Presonus Firebox - best recording software for this audio interface?

S

Shoulderpain

New member
Hi,

I was wondering what Presonus Firebox users, using a PC with XP, thought of the different recording softwares they have tried. :confused: I want the best performance, options, compatibility and stability I can find for it... thanks for the advice. :)
 
Shoulderpain said:
Hi,

I was wondering what Presonus Firebox users, using a PC with XP, thought of the different recording softwares they have tried. :confused: I want the best performance, options, compatibility and stability I can find for it... thanks for the advice. :)
Click to expand...

Really, the software you use with a given interface should make very little difference. Or, rather, the interface you use with a given software platform should make very little difference to that software, as long as the interface plays nicely with your sound card and the software isn't too much for your OS.

That said, as a Firepod user, I like Reaper. It's cheap ($60 for a non-commercial license, and technically you don't even HAVE to buy it - the demo is fully functional, and after 30 days, it just sits for a six-second countdown while you "think about buying it," before it'll let you boot it up, but it's still fully functional), it's pretty damned flexible in terms of routing and bussing, it loads very quickly and isn't a resource hog, and the new 3.0 version just fixed the only feature I was missing compared to Sonar, what I'd been using previously - the ability to automate envelopes for FX parameters.

I like the fact they offer a sharply diiscounted personal use liscense, and I don't feel like I'm missing anything relative to any other application I've used. I'm a total convert. I'd rather spend $440 on mics and buy Reaper than $500 or more on another mainstream application.
 
Thank you!

A friend of mine, a composer, suggested Protools, but did not know if it was compatable with the Presonus Firebox, has anyone had a good result using Protools with a Firebox connected to an XP running PC?

Also, I have a demo of Reaper and have been meaning to ask if people thought it provided a professional result, does the quality compare to Protools or Cubase?

And last, Monkey Allen, why do you use Sonar 6? What do you like about it?

Thanks again. I really appreciate it. :) :o
 
Shoulderpain said:
Also, I have a demo of Reaper and have been meaning to ask if people thought it provided a professional result, does the quality compare to Protools or Cubase?
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I love Reaper. I switched from Sonar 6.0 to Reaper for a couple of reasons, one that it loaded VERY quickly and seemed to run more efficiently on my system, two that the workflow felt very natural, and three, I really dig the fact they offer a "personal use" liscense where for a much lower price ($60 vs $250) you get a fully functional version with no extra features, and they only ask you to upgrade to the commercial liscense if you're using Reaper and grossing more than $20k a year. It's always bothered me that these recording platforms are such that any guy with a good preamp/interface and a few good mics could make a totally pro-sounding album on his or her home computer, but then they go and price them out of the realm of the average home hobbyist. Reaper doesn't even make you pay, really. They just ask you to, and make you wait for 6 seconds on load to "think about buying reaper" before you can continue on to their project. I hugely admire their ethos as a company. :D

But really, any even remotely decent multitrack recording platform will allow you to get professional results - the real variable isn't the program you use as much as it is the AD/DA conversion in your interface and the preamps you use. A good program first and foremost is NOT supposed to color the sound. Reaper does this admirably, but no better or no worse than any other application targeted for professional users.
 
Shoulderpain said:
And last, Monkey Allen, why do you use Sonar 6? What do you like about it?

Thanks again. I really appreciate it. :) :o
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Because I used to use Guitar Tracks Pro 2, also from Cakewalk back in the day...and I just stuck with the brand, Cakewalk, and upgraded to Sonar 6...I've never used any other programs except Reaper. And you know, the more I see of Reaper these days, the more I think it makes sense. Anyway, I just like Sonar 6 because it seems very easy for me to use and I like the look of it.
 
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