Software

A

Andriko

New member
Hi guys,

I've got myself hooked up with the guitar and Behringer 404hd interface, but am instantly out of my depth with the software!

Ideally, I'd like something the will let me 'simulate' amps for guitar whilst playing and recording - at the moment the audacity I am using only seems to let me add these after recording it.

Also, I'd like to be able to add other simulated instruments (drums, piano, bass etc). I don't have a midi keyboard yet, but is there a way of adding a 'virtual' keyboard instead, or recording software that comes with such a thing?

I'd prefer to stick with Audacity for now, as it's free and I am (clearly) clueless, however, can any of you recommend any good software programs that would provide what I want?

EDIT: I forgot to say - is there perhaps a DAW where I can write a score, and then have it play according to that?

Thanks,

A
 
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I'm not familiar with Audacity, but most DAWS will allow you to monitor an effect on a track as you are recording it.

Most contemporary DAWs will provide a virtual keyboard to allow you to record notes if you don't have an actual keyboard. They will also allow you to enter notes on a 'piano scroll'.

There are plenty of DAWs that will allow you to create (and play) a score.

Audacity is free, but you might consider Reaper, which can do all things you want, is flexible, powerful, has a low CPU footprint, a small download and is pretty cheap.
 
Try googling "kenny gioia first midi song in reaper"

Its not audacity, but here is a clear way how to do the virtual instruments in REAPER, which you can run as a fully functioning trial for 30 days so at least you can get a feel and understanding for the basics. You might want to substitute other free instruments for the mentioned ones like Steven Slate SSD5 free for the drums , Ampl bass lite for a bass instrument, and maybe Yohng's free piano at 4front

As for playing an amp sim, there are AWESOME free ones, like Amplitube 5 free, or piles of others like ToneLib.

As for a DAW where you can write a score, there are some facilities for that in REAPER, though other DAWs probably have it a lot better, but really I would be looking at more of a notation program for that that also has virtual instrument capabilities like Guitar Pro or Powertab Editor 2.0 (free)
If you just mean to enter in MIDI like how Kenny does in the tutorials linked above you may not need or want an external score, as you could accomplish the same thing entirely in REAPER
 
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Audacity is very basic, really an editing software rather than a DAW.
Reaper is very cheap and it allows you to try it (without limitations) for as long as you want free of charge.
I'd recommend going down that route and check out the video suggested above.
ALL DAWs require an amount of learning. One of rthe advantages of Reaper is the amazing how to videos that are available.
 
As others have said, Reaper is very user and wallet friendly. I've used Avid Pro Tools and Cakewalk and now Reaper. Pro Tools is best but is $600 bucks and you have to pay for updates. It does however have much more powerful plugins but also requires a lot of RAM. Cakewalk is a middle of the road software with lots of bells and whistles but again, several hundred bucks and pay as you go updates. Reaper, on the other hand. was $60 US with auto updates. From what I understand Reaper was built by some studio techs that wanted to offer a cost friendly alternative. Reaper comes loaded with a bevy of installed plugins and there are many more out there to download. If you go that route I can steer you toward a couple of really nice Verb and Chorus plugins that I use a lot. The compressor presets in Reaper are handy and usually spot on and include mastering presets as well. Happy tracking!!
 
Do tell, what "much more powerful plugins" does PT have? I could probably name a few zillion that aren't available to PT without a sketchy VST adapter.
 
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