What all else can I do with Home Studio 4 XL?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nicksan
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That sounds like a strange question.....

How do you mean? The software is a multi-track recording software package.

What are you hoping that the software will be able to do or for someone to tell you?

Daniel
 
I was hoping I could track the space shuttle but it dosnt work for that, I have called nasa and they have never heard of the software.......... :p

aaaaahhhhhhh.......I just wish I would have done more homework before I blew money on this......Live and learn I guess......... :rolleyes:
 
Nicksan said:
I was hoping I could track the space shuttle but it dosnt work for that, I have called nasa and they have never heard of the software.......... :p

Actually they should have cause you can track that information here...


aaaaahhhhhhh.......I just wish I would have done more homework before I blew money on this......Live and learn I guess......... :rolleyes:

What are you looking at doing with this software? What did you think it could do?

Daniel
 
I was just going through your old posts... What do you actually want to achieve, music wise? What style do you want to record and how many instruments?

You were looking at digital workstations like the Boss unit, asking about recording the drum machine but not using the effects on the box, so I'm guessing either you have effects that you are going to use or record mostly accoustic pieces.

Daniel
 
I bought it because I thought it had a drum machine included with the multitrack recorder.
What I really want to do is record guitar, electric and acoustic and then overlap that with solos, bass and drums and just make my own music, nothing really complicated.

I was originally going to buy a multitrack machine but then realized my gaming computer is more than powerful enough to turn it into a music creating type of machine.

I found some software by M-audio that is a drum machine and has bass tracks. My idea of a drum machine is somthing I could create my own songs with.
I also need something like audio buddy.
Thanks.
 
Nick, what else were you expecting it to do? Some other things you can use it for is for playing software synths in a live setting (assuming you have a computer that's mobile). Let us know and maybe we can help.
 
Nothing live, just in my room. see above..... ;)
Posted at the same time.
 
Nicksan said:
I bought it because I thought it had a drum machine included with the multitrack recorder.
I found some software by M-audio that is a drum machine and has bass tracks. My idea of a drum machine is somthing I could create my own songs with.
I also need something like audio buddy.
Thanks.

OK, so the Audio Buddy is just an audio interface (which going by your previous posts will upgrade your sound card). The old story.. start with the source first and work back from there to get the sound (mind you I've heard of songs recorded with Sound Blasters that sound great!).

What sort of 'Drum machine' are you hoping for? Home Studio and most other software like it requires you to physically program the drum track, ie Kick on 1st and 3rd beats of the bar, Snare on 2nd and 4th with Hi Hat's every 8th. Copy and past in every bar for the duration of the song, go through and add crashes, and maybe change the hi-hat to a ride for the chorus. From there, route that track through the DXI I mentioned in the other post with a sound font loaded and you have a drum track. Programming that is half the fun!

If you want something that you can just plug the chords in a define the style, maybe you should have looked at something like Band in a Box.

Home Studio will get you where you want to go, it will just take some work and learning to get there.

Daniel
 
Nicksan said:
I bought it because I thought it had a drum machine included with the multitrack recorder.
What I really want to do is record guitar, electric and acoustic and then overlap that with solos, bass and drums and just make my own music, nothing really complicated.

I was originally going to buy a multitrack machine but then realized my gaming computer is more than powerful enough to turn it into a music creating type of machine.

Ahhh an edited post which I missed out on quoting!

First part, as I mentioned, you can program your own drums.. Home Studio will do all you are looking at...

As for the multitrack, if you bought one of those (for instance I initially had a Roland VS-840Ex), depending on which one you got, they don't have drum tracks built in and you would have to either a) buy a drum machine and program it then record it or B)get some cheap MIDI software on the computer, program it and then play it back into the unit (which is what I used to do!).

I initially was looking at getting a Roland VS 2480 (at the time about $10000AUD to just record myself, I know an overkill with so many inputs), however I had a decent spec'ed PC and all up with Sonar a sound card (8 channels in and out) and a new microphone I got out of it for about $3000 AUD and the system is more flexible than the 2480!.

Daniel

Hope that encourages you to learn the software.

Daniel
 
Ive got an audigy sound card, I dont need anything super high quality i just thought the audio buddy would give me more input options with a preamp? Is that right?
I guess Home Studio is not as easy to learn as I thought. I dont really understand how the drum machine works, I can open up these sample sounds and play them, ive tried to drag parts into a song with no luck. I probably need a book, the manual doesnt have a whole lot of info.
I have not bought a multitrack recorder yet. I was considering a Boss BR-600 because it has a drum machine built in but If I can get away with using my computer I will do that. At first I didnt want to but now it seems a little simpler to use the computer.
I am considering purchasing a drum machine like the boss dr-XX series and hooking it up and recording it into Home Studio, I have a feeling it would be easier to learn.
Thanks for the help, and anymore you could provide.
 
Nicksan said:
Ive got an audigy sound card, I dont need anything super high quality i just thought the audio buddy would give me more input options with a preamp? Is that right?
I guess Home Studio is not as easy to learn as I thought. I dont really understand how the drum machine works, I can open up these sample sounds and play them, ive tried to drag parts into a song with no luck. I probably need a book, the manual doesnt have a whole lot of info.
I have not bought a multitrack recorder yet. I was considering a Boss BR-600 because it has a drum machine built in but If I can get away with using my computer I will do that. At first I didnt want to but now it seems a little simpler to use the computer.
I am considering purchasing a drum machine like the boss dr-XX series and hooking it up and recording it into Home Studio, I have a feeling it would be easier to learn.
Thanks for the help, and anymore you could provide.

In all purposes the Audigy will get you through. Do you have the Live Drive (do they still exist???)? if so, you can actually use that to plug the guitar directly in to (you need to set a switch on the unti so it will accept that signal.

If it is just for a hobby, you could probably get away with just a Beringher or similar DI brand DI box.. but best to check with the local music store about that.

Also, as for the 'drum machine' component of Home Studio, in the Manual (or help file), look up Drum Map Manager (directs the MIDI track to the DXI you want to use), Piano Roll View (after the Drum Map Manager is set up on the track, in this view you will see the actual drum names and can sequence them from here.

Also look at the DXI and make sure you have loaded a soundfont into it.. you don't need to 'drag and drop' from that dix, as long as it's routed back to an audio track you should be able to hear it..

Also, have a look at the tutorials (I'm not running Home Studio but I know the interface is very similar to mine) I'd imaing that one of them would have a drum or another instrument in there the way you need to set the drums up.

As for the Drum Machine, personally I would learn the software, how long have you had it? A week? Sit down and work it through.. the cost of a drum machine could go towards the DI or a better sound card which will improve your recordings more than a drum machine! (personal opinion)

Hope that helps,

Daniel
 
Thanks, I just started to figure some of it out thanks to the info you posted about drum mapping. Ill give this a try and see how it turns out.
I dont know if its a bug or what but when i try to add beats I have to click many times and half the time it wont add what I want into the Drum Track display, Ill keep playing with it.
Thanks again for the help.
 
We are all here to help each other..

If my first couple of posts sounded rude it was because you came across as though you had given up one something because it took time to learn and seemed hard and were giving up (BTW, that NASA site does look interesting!). If you can't work something out, first, check the manual (I'm not too sure how big it is), the help file and then if you can't work it out, just post another topic and ask the question, someone will be able to help you out.

You will get there and it will be worth while.. just hold off on spending that extra money on a drum machine at this stage! Do a search for 'Soundfonts free drums', there are quite a number of decent drum ones around!

Daniel
 
Well after hours of playing around with the drum mapping thingy I still dont get it and I am not that bad at figureing things out, Ive taught myself HTML, learned a bit of C++ and Have installed and use several Linux distros.

When I go to add a drum sound to the drum map It only adds a sound if I open up one of the samples, then its only the sounds from the sample I can use in the map. When I try to add a sound it does not place it where I want it.....This is very frustrating. :(

Do you know if after adding the RXP and showing the piano roll if i should be hearing sounds from the piano keys by clicking them without loading a sample from the grooves list? Thanks.

I didnt get any rude feeling from your post at all. :)
 
I personally don't have the version of HS you are running and don't have RXP.

I've done my share of HTML, php, VB, touched on a little C++, so we are in the same league...

OK, hopefully this will all make sense.

To hear audio, you will need to make sure the signal path follows are below:

MIDI track -> Drum Map Manager -> DXI -> Audio track -> MasterBus/Card Out.

Now, in the DXI you would have loaded a drum soundfont (and hope that it has the correct General MIDI notes assigned so the Kick sounds on the Kick note).

Now, if that's all set up, when you go into the Piano Roll and either click on a note or a name of a drum kit part, you should hear it trigger the corresponding sound in the DXI.

Now it's a case of writing out the part in MIDI.

Let us know how you go.

Daniel
 
Thanks, I think I am going to pickup a software drum machine I can program, This is taking way to much time and I dont seem to be picking it up. I am not sure if I am actually making a drum track or putting the sounds together to make a pattern, Im lost.... :confused: and cannot figure out why I have sounds on the piano only when I load a groove pattern.
I will play around with it when I have spare time.
Thanks for the help.
 
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