The beginner's home recording, just a few questions...

MonkeyZero

MonkeyZero

Mexican Mayonnaise Weiner Sandwich
I really want to start recording everything I do/learn/etc. and I'm very new to DAWs.
I have my guitars, a laptop with Vista PRO (don't ask, it used to have Win 7), a Blue Snowball mic, a Fender Mustang 1, and a set of headphones.
I currently use Audacity to mess around and for a podcast that me and a buddy in Michigan do but it's so limited.

I set up the mic in front of the amp and got really good quality but I'm wondering...

1. What's a good, free if possible, fully capable DAW to learn on? Audacity doesn't do MIDI and i need drum loops to play over.

2. Drum machine/midi/software for drum loops? I want to create but it doesn't have to be pro level.

This is all just for me to learn and play with at home. I'm not marketing CDs or anything close. :cool:

I've googled for about a month and I'm confused by the hardware interface required by pro tools. My mic is USB and Ableton won't recognize it.
I tried Reaper but it's a bit overwhelming.
Again, I'm a noob at mixing and editing so I'd like to get my feet wet without spending much of anything if possible.
Tutorial links are welcomed as well.
Thanks!

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There will be a bit of a learning curve on any DAW. You mentioned that you tried Reaper...it is probably the best bang for the buck out there short of the free versions of Ableton/Cubase/other stuuf packaged with a reasonable number of recording interfaces. I use Cubase Elements and that can be had for about 100.00. Cubase comes with software for drum loops, but I snagged EZ Drummer when it went of sale for about $40.00 and I am still learning that. Great drum sounds from that though.
 
Like anything else I can put the time in to learn Reaper. I just get anxious and want to play rather than fumble with settings. I'm a perfectionist so it gets frustrating. :rolleyes:
EZ Drummer is recommended I'm assuming? I think I read about it at some point.
I also looked at a Casio keyboard with some drums on it for $100. I wouldn't mind throwing some pinano in a few tunes.
Any thoughts on that route?

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MonkeyZero said:
Like anything else I can put the time in to learn Reaper. I just get anxious and want to play rather than fumble with settings. I'm a perfectionist so it gets frustrating. :rolleyes:
EZ Drummer is recommended I'm assuming? I think I read about it at some point.
I also looked at a Casio keyboard with some drums on it for $100. I wouldn't mind throwing some pinano in a few tunes.
Any thoughts on that route?

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I would avoid anything with canned sounds in the keyboard. For the same price you can just get a keyboard MIDI controller for the sounds built into most DAW software packages. Easier to program your own loops that way - or use the loops that come prepackaged with most drum programs. And the built in softsynths these days generally have some pretty killer sounds - much better than the canned stuff in a Casio...
 
Since you've got a laptop and are relatively local, maybe we can figure out something to get together and I can help you with Reaper. I'm not the most knowledgeable guy here on the subject, but until recently Reaper was all I'd used and I got to know it reasonably well.

Let me know if you'd want to do that.
 
I think Reaper is probably the most complete DAW you're going to get on the cheap.

That said, if you do buy an audio interface, they all come with some kind of DAW software, even if it's a limited version.

And fwiw, with Pro Tools 9 and 10 you can use pretty much any interface you want, however, when I tried to install Pro Tools 9 on my Vista equipped laptop, it wouldn't install. It actually gave me a pop up message that Pro Tools wouldn't work on a Vista machine.
 
Okay, some of this has already been covered, so excuse me for repeats.

Step 1: Go to www.tweakheadz.com/guide and read EVERYTHING. Then read it again. It doesn't matter if you don't understand everything the first time or that it's something you think you're not likely to need to know- read it anyway. Trust me. :embarrassed:

Step 2: Go to http://www.audioforums.com/windows-vista-optimization.php and see if you can't make your Vista a little more audio-friendly. You didn't mention whether this is a dedicated recording machine or a general purpose one, so obviously don't disable anything you need for other software.

Step 3: Get Live to recognize your Snowball. I'm not 100% up on Live, but it sounds a simple, yet frustrating routing issues, which you will endure many times over your recording lifespan. :tongue: There are very few programs that can't use a USB mic as an input, so it's just a matter of making sure the right drivers are installed, the right I/O is enabled. Tweakheadz should be able to help with that too!

If you want something other than Live, Reaper is going to be your best option on the cheap. There are hundreds of tutorials on YouTube and pro audio forums, but there is a learning curve. One thing to keep in mind with Live, Reaper, Sonar, Cubase, PT, etc. is that you can re-map your command keys into ways that make sense for you. Using shortcuts really helps and if you don't like the defaults, set it so that you can tailor it to your own needs.

Step Four: Live should have some drums and loops included. If you end up with Reaper or just need more options, I'd recommend downloading this: http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/producer/kontakt-5-player/
It's free and has a lot more than just drums in it. After that I'd just keep hunting for deals on different libraries. Most of us here on the forum tend to post about them for everyone else if we see them.
 
Jeremy said:
Since you've got a laptop and are relatively local, maybe we can figure out something to get together and I can help you with Reaper. I'm not the most knowledgeable guy here on the subject, but until recently Reaper was all I'd used and I got to know it reasonably well.

Let me know if you'd want to do that.
Click to expand...

I'd definitely be interested in that. Thanks!

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Prages said:
I think Reaper is probably the most complete DAW you're going to get on the cheap.

That said, if you do buy an audio interface, they all come with some kind of DAW software, even if it's a limited version.

And fwiw, with Pro Tools 9 and 10 you can use pretty much any interface you want, however, when I tried to install Pro Tools 9 on my Vista equipped laptop, it wouldn't install. It actually gave me a pop up message that Pro Tools wouldn't work on a Vista machine.
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I read that about PT9. I found it for super cheap and then learned it was a no go bc of Vista. I would love to use any version of PT since its the "industry standard" but I'm limited on buying much right now but itching to record.

There's always the Tascam 4 track in my avatar. LOL. Too bad I can't find cassette tapes to buy for it!

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MonkeyZero said:
I read that about PT9. I found it for super cheap and then learned it was a no go bc of Vista. I would love to use any version of PT since its the "industry standard" but I'm limited on buying much right now but itching to record.

There's always the Tascam 4 track in my avatar. LOL. Too bad I can't find cassette tapes to buy for it!

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100 for $24. :embarrassed:

http://www.deltamedia.com/IDL-62.html?leftmenu=blankmedianav
 
Honestly, even though PT is the industry standard and all, I probably got better sounding recordings out of my old Cubase setup. That's probably just the steep learning curve I've been going through with PT (just switched over about a year ago and I'm still learning how to use it), but what I'm trying to say is that you can get really, really good results out of any DAW.

PT is nice and all, but it's not the be all end all.
 
Prages said:
Honestly, even though PT is the industry standard and all, I probably got better sounding recordings out of my old Cubase setup. That's probably just the steep learning curve I've been going through with PT (just switched over about a year ago and I'm still learning how to use it), but what I'm trying to say is that you can get really, really good results out of any DAW.

PT is nice and all, but it's not the be all end all.
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Yup. The room > mic position > signal chain is what gets your sound, not the DAW you use.
 
I get that. I just thought maybe there would be a more "beginners" daw that would allow me to focus on playing.
I honestly just want to play chords over a drum track and then go back and play lead over that. Done and done.
I'm more interested in writing and having it stored somewhere (besides paper) so I can keep track of stuff and then later on start fussing with the details that a daw can provide.
It just seems so damn complicated just to lay down 3 tracks on each other and they all sync up and sound tolerable. LOL.

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An audio interface will take the "getting things synched up" part out. Most (maybe all) offer zero latency monitoring, which means that you won't have to go in and slide stuff over to synch it up.
 
Prages said:
An audio interface will take the "getting things synched up" part out. Most (maybe all) offer zero latency monitoring, which means that you won't have to go in and slide stuff over to synch it up.
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OK, that actually helps alot. Those interfaces offer usb? And quarter inch and what else would be essential? I've seen a very wide range in pricing. So what are the "can't do without" features to look for?

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I'm checkin' out that Kontakt thing too, just for shits'n'giggles.
I'm quite happy with the drum software I use though.
(Acoustica Beatcraft)
 
MonkeyZero said:
OK, that actually helps alot. Those interfaces offer usb? And quarter inch and what else would be essential? I've seen a very wide range in pricing. So what are the "can't do without" features to look for?

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You can get USB, Firewire or PCI slot interfaces. The main things you're going to want are headphone and monitor out jacks, 1/4", and XLR in jacks. Most will have at least one or two of each. I'd seriously think about how many tracks you're going to be recording simultaneously and then preferably add a few to come up with how many inputs you need on your interface.

Even just recording a simple guitar track, you may want to use two mics, or a mic and a DI or something, so definitely you want at least 2 inputs.
 
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Magix Music studio 15 is what I use and is comprihensive enough for all that I do. and cost me only 19.95 when the newer version came out. Keep and eye out for deals.
 
I played with Reaper a bit yesterday and it's not as hard as I thought. Once I recorded a basic 30 second clip and started editing and un-doing it made more sense. Still interested in the hardware interface now so I'm looking for deals on that.
Also still deciding on a drum looper. I'm too damn picky AND fickle!

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