What software should I buy?

[PeaceSells]

so I got a new computer as one of my christmas presents, and I would like to get some good recording equipment.

Here are the specs of it:


Processorr: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T5450 1.67 GHZ

2046 MB of RAM

32 Bit OS

I'm looking for something between $200-$400. All I've been able to run on my old computer has been audacity, and I haven't been able to get very good tone with it. So I would like something that allows me to get the best possible tone for that price range..

thanks

 

[timthetortoise]

Uh... there's almost no difference between the actual sound of different DAW applications. The problem in your "tone" lies elsewhere.
Try Reaper. Fully functional unexpiring nagware.

 

[PeaceSells]

Uh... there's almost no difference between the actual sound of different DAW applications. The problem in your "tone" lies elsewhere.
Try Reaper. Fully functional unexpiring nagware.

Really? Because a friend of mine who frankly has an inferior guitar to mine is able to get much better tone on recordings because of his line6 toneport program..Does that have more to do with the interface (I guess that's what you'd call it) than the actual program?

 

[danny.guitar]

The recording software has no audible difference in sound on what you're recording. Audio that goes into the computer will sound the same no matter what program is recording it to disk. Cubase, Sonar, Reaper, Audacity, Windows Sound Recorder, will all record the audio the same.

What makes a difference are mics, preamps, sound cards, effects, plugins, etc., whatever has an effect on the sound. So don't think that by getting an expensive program, it's going to make your recordings sound better.

Reaper has all the features as the really expensive programs... MIDI, FX, automation, routing, ASIO support, etc. So give it a try and see if you like it.

 

[PeaceSells]

The recording software has no audible difference in sound on what you're recording. Audio that goes into the computer will sound the same no matter what program is recording it to disk. Cubase, Sonar, Reaper, Audacity, Windows Sound Recorder, will all record the audio the same.

What makes a difference are mics, preamps, sound cards, effects, plugins, etc., whatever has an effect on the sound. So don't think that by getting an expensive program, it's going to make your recordings sound better.

Reaper has all the features as the really expensive programs... MIDI, FX, automation, routing, ASIO support, etc. So give it a try and see if you like it.

okay, that's fair enough. What are some specific things I can buy to get better tone? Also, how can I find out what my soundcard is?

sorry, I'm a noob to this kind of stuff.

 

[Chris Shaeffer]

okay, that's fair enough. What are some specific things I can buy to get better tone? Also, how can I find out what my soundcard is?

That's a *really* tough question to answer. It depends on what you have already, how well you know how to use it and what "better tone" means to you.

What do you have as an audio interface: what do you plug your mic or guitar into so that it goes into the computer? If its your standard onboard soundcard then that will be the first thing you want to replace. A dedicated audio interface designed for recording will give you MUCH(!) better sound quality and there are quite a few in the price range you mentioned. Some even come with software.

Next up checking the quality of your mics. Are you recording your instruments direct in or do you have a mic?

Welcome aboard,
C

 

[danny.guitar]

okay, that's fair enough. What are some specific things I can buy to get better tone? Also, how can I find out what my soundcard is?

sorry, I'm a noob to this kind of stuff.

What kind of music are you recording?

The most important is of course, the quality of the instrument you're playing. If it's not that great, your recordings will not sound that great no matter what you do.

The next is the room you're playing in. For example, if you're recording an acoustic guitar in a small bedroom, it will almost always sound like a small-bedroom recording no matter what. So room treatment is important.

Then comes the mic. The mic is really important. What are you using now?

After those 3 things, the rest really isn't as important. The preamp and sound card will effect the sound, but most stuff nowadays will not make or break your recording, unless it's a total piece of crap/broken.

 

[PeaceSells]

What do you have as an audio interface: what do you plug your mic or guitar into so that it goes into the computer?

I've been lining in directly from my amp with one of those cables (i forget what it's called) that has a stereo input on one side and a mic input on the other.

If its your standard onboard soundcard then that will be the first thing you want to replace

I asked around and found out that most laptops (which is what I'm using now) don't normally have a seperate sound card, but have an onboard sound-chip.

Next up checking the quality of your mics. Are you recording your instruments direct in or do you have a mic?

I have a mic, but I don't have a stand or anything so I've just been direct in-ing.

What kind of music are you recording?

different styles. Blues, rock, and I'd like to do some metal. I could get a decent clean tone on my old computer, but whenever I added distortion it sounded terrible.

The most important is of course, the quality of the instrument you're playing. If it's not that great, your recordings will not sound that great no matter what you do.

I play a Gibson Les Paul Studio through a Peavey Classic 30, both of which are pretty nice.

Then comes the mic. The mic is really important. What are you using now?

Just some $10 walmart mic. I've been told if you are able to use them "right" you can still get a good quality recording out of them. Like I said, I'm not using it right now.

PS My homepage link in my profile (I can't post links in posts yet) is a link to my recording myspace, which you can check out if you want to hear the quality I'm working with now.

 

[danny.guitar]

Don't go direct-in from your amp. Invest in a microphone/preamp. Shure SM57 and an M-Audio DMP3 would give you much, much better results.

You may be able to get decent clean tones from direct-in but it will still be much better with a microphone.

I listened to Gangsters in Gazebos and I like the song. Nice playing. It still has that "direct-in" sound though.

Until you get a mic/preamp, try the free SimulAnalog Guitar Suite plugins. And then a reverb plugin after it.

SimulAnalog
http://www.simulanalog.org/guitarsuite.htm

GlaceVerb (free reverb):
http://www.dasample.com/index.php?show=glaceverb

That can get you a better direct-in & clean sound. I wouldn't use the distortion on it though.

If you download & install REAPER, I can make an Effects-Chain for you that might help. Then you can just add the effects chain to the track.

 

[dementedchord]

consider losing the on board sound and get an interface ... the nice thing is in addition to having better sound... they often come with lite versions of software bundled with them.... personally i'm no fan of M-audio and pro-fools le but that's one ... or the tascam interfaces typiclly come with cubase le...

 

[PeaceSells]

Don't go direct-in from your amp. Invest in a microphone/preamp. Shure SM57 and an M-Audio DMP3 would give you much, much better results.

You may be able to get decent clean tones from direct-in but it will still be much better with a microphone.

I listened to Gangsters in Gazebos and I like the song. Nice playing. It still has that "direct-in" sound though.

Until you get a mic/preamp, try the free SimulAnalog Guitar Suite plugins. And then a reverb plugin after it.

SimulAnalog


GlaceVerb (free reverb):


That can get you a better direct-in & clean sound. I wouldn't use the distortion on it though.

If you download & install REAPER, I can make an Effects-Chain for you that might help. Then you can just add the effects chain to the track.

hey thanks for the comment on the song. I appreciate that. I checked those out, and downloaded them. They seem cool. I also got Reaper, but you don't have to make an effects chain if you don't want to. Thanks for your help

EDIT: Can I use those plug-ins with Reaper? If I can, how so?

 

[pipelineaudio]

Just put them in the vst path you tell reaper to look in.

For instance I put mine in C:\program files\vstplugins since most vst installers put them in that folder

 

[danny.guitar]

I have mine in C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VSTPlugins, but as Pipeline said, just put them in the same folder that you tell Reaper they're in.

 

[PeaceSells]

Okay, I did that. Now how do I use them? I don't see any options for that stuff..