So easy a child could use it!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Freis968
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Freis968

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Ok, my head is absolutely spinning around while trying to decide on what PC based recording software/interface to buy. I purchased a few in the past like Cakewalk, Cubase and Firebox only to sit in front of my PC for fifty hours and not even be able to get any audio to come through into the program. All of my attempts have ended up in me giving up and just going back to my Roland VS-880EX recorder. But I am like...DOGGONE IT! There has got to be an easier program out there that will just about work itself.

Is there a program out there that literally tells you to plug your guitar in here and click this button here and watch the red light go on, etc etc? I am just so damn not getting this recording on PC thing, in short is there a program that is so easy that a child could use it?

By the way, I am looking to record just old fashioned guitar, bass and plug my Roland E Drums into it. I don't want any MIDI or hip hop drum loops or any of that other jazz.

Thanks for any and all help that any of you can offer to me!
 
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Try Traktion

I know how you feel! ;)
My advice. Download the demo for Traktion2 from the Mackie website.
http://www.mackie.com/products/tracktion2/splash.html

I found it to be much easier to 'get' than some other programs like Cubase where you have to dig through lots of menus etc.
Do yourself a favour though and spend some time reading the user guide. Its very well written, and will save you time down the line. Most people seem to get the hang of Traktion anywhere from a few hours to within a couple of days.

Good luck!
 
I found the Steinberg products fairly simple...Protools on the other hand left me bewildered.

What particular problems did you have with Cubase?

6

If you're not using that Firebox, I may be in the market.
 
Im not sure how many people will agree with me on this, but i find Logic as easy as it gets. For me it just has a very simple layout for its basic functions. Plus, if you start to 'get it' logic will allow you to expand within the same package. Id say go for Logic express 7.1.
 
Dude, the guy is having problems with Cakewalk and Cubase and you're recommending Logic? :eek:

Here's a second vote for Traktion. Nice, simple and relatively uncluttered.
 
Never tried traktion, but ntrack is basically, hit record, play music, ok now you are done hit stop. Hit record again... your other track plays, you record onto the next one, etc etc.

Cool Edit I found to be pretty simple too once I upgraded from ntrack.



Simon
 
Try Audacity -- it's free and fairly simple.

Cool Edit / Adobe Audition also gets high marks on the easy scale.

I use Cubase SE and while the initial learning curve has some hurdles (getting all the inputs and outputs routed correctly), overall, I don't find it that much more difficult than my old 4-track.
 
noisewreck said:
Dude, the guy is having problems with Cakewalk and Cubase and you're recommending Logic? :eek:

Like i said, i wasnt expect many to agree with me on that!! BUT i used to use calkwalk and i find Logic ten times easier. I know its complicated when you get further in, but i for the simple functions i find it very easy!
Click to expand...
 
Thank you all so very much for helping me narrow it done quite a bit. I am just about done downloading the traction demo and will demo the others as well.

Great gang here it looks like.

I sold the firebox already, guess it is time to rebuy?
 
Ok, I downloaded the Traction demo and clicked on the sound clips to listen to them but no sound is coming out...OH BOY, HERE WE GO ALREADY!!! :confused:
 
That sounds simply as though the outputs aren't routed properly to whatever your monitoring off. I dont know the software but im sure somone can give you a step by step guide to correct that!
 
My 11-year-old runs my rig. Sonar4PE, Lynx2a card. MIDI and audio both. He gets a bit confused about routing through a mixer.

You should see him edit! :D

I bought my kids a Dell 9100 with a 2.8 Pentium D and a gig of RAM and XP Pro. I picked up Macromedia Studio8 (educational version only $299 :) )for them too. They wanna do graphic design, animation, and claymation. I figure it's an investment in their future.
 
Freis968 said:
Ok, I downloaded the Traction demo and clicked on the sound clips to listen to them but no sound is coming out...OH BOY, HERE WE GO ALREADY!!! :confused:
Click to expand...
ok I know you may not want to spend anymore time on this. but if you spent 50 hours then spend a little more time with the manual. I dont understand, what is the problem? The first time I used cubase I just hit the record button and it started recording with onboard audio card. It wasnt till I got my audio interface that I had to use the device set up to select the audio card. but ither than that you should just be able to hit record and get some thing. same thing with cakewalk.
 
Pughbert said:
noisewreck said:
Dude, the guy is having problems with Cakewalk and Cubase and you're recommending Logic? :eek:
Click to expand...

Like i said, i wasnt expect many to agree with me on that!! BUT i used to use calkwalk and i find Logic ten times easier. I know its complicated when you get further in, but i for the simple functions i find it very easy!
Click to expand...

Never used it, but AFAIK, it hasn't been available (except used) for PC for a while now. Short of a new machine, it probably isn't an option.
 
I used Guitar Tracks Pro for a couple of years, now I use GTP3...and really, it couldn't be easier to use. But it also has plenty of potential if you want to put it through its paces
 
I had a lot of problems with PC recording too. It seemed to me there were a million places for things to go wrong. Soundcards, drivers, control panel settings, virtual mixer settings, routing, cables... then there's the audio software, bit depth, sampling rates... It's like trying to line up a hundred donuts, perfectly, so you can see through the holes from one end to the other.

You just have to make up your mind one day that you're not going to stop working on it until you get it figured out. And then, can you make it work again tomorrow? Can you do it without having that musical idea you had go cold?

Yes, you can!
 
sixways said:
I found the Steinberg products fairly simple...Protools on the other hand left me bewildered.

What particular problems did you have with Cubase?

6

If you're not using that Firebox, I may be in the market.
Click to expand...


I had exactly the opposite experience. Cubase baffled me, pro tools was so freakin easy. pick a program you might like, I recommend sonar, cubase, or pro tools, and even though cubase was more difficult for me I was still able to record some decent stuff with it. Either way you go buy a book specific to the softwar you buy. I bought Pro Tools Ignite 6 when I got my rig and it taught me everything I needed to know regarding hooking everything up and getting to the point that I can record.
 
I'm afraid what you're looking for doesn't exist.

I'd give it up for now. Maybe some day.
.
 
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