questions for a newbie

[rockishell]

I have a HP PAvilion N5415 -- do i need more memory and or ram ?
I boughta fw 1448 -- do i need a firewire
Should I buy the spike powered recording system by mackie ?
What recording program should I get ?
... It has to be under $1000.

 

[manning1]

well firstly what memory do you gave currently ?
look in control panel. system devices.
for a recording program you wont beat what i use unless you spend a lot of money. read the user reviews at the site. try the demo etc etc.
http://pgmusic.com/powertracks.htm
it seems you might benefit from some tutorials.
http://www.garys.web.st/midibasics.htm
http://www.garys.web.st/basicintro.htm

 

[ssscientist]

Manning1, try this on for size. Tracktion is now FREE! Yes, I said FREE! It's some kind of promotion by the publishers of Keybored, EQ, etc and I don't quite know how long it will last but for now it's FREE!

Here's the link to where Tracktion is being given away FREE in all of it's audio and midi capable glory. It runs VST and VSTi plugins too! I almost can't believe they're giving it away FREE!

 

[manning1]

scientist. already tried it. and audacity, and krystal.
if your an experienced user scientist who has been through the mill,
then try powertracks sometime ..and youll see why i'm so avid.
like ntrack (which ive also used)...traktion is still missing a lotr of usefull features in the midi area. particularly if you get in deep into midi and know your way around midi editing and notation , you will see the advantages of powertracks. space limits me, but look sometime at all the notation options for example in powertracks and all will become apparent.
also look some time at all the excellent effects built into powertracks for free (something like 40 effects !) so i dont have to use plug ins.
but i can if i wish use third party plug ins.
there are several other facts. with powertracks i can interract on line with support people if i have a question. on the surface traktion looks good - but down at the nitty grittys and day in day out recording of songs is where the rubber hits the road. imho - people are being attracted by the free aspect.
and not delving into what they need at the nitty gritty level.
someone could give me a free car - but if it doesnt do what i want ...its no good.

 

[gordone]

I have a HP PAvilion N5415 -- do i need more memory and or ram ?

That depends, how much memory do you have currently? If you have 64MB of RAM, I would say YES! If you have 512MB, you're probably ok

I boughta fw 1448 -- do i need a firewire

That depends. Does your HP have a FW port? Didn't you do this research before you bought the fw 1448??

Should I buy the spike powered recording system by mackie ?

Not sure what this is. But shouldn't your FW 1448 be your "recording system" (I believe that's the Tascam product?)

What recording program should I get ?
... It has to be under $1000.

I like N-Track, but try that and some other cheap ones (Powertracks) and see which one you like the best. You should be able to find one under $100.

 

[ssscientist]

people are being attracted by the free aspect.
and not delving into what they need at the nitty gritty level.
someone could give me a free car - but if it doesnt do what i want ...its no good.

I really resent your calling me inexperienced and implying that you know more about midi and midi notation than I do.

I've tried powertracks and found it's circa 1990 gui to be quaint and boring. It's trying too hard in the wrong areas. And comparing Tracktion to Audacity is disingenuous --- it would be better compared to Cubase or Sonar.

I see that you've blocked all private messages since you've been on your evanglistic crusade for powertracks. That's a shame, because you're forcing anyone who agrees with your many detractors on this board to air their gripes with you in public.

And you and I both know that this 'free Tracktion' stuff started two weeks ago and will end soon, so don't try to spin that into an issue.

At the nitty gritty level, Tracktion has what Cubase, Logic, Cakewalk, SmpteTrack, Pro 24 and many others couldn't offer - ease of use and fine midi and audio utility, and workflow ease in spades.

 

[manning1]

sscientist. you have definitely read way way too much into THAT.
I NEVER meant YOU were inexperienced. where did i call YOU
inexperienced. you took me all the wrong way with respect.

by the way ive NEVER had pm on my name here from the beginning of being on this board,not for any devious reason than it was never set up.
and ive never blocked messages. dont know where you got that idea from.

people should just try both and form their own opinion.
i wish you only a merry christmas.

 

[manning1]

sscientist.also i dont know what version of powertracks you tried. it sounds like an old one. the new version 9 has a brand new GUI.
ok..lets get down to nitty gritties. how many of the following features does traktion have. ??? because i didnt see all this feature set in traktion.
heres the list....lets compare the two packages in detail. peace.
NOTE...new version 9 has a brand new new gui.
0.vocal pitch correction and harmonisation.
(gender. multi part harmony, pitch correction etc)
1. editing of midi 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,bass,mandolin,banjo fretboard display showing notes being played, and notation for guitarists.
very usefull for midi guitarists. etc.
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.
19. render midi to audio. softsynth support.
20.fail safe feature for lost recordings.
21. 48 tracks audio and/or midi.
22. multi in sound card supprt,16 bit/ 24 bit.
23. independent editing of left and right parts of stereo audio tracks.
23.visible count in. punch ins.
24.ppq up to 3840 !! fine timing resolution.
25. multiple easy pasting.
90. video tutorial. plus on-line live internet help from support.