suggestions for Win XP multitracker...

[the velour fog]

hi. i'm a recent convert to digital recording, and am trying to find a good multitrack recording software that is powerful, but also fairly user friendly. i've messed around with logic 5, but that is too complicated for me. i can't find a version of pro tools for xp. what are some suggestions of good programs. any help will be appreciated. i'm moving up from a 4-track, so something without a huge learning curve would be nice.

[John Jeffers]

This is a little off-topic, but I'd recommend Win2K instead of XP. Less overhead in the OS means more resources (therefore more tracks, plugins, etc) for your audio apps.

To answer your question, I like Cubase SX. I've been using Cubase for years, so it's hard for me to say how easy or hard it is to use, but it works great.

[loudmusic]

Bob, (or anybody else out there!)

I am in the same boat as gunshyboy and have been really leaning towards cubase, what I'm wondering is if I would be giving that much up going with SL rather than SX? I have read all the literature and understand there are some automation features and some surround sound features that aren't on SL, but I also think I read that you give up some control over customizing your personal views and layouts?? Do you know if this is true? I think I would gladly pay an extra $100 if I could set up and save exactly what I wanted to see. Also do you know if there would be any issues with using two monitors with Cubase?

Thanks a bunch.
Marty

[loudmusic]

Bob, (or anybody else out there!)

I am in the same boat as gunshyboy and have been really leaning towards cubase, what I'm wondering is if I would be giving that much up going with SL rather than SX? I have read all the literature and understand there are some automation features and some surround sound features that aren't on SL, but I also think I read that you give up some control over customizing your personal views and layouts?? Do you know if this is true? I think I would gladly pay an extra $100 if I could set up and save exactly what I wanted to see. Also do you know if there would be any issues with using two monitors with Cubase?

Thanks a bunch.
Marty

[ctmsound]

Syntrillium Cool Edit Pro 2.0

www.syntrillium.com

[apropos of nothing]

Last I heard, Steinberg has a real nice upgrade track where you can essentially pay-as-you-upgrade. So you could say, get SL, use it til you outgrow it, and then get however much you paid for SL off the SX price.
See here:
http://www.steinbergusa.net/Shop/shop_mup.htm

I use cubase with a ATI Radeon 7500 dual-head AGP card. I used it before that with two Virge S3 PCI cards. Both scenarios were successful. I'd recommend the former before the latter, since you generally want to save as much bandwidth on y'r PCI buss for y'r audio stream, and AGP is addressed on a different processor buss.

[evan]

I don't think many can beat out Sonic Foundry's Vegas in the learning curve department -- it's probably the easiest multitracking software you'll ever use. Granted, it's not as powerful as some others, but it certainly can get the job done quickly and easily.

Here's a few reviews at Sound On Sound and ProRec.

[sigrant]

Syntrillium Cool Edit Pro 2.0

www.syntrillium.com

...recently acquired by Adobe: http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressro ... llium.html

[stevemoss]

Vegas is a really good piece of software (I just finished an album using it). Like Evan said, it's not as powerful as some of what's available, but it can get the job done pretty well.

[dr grip]

I'd also suggest Vegas 4

The new version supports ASIO (a huge improvement) and has the least steep learning curve of any audio app I've ever used. There's no midi support (other than locking devices together), so it's not for sequencing...just pure audio / video.

The DAW mixing actually sounds pretty good, but one of the program's big strengths is the routing and bussing that make it very simple to run independent busses and tracks out to an analog mixer and do all the summing there.

Not only does this sound better (depending on mixer / console quality) and give you the ability to do mixdowns to a 2 track reel to reel or back into the PC as a stereo wave file, but it also means that you can tweak your final mix with board eq, use auxes in the mixer, etc...

Last but not least the integration with Soundforge is excellent...makes waveform editing super easy...drawing out pops and clicks, time correction, taking out stick hits...etc..

[fredmurtz110]

n-Track Studio

Best $45 I ever spent.

Regards

[silversound]

I recommend you start with what you hope to use in the future. When people slam or recommend a certain product it is mostly based on what they are use to. I can't tell you how many converts I have made just by showing people how a certain program works. It blows me away how much trash is strewn about based on ignorance.

So while I recomend Cubase SL for the long term, Vegas is by far the best to start on. Just don't get stuck there. It is way behind on certain things and way ahead on others.

[jazz]

pro tools le for pc will work with XP, but the software support from digi may be a little sketchy as i cannot say they have come out and officially announced compatibility with the OS. anywho, if you are doing audio on your computer, nothing else should be going on. Keep an older computer or buy one for cheap. Gut it out, put in a new processor (a celeron should be fine) and a new mobo, you're out $250. You can use the same monitor screen, do all you word processing and internet purusing on the slightly less good PC w/ XP. But use the simpler OS's Like 2k for audio because they are easier on your cpu, like Bob Thing said. All that fancy graphics shit eats up power, which plug ins really need too. take it from someone who learned the hard way, you don't want your hard earned audio on some computer with a link to the outside world. weird shit drips in from the web, and months of work can dissapear. you don't want that. ever. i still hurt from that. any how, if that doesn't seem to feasible, check out cool edit. if you're new, and looking for 4 tracks of audio and don't expect too much, it's a decent deal. i turned a friend on to that and he demos all his band's material. not well, mind you, but it carries to the guys in cd form. well, you're bored now. i'm going to the bar.

jazz

[Bear]

If you want simple, go with Cool Edit Pro or Vegas. I really like both, despite their lack of certain options. Cubase is nice, but it will take a little time to learn, as will Sonar. But both of those are excellent for MIDI.

[ctmsound]

Syntrillium Cool Edit Pro 2.0

www.syntrillium.com

...recently acquired by Adobe: http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressro ... llium.html

Damn Syntrillium for selling out!!!!! Good thing I still have my CD for 2.0, I'll probably never upgrade.