Need Help in Choosing Software!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ollie74
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Ollie74

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Hi guys,

I'm a real newbie here and need some help. I've bought myself the Omni Studio and am about to go and buy a Midi keyboard so I can play other instruments (bass, piano, etc.). I'm also going to buy a compressor. What I need is a program. The salesman at Sam Ash suggested the Cubase SE (?) a big package for $299 that allows you to play these virtual instruments. However, I read on here that there is no need to buy a program. And Cubase isn't really entry level. I just want to play music and record, without too many problems. Can anyone help? I just want to decide quickly and get started with this project. I was also thinking about using the keyboard for drums, but maybe there's a better way (pcdrummer?). When I say I'm a newbie, I mean it. I'm going to pay someone to set this thing up in my apartment. That's how cluless I am. Thanks in advance.

Ollie
 
Really need some more info on what you're trying to accomplish to be able to give an answer to your question, or at least point you in the right direction.

Will you playing virtual instruments only via MIDI, or will you need to record audio also? What is your PC setup (Pentium, RAM, etc.)? How many tracks do you think you'll need to be able to record? What is your budget?

Please note that most recording software packages come with a suite of plug-ins, which means you may not need to buy a separate compressor, unless you specifically wanted to upgrade this component.

There are free downloadable demos available for most software packages that allow you to evaluate them. There are even free ones that can be quite powerful and possibly sufficient depending on what your objectives are.

Let us know.
 
Hey Thanks,

I have a Dell desktop w. 512 MB and an 80 GB Hard Drive. I will buy a seperate hard drive for recording music.

Initially, I want to record rhythm tracks to loop and solo over for practice. Part of the reason I want the studio is to experiment with chord progressions and improvising. I also have a few instrumental tunes I want to record. If the inspiration flows, I'll want to record songs with drums, bass, and whatever else sounds good. I'm a guitar player and will be recording by micing an amplifier. I'll also be recording acoustic guitar. I don't know how complex it will get for me. That all depends on how much I progress in my playing and songwriting. Judging from this, it wouldn't seem that I would need anything too complex. It's interesting that you say I don't need a compressor, because everyone else says I do. Maybe it's because I'm recording guitar live with a mic? I'm also clueless when it comes to drums. I'm not that excited about doing it with a keyboard, but maybe that's easy, I don't know. I'd also rather conserve my money because I'll need to get I nice microphone, studio speakers, cables etc. and it all adds up. I invested in the Omni Studio because I got a good price and I'm told it's a great product. Thanks for your help and I look forward to your suggestions.

Ollie
 
I'm assuming that when you say a Dell, it's at least a PIII/700 or better, otherwise you'll run into problems. The faster the better, your RAM should be OK. A second hard drive (at least 7200 rpm) for your audio data, and keeping your program and operating system on the other hard drive, will really help make everything run efficiently. If you want to burn your recorded music to CD you'll need a CD burner if you don't have one already.

You'll need software that can handle both audio and MIDI. I personally use Cakewalk Sonar, which is easy to learn, at least if you're familiar with the Windows environment. I'm sure everyone has their favorite, but I've personally been very happy with it.

For drums there are many options. If you can't or don't want to record live drums, you can use a drum sampler and program it with your mouse (tedious) or play it via a keyboard controller. Some people use Fruityloops software for drums, which is very intuitive. Within Sonar you can also use "Acidized" loops, which are pre-recorded snippets of drum audio which adjust to your chosen tempo. You can mix and match them, add intros, fills, cymbals, etc. to easily create a complete drum track.

If you want to take a look at a thread I once started called "What do guitarists use for drums?" in the Guitars and Bassses forum, it'll give you just about every possible method.

As you can see, there are many directions you can go in. I would recommend doing a search here for say "recording software", and read up as much as possible. Once you've narrowed down your options I would recommend you download a free demo of those 2 or 3 top options, and play around to see which you personally prefer.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum.
 
I am using Cakewalk Music Creator Pro ($49) and I have an old KORG X-3 Synth/Workstation that I will pattern in my drums and bass then add the rest. I believe they have what is called Cakewalk Guitar Tracks Pro for like ($139) and n-track is pretty reasonable at I think around ($42) and Powertracks Pro Audio at ($49).
 
Oh, and what I meant by "you won't need a compressor", is that usually a compressor is part of the plug-in bundle that comes with the software. A typical plug-in bundle might include compressor, reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, EQ, etc.
 
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