Which program is best for me?

D

demto

New member
Can anyone out there help , I would greatly appreciate any recommendations or advice you can give.


I am an amateur home recordist. I just record myself playing guitar and
'singing' .....if thats what you call the noise I make. Then perhaps add a double bass track etc. Maximum 8 tracks.

Up to now I have been recording using a Fostex recorder. What I would like to do now is forget the Fostex and record directly onto the computer.

My interface into the computer is a Terratec DMX6 fire. This is a sound card in the computer and a seperate 'control panel' on the front of the computer which has connections for analogue in/outs, and coax and optical digital in/outs and Midi. It has 2 channels and can work up to 24 bit 96khz. There is also a seperate high gain mic input if needed.

With the Terratec came a bundled ' stripped down' version of Wavelab which
I use to transfer my recordings into the computer. Wavelab is 2 track.

I'm only mentioning all this so you have some idea where I am at the moment.

Is there a SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND AND USE 8 track recorder/mixer program
that would enable me to record directly into the computer. If it had a decent Compressor, Reverb and some means of varying the volume of individual tracks in the program that would be great but I am not wanting hundreds of 'effects' and frills. I am totally not interested in Midi, dont want to make add sound to videos. Dont want to manipulate the original recording to the enth degree. Etc.

What I would like to do is make a recording of a maximum of 8 tracks, line them up so the all start together, adjust individual tracks a bit, perhaps add
reverb and adjust volume on some tracks and then mix down to 2 track stereo and store it as a WAV file at 24 bit.

I have a demo copy of Sonar4. Great if you have six months to get to grips and fully understand it but contains far more than I will ever need. More for pros who use it for a living. I've also seen the full version of Sonar 4 and
thats even worse. I get confused with it.

So can anybody recommend a 'half way house' program thats somewhere between the overly simple and underspecified and the over engineered and
complicated.

If you could I would be extremely gratefull.
 
yup. try the demo of what i use. (note PC only - not mac).
powertracks from pgmusic.com. 48 tracks for 49 bucks.
nothing comes close for the price. includes lots of effects like reverb etc.
also a great user forum that helped me in the past.
also try band in a box also by pg. highly addictive.
peace.
 
demto. just try both and see which works best for you.
but i can tell you there is no comparison with what i use.
peace.
 
I agree with ssscientist.. Tracktion is a new and very nteresting piece of software. Haven't used it for too long but it's certainly worth looking into!
 
I'll throw in a second for n-Track. Specially for your needs.
PowerTracks looks OK, but it seems more MIDI oriented and doesn't offer some of the functionality as n-Track. Like native support for VST/VSTi, Rewire support and ASIO support.

-Edit to add- Kristal would likely be a very good starting point for you to get your feet wet in the computer based DAW.
 
crankz - i would appreciate it if you could be at least ACCURATE,
and actually use a product in detail before commenting.
powertracks doesnt use stupid asio , because it has its own scheme of doing things. secondly it does far more than ntrack in terms of audio editing and built in effects as well as the vast range of midi functionality. in fact just as an audio editor its worth the money.you dont need to use vst effects because of the built in range of effects. however you can use a simple wrapper which a lot of powertracks users have. also you CAn use softsynths with it. i suggest respectfully you peruse the pg site and learn more.
also a lot of n track users do use powertracks because of certain lacking functionality in n track. i suggest you read further about such features like vocal harmonisation, notation and scoring, and lead sheet printing
as well.
 
Play nice kids :D
I d/l'd Kristal for fun to see what it's like!Seems pretty cool.The price is right in any event!Anyone using this?
 
Gee Wiz ... seems as though I've ruffled someones feathers. :rolleyes:

I have been all over the PG site, watched the videos, browsed the forum, read a LOT of the FAQ and, to me, the accuracy of my statements still stand. :cool:

I don't care to get into a heated debate over what program is better than another. I, like most everyone else, just offer my opinions. Take them for what they are worth, or ignore them and form your own.
 
nope - just friendly debate is fine with me crankz.
a leading contributor to the n track user forum whose info i used to find
very usefull used to be a a very experienced audio engineer called mac.
just search for his user posts. his experience was vast with pro audio.
you will learn a lot from this man.
in fact it was him that turned me on to powertracks so much ,
as he used both ntrack and powertracks. the latter specifically because of
missing functionality in the former.
 
I know Mac quite well .... and yes he is a very intelligent man.
He spends most of his time here at the AudioMinds forum.
If you know him well enough, you will know that he is a user of multiple different programs for the different functionality they offer.
Same as me.
For tracking and mixing I'll primarily use n-Track.
For editing and mastering I'll use Sound Forge 7.
For looping I'll use Acid Pro.
For CD production I'll use CD Architect 5.
And if I ever get a wild hair to do any midi composition I'll use Cakewalk Pro 9.

As far as the original poster and his needs, I think Kristal would fit the bill quite well for him.
 
Which program is best for me ?

I have read all the replies and thanks to everyone.

Most of the programs mentioned have a demo copy to try out so I will download them and give them a try.
 
crankz....with respect youve never used powertracks.
heres some interesting nice features..TO NAME A FEW !!
1. editing of velocity dynamics.
2.drum grid editor velocity values. plus triplet feel.
3. handling jazz swing music. jazz fonts.
4. channel filtering and rechannelling .
5.gradual increases/decreases in tempo. tempo mapping.
6. editing of note durations.
7. 5 beat grouping of notes.
8. guitar fretboard display showing notes being played, and notation for guitarists.
very usefull for midi guitarists.
guitar tracks printed out in guitar tab format
9. printing blank staff pages.
10. slash chord ability eg..Cm/g
11. audio track de-essing and hum filter and noise gating.
12. interpreting chords from an imported midi file.
13. editing of sysex messages.sysex delay handling for synths that need it.
14. filling tracks with a drum style pattern either preset or your own making.
15. on screen pitch bender if the musician doesnt have a synth
with pitch bend.
16. jukebox KAR feature.
17. a slew of effects presets for various types of audio tracks..
like vocals, guitar, bass, drums etc etc
18. very detailed notation editing, and printing features.
including lead sheet production.
with respect ive used Ntracks. and it doesnt have many of the foregoing features which are very handy for home and pro musicians.
with respect your sketching over a product you have not investigated
in detail. and ive just scratched the surface of features.
and not even mentioned things like handling sound card latency,
endless looping, and all the other audio recording and editing features.
all for 50 bucks. with respect nothing comes close for the money.

the product can take one through the whole song process from idea creation,
through recording, mixdown and to CD.
peace.
 
steve. if you need any tips..ive been using it a long time.
just ask.
by the way what sound quality is that terratec like ?
ive been seriously saving up for rme, but many friends ask me
about terratec. i cant find a lot of user reviews on them.
peace.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top