please suggest an great alternative to cooledit pro

[lilcapn]

i was about to buy CEP, then learned that my interface (Presonus Firestation) doesn't support the appropriate drivers (it's ASIO drivers only for the Presonus, no WMD -- whatever that means! all i know is that it means i can't use more than two tracks at a time with CoolEdit).

so, that's a bummer but i'm sure people have some other faves out there... i don't want to get protools, but what else do people recommend?

til now i've used an 8-track reel to reel and a VS1680...

thanks!

[Velcrocore]

I'm using Vegas 4 and I love it. It's so easy to learn too.

http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/p ... family.asp

There is one default option (input monitoring = listen to fx in real time) that most of us users had to turn off because we don't have super computers (yet)

[mjau]

I toyed around with CEP for a while and liked it, since it was similar to what I'd been using - Sonar. Some people dislike Sonar's mixing interface (Sonar 3 is improved on that end), but for a good all around program that's on par with CEP, I'd recommend it. I'm thinking of moving to Samplitude, which seems to be very powerful.

[mrc]

With ASIO card support, Cubase or Nuendo are really the top programs for PC. I started with Cakewalk, but the audio side of Cubase is much better IMHO. I also bought Acid, and I do use it for loops, but I don't think it really stands up to Sonar or Cubase as a multitrack program. I just export the finished loops and import them to cubase. The Steinberg programs are pretty mature now, and really do a good job of balancing the load on a dual processor system, while Sonar doesn't support dual cpu's. The latency you could expect with cubase or nuendo is exceptional. I use a Rme 9652, and I can go as low as .75ms with an aging dual 1 gig p3 system and 512 megs of ram. If you want to take advantage of fxteleport to run vst instruments and effects beyond what 1 machine is capable of, it only supports native vst hosts on pc, the last time I looked. The Vst instruments have come a long ways since they started and there are a ton of great free ones, as well as some very good commercial ones, and you can really take advantage of older pc's from about 350 mhz and up with fxteleport and Cubase or Nuendo.
mrc

[lilcapn]

thanks for all the suggestions and input! everything is helpful.
next issue though:

vegas 4
cubase
sonar
= $5-700

nuendo = $1400

CEP = $299

so, is cool edit just really hundreds of dollars worse than these other joints, or am i just screwed because i can't use the one software that's good AND cheap?

[mrc]

Hi,
Steinberg has a slightly cut back edition of SX called SL and there is an upgrade path. $299.00 http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid ... _id/111002
I think they lowered the number of VST instruments to something like 8 and removed the midi scoring (printing) features. Of couse CEP didn't have either one, so you'll have a program that your card is designed for and sounds great, plus many hours of downloading free vst plugin's and vst instruments. You can start looking at: http://www.kvr-vst.com/ The truth is, at least I never use the scoring capabilities, and very few cpu's will handle 8 vsti's at once as well as effects and audio tracks, so you are really getting about all you can ever use at once. You can always print the vsti's to tracks and load others if you need more than 8, they are sample accurate on as many passes as you need. Look around here: http://www.steinberg.net/en/index.php and use the search in the cubase forum to find the answers you need, the good, bad and ugly are all there. I'm not an employee or sales rep, just a user.
Good luck,

[lilcapn]

wow thanks for all the info!!

will check it out. sounds like the SL would be plenty powerful enough. the only thing that drives me crazy about "limited" versions of software is when the catch is that you can't actually burn a cd of the finished product or "save with effects" or something like that, but this sounds much more real than that.

thanks again!

[Cephallus]

Take a serious look at NTrack Studio (www.fasoft.com).

I've used it with my Firestation and it works very well...tons of features that you'd find in pro daw software for $69. Seriously.

[lilcapn]

wow, good to hear from someone else with a firestation.

is there anything you find yourself wishing that NTrack could do but can't?

are there built-in fx (i don't plan on using them too much -- would rather use outboard stuff -- but it's good to know they're there...)?

do you mix down to a separate wave editor?

thanks!

[Roboburger]

If you know someone who is a student at a university, or works at one, search on Ebay for the Student packages of Sound Forge products. For about 200 bucks, you can score bundles of Acid 4.0, Soundforge 6.0 and Vegas 4.0. All brand new, licenscable, and upgradeable. IMHO, about the best deal on the planet. Currently, I couldn't find any of "the whammy" packages that have all three, but combos of two of them are out there.

F'rinstance: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... egory=3775

Love the Vegas.

[Cephallus]

wow, good to hear from someone else with a firestation.

is there anything you find yourself wishing that NTrack could do but can't?

are there built-in fx (i don't plan on using them too much -- would rather use outboard stuff -- but it's good to know they're there...)?

do you mix down to a separate wave editor?

thanks!

Ha...well, ex-firestation user! I got pissed that they advertised it as expandable, but it's not expandable whatsoever on Windows. At least, not until Yamaha releases mlan 2.0 drivers for it, and they have no idea when (or if) that will happen. So I sold mine and bought a Tascam FW-1884. But I'll say that, while I had it, I did really like the Firestation.

The only real knock on NTrack is the midi stuff. It's not really meant to be a midi workstation. As far as effects go, it uses VST/Direct-X plug-ins...so the sky is really the limit. Lots of great-sounding freebies out there.

I can't figure out why the creator of the software only charges $69 for it ($49 for the 16-bit version!). For the class of software, it should be at least double, if not triple, that price. And one of the best "features" of the software is the discussion group on the website; there are dozens of very helpful, knowledgable people on there ready to help with any aspect of recording.

I moved to Samplitude 7 because of the project management features; now I do *everything* from inside Samplitude. But that's just personal choice, and the result of having made an extra $1000 on a project that wasn't already earmarked for some bill or another...

Hope that helps!

C

[mrc]

I tried N Track a long time ago, and it was just fine. The only thing I would wonder is how the sound engine compares to SX or SL 2.x? There is a big difference in even sx 1.x and 2, let alone cubase 3.5 through 5.6. I tried N Track during the 3.x era of Cubase and they sounded much alike. I doubt, though, that Ntrack has the Nuendo 2 sound engine that sx2 has. Midi and vsti's would be another issue. The real good vsti's can replace thousands of dollars worth of synths, and you only need a midi keyboard to use them (or program with one of the editors). The midi features in Cubase are pretty strong. Still, if money is a big issue, Ntrack would get you started. Try downloading a demo of each, and compare them yourself.
Good luck.
mrc

[Spark]

I use N-Track and it works fine for me. I cant say how well its sound engine compares, but ive never complained. The midi editor isnt any worse than the one on Protools from what my limited experience has found. There are so many free vst's and its low price its hard to go wrong with N-track as a starter program. Try the free demo at least, you got nothing to lose!

[Cephallus]

Personally, I love the sound in Samplitude over all of the others I tried...which is why I shelled out the $1k for it. But NTrack as compared to Cooledit Pro...I certainly can't tell a difference...

Good luck!

Cheers,

C

[wing]

I REALLY highly suggest Raw Material Traktion. http://www.rawmaterialsoftware.com/products/tracktion/

It's an amazingly powerful piece of software, as good if not better as most of those others suggested. The best thing of all, it's $80. I'm not sure if it'll work with your drivers, or that you'll like about it, but another wonderful thing is you can try the demo on their website to see what you think about it. I recommend it to people who can even afford the higher end apps... for $80 it's insane, and a worthy competitor to all those higher end products. I've had friends who use protools make the switch to traktion.