Home Recording Software

[jtrousd]

So, I want to start recording in-home. My question is, does anybody have any recommendations for recording/mixing software? Price is not really an issue, but try not to suggest something that's 500 dollars.

Really what I'm trying to do is recording my instruments (two electrics and an acoustic guitar, soon to be a bass) through my amp into my computer, then add drum tracks, melodies, etc. There's a lot more that I want to do, but I'll avoid going into that to keep this post short.

Also keep in mind, like I said, I want to record my acoustic guitar, but it is strictly acoustic (not acoustic electric), so how can I do this? Do I just plug up a mic to my computer and play into that? Speaking of mics, is the rock band mic actually useful for this, or would it be better to buy something else? All sorts of advice from software to peripherals necessary would be EXCELLENT.

Thanks a lot!

[SaltyDawg]

You need a good sound card (AKA audio interface) before you do anything...

As for software I would suggest either Cubase or Pro Tools.

[Wulfebane]

I would suggest getting yourself an MBOX mini (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Digidesign-Mbox-2-Mini-?sku=700498)

You will need to get a good condenser mic to record the guitar. The MBox Mini comes with Pro-Tools LE.

[A7x4RockBand]

Cool Edit Pro 2!!!!!!!!!!

Free, good audio recording/editing/mixing program.

This is the program that Adobe bought and made it into Adobe Audition....so you know it is a good quality program and not some free barebone crappy program!

[jtrousd]

Thanks a lot guys! I'm really looking forward to getting started :)

[SaltyDawg]

Cool Edit Pro isn't free (legit anyway).

Audacity is though. Maybe you should start with audacity...

Oh yeah, and if you don't have a really good sound card, go to asio4all.com and install the asio4all driver. It does wonders for your sound card.

As for recording software, check kvr. (http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/index.php) You can get all sorts of help there, and all sorts of free (legit) recording software.

[jtrousd]

Yeah, I guess since two people have said it now I should definitely think about doing something for my soundcard. It's horribly basic ;)

Thanks for the tips on free stuff, too. I think I'm going to try everything I can get my hands on in order to get my feet wet. Recording has been something I've wanted to do for a good while now, but it never really materialized. It's also got my creative juices pumping again, so I'm really excited about it.

You know, these forums are flippin' fantastic. What a great community. Thanks again, guys! :D

[SaltyDawg]

Well I put together my own studio and have been recording for around 10 years now, so I know a lot about it. If you ever need any help with anything, hit me up.

[orange_black]

i dont do alot of home recording, but my musicians friends have all said great things about Cakewalk.

you can also get it on bit-torrents..... *cough-whatever-that-is-cough*

:)

[OldFogey]

I thought this was an awesome write up:

http://www.tweakheadz.com/rigs.htm

Covers not just software but the rest of the set up as well.

My personal experience is with Cubase -- it's awesome. At the time it was the only thing that offered real-time editing.

You also didn't mention whether you were on PC or Mac. For Mac -- Logic Express looks great and you can upgrade to Logic Studio later. Cubase still gets my nod on PC platform.