Older Guy wants to try recording, need advice.

[Bsmooth]

I did see Cakewalk and Studio One Prime were good for beginners and free. I don't need a lot of special plugins, just something fairly simple.
Been using Audacity for years, but it doesn't seem well suited I don't think for acoustic Guitar recordings.
I did go to the Presonus site but didn't see any free version available.

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by Bsmooth

I did see Cakewalk and Studio One Prime were good for beginners and free. I don't need a lot of special plugins, just something fairly simple.
Been using Audacity for years, but it doesn't seem well suited I don't think for acoustic Guitar recordings.
I did go to the Presonus site but didn't see any free version available.

There's no reason Audacity is any less (or more) suited for acoustic guitar than recording any other type of sound. The DAW you choose is really more about cost, features, and workflow that suit your style. Just choose the one that fits your budget and seems to make the most sense for you.

[b1j]

I haven’t looked recently, but Presonus used to bundle Studio One Artist free with its entry-level interfaces. You’re already set with the Focusrite, but isn’t Studio One Prime still available free? If not, Artist is perennially $99, and hits $49 once or twice a year.

Having started out on Artist in 2011, I found Studio One to be quite beginner-intuitive. I always had the impression that that was its intended positioning in its early days: hook in the beginners. Since then, it has grown up and pretty much does it all. Still intuitive, though — with the hundreds of dedicated video tutorials out there.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Bsmooth

I did see Cakewalk and Studio One Prime were good for beginners and free. I don't need a lot of special plugins, just something fairly simple.
Been using Audacity for years, but it doesn't seem well suited I don't think for acoustic Guitar recordings.
I did go to the Presonus site but didn't see any free version available.

Perhaps we should ask , what type of computer do you have PC or Mac ? Me I much prefer to do any DAW recording, mixing and editing on a computer rather than a mobile device.

Also to clarify you do not yet have a dedicated interface ? Correct
And note if you go the mobile recorder (Tascam or Zoom ) you may not need one (currently ) . Because with those devices I believe you can either use an SD card to transfer files or Maybe USB direct to computer ? (never used one so just guessing )

Also are going to be recording just guitar or guitar and vocal ?

About Audacity,, I'm not certain what you mean exactly "not well suited"
For me it's more about it being IMO, kind of cumbersome and archaic, in it's work flow compared to other DAWs . Also I believe you cannot have both they edit page (waveform) and the mixer channels showing at the same time . Which for me is must have feature .

About Reaper while it is vary popular and definitely capable and full featured,, for me it is also cumbersome and non intuitive in it's work flow Which could be my impression from so many years with Pro Tools (perhaps If I were starting new to DAW's I might not think that ??)
Besides its low price point, many people love that is very customizable which is cool IF you know what you want, and IF you can figure out how to do it, or find a tutorial about, what is the often multi-step process to accomplish it .

So for me for just very basic recording mixing and editing ,,,, it would be Pro Tools Intro (free but limited to 8 audio tracks plus other tracks ) Pro Tools Artist $99 per year Subscription or $199 Perpetual or Studio One Artist $99
Now both Pro Tools and Studio have trial versions (as does Reaper) Which it your not in hurry might just be a good way to get hands on experience with them to which one you like Which is really by far the most important criteria

[Bsmooth]

Yes I have a PC, but also Ipad and Iphone. No dedicated Interface, went and got the Zoom H1n instead which is great as you can use it as a card reader.
I'm trying vocals, but didn't realize they were so bad. I just loaded Cakewalk, but its very confusing to say the least, half of it I'm not sure what it is it really does.