Re: [Harp-L] Recording Software Opinions

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gary Calahan wrote:
<Just out of curiosity, what there a consensus of most commonly used, user
<friendly recording software?  I have Magix (Samplitude) Music Maker 14 that
<I don't find to be very easy to use.  What are most of you using?  Band in a
<Box??  Mixcraft??  I understand Music Maker 15 that just came out is
<powerful, more user friendly with the plug ins etc.

The easiest stuff to use is Garageband, hands down. It only runs on a Mac, of course.  Its ease of use makes it powerful, but it has important limitations too, especially in terms of how you can apply effects.

If you only want to record solo harmonica or the like, the free program Audacity is excellent.  It has plenty of pro features, and it's very easy to use.  But it has no provision for MIDI sequencing, so you can't use software synths, drum machines, etc. with it.

The big digital audio workstations (also known as DAWs) out there for PC include:
Cubase (now version 5)
Sonar (now version 8)
Traktion (now version 3)
Reaper (don't know current version)

All of these are very workable programs, each with particular features that make it a standout.  None are exactly easy to use, but Traktion and Reaper are probably easiest.

Cakewalk's Home Studio is a stripped-down version of Sonar, and it's inexpensive (less than $100) and powerful.  But it is not as easy to use as Garageband.  Steinberg's Sequel is intended to be a simple PC-based program, but it's too limited to be worth serious consideration.  Acoustica's Mixcraft 4 is a very capable program and fairly simple to use, and well under $100.  

I suggest that you consider downloading the demo programs for all of these, and see whether any particular program seems more intuitive to you.  The fact is that you can get professional results with any of the programs I've named, so the most important thing is whether you like the workflow that goes with the program.  

One more point worth noting: the magazine Computer Music ships every month with a cover DVD that includes a simple DAW called energyXT.  The cover DVD also includes a lot of extremely useful software, including effects, samples, and software synths and drum machines.  It's worth buying the most recent issue of that magazine just to get a bunch of useful tools for cheap.  And if you're serious about learning to record, I very strongly recommend that you get a subscription to that magazine.  It sure helped me.

Regards, Richard Hunter
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp
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