Multitracking software, for the old fashioned

S

swollenrod

New member
I have this budget tascam 4-track, and all except maybe delivering superior sound quality, it has done me well. The problem is I really dig digital sound, and would like to implement this into my solo work. I do your average 3 peice set kind of rock and roll music. No sampling, no Trent Reznor...etc. My point being, It seems that most computer software programs are geared toward the elaborate muscian who desperately needs 128 tracks to fluff. I need 4. Now from where I come from multitrack recording (especially solo multitracking) means laying your drumbeat down. then guitar bass and vocals layer that. Thats what my Tascam does. So why then does it seem that every "multitracking" SW package I try is incapable of this? For instance Sound Forge 4.5... Records each file individually in .wav-format. The cut and paste gets so ugly. In fact I have to use Acid to play one track while I record the other...and this software cost 500 bucks. Now I am sure there are ways of doing this much simpler, and this is what i am asking. I've asked several people and they always throw in words like sequencer and sample and looping...(by the way I dont think anyone has logically explained MIDI yet) This sounds like techno music jargon and throws me off. For my kind of music (rock) should i get better aquainted with these things?
Can I not use multitracking software in a similar manner as my old anolog.
It almost seems worth my while to get a minidisk 4 track, Because it at least looks and feels similar to my tascam. Maybe someone cn pursuade me to sticking with computer recording, and tip me off to a nice software package

-swole-
 
Mister SwollenRod

I am in the same boat. Computers seem great but it seems pretty expensive and the stand alone boxes are looking mighty appealing because you can move them easily and they are set up like a regular recorder. I think the Fostex digital 8-track seems like a good deal.

BYI - Does any one know of any DOS based multi-track (say 4-track) programs that can run on a slow computer?
 
Hello,
I used a Tascam 424MKII for a few years before upgrading to a Yamaha MD4S. The sound quality is MUCH better than the analog 4-track and YES, the user interface is very similar to that of a cassette unit. I then mixdown to my computer using the analog main outs into my sound card in order to burn CDs. Very effective and I didn't have to change my way of recording from when I used analog. Good luck!
 
I haven't heard the machine's actual sound yet, but I have heard from some pretty reliable sources that the Fostex F-4 and F-8 stand alone setups are pretty decent. Neither has sound FXs on board but they have impressive signal to noise ratios (better than 105db)and record at 16bit rates with no compression. They have tape deck-like transport systems and both are under $800 with media back-up included. So, if you are used to tape decks, this may be the way to go. ADAT also is very straight forward but requires a mixing board and some bucks. Of course, Roland's VS series has quite the reputation. Mini disc recorders, I think, get a bad rap because of data compression and loss of sound out the human hearing range, but they, too, have a loyal following. Nice thing about all these alternatives--you don't have to have a computer dedicated soley to music production.

Peace, Jim
 
Yeah- SF 4.5 costs a lot of money, but no matter how much it costs it's the WRONG Software for what you're trying to do. For what you want you need multitracking software. The Sonic Foundry entry is Vegas Pro, (demo is free) also really expensive. But you can download n-tracks and give that a whirl for free and if you choose to buy it, it's really cheap. Another decent contender is Cool Edit Pro.
 
This kind of question gets asked quite a bit. There is no, and never will be, multitracking software that runs exactly like your multitracking devices. You are going to have to learn a little bit about computers to use a computer to record music.

I understand your concern however, and there is no need for it...really. Software like (my favorite) n-Track works real easy. Sure it has MIDI capabilities but I've certainly never used MIDI. I don't use loops or samples or any of that crap.

Here's how it works for me. 1) I get the record level right using the recording VU meters that look just like the meters on my 4-track. 2) I hit the record button. 3) I play some music. 4) I repeat until all the tracks are laid out. 5) I add effects and set the levels. 6) I hit the mixdown button. 7) Done.

No too hard. Where it does get a little tricky is adjusting volumes and adding effects. But I guarantee it's 10X easier to draw volume levels right onto the tracks than it is to fiddle with knobs in real time on your mixer. Effects take a *little* bit more effort to apply on the computer at first but then I guarantee they're a lot easier to manage in the end.

The greatest benefit to recording on a PC, IMHO, is to be able save the settings on each mix...including effects on a per-track basis. Let's say that a year after you finish a song, you decide that the lead guitar level is a little too hot and needs a bit more reverb. You simply pull up the tune, adjust the level, add a little wetness to the verb, and mixdown a new version. Easy as cake. Click save and you can forget about it for another year :)

The second greatest benefit is NOT being limited to 4 tracks. 4 tracks burn up real quick and as you know...and pinging tracks can be very frightening.

The third greatest thing is that PC's are NOT expensive. If you're going to plop down 800 bucks for a decent 8-track machine, why not simply plop down $1000 for a decent PC that you can easily record 8 tracks onto. Need more? Upgrade. I guarantee that upgrading your PC is going to be cheaper than upgrading your standalone recording setup. Then you have to consider that a LOT of effects and wave editors are either free or shareware. You suddenly have all the tools of a professional studio for virtually nothing. Not the same quality of course, but then we're not pros (well, most of us aren't).

BTW, n-Track studio is $35. Download the trial version from www.fasoft.com and you WILL end up buying it.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Thanks for all the input. Certainly points me in the right direction. Seeing as how i have already gotten myself a really nice computer I think I'll try n-track. 35 bucks sounds reasonable to me, and definatly sounds better than buying a stand alone unit for 800 or so. My only other question then pertains to mixing down (lets keep it strictly to in-track). Can someone possibly enlighten me on how to line up the tracks with this program?

1.)Does each track build to the .wav you are creating, or does it create a separate .wav for each track.
-If it's individually, then is there an easy way to control this environment? Given that i allow a good 15 seconds before each track, will I need to know right down to the milisecond where the song begins to line things up perfectly?

2.) Does this software allow you to play track 1 while recording track 2 at the same time? I mean think about it. It only makes logical sense to hear the drum beat and play along with it so you know first hand what part is what, not to mention the timing. Especially when laying a bass track over the guitar, or vice versa. It seems like a vital part of recording to me, because for one, my memory is not the greatest and it allows for instruments to harmonize that much clearer. The metronome at this point doesn't cut it.

I hate to sound redundant at this point, but it gets confusing to a beginner. These little things make a big difference to me as I think they should to anyone. Naturally digital recording is the platform that evolved from analog, and whether or not recording techniquies arent identical, it stands to reason that there would be vast amount of similarities.

thanx -swole-
 
I don't use n-track myself but with any decent multi track recording software, assuming your sound card has full-duplex capabilities, you are able to listen to the previously recorded tracks while recording. I think that most programs store the recorded material as something other than a wave file until you are ready to convert the tracks to a wave file(s).

Bottom line is, IMHO, If you've already got the computer, just buy some multi-track software and you'll be quite pleased. Don't forget the importance of the sound card in your computer.
 
I use Digital Orchestrator Pro, a multi-tracking/midi sequencer software to do my recording, and I do it exactly the way I did it with my Tascam Porta 05. Lay down the drums (or in this case, the midi drum track), then rhythm guitar, bass, vocals, then my awful solo.

To me it's not really any different. You lay down a track, then play it back while you record another track. Then play those two back while you record another track and so on.

Other people have mentioned n-track--you might want to also take a look at Cakewalk. I can't recommended Digital Orchestrator anymore although I love it because it's only 16 bit software and I have doubts that Voyetra is developing it anymore...
 
What kind of soundcard are you using??? That is a big factor in all of this... When you get your equipment and software together... Recording on a PC is pretty much the same as on 4-track... Except you have 64 tracks... And sometimes they get misplaced...

S8-N
 
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