DAW

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by canu49

Looking for a real user friendly DAW just to record acoustic tracks on. Nothing fancy. No need for midi and a bunch of plugins. Just record and mix acoustic stuff. I've been using Audacity to convert files to mp3. It seems pretty easy to use. Any other suggestions? Thanks

"User friendly" can mean different things to different people. I'd suggest spending some hours on YouTube looking at videos of the DAWs on your list and deciding which look use friendly to you and which have enough tutorials available to help you when you get stuck.

[rockabilly69]

SONAR by Bandlab. It's free and PRO LEVEL stuff, and it's totally Windows!
If you can't get it done with this stuff, it's not the software. And there are plenty of tutorials on youtube to learn how to use it.

https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk

[paulp1960]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

Then, every time you want to add an effect, you need to make a *new* copy (at least of the track) or you can't go back. For example, you add EQ. Then you add some reverb. Now you can't change the EQ, unless you go back and start the process over again.

Don't ask me how I know this. After moving to a real DAW, I wondered how I ever worked with Audacity in the first place.

Yes I wouldn't recommend Audacity to anybody. Try Reaper.

[canu49]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Just solo acoustic guitar or guitar and vocal ? And what are you doing with the recordings/MP3 's ?



I am going to say something that I think contradicts a fairly widespread misconception in the Acoustic guitar world. And that misconception is that audio processing effects were not used in the "good old days" in either live performance or recording.
In reality analog FX they were more the norm , not the exception from the 60's on . The only difference is now there are digital plugins in lieu of analog.

With that said even though I use Pro Tools , Using Windows if I were you, I would consider Reaper there is a 60 day trial version and you will find out fairly quickly how you get along with it

Mostly multiple solo guitar tracks to send to picking buddies I can't get together with anymore.
I'm with you on your other comments also.

[canu49]

Thanks for the inputs. I grabbed a copy of Reaper and, so far, it looks like what I was looking for. I especially like the fact that it can be customized and I don't have to squint to see the screen. I recorded a couple of things and played around with EQ and compression. Seems pretty easy to use. Thanks again.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by canu49

I grabbed a copy of Reaper and, so far, it looks like what I was looking for.

Good to hear. You might want to check out r/Reaper on Reddit.

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

Good to hear. You might want to check out r/Reaper on Reddit.

And the Kenny Gioia tutorials (REAPER Mania channel) on YouTube are fantastic.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

And the Kenny Gioia tutorials (REAPER Mania channel) on YouTube are fantastic.

Second (and third...) that. A fantastic resource.

Probably the most difficult thing about Reaper is deciding on a Screen theme and template structure. The tremendous ability to customize it is perhaps it's greatest obstacle to use. There are so many options it's difficult to hold back on adding a bunch of things that aren't normally used.

[1neeto]

Great thread. I have an old Tascam 8 track recorder and a condenser mic I can use to record my acoustic. Seems like Reaper is exactly what I need.

[ethanay]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

Well, Audacity is pretty simple. But once you get going with even basic effects--you want EQ? Reverb? A little compression?--other DAWs are a better choice.

The basics (set up a track, hit record, mix them down) are not very difficult in any DAW, really. You don't have to use all the bells and whistles if you don't want.

I like Reaper because it's cheap/free (free 60 day trial, then converts to nagware, and only $60 if you do buy). There are also stripped-down free versions of other DAWs, like Cakewalk, Pro Tools First, Cubase LE, etc. Any of them will do the job you're talking about; which one is "easiest" is personal preference, really.

Because it's destructive, I find mixing in Audacity is a little more like tape editing. Not better or worse, but a very different workflow. If you are really organized, you can use it as a DAW, but you have to have a really clear vision of what you want and how to get there, otherwise you'll be relying on a lot of undo operations and reloading backup tracks to replace the ones you accidentally destroyed But I think it's a good place to start, if analog isn't an option because it will teach you quite a bit about mixing workflow, and you can take those lessons with you to improve your experience and effectiveness with a "real" DAW.