Which software for confused newb?

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GuineaMcPig

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I want to get into home recording with a buddy of mine this summer, and want to make sure that I make informed decisions on all the gear that I buy. And software is probably one of the more important pieces of gear, so I was wondering if I could get some input from you folks.

I'll be playing all the instruments myself and my friend will be on vox, so I don't need software that can record 32 tracks of audio simultaneously. I might be using a few mics at a time, though. One thing that is particularly important is the ability to move tracks in minute increments. My friend and I messed around with Cakewalk Home Studio last summer, and the biggest pain in the ass was that we could only move tracks in 1 second increments.

I won't be playing drums, however, so I guess it's important that the software be able to do MIDI reasonably well. I'll also be using synths as well.

I also want software that can edit/manipulate samples well.

So, I realize that there's probably not one piece of software that can do everything here really, really well, but here's what I'm considering:

Sonar 3 producer edition
CoolEdit Pro (or Adobe Audition, whatever it's called)
Pro Tools LE (although I hear it's pretty weak for MIDI)

I've also heard a lot of people here use SoundForge for editing.

So, any thoughts/feedback would be greatly appreciated.

~Jordan
 
well........

sonar can do that stuff...as for moving the tracks minute amounts.....first thing to do is deselect the grid icon so it you have free control on it (free control....oxymoron) anyway you can move it freely...if you want it moved really small then zoom in on the track enough to where the wave line is more spread out and move it that way.
 
Look into Mackie's Tracktion. I am dumb, and even I have figured out how to use it. Also, it is only $80.
 
i suggest cubase sl... great midi support and great audio engine... you'll have no problems with that...
 
i'm gonna have to place my vote on Sonar 3. It has awsome MIDI and audio features. In the producer the Vsampler is cool as well. i'm not gonna bad mouth cubase as have barely used it but Sonar has a good feel to it. As far as using sound forge to edit, i have never tried but would like to. I have used wave labs and it is awsome. I also found this neat little app that lets me add other programs to be used inside of Sonar. Right now i use cool edit as my editor in Sonar, very handy.
 
Well I don't know how old your are and if your in college or not... but....

If your a college student, you can get Cubase Sx or SL for half the price at www.academicsuperstore.com

Take a peak, there are other programs there.

I'm a big supporter for Cubase SX cuz it's the shanilzzel
 
Thanks for the replies!

One thing I'm curious about is the difference between Sonar 3 Studio edition and the Producer edition. Would going for the latter be overkill for my purposes?

Thanks!

~Jordan
 
depends what you wanna do,

i liked the producer because of the sampler that comes with it: vsampler. It will be very useful for me int he future. also it comes with a sonitus fx suite. I use thse effects exclusively, i like their interface and quality. I think there is also a reverb but i havn't played with that much yet. I think it is worth but like you say, depends what you wanna do. I think you can always upgrade if you wanted to later.
 
Software?

I agree with Minofifa,
It does depend on what (or how) you want to create the sounds. I use Logic Audio (great MIDI) and Pro Tools (great audio). Sometimes it is a combination of the two that gets me the "sound" I look for. I have read about other artists and producers with a setup that has Logic Audio specifically for its excellent sequencing and Pro Tools for audio recording and processing functions (EQ, Sampling, Plug-Ins). If you are going with a PC or a Mac computer is a factor as well. As I am learning about recording I take into consideration other ways of writing and decipher whether certain aspects will work with me or not.
 
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