DMusic.com | for indie musicians and fans | Free MP3 music downloads

Electric guitars, Classical guitars, Guitar amps and more.

zZounds.com offers recording equipment for starting and experienced musicians. Find the best prices on electric guitars, acoustic guitars, classical guitars and more.

Forums > Software

best recording program

MisterQ	Date: April 30, 2006 @ 12:06 PM i'm thinkin of getting a new program for recording. what's the best one?
EmpireDay3	Date: April 30, 2006 @ 12:36 PM whoooo boy, you just opened a can o' worms! Logic Platinum
MisterQ	Date: April 30, 2006 @ 1:16 PM ooooooooooook
leedsquietman	Date: April 30, 2006 @ 1:18 PM There's been a lot of debate about this already on previous threads. Do you own a PC or mac? What do you currently use? What features do you need? Think about : Audio recording (inc. bit rates/sample rates) /MIDI - will you need to play/edit/record midi /built in sound modules or vsti's/lots of tracks capable and effects -plug-ins/ 64 bit capabilities (ie you have a 64 bt processor and 64 bit windows xp) How much are you willing to spend? Logic Platinum is a Mac only program so if you need a PC program there are lots of similarly excellent alternatives. Make sure you have a good soundcard and that your computer specs are up to snuff too - upgrade ram/hdd size/processor or motherboard if necessary.
MisterQ	Date: April 30, 2006 @ 1:27 PM pc, i need recording, mixing, and mastering. i have xp. i currently use audacity.
leedsquietman	Date: April 30, 2006 @ 1:32 PM How much is your budget?
leedsquietman	Date: April 30, 2006 @ 1:53 PM If you want something on a smaller budget that will accomplish what you need then something like Fruity Loops Producer or Acid Pro (both have recently released new versions, so the previous version is on sale) or even the home studio editions of these programs can achieve quite a bit. They are also very 'loop friendly' which is good for dance/hip hop/trance etc. Otherwise Sonar home edition or Cubase SE or even N-Tracks (a 50 dollar audio/midi program) can do a lot. What I do NOT recommend is to get a cracked version of a program - I know people who have cracked Sonar and Cubase etc. and at best they lose functionality (i.e. some features will not work, crackly sound, audio skipping) and at worst will screw up your computer, mess up your HD/registry and soundcard and lead to a total reinstall of Xp and your programs - system restore did not fix the problems.
SilverShining	Date: May 5, 2006 @ 8:38 PM Tracktion. Check Mackie's site. It's cross-platform, too.
SoulFinder	Date: October 2, 2006 @ 2:30 PM there is tons and tons of info on this just a google search away. I use Cubase SX because I have a pc and I'm very happy with it. If I had a mac I would use Logic. http://www.tweakheadz.com/ has great info and comparisons between different host programs. Just regarding the pirating thing, the above is really the worst case scenario. There are reputable groups out there that crack with absolutely no problems. In the worst case the program just won't work, nothing more. People have personal issues with cracked software, but technically its fine.
leedsquietman	Date: October 2, 2006 @ 2:38 PM I have yet to see a cracked program that was 100% cracked effectively, at best some features won't work properly, at worst they will not uninstall and screw up your HDD. I'm not getting into the moral issues, that's another topic, it's a personal choice, I don't really care if people use copies, that's their perogative. I am a legit user of Cubase SX3 and know people who have used cracked software and know 2 people who had to reformat their HDD after using cracked software. Some is better than others, quite often the problems come from viruses downloaded using P2P software. But even the 'reputable' groups software has issues such as increased latency, crashes when switching ASIO drivers or samplerates, inserts not working properly and such. PLus you get no tech support, I have had amazing tech support from Steinberg and from the cuabse.net forum where you need to register your USB serial code to participate that using copied software just would not have provided.
Jbate217	Date: October 3, 2006 @ 10:51 AM I have an old version of Cool Edit pro that has ~120 tracks of recording. Its real easy to use and quick to setup if I think of a cool riff while playing around. I think the company got bought out, and if I remember correctly, is called Audition now. I'm not sure how the new program compares, but if its anything like CE Pro, its real good.
TonyV	Date: October 3, 2006 @ 11:35 AM Windows Sound Recorder Rocks!
HalloweenBat...	Date: October 3, 2006 @ 11:54 AM ^^ yea i love how it only has 60 seconds of recording at a time.. perfect...
leedsquietman	Date: October 3, 2006 @ 2:15 PM Adobe (the makers of Acrobat .pdf creator/reader) bought out CEP. At first they did n ot do much except put up the price but did make a LOT of revisions to verson 2.0, including a total new interface with improved mixer, ASIO and VST support and a bunch of other effects and tools.
independentm...	Date: October 3, 2006 @ 5:13 PM I still use my version of Cool Edit, but as leedsquietman says, Adobe bought 'em out and killed it (In favor of something they have called Adobe Audition) ...so, no "support" If you can find a copy of Cool Edit 2k and the Studio add-on ...AND can somehow get a reg-key so that you can actually use it unrestricted, I bet you would really like it. CEP is/was a WONDERFUL audio editing program. It is the ONLY software I ever bought that I didn't regret spending the $$$ on. (And, I spent at least $200 or more if I remember correctly.)
independentm...	Date: October 3, 2006 @ 5:20 PM No, sorry. You can't have MY reg-key. (lol, I still USE my version of CEP ...and plan to continue doing so forever! Yes, it's THAT good!) ...but I bet it wouldn't be hard to find someone out there who no longer needs their key (because they moved on to something else?) Maybe try finding a CEP forum and asking around for an abandoned reg-key?
independentm...	Date: October 3, 2006 @ 5:30 PM "pc, i need recording, mixing, and mastering. i have xp. i currently use audacity." I like audacity, ESPECIALLY because of it being open source... but the versions of it I have tried are a bit buggy. (It is similar in concept to CEP) I personally wouldn't bother with Audition (since it is owned by Adobe and thus I fear it to be overly DRM infested.)
RocShaman	Date: December 10, 2006 @ 7:28 AM If you can afford it, buy Sonar Producers edition. It's easily the best recording software out there IMHO. I've been using Cakewalk products since Cakewalk 9.0 and love it.
leedsquietman	Date: December 10, 2006 @ 12:11 PM PC Options Sonar has a demo you can try out. As does Samplitude and Ableton Live. Try out a few and see which you like best as they mostly all do what the other does give or take a feature or two. I personally prefer Cubase's interface to Sonar's and the extra midi options Cubase 4 offers over Sonar 6PE. Steinberg continue to shoot themselves in the foot by not offering a downloadable demo, although they have video screenshots and tutorials which give a good overview. I should not be negative, but I would say that Tracktion and Pro Tools are not my favourite programs, Tracktion's interface is too cluttered for me (but it works great for a sub 200 buck program) and Pro Tools M-Powered or LE are just overpriced for what they offer - less audio tracks, less plugins, abysmal MIDI, etc. compared to Cubase or Sonar. I personally can't get along with Audacity, it is OK for recording a couple of basic audio tracks and it's editing is not too bad but my need for MIDI and more extensive options make it a no-no for me. Kristalv1 is a bit better interface wise for a free audio only product. And the quality ultimately rests with your audio card and plug-ins, mostly the plugins that come with Sonar and Cubase are fairly basic (yes, I know Perfect Space etc is a better than usual plug-in) - Logic on Mac and Samplitude Pro 9 on PC cost more but have great plugins. You might want to consider buying Wavelab for mastering, or get some good quality mastering plugs (eqs/compressor/limiter/stereo enhancement/etc)
GeneHilbert	Date: December 10, 2006 @ 12:37 PM I still use Cubase SX2 on win 2000. I tried Sonar 2 when it came out - ‘cause I'd been a long time Cakewalk user since the days of Cake 4 - but I didn't like it. The program was a pain in the ass. Sonar 5 & 6 seems to be very high end products if your system can utilize 64bits. However in the PC world, pound for pound, Nuendo is the shit....... It's not for beginners, but it's the real deal.
leedsquietman	Date: December 10, 2006 @ 1:16 PM Agreed - Nuendo has all the audio power of Cubase 4/SX3 with all the bells and whistles of post production/video editing/DVD authoring/control room functions etc. It is starting to put a dent in Digidesign's Pro Tools HD system which has been de facto industry standard for 10 years.
DrowningBetty	Date: December 11, 2006 @ 5:08 AM i really enjoy using Adobe Audition 2.0, i know alot of people seem to hate it, but everything i have recorded now and in the past was done using Audition. its around 349$
RocShaman	Date: December 11, 2006 @ 8:21 AM I use Audition along with Sonar for really tight edits and finishing, love it. Also use T-racks for mastering. It's a great little program.
Tallisman	Date: December 21, 2006 @ 9:07 PM in terms of audio quality, you will often hear users of one application lauding the sound of their DAW which miraculously sounds better than the rest. Bullocks. Inverse phase tests and blind listening tests have proven that there little to no perceptible difference. In terms of feature set, they all provide their own version of the same features. Some hosts will implement features better than others - every one has its strong points. (Please note that here, I am referring to: Logic, Cubase, Protools LE/HD, Nuendo, DP, Sonar, Ableton Live) If you need compatibility, then Protools takes the cakewalk (heheh). Most pro studios are built on protools systems, and PTLE out sells most other hosts. Additionally, It runs the same on Mac or PC. Other DAWs that are mac and PC compatible: Cubase, Nuendo and Ableton Live. Cubase and Nuendo are OMF complient which adds to their Protools Compatibility, but nothing like the compatibility between PTLE, Protools m-powered and the big Protools HD systems. Really, the most important thing is to find which you jive best with. I wish i was a protools guy simply for the universal compatibility. Alas! I cant stan the workflow, the look, the feel... I bought an mbox 'cause I can't fight the power. so I will add Protools to my current arsenal: Cubase SX3, Ableton Live 5. good luck with the decision. Use the hell outta the demos as these appz are expensive. boogie, T