Cubase, other recording software...

[n8bt]

I have a number of friends who play instruments of various types. I am looking into getting software that will allow me to mic and record them using my mixer (one of the Mackie 1402s) to compliment some of my own PC based production. I need something with a lot of flexibility that integrates well with other outboard gear (like the mackie, synths, etc).

On the PC, I work mostly with Reason and a few other programs for editing waveforms/samples, but I am lacking in recording functionality. I've been successful on a lot of projects working with Reason, in that it provides the virtual studio feel, but it can be frustratingly lacking in the recording department. I've been considering supplementing this with other sequencer/recording based software, such as Cubase 5. The range of VST instruments and plug-ins have put it up on my list. Is Cubase a good choice for these kinds of goals? What are its other avantages?

What do you all use for PC based recording, and how do you integrate it with other software and hardware that you use?

Thanks for opinions on this!
~n8

[mano 1]

Cubase is definitly nice for what you want to do yes

you record your friends instrument going thru the mixer to your sound card's line in, one by one, and lay the recorded snippets in your tracks (super easy, drag and drop etc..).

you can export your reason tracks as wav file(s) and import them to integrate your friend's instruments and your reason tracks together

and you can even add some midi tracks and trigger a few VST instruments so you have some differnet grain than reason... and then capture these vst instrument's tracks as audio, and mute the midi channels

so then you are dealing only with clean and dry WAV files on the screen, ready for EFFECTs and mastering, compression,

and finally.... MIXDOWN (exporting your whole composition as 1 audio file).

[Funktastico]

Sonar still kicks Cubase in the ***, IMHO

Toni
www.mp3.com/NativeAlien

[dj funkifize]

i actually prefer Cakewalk too. Because it's so much easier to learn. But cubase is good too, i guess.

[n8bt]

hey, thank you all for your replies!

i still haven't decided on which app to get for recording, so it would be great to get more responses on what you all prefer - but more importantly, why you prefer them. Perhaps this would be helpful for others as well?

to Funktastico - i have heard that sonar is excellent, but then again people tell me that cubase's sequencer makes it unbeatable - at least for the price range. how do they stack up as all around packages?

also, for cubase: are any of the effects plugins, VST instruments, etc. included in the original software package, or do you have to shell out extra for these?

thanks again for the input!

[galacticboy]

i believe cubase 5.0 comes with some basic VST instruments, like a simple synth and drummachine, as well as your basic effects (chorus, reverb, eq, etc). There are a ton of free VST plugins available on the net which should give you plenty to work with when you just start out.

You should also check out Logic Audio. It is a bit more pricey and difficult to learn, but from what I hear, it is superior to Cubase in terms of flexibility and more importantly, audio to MIDI sync. i have been using cakewalk 6.0 for the past several years, and it is a real ***** when you are recording audio tracks and they drift out of time with eachother. especially if you are going to be combining audio and midi, you would want something with rock solid timing. Logic also allows you to use VSTi's and effects, as well as (i think this is what they are called) TDM plugins.

Like i said, i (rarely anymore) use cakewalk 6.0. this was when cakewalk was first starting to add audio recording to what used to be simply a MIDI sequencer. since i don't use MIDI all that much, it's a really crummy program to work with, so I have been using Sonic Foundry ACID as my multi-tracker. Hey, if you don't use MIDI, you might want to check ACID out. i haven't had any problems with audio sync, it's simple as hell, you can use all their loops, and timestretching is easy and transparent.

[Funktastico]

Cakewalk had those timing problems fixed by v.8 and even more so by v.9, and now Sonar is like a swiss watch. Accurate as anything.
I also love the new feature that all the level meters and volume settings on audio tracks are represented in DBs, not on a 1-127 scale.

If I had to chooce another software I'd say Logic, but I've tried it out a couple times and somehow it just didn't fit me.
Maybe the point is, what you get used to is the best for you.

Anyway I think midi track editing on Sonar, and everything else really, stands out of the trio because it's just so easy and FAST to use. You don't spend valuable time trying to get a simple thing done right & losing your nerves (as I did with Cubase for some reason).

Still, I think you should demo these all out before you make a final decision, because it's hard to change software once you've used the same brand for years (like me).

- - - - - - - - - - -
Rolling stoned

Toni
www.mp3.com/NativeAlien