And old school guy trying to get his feet wet with recording software

Skater

Skater

New member
Hi everyone,

So I'm in my mid 30s, been in a handful of bands in my time, just played at shows and dished out hundreds of dollars to record at a few studios back in the mid to late 90s, before the internet boom.

So I'm looking to buy software that I could record my own music. I seen numerous YouTube videos of varies programs.
I'm just looking for simplicity, give me an equalizer, compression and show me where the record button is an I'm happy..

And suggestions? Thanks!
 
Re: And old school guy trying to get his feet wet with recording software

I use Tracktion Waveform. Complex if you need it, very very simple if you don't. And pretty cheap, too.
 
Re: And old school guy trying to get his feet wet with recording software

A computer with any DAW (digital audio workstation) and an interface is all you need to get started. I use Reaper as my DAW. It’s free, until you pay the $60 that they’d like you to pay.

If you decide to go with Reaper, check out this guy’s videos. He explains everything there is to know about The software. I believe he’s got the best tutorials there are.

 
Re: And old school guy trying to get his feet wet with recording software

I use Reaper, but for straight ahead simplicity I suggest Audacity.
 
Re: And old school guy trying to get his feet wet with recording software

Reaper is good value and not too hard to grasp for some one starting out on a DAW. I'd recommend it too. Plus it's multi platform Mac and PC and Linux.
REAPER is a digital audio workstation and MIDI sequencer software created by Cockos. The current version is available for Microsoft Windows and macOS – beta versions are also available for Linux. WikipediaLicense: Proprietary


Initial release: August 23, 2006; 12 years ago


Platform: 32-bit x86 (macOS, Windows, Linux); x64 (Linux, macOS, Windows); ARMv7 (Linux)


Stable release: 5.965 / December 19, 2018; 54 days ago


Developed by: Cockos


Written in: C, C++, Assembly language
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Re: And old school guy trying to get his feet wet with recording software

I have used Zynewave Podium since 2016. Full features, zero cost. Only 15 mb on the hard drive. It comes with built-in EQ as well.
 
Re: And old school guy trying to get his feet wet with recording software

Lazarus1140 said:
I use Reaper, but for straight ahead simplicity I suggest Audacity.
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I've never used Reaper, but I started on Audacity in the mid-2000s and it just isn't well suited to multi-track recording. It works great for editing and I still use it for that purpose, but something like Reaper on PC, Garage Band on Mac, or Ardour if you're on Linux are far easier to actually record with IMO.
 
Re: And old school guy trying to get his feet wet with recording software

Skater said:
Hi everyone,

So I'm in my mid 30s, been in a handful of bands in my time, just played at shows and dished out hundreds of dollars to record at a few studios back in the mid to late 90s, before the internet boom.

So I'm looking to buy software that I could record my own music. I seen numerous YouTube videos of varies programs.
I'm just looking for simplicity, give me an equalizer, compression and show me where the record button is an I'm happy..

And suggestions? Thanks!
Click to expand...

What's your end game for the recordings? What type of computer do you have, or are you using a tablet (or phone)?
You will need something to turn analog musical waves forms or audio (from a guitar, bass, or synth) to digital. That device is called an interface.
 
Re: And old school guy trying to get his feet wet with recording software

I use Reaper. I've tried and used several others but Reaper just seems to do it for me. The $60 is extremely fair price. The free training videos by Kenny Gioia are worth more than the price of admission.
 
Re: And old school guy trying to get his feet wet with recording software

+1 to Reaper.

It is quite a juggernaut of a production tool. If you don't scratch the surface just use as a simple multitrack recorder, it will not confuse you much as the basic interface is pretty simple and straightforward. If you go berserk with it, it edits video, mixes album projects on a commercial level, glues together broadcast production sessions with hundreds of tracks / regions and automates your onstage light systems and samplers if it comes to that. It is small, efficient and reliable.

About audio interfaces, for a start you don't have to go crazy with it. Depending on the number of audio sources you wish to record at once, you need the least amount of inputs that you can live with. If you just wish to record guitar and vocals, a 2in/2out USB interface is more than enugh. Focusrite, PreSonus, Steinberg, M-Audio - just naming a few. These manufacturers use decent mic preamps and have great sound quality.

It is also useful to have a dedicated machine, optimised. It means stripping off of all unnecessary background BS from the operation system that can disrupt the work. You can find useful hints online easily (e.g. on Focusrite homepage). And don't think of anything fancy machinery. If you use just a couple of plug-ins, a single-core 32bit win7 P4 machine from 2007 with a decent HDD can absolutely mix a 40-track project without any hiccup.
 
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Re: And old school guy trying to get his feet wet with recording software

Thanks for the link. I just repurchased Reaper for the third time and I haven't recorded in a couple of years. I'll need all the tutorials I can get.
 
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