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The best music program. Ever?

Alstroph	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 10:38 AM Hmmm... What does everyone think? I think probably Cakewalk Sonar Producer Edition 5.0. I've had experience with many music programs, and this is my favorite so far. Well?
BlackMage	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 10:49 AM No such thing.
psypig	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 11:04 AM Them's fightin' words... I think i'll start taking the glasses down off the shelves...
MindSculpture	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 11:08 AM Totally into Adobe Audition just now.
GeneHilbert	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 11:30 AM I'm using Cubase SX2 - but I thinking for this debate Nuendo or ProTools Although a lot of people love Logic
psypig	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 12:09 PM windows sound recorder.
evansorchid	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 2:54 PM Cakewalk's cool, but I'm partial to West Side Story.
wailingmiserere	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 3:09 PM I'm rather fond of Logic... but different programs are good at different things, so it's hard to choose.
wailingmiserere	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 3:09 PM @ psypig
hueseph	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 7:42 PM Some Samplitude loving fanatic will soon drop in and rave I'm sure. I'm partial to Cubase.
shadowself	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 8:31 PM I've always been a Cakewalk guy. For years and years. Currently SONAR 4PE.
technoreform...	Date: December 8, 2005 @ 9:26 PM i use fruity loops studio 5 XXL edition
Veracohr	Date: December 9, 2005 @ 12:35 AM Sorry to disappoint you, but like most things, the 'best' is completely subjective.
imemine	Date: December 9, 2005 @ 12:42 AM Veracohr----- revelation!!!!! Thanks for the input.
Veracohr	Date: December 9, 2005 @ 1:15 AM Well, I could say that my favorite is, of course, the one I use: Mark of the Unicorn's Digital Peformer. But I'm not going to say it's the best, because I realize that it's my opinion. And besides, I've come nowhere near to using every DAW out there. In fact, I've only used DP, Micrologic AV (an old, dumbed-down version of Logic Audio from it's Emagic days) and ProTools.
Veracohr	Date: December 9, 2005 @ 1:16 AM Oh, and I've used Cool Edit Pro. Which I think became Adobe Audition when the company was bought.
Veracohr	Date: December 9, 2005 @ 1:24 AM Psypig, check this out: http://www.funfreepages.com/flash/windows_sound_recorder.php
psypig	Date: December 9, 2005 @ 7:43 AM that rocks harder than anything has ever rocked before...
Veracohr	Date: December 9, 2005 @ 9:14 PM Indeed. I actually tried to use Windows Sound Recorder to record a friend's band once. But we had problems getting a good level. I don't think we ended up using it.
K3VIN	Date: December 9, 2005 @ 9:17 PM dope!!!!
MitchWillis	Date: December 10, 2005 @ 7:45 AM Its personal taste which goes on price, easy of use and functions. I use Pro Tools LE (at home) and HD at work. Its also alot easier to transfer files from studio to studio, because majority of them use PTs here. The other alternative i'd go for is Nuendo.
TameasDust	Date: December 11, 2005 @ 1:19 AM http://nch.com.au/index.html tons of good stuff there ... switch and wavepad are just two
INoxx	Date: December 12, 2005 @ 3:03 PM well i love reason 3.0, i only use that for the moment, i guess im in minority...but reason rules !
Alstroph	Date: December 12, 2005 @ 4:51 PM I'm really interested in trying Reason. I've heard lots of good things.
Fraser	Date: December 18, 2005 @ 9:58 PM
mental-torture	Date: December 19, 2005 @ 9:25 PM funny thing is, i only use Windows Sound Recorder and Reason. I use windows sound recorder to manage my input and to record, and i import the sounds into reason to loop. As long as you change the properties to high quality on windows sound recorder, its really not that bad
mental-torture	Date: December 19, 2005 @ 9:26 PM ive tried fruityloops, my guitar teacher has recommended protools. and ive tried wavelab, cool edit pro, cakewalk so on and so on... i like reason + sound recorder the best.
EmpireDay3	Date: December 20, 2005 @ 8:23 PM Logic Audio Platinum
mental-torture	Date: December 20, 2005 @ 10:27 PM actually, i was thinking of getting that because it has rewire technology, i have like every rewire program
Vickxxx	Date: December 21, 2005 @ 11:33 AM I've been using Motu's Performer since 1985 (when the Mac Plus with a screaming 2mg memory was the ultimate set up) and am currently using Digitial Performer 4 and G5. I used Pro Tools for a while till Digital Performer came out, but was never quite happy with Pro Tools midi sequencing and editing, let alone the limitation of the number of voices available. I like DP4 over Cubase and Logic......but then it's all a matter of what you're used to using
jimbobber1985	Date: December 21, 2005 @ 8:18 PM Fruity Loops. Dont even start cos i dont care, it fukin rocks!
mcmullen	Date: February 18, 2006 @ 10:17 PM Your music software is only as good as your CPU and ram. I use Logic Platinum on a 2ghz cpu and 1ghz ram. Never has crashed. I'll probably upgrade my pc soon, though.
leedsquietman	Date: February 18, 2006 @ 11:14 PM If I had a Mac, I would say Logic as I like it's interface but I am using Nuendo 3 on my laptop PC after maxxing out my credit card !! I use some of the extended video functions and surround options, otherwise Cubase SX is a better value option and the same engine as Nuendo. I started with Cubase SE which I would recommend to a beginner as it covers most of the stuff you need for a good price. I have tried Sonar and Samplitude and whilst I liked them both (I even preferred the interface over Cubase/Nuendo) I use the Nuendo/Cubase platform because I have 3 or 4 buddies who have it too and we can import each other's projects with no problems. Nuendo is great for networking (it should be as it makes your credit card bleed !!) Some people would say SAW Studio or ProTools HD but I have not experienced these, except to say the users in pro audio forums are mostly fanatical haters of any other DAW and are forever praising their 'superior' technology...
leedsquietman	Date: February 18, 2006 @ 11:22 PM And I also love Reason (currently using 2.5 will probably upgrade soon) because it offers a lot of bang for buck - people often think it's just a tool for hip-hop or techno heads but I use it for piano, drums and orchestral sounds more than anything - a great sample player (NNXT) with a bank of great samples, a great analogue synth for kicking hip hop bass or techno leads (subtractor), a quirky synth with some cool unusual sounds (Malstrom), Dr. Rex loop player and my favourite of all, Redrum drum machine/sampled sounds. Also a range of decent effects from reverb, delay, compression, distortion etc, fairly user friendly, easy to use mixer and best of all, rewire it to Nuendo for extra control over mixing, effects, etc. It does not feature an audio recorder which some people see as a major weakness, not realising that freeware such as Windows recorder, Kristal or Audacity are just fine for recording vocals to go with the Reason backing. Is priced relatively well for so much stuff.
pmscpc	Date: February 19, 2006 @ 6:06 AM Anyone here used the old DOS prog called "Voyetra Sequencer Plus" ? I was a midi sequencer only, but I had many years of almost instant fun (only a later version supported a mouse, which I didn't bother with)! I could even use it with a product called "DesqView", allowing me to load up more than one programme and switch between them using the.... gasp.... combination. All this on a 286 with 1MB of RAM. When the evil Windows appeared, I started using Voyetra's "Digital Orchestrator Pro", but it didn't have the same "instant feel" to it - and was of course mouse bound - unfortunately it only had proprietry fx and no support for DX. It wasn't as "tight" for timing either - not between it and the Fostex D-80 I had recently acquired. I then moved to Cakewalk Pro Audio... "8" I think. Easy to be seduced by the DX Audio stuff, but again, it was "all over the place" when it came to timing between midi and audio. Shame, as I quite liked the interface and would probably still be using it now if it "worked for me". Then came Sonar 1.0 which was so buggy it kept hanging when I used a menu.... so I assigned all sorts of quick keys to avoid using menus. Not really a very good situation to be in, but there you go. Applying the patches (to ver 1.3)sure made the menus work.. but once again the Audio/Midi thing just didn't cut it for me - stuttering midi of all things. After purchasing a brand new computer (god, I hate doing that) and an old copy of Logic 5.5 from ebay, I realised that Logic was superb. Does exactly what it says on the tin and hardly ever fucks up. They should put that last phrase on their boxes. So, for me Logic is the "BEST" (which, of course is only an opinion) - but I still maintain I was much more free to create using Voyetra on a DOS based 286 with 1MB of RAM - if I wanted audio, I recorded it onto tape and used FSK (frequency shift keying) to sync it with Voyetra - never had any problems. EVER! Imagine that on a computer - no problems ever. No one will believe me....
pmscpc	Date: February 19, 2006 @ 6:08 AM that should have said: ....gasp..."Alt-TAB" combination
jimmymook	Date: February 19, 2006 @ 7:54 PM Fruity 6 has gotta be a good one. i bet you all got your own peferences though! lol
EchoMinor	Date: February 20, 2006 @ 2:05 AM i love Fl Studio for the Drumkit choices, and the syrus(sp)? plugin. with the right amount of reverb and using the piano roll you can get a nice percussion sound close to a set. better than it used to be. i had fruityloops3 and that was terrible.
kingo	Date: February 20, 2006 @ 9:36 AM I hate computers.
Jazzmary2U	Date: February 20, 2006 @ 10:12 AM FL Studio 6 with plug-ins is what I use and love... even for jazz.
Fraser	Date: February 20, 2006 @ 1:13 PM Fruity Loops Awsome program. With Reason I can't get that ravy sound, it sounds too plain. And, whenever I try to dl a demo of another program, I can never get it to work.
leedsquietman	Date: February 20, 2006 @ 5:52 PM Reason is a deeper program and (one could argue) needs more musical/technical proficiency to operate it. The fact that it includes virtual synthesizers that are meant to be played using a MIDI keyboard and most people use these as much as NNXT demonstrates this. It is more than cut and paste a few samples. Reason has been used by The Prodigy on several recordings to good effect and they are as 'ravey' as it gets !!! Because it doesn't have stacks of pre-made samples (and the ones it has are drum loops or orchestral/piano) it requires musical input to make it ravey - it is not designed like Acid and FL to be primarily a sample machine but many dance/trance/hip hop musicians and producers know how to make it sing.
Exdavid	Date: February 20, 2006 @ 7:25 PM i playf wid wenoise, weason once toof
hantu	Date: February 20, 2006 @ 7:46 PM FL - i seem to have settled in it... and am not gonna ever be bothered to change. Not much point really, i am using it now and it works fine. If i want to do something, there is always a way. Well except for makin shit sound real, but thats subject is for a whole diff thread. FL does its job and i think it does it well.
DeadraveN	Date: February 20, 2006 @ 7:48 PM Hammerhead.
EchoMinor	Date: February 20, 2006 @ 8:41 PM i've been using FL so long i dont have the time to learn how to use anything else lol. it plays the role of a drummer rather well until my band interview tommorrow! folk/rock, this is gonna be different
leedsquietman	Date: February 20, 2006 @ 9:13 PM FL is a decent enough program, I have played with it b4 and it's accessible and user friendly and some people have made some great work with it - I have no problem with it at all. It is easy to make a cold, souless piece of junk with any program, it's just that FL and Acid are particularly prone because a lot of non-musicians use the tools to create beats and you hear the same preset samples time after time. Creative minded people and competent musicians can make FL sound great. I mostly use vsti's within Nuendo but often rewire some tracks from Reason, which has great pianos, eps, choirs, strings and there are great analog sounds in subtractor and some real unusual quirky sounds in Malstrom - the kind of sounds that you never hear in an Acid preset!! Drums in Reason are great, you can program the drum machine or play by midi and have each drum sound output to a different output for rewiring into your DAW where you get more EQ and plug-in power to mix the drums. Redrum also has a 'feel' adjustment so you can make your drummer not quite so perfect and you can change attack/decay, pitch of drums easily. Ditto drum samples in NNXT. Reason just works for me, I could live without it is a useful addition in my soundbuilding.
pmscpc	Date: February 21, 2006 @ 2:57 AM ElectroPlankton " id="203797">No one wants to use "plankton" yet then ? ElectroPlankton
pog	Date: February 22, 2006 @ 3:23 PM cooledit pro is still my favorite, but I also think vegas before it was vegas video is really cool (version 2.10 I think) Heaps good for setting volume envelopes and stuff... FL and hammerhead
Fraser	Date: February 22, 2006 @ 7:04 PM HOLY CRAP! I just found out I could mix fruity loops and reason! Now I can get awsomeness with awsome drums and pads! Why did nobody tell me this?!
patrickbulch	Date: February 22, 2006 @ 7:07 PM Probably The Lawrence Welk Show (pre 1980's).
shadowself	Date: February 22, 2006 @ 7:47 PM haaahahahahahahahaaapat!
Alstroph	Date: February 23, 2006 @ 12:27 AM @ pbulch
DrXalagy	Date: February 23, 2006 @ 8:58 AM You be speaking Yemenese?
DrXalagy	Date: February 23, 2006 @ 8:59 AM You be speaking Yemenese?
PrincessTast...	Date: February 23, 2006 @ 1:35 PM It depends on what kind of music you're making, I guess. I usually record on Sound Studio on my ibook, then I do the mixing/embellishments in Soundtrack or Pro Tools or both.
patrickbulch	Date: February 23, 2006 @ 4:32 PM http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/top/first-name/lawrence/born-on-day/march_11/ A man who was way ahead of his time..
patrickbulch	Date: February 24, 2006 @ 7:50 PM I would also like to point out that Lawrence Welk and I share the same birthday. How freakin' cool is that?
MisterQ	Date: February 28, 2006 @ 11:16 PM yo i use audacity. it's pretty good u can see and edit tha sounfd waves or whatever those fuckin squigly lines are called. tha other programz i tried using sucked ass. like... record now, or whatever it's called. dat damn 1 dat comes wit comps and dat's it till i figured out how awesome audacity was.depending on tha mic sometimes tha quality sucks. my $20 mic has really shitty quality. makes it sound like i hav a lisp.
mattbanx	Date: February 28, 2006 @ 11:30 PM WAVE
BIR	Date: March 1, 2006 @ 6:06 AM Adobe Audition,audacity,fruity loops,Sonar.... But I really dont think we have seen the best program Sometime in the future we will have USB4 implanted into our headsand what we hear in our heads will be recorded to midi tracks!! It's gona be Cool!!
shadowself	Date: March 1, 2006 @ 9:17 AM If they perfected brainwave-to-MIDI, I would be first in line to get an implant.
themakeshifts	Date: March 1, 2006 @ 7:30 PM I first started with Screamtracker.. that program is the tits. only the bravest suckas carry that tradition on... right now i'm the only person as far as i can tell on dmusic who uses Acid.
downtowndonnie	Date: March 25, 2006 @ 7:57 PM I like free stuff, as i am apoor university student. I use Audacity and works pretty good for freeware.
FolkloreLegend	Date: March 30, 2006 @ 9:35 AM I like Tracktion (www.tracktion.com) as its REALLY easy to use, great for those on a budget, but it also has those advanced features that more expensive ones have. And upon startup, the interface doesnt make you shit yourself, like Audition does.
southwing	Date: March 31, 2006 @ 9:50 AM SAW32-works for me and its approved by 7 out of 10 dentists
BasicBoy	Date: June 5, 2006 @ 11:12 AM its gotta b FL5 producer edtion infact all FL programs rock.
JamesThomson	Date: June 5, 2006 @ 6:15 PM Not audacity it does do the job and its free but you can't multi-track anything with out completely goin out of time. anyone who uses it will know what i mean.
leedsquietman	Date: June 5, 2006 @ 6:23 PM Celtaidd and several others use/have used audacity to good effect with multi-track recording. Going out of time issues happen with many programs, it's usually a symptom of a poor soundcard and/or drivers...you should be using ASIO 2.0 drivers if you want to get the best effect, you can get by (just) with DX drivers in some cases but mme drivers - forget it! It wouldn't matter if you ran PT pro or Nuendo or Saw Studio (programs costing thousands of dollars), a duff soundcard/drivers will screw those programs too.
JamesThomson	Date: June 5, 2006 @ 6:28 PM cheers LQM i'll keep that in mind. I do have a multi-tracker but it's very complicated.
INoxx	Date: June 6, 2006 @ 6:01 PM reason, sorry i get stuck on this one...and it's becoming better now i've discover how to make it works with Cakewalk Sonar (even if ure PC need to be pretty heavy to run those two beasts together.
leedsquietman	Date: June 6, 2006 @ 10:56 PM Agree completely that Reason is awesome when rewired - I rewire it through Cubase SX, Tim rewires it through Logic, you take all the best of Reason and the power of mixing/processing in your DAW. BTW, another trick (time consuming but helps older/slower machines) is to save your Reason files as .wav (by soloing tracks)and just import the .wav file into Cubase/Sonar and edit from there. This means your CPU is less taxed as it doesn't have to run 2 apps at once. If you use loops, just save the small loop clip and cut and paste as desired.