The best recording/editing software for me?

  • Thread starter Thread starter wjgypsy
  • Start date Start date

Best recording/editing software for me?

  • Cool Edit Pro

    Votes: 4 21.1%

  • Sonar

    Votes: 10 52.6%

  • Logic

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 5 26.3%
  • Total voters
    19
W

wjgypsy

New member
I just got a new computer and i want to put some good software on it and start uploading my audio from my vf-16 into the computer for effects,compression and editing. I have looked at alot of software and so far, Cool Edit Pro 2 seems to be the best one. But i have also looked at Sonar, Logic and Other ones. Is there something that i should buy instead of CEP? What i would need in software would be:

A good number of tracks (not below 32)

Lots of effects and plug ins like compression, tone genirater, ect,ect.

Easy to use.

Import and export of .wav files

export of mp3 ( Optinal )

Stuff like that. I don't want to spend more than $300. any ideas?



zeke
 
are you using a PC?? If so I would perhaps forget about Logic (before you people piss and moan I like Logic ALOT) but apple just bought emagic and Logic is getting discontinued on the PC end (mac only from here on out) I would suggest however that you maybe try to find some demo's to play with of these programs to see which you are comfortable with I know steiberg has a Cubase SX demo for download on their site (Cubase SX is however going to cost you more than 300) maybe Cubase SL not sure of the limitations or the price on it though it is cheaper. you might try to find a demo for sonar (not sure if there is one) Randy


ok here are some demo links for you:
Sonar cakewalk sonar demo and download page

Cubasecubase wavlab etc
 
I know that logic is going to ALL MAC. but i sall in musician's friend, that there was a bundle pack that inclued Logic audio 5 for pc. I have never liked macs. I know that people say that Macs are good for music, but after i've been on the windows formay for years, it just seems alittle weird. I have a demo of cool edit pro (v.1) and i love it. I think that it will be the one, but i've noticed that sonar and other ones are getting good ratings.

Zeke
 
i personally think its all preference at this point almost all the products are going to give *about* the same quality if used properly . so at that end it comes down to which do you like and feel more comfortable using. Randy
 
If you want to edit your tracks...then Cool Edit is the only one designed specifically to do that

Most big-time Cubase users need something like WaveLab or SoundForge to do extensive editing...

and while you at it...why not just sell the VF and get a quality soundcard

I imagine the converters will be superior on a CPU based system


-Chris
 
I've been using the Cakewalk products for years now. They do the job for me. I'm still more comfortabble in Cakewalk Pro 9 than Sonar (i.e. Cakewalk 10). Sonar 2.0 would do everything on your list, in your price range. You might be able to get a student discount.

I have fiddled with Cubase on a Mac and it seems like a very comerable product to Sonar. If you expected to move between PCs and Macs a lot, I would take a hard look at it.

One thing Zeke - since you seem to be fairly serious about doing recording as a career (unlike myself who just fiddles with it for fun), you might start considering ways to work towards a Pro Tools system. What ever anyone thinks about it, Pro Tools is the closest thing there is to a small-studio standard. At least you should track down the old freebe version that ran (very poorly!) on Windows 98, and check it out. It would be prudent to have a passing knowedge about how at least the software interface works.
 
I would love to have a pro tools system, but i think that it's a little too much for me right now. Just the Protools interface for protools HD is about $3500 :eek: I have been looking for the protools software but you can't get it with out it's interface. I have looked at the Mbox though. Looks pretty sweet.


Chrisjob: I don't think that i will sell my vf. It's been a nice recorder with the exception of the eq and some effects. When i get in my late teens or early 20's i plan to upgrade my studio to the pro level. I thought that i would do something like get a alesis 24-hard disk record, 48-ch mixing board, rack full of compressors and effects, protools system for editing and mastering.
 
check out sonic foundry's vegas too man. this is the company that makes sound forge. it is basically a multitrack version of sound forge. this is one of the easiest programs to use, expecially if you dont use midi and dont need all the extra crap hanging around. also, the buss suming in this piece, i believe, is far superior to most other programs on the market.


www.sonicfoundry.com
 
I have not used any of the others, so take this with a grain of salt. I use SOnar 2.2.XL, and am extraordinarily happy with it. I personally think it is unwise to shortchange yourself, so getting something without MIDI if you are really planning on going deep with your music would be an error in my opinion. I didn't care about the MIDI component of SONAR at first, but as I have learned about it more, I am fully hooked to using MIDI in most of my creations. Just for rough creation of drums and other sounds that help to sketch out a tune it is helpful.

I would have to echo the advice of downloading demos and trying them. With the exception of ProTools, which is in a higher league (I know people argue this until they are blue in the face), I think the Cubase/Sonar/Cooledit/Sonic Foundry etc is much more about personal taste and ease of use.
 
Well, it took 2 hours and 4 trys to download The Sonar 2.2 demo and i was not pleased with it. The overall layout and "easy-to-use" interface was good though. What i did not like was the effects. there was only one compresser and the other revurb effects, i could not get to sound the way "I" wanted them to. So far, CEP 2.0 is the runner up. I think that it has midi stuff. I looked at www.cooledit.com for a demo but could not find anything. Do any of you know where i cound find one?
 
I would suggest cool edit over sonar especially if you are doing editing.

If you are doing anything with midi then cool edit by itself aint gonna cut it. but for uploading tracks from your fostex, its the way to go.
 
Hey Zeke,

As much as I love Pro Tools (Digi 002) I'd warn against starting with Mbox unsless you are really serious about building a Pro Tools system over time. It doesn't meet two of your criteria:

1) $300. Though you might be able to get it on ebay for around that.

2) Lots of plugins. Yes, there are lots of plugins for Pro Tools LE, and some darn fine ones, but they are very, very pricey. And I haven't found ANY free ones. :( Mbox comes with the same basics as everyone else, but nothing fancy.

At least anything you buy will translate to any system upgrades you do, but so will VST and DX plugs with other systems.

I don't know what Cubase SL costs, but I've done tons of editing in Cubase SX and I never needed a different editor. Maybe my standards are low, but I found it easy enough to use.

Also, while you can still buy Logic for PC, Apple is no longer developing it. Its dead. No more updates, no more nothing. What you buy is what you get, forever. That means in 2 years when the next great operating system comes preinstalled on every PC on the face of the Earth, Logic will not run on it and you'll have to shell out for something new and learn how to use it all over again.

You might also concider trying out n-track. ( www.fasoft.com) Its cheap, its meets all your criteria, and it will keep you going for quite some time while you save up for and learn about your next great recording system. It can be a bit unstable, though, so save your work often.

Good luck,
Chris
 
Chris Shaeffer said:
You might also concider trying out n-track. ( www.fasoft.com) Its cheap, its meets all your criteria, and it will keep you going for quite some time while you save up for and learn about your next great recording system. It can be a bit unstable, though, so save your work often.
Click to expand...
You're not a kidding it can be unstable. It'll crash five times an hour if your experience is anything like mine.

If you're more interested in audio than MIDI, get CEP2, because it has the excellent two track editing. If you're equally interested in audio and MIDI, get Sonar. I love Sonar and am more and more impressed with it every day, but it does not have good two-track editing capabilities like CEP2.
 
Well, I decided to go with Acid pro 4.0 I downloaded the demo (took 3 hours :eek:) and was very impressed with it. In my opinion, i found it to be better than Sonar. (In my case anyway...)
So, i ordered it sunday from musician's friend, because they gave me a deal that i could not refuse:

(1) Acid Pro 4.0 with over 600 loops
(1) Sound Fourge 6.0 with over 1000 sounds
(1) Classic 8 pack. Apox. 4000 loops

For only $149!!!!!!!!

And i'm working something out with a friend, so that i will have CEP!

Zeke
 
ZEKE SAYER said:
Search me, but it's in the new issue of Musician's Friend!
Click to expand...
The version of Sound Forge that comes with this special is Sound Forge Studio. It does not support 24 bit files, and it does not support external Direct X effects. I looked into getting it at one point, but these two things made SF Studio pretty much useless to me.
 
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