software investment advice? please... - Harmony Central Musician Community Forums

bellehard · 07-29-2002, 07:16 AM

Hey everyone,

I am new within this field (only experience from music programmes on Amiga 500... years ago) and I'm looking for some advice as to making music on a PC.

I am buying a computer within the nearest future, a pentium 4 - 2.2 or 2.4 GHz- with 80 GB HD and lots of RAM, and I want to get started with music as well.

I play in a band and we recorded a demo recently. Since I can't afford to invest in all the good stuff at the moment, I want to start off just by being able to MIX our demo, not record anything. I have the .dat-files from the master tape.

What do I need to be able to mix the demo on my PC? Is it enough just to install Cubase or similar software and play around (not sure what is included) or do I need anything else (except for a CD-RW and a sound card)? Not looking for loads of effects anyway as the music we do is pretty rock.

What software/hardware would you recommend? What sound card is required for good quality sound?

THANKS A LOT FOR YOUR HELP!

Please email me -

bellehard@kent.nu

RTod · 07-29-2002, 12:18 PM

I downloaded the demo of Sonar, but it looks like it imported the sounds out of my old cakewalk 7.0 which...sound like a toy. I downloaded the demo of Fruityloops 3.55 and it has the strings sound I like, but I'm really not a techno guy...How do you find good quality sounds, in what program and how do you avoid the old midi toy sounds?

Styrerra · 07-30-2002, 07:12 PM

If you plan on side stepping midi altogether and just going the audio route try the demo of Vegas by SoundForge

The Brazilian · 07-30-2002, 10:24 PM

yes, you can do it all.....recording, mixing, mastering.

programs to consider:

Cubase SX, Logic Audio (though be aware that there won't be future upgrades), Sonar, Samplitude, Vegas.

You might want to consider looking at a budget package like N-tracks as well...which has basic functionality but will do the job.

I don't know about the various programs support of .dat files...you may have to convert these to wav files somehow.

A cheap soundcard will do the job, but if you're after pro-quality sound, look for a 24bit/96KHz soundcard...Midiman do some nice, cheap ones.

A set of Studio quality monitor speakers is a must - no point having a great sound card if your speakers suck. I'm afraid PC multimedia speakers won't cut it no matter how good they might appear to be. You might get away with using a good set of headphones.

To produce a quality demo, you will need some external FX or some decent quality plugins (yes, even if you make Rock). The FX bundled with Cubase are OK...just OK. The FX in Logic are better.

If this is your first attempt ..I'd suggest doing some background reading - go google for articles on digital recording, digital mixing and mastering. If possible, get help from someone with mixing, mastering experience.

The Brazilian · 07-30-2002, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RTod
I downloaded the demo of Sonar, but it looks like it imported the sounds out of my old cakewalk 7.0 which...sound like a toy. I downloaded the demo of Fruityloops 3.55 and it has the strings sound I like, but I'm really not a techno guy...How do you find good quality sounds, in what program and how do you avoid the old midi toy sounds?

this is because Sonar is probably still using your computers/soundcards built-in MIDI module (which are usually crap). You need to get a decent outboard General MIDI soundmodule (Roland/Edirol, Yamaha) or a decent Softsynth (again Edirol, or Yamaha XG). cheers.

bellehard · 07-31-2002, 12:26 PM

hey brazilian, thanks a lot for your help!

The Brazilian · 07-31-2002, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bellehard
hey brazilian, thanks a lot for your help!

db909 · 08-05-2002, 07:58 PM

I've had good luck with logic audio over the years. Now I am running Cubase SX, which i really like. Although I will admit that 1.01 doesnt seem 100% stable yet. Music software is the kind of thing you can never have too much of!

07-29-2002, 07:16 AM	#1
bellehard Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Stockholm Posts: 16	software investment advice? please... Hey everyone, I am new within this field (only experience from music programmes on Amiga 500... years ago) and I'm looking for some advice as to making music on a PC. I am buying a computer within the nearest future, a pentium 4 - 2.2 or 2.4 GHz- with 80 GB HD and lots of RAM, and I want to get started with music as well. I play in a band and we recorded a demo recently. Since I can't afford to invest in all the good stuff at the moment, I want to start off just by being able to MIX our demo, not record anything. I have the .dat-files from the master tape. What do I need to be able to mix the demo on my PC? Is it enough just to install Cubase or similar software and play around (not sure what is included) or do I need anything else (except for a CD-RW and a sound card)? Not looking for loads of effects anyway as the music we do is pretty rock. What software/hardware would you recommend? What sound card is required for good quality sound? THANKS A LOT FOR YOUR HELP! Please email me - bellehard@kent.nu

07-29-2002, 12:18 PM	#2
RTod Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 4	Me Too! I downloaded the demo of Sonar, but it looks like it imported the sounds out of my old cakewalk 7.0 which...sound like a toy. I downloaded the demo of Fruityloops 3.55 and it has the strings sound I like, but I'm really not a techno guy...How do you find good quality sounds, in what program and how do you avoid the old midi toy sounds?

08-05-2002, 07:58 PM	#8
db909 Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 43	I've had good luck with logic audio over the years. Now I am running Cubase SX, which i really like. Although I will admit that 1.01 doesnt seem 100% stable yet. Music software is the kind of thing you can never have too much of! __________________ dave B.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

07-30-2002, 07:12 PM	#3
Styrerra Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 735	If you plan on side stepping midi altogether and just going the audio route try the demo of Vegas by SoundForge

07-30-2002, 10:24 PM	#4
The Brazilian Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 20	yes, you can do it all.....recording, mixing, mastering. programs to consider: Cubase SX, Logic Audio (though be aware that there won't be future upgrades), Sonar, Samplitude, Vegas. You might want to consider looking at a budget package like N-tracks as well...which has basic functionality but will do the job. I don't know about the various programs support of .dat files...you may have to convert these to wav files somehow. A cheap soundcard will do the job, but if you're after pro-quality sound, look for a 24bit/96KHz soundcard...Midiman do some nice, cheap ones. A set of Studio quality monitor speakers is a must - no point having a great sound card if your speakers suck. I'm afraid PC multimedia speakers won't cut it no matter how good they might appear to be. You might get away with using a good set of headphones. To produce a quality demo, you will need some external FX or some decent quality plugins (yes, even if you make Rock). The FX bundled with Cubase are OK...just OK. The FX in Logic are better. If this is your first attempt ..I'd suggest doing some background reading - go google for articles on digital recording, digital mixing and mastering. If possible, get help from someone with mixing, mastering experience.

07-31-2002, 12:26 PM	#6
bellehard Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Stockholm Posts: 16	hey brazilian, thanks a lot for your help!