive effects
3) reasonable set of in-built effects/tools and broad support for free/commercial plug-ins

I don’t want to have to buy specialised hardware (not sure if this is still required by ProTools, it was in the 90’s). I don't mind if it's technical (I'm a software developer by trade), I just want something that I learn and use and will be supported for a while.

Recommendations?
 
Reaper...

Full unlocked free download version for as long as you like, then if you like it, you just slip them $60 and it's yours. Nice business model that... obviously we encourage everyone to pay the $...

If you don't like it, try something else. Nothing to lose.

I don't use a waveform editor so others can comment on that, but it's got 2 & 3 covered no problem.
 
Slackenerny said:
So I want is:

1) good wave-form editor
2) good multi-track with non-destructive effects
3) reasonable set of in-built effects/tools and broad support for free/commercial plug-ins
Click to expand...

Most, if not all, programs available today have these features. Pretty much all of them work the same and at about the same quality. The differences lie in set up, bug issues, and knobology or user interface.

If you're shopping for an audio interface, most will come with a "lite" version of a popular DAW like Cubase, Ableton, Sonar, etc. Keep an eye out for that. Usually whatever program you start with is the one you'll grow with. I've been using Cubase for quite a long time. Switched to Sonar, but didn't like the feel and switched back to Cubase. Not that there was anything wrong with Sonar, just didn't feel right.

Your mileage will vary.

Welcome to the site.
 
Thanks for this. I've downloaded at it for a trial and it seems really nice. I like the UI (still need to learn the short-cuts), it certainly looks promising.

I'm also trying out Cakewalk Music Creator 6 which I picked up on a Steam sale for about $30. What's the general opinion on this product?
 
Reaper is a good option because it's full featured, has a small footprint and is cheap.

However if, on the other hand, you want a REAL DAW, get Cubase. :laughings:
 
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