Another beginner here. Kind of overwhelmed.

[lt131]

I have been putting together the basics for a home studio. I have Mics, monitors, interface, cables, etc.

My goal is simply to have some fun and try to learn the basics of recording. I want to be able to record vocals, guitars, bass and create drum tracks. In the distant past I had a program from a company named Turtle Beach that allowed me to accomplish this without to much trauma so I know it can be done.

So I'm down to Software. When trying to research software I am immediately overwhelmed by the lingo. I simply do not understand the language.

I am using a laptop with 1.5 Gb processor so I want something that won't strain that.

Any ideas on software that is simple, can generate drum tracks, and is inexpensive, say 150 bucks? It needs to have good step by step guides.

Thx!

[Scott Whigham]

Originally Posted by lt131

Any ideas on software that is simple, can generate drum tracks, and is inexpensive, say 150 bucks? It needs to have good step by step guides.

There is software, and then there are guides. I've yet to find a good piece of recording software that came with such good documentation that I didn't think there was a need for an aftermarket book/video/"guide" though.

To get your basic terms in order, you are building a DAW - a digital audio workstation. So you want DAW software - that's what allows you to do the three phases of making and possibly releasing a recording to share with others. The three phases you have are:

1. Recording the music (each instrument/mic is recorded as a "track")
2. Mixing the music (added effects, changing levels, panning left or right, etc)
3. Mastering the final product (creating an album from several songs, making it louder, etc)

Any commercially available DAW can perform all three phases just fine. On a budget, I think most folks think of using Reaper: http://www.reaper.fm/

That being said, lots of folks (myself included) consider Reaper to be very unintuitive, particularly to newbies. You may find it's just perfect though so try it - it's free to try and something like $60 to buy. There's a video course that's only $15 that goes along with it as well: http://www.groove3.com/str/reaper-explained.html

If Reaper is too much, then maybe Audacity would work: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/. It's not quite as full-featured on all three phases as Reaper is but it can certainly handle basic recording and basic mixing.

[runamuck]

Yeah, I agree with Scott: the documentation that comes with virtually all of these programs makes sense only once you've figured out how to do it first.

Just about all of these apps are quite complicated and they often require vast amounts of time to understand.

You're going to need to make a commitment in time no matter which program you go with.

Jim McCarthy

[EastmanFan]

If you're running mac os. I highly recommend Logic Pro 9. Kind of expensive ($199 appstore). But not if you compare it to many other daws (pro tools, cubase, reason, etc)
Logic is very easy to understand, it is what it sounds like. Logical. A word i seldom use when i talk about pro tools or other daws.

What i've heard about reaper is that it can be a little tricky to get into in the beginning, but that it has a lot of great features. But everything takes getting used to i guess...

[Rudy4]

I'd recommend jumping into Reaper for your DAW. I tried it out and went ahead and purchased the small business license. I believe it was $40 when I purchased it. I do like Reaper's business model, and the program retains full functionality beyound the 60 day trial period if you're just too cheap to license it. I like to support folks that do such a nice job on providing a great product, though.

I'm currently forcing myself through doing a full 14 song CD with my 6 piece band using Reaper. It's not that difficult to use if you've had previous DAW experiance, (which I do)but something simple like Audacity would make a much more comfortable entry into investigating the editing abilities of a DAW.

I'm becoming pretty comfortable with Reaper's basic editing functions, and the VST plug-ins that come with it are really very nice. I did add Freeverb Too, which is my favorite non-covolution verb. It's really quite natural sounding and uses valuable CPU resources very lightly.

Incidentally, the free to download Reaper manual in PDF is tremendously detailed.

[alohachris]

Aloha lt131,

Some thoughts about choosing DAW's. Scott really laid it out for you. I agree with everything he said.

First, determine your goals. Determine if you're the type who will listen over & over to a track for hours, days, weeks, Ha! to get it right. Ask yourself where you want to be with recording in a year or five years. Most importantly, do computer limitations fluster you? Do you think you can play well w/o distraction on tracks while obsessing on the gear at the same time? Key questions because recording is not for every player or personality.

Sometimes, it's much easier for beginners to start out on a quality hand-held digital recorder like the affordable Zoom H4n or H2 or Tascam's DR-100. There are many available today. It's a good place to start out with learning the recording process - before you make a larger investment in time & money.

DAW's work similarly, but they are all different. There is not one DAW that works for all sensibilities. That's why Scott wrote about Reaper's lack of intuitive workflow. It is the ease of WORKFLOW on a DAW that determines if you'll stick with it, or if you'll be turned off to computer recording by choosing the wrong one for you.

Most players tend to stick with the first DAW they choose, even if it's not working for them that well - or they don't know it's working well or not when compared to the many choices available today.

What to do? What to choose? Should I just go with Reaper or Audacity & call it a day? Take other players' words for it?

No! Go to the sites & USER FORUMS of a dozen or so DAW's. Try out the free downloads. Read what the issues are at the user's forums. Trying the DAW out will help you feel the workflow, to see if it's a match for your sensibilities. Will it make sense? Is it dense? Too many commands? Adding tracks too difficult? Latency control? Flexibility of controls? Quality & ease of tweakability of plug-in's? Compatibility w/ after-market plug-in's? etc. etc.

Order a free Sweetwater Pro catalogue online. It has great descriptions about various DAW's. Keep it in the bathroom & call them if you have specific audio questions. Great guys.

I started out on PTLE - a cheaper, "light-edition" of Pro Tools that used to be married to Avid's terrible hardware. So limited. Error-central on most PC's! It never worked for me for over a year. Avid's techie's kept telling me arrogantly that it was my fault & poor computer choices, no solutions & terrible recordings. That was five years ago.

So, like you here, lt, I set out to learn about what's available for home computer recording. Many knowledgable & great people here & elsewhere sent me down the right paths for home recording signal chains.

Check out Gearslutz 'Recording,' 'Room Treatment' & 'High End' forums for more in-depth clues & their 'Classifieds' for great deals on great used recording stuff.

The most stable, easy to use (for me), PRO level DAW (for me) turned out to be Logic Pro 9. No crashes in over four years now! Has much more than I'd ever need. But it works well & has everything in high quality! It makes sense.

I chose Logic Pro because, like Pro Tools, you can take your Logic tracks to any ME for mastering, & he will have both of those DAW's in house. That is not true with entry level DAW's like Audacity or Reaper. It works seamlessly with Mac's & Apogee products, designed & INTEGRATED by manufacturers for compatibility. So that was my choice. It's been a winner.

If you use Mac's, lt, then use the free Garageband to start.

If you can, add some RAM to your computer. Programs keep getting bigger.

Buy an external storage HD (Glyph's are great) to keep your audio projects off your computer HD. In fact, it's best to dedicate a computer solely for your audio projects & not to mix w/ everyday computing activities. Saves you headaches & money down the road - believe me! But partitioning the HD is OK to get your feet wet.

As I said, many players stick with what they start with - for better or worse. So try out many DAW's with the free downloads & read about them in the USER FORUMS. None are perfect. But they are all a lot more user-friendly now than they were five years ago. Ha! Ten years ago, Logic wasn't so logical. Ha! All will work for simple guitar & vocal tracks. Get the one that works best for you. Try out first! The learning curve is steep at first, lt. So keep at it.

Finally, some DAW manufacturers have not really kept pace with others in terms of development. There are many choices. But if you make your choice, check out the track record of the DAW you're looking at to see if they are keeping pace, & if they are used for pro level projects. That was another reason why I chose Logic Pro 9.

AND, plan the entire signal chain, all the elements, not just your DAW. Every choice affects the entire signal chain. Learn how, what & why, & the electronic reasons (factors like impedance matching) the elements of your chain work or don't work together - before you buy, lt. It will save you lots of time & money in not buying things that won't work in your chain.

After the basic's are in place, & a bit down the road if you get into recording, save up & put the real money into great studio mic's, the front end & great near-field monitors. Can't go wrong there, lt. But your first investment - & most important one at first - is ROOM TREATMENT!

Here's a couple first step links to Fran Guidry's great site for clues on how to make your own portable Room Treatment cheaply:

http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2009/...-on-the-cheap/

http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2011/...adband-panels/

Remember, even if you start out your recording experience on hand-held recorders, if you are using mic's to record, then some kind of Room Treatment is the ONLY way to maximize mic performance in a given space for recording. The second link above could be your ticket, lt.

All the best in your search, lt131. Take your time & enjoy the journey. Don't rush into "cheap."

Lots to chew on here, if you dare, newbie. Get to work, lt!

A Hui Hou!
alohachris

[lt131]

I am lucky enough to to have access to a lot of the hardware so I will not have to buy much.

I have downloaded, as ya'll suggested a demo version of Prosonus Studio one. I have it inputting input and putting out output so now I'm gonna experiment with getting a decent sound and generally trying to learn the flow and processes.

Please keep the thoughts flowing!

Thx!

[gfsark]

Check out Mixcraft. They have endless drum tracks, 24 channel recording, effects, instruments...and claim to be the easiest to use. Its what I started on a year ago and am still using. Havent plumbed its depths, but it will certainly do everything you need and more.