Whats the Best recording software for starting out?

M

masterofpuppets

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Ive heard of many softwares ranging from Pro Tools to sibelius, Mixcraft and even audacity. I just want an expert opinion of what to start off with. Im serious about doing and I have the money to spend on a premium program.

thanks, \m/
 
similarly look at Cubase, Ableton, Reason - the only reason to go Pro tools is that they have an almost automatic association with pro-audio not because they are tehe best but because they got there first....
 
I would recommend looking into Ableton, Ableton 9 is out and it is easy to use (waiting for mine with push). I learned on FL studio, to logic, now to Ableton. Once you get the program you will thank me for suggesting that DAW. FL is the quickest way of making loops, but to make a track i like ableton.

Cheers,
Piers
 
I'm not expert but I have a little knowledge about your Q. If you have more money for premium tool and you're serious about this industry I think that FL studio is perfect and flexible for various midi controller.
 
Really all depends on your knowledge and experience.
Simple and easy,Fruity Loops.
Something a little more complicated but solid,Presonus studio 1.

There are alot of other options but S1 has become my favorite.Very powerful and user friendly.

Peace
 
I have used FL studio, Cubase, Pro Tools, Logic and Reason.I currently use Maschine with Logic and it's perfect. It's all a matter of preference. I'd seriously recommend demoing each DAW that you are interested in and purchase after you have found the one most comfortable, keeping in mind what you will be using your set up for. I absolutely loved Reason until I discovered Maschine, which made Reason obsolete because you really cant use them in tandem with one another. BUT if I had not practiced so much with Reason's unique set up I may not have been as comfortable with other DAW's. The GUI in Reason gives a visual representation of pretty much everything.
 
Definitely..........Cubase's the way to go, period!

You can take your project's to Pro studio as with Pro Tools......but Pro Tools isn't as complete and will cost you more, in the end!
 
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1st daw

There is no one answer .Logic is awesome but you need a Mac. If audio is all you need go with PT.
If you are looking for creativity tools go with Logic,FL,Reason,Cubase or DP.
PT was created for audio not midi and sequencing. Many pros have used PT along with other software.
If you have budget issues almost all DAW products come in entry level packages.
There are also free trial downloads too.

Steve Vousden
 
I have used FL studio, Cubase, Pro Tools, Logic and Reason.I currently use Maschine with Logic and it's perfect. It's all a matter of preference. I'd seriously recommend demoing each DAW that you are interested in and purchase after you have found the one most comfortable, keeping in mind what you will be using your set up for. I absolutely loved Reason until I discovered Maschine, which made Reason obsolete because you really cant use them in tandem with one another. BUT if I had not practiced so much with Reason's unique set up I may not have been as comfortable with other DAW's. The GUI in Reason gives a visual representation of pretty much everything.

Honestly, I used to think the same way. I've gone from Cakewalk to Sonar, to Logic, to Cubase, to Reaper, to some cheap crap I can't remember. I've used them all. & they're basically the same & like you say, depends on what you like.

I tried to stay away from programs like FL & Reason, because for the longest you couldn't record audio & I'm primarily a guitar player. But that's where I should have been. FL, Reason, Ableton, Maschine..... these aren't "recording tools" like Cubase, Nuendo, Pro Tools, Sonar, Logic. Those programs are fine, if you want to be an engineer, or a "traditional" producer, like Barry Gordy.

But if you're the primary musician, and you're a producer like.... Dre, you're really more of a composer than a producer, then Ableton, FL, Reason, Maschine..... those are your "new" MPCs, Music workstations... the features in those programs help you get your musical ideas out quick. You can go pretty far in them to get a really nice demo, & that's really the way we should look at them.

I know we all want to believe that we can do the same thing they do in those high dollar studios, but most of us can't.

Now, Sonar, Cubase, all them, if that's your thing, that's great. They both started out as programs for musicians & they offer some features that are great for songwriters/composers. The way Sonar worked with loops was great, ground breaking. Cubase's play lists.... again great tool. But you can rough out a song in Maschine, Ableton, Reason.... way faster than you can in those post production apps. They're miles ahead of the traditional DAW.

Now when it comes to tracking, comping, editing, video, surround, mixing; post production..... PT, Logic, Nuendo, Sonar, Reaper.
 
Deffinetly go with ableton. Why buy a seperate program when your going to end up on ableton anyways right? Haha
 
This is the hardest desicion a producer can make .. lol

Fl Studio - super easy to learn ... however its a 32 bit daw (They have a beta version of 64 bit & a beta for MAC )
Ableton - Medium learning curve - 64 Bit - great for DJ's you can mix in it - great for "Live Performances" hence the name "Live"
Logic - Medium learning curve - 64 Bit - Rock solid DAW, runs smooth - Super technical to pattern in drums -
Reason - Easy Learning Curve - No vst plugin support :( - sounds are pretty cool
Pro Tools - amazing for recording via mics - medium learning curve -

Cubase 7 - Is as good as pro tools, if not better. Medium learning curve .. the technical features they have in the daw is mind blowing .. literally .. its worth it to go to their website and check out all the videos they have showing off its features. Steinberg.com --- They have controllers that you can build as you go. and you can literally controll the whole daw with them, every feature without needing a mouse or keyboard (you'd still need a keybaord to label things eg)

Yeah man Cubase is dope, they say its the "Worlds Most Advanced Music Production System" and if you visit Start :  | http://www.steinberg.net/ you'll see exactly what i mean.


High specs on a computer help run things smoothly in the daw (eg. i7 .. 8gb ram or higher)

At the end of the day however, it doesn't really matter what DAW is being used. Its all about the person behind the machines

Good luck my friend, happy music making !
 
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