need some software suggestions

[nobody, really]

My girlfriend used Vision back in the day and now she wants to start recording/composing again, but goes on and on about how there's nothing as good as Vision anymore. She liked garageband pretty well but we use pc's now. She wants something really intuitive that can record and edit midi and audio that can also do notation.
She's tried a bunch out and none have worked. They're always too complicated/unintuitive or not doing what she wants.
Is there a modern equivalent to Vision? or maybe a pc equivalent to garageband?
she's tried tracktion, cubase, reaper, and a couple others i can't remember. Audition was pretty cool, and it's what I still mostly use, but it doesn't do midi anymore.
Anything awesome I'm missing?
thanks all

[mrpicholas]

I was a forever Studio Vision user and switched over to Presonus' Studio One. It does not have an option for notation (yet), but is a very intuitive and powerful program. They have a free demo I would recommend checking out.

http://studioone.presonus.com/

And she's correct, Vision is still hard to beat for MIDI composition and idea recording, even 15 years later.

[Nick Sevilla]

Pro Tools.

Especially if down the road you are going to collaborate with anyone.
It has great MIDI now in version 9 and 10, a score sheet feature for those who write music properly, comes with decent plugins to mangle quite a bit before buying anything.
Just make sure to buy one with an AVID interface, NOT anything M-Audio.
I've been through all software roads, and always end up coming back to Pro Tools.
For me it just works great.

Cheers

[nobody, really]

Yeah, Vision was pretty rad. I wasted many an hour on it.

Y'know I hadn't even considered pro tools. hmm. I like the look of Studio One as well. thanks guys!

right now she's demoing a program called Mixcraft. we'll see what the verdict is.

[chris harris]

Ignore the advice about buying an Avid interface. With PT9 and PT10, you can use whatever interface you want. It doesn't have to be Avid or M-Audio. I've been using PT9 with a MOTU interface and it's rock solid. Great setup. Of course, I'm on Mac, where MOTU interfaces shine. But, I wouldn't hesitate to use PT on a PC with RME or some other interface besides AVID or M-Audio.

[mrpicholas]

I know this was a long time ago, but PreSonus just purchased Notion notation software, and will likely be incorporating it into the next version of StudioOne.

http://www.notionmusic.com/

[mrc]

If you're at home with a studio console, Mix bus is at 2.3 right now. It doesn't have vsti or midi support yet, but on their forum, mix bus people are talking about it. If you watch a few videos @ You Tube, or maybe suscribe and watch, you'll get a $49+49 offer for the program and plugs. It has the best sound I've heard on a daw, and there's a way to patch it to pro tools, and still use it's sound character. I have a lot of UAD plugs that I wouldn't have bought if I'd heard this first. At least for people with tape studio or live sound backgrounds, it's got to be the most intuitive program I've ever had, as well.

[PhospheneProductions]

There are a million and one different options on what you can use to record, be it a microphone or a DAW. I'm a firm believer in the artist (or in this case, engineer) working with what you've got, learning it, and making it work for you.
Look at the many artists who will record on cassette decks, the result is still pleasurable (if you like that kind of thing ).

http://www.musicradar.com/us/tuition/te ... y-238905/1

Just gadda make a choice and learn it well!
Cheers~

[Zoltar]

I would consider buying a mac-mini for 500 or 600 if I didn't already have a mac. The new garageband is super intuitive, and it comes with drummer, and it appears the pitch correction is along the lines of Melodyne.

The first time I used it I bashed out a song in under an hour.

Logic Pro X is super easy too, a beautiful set of tools.

[LowG]

I noticed the OP specifically mentioned notation. Any old program will do audio and midi - which are GOOD with notation too?

[fedexnman]

I bet the OP ended up getting MixCraft .

[Nick Sevilla]

I noticed the OP specifically mentioned notation. Any old program will do audio and midi - which are GOOD with notation too?

I've been happy with ProTools 9 and 10. They do a good job of it, since they incorporated some of the Sibelius technology into Pro Tools.

Cheers

[calaverasgrandes]

Apple's Logic and Cakewalk's Sonar are both capable of outputting legible notation. But if you are at all serious you need Sibelius.
When I worked at SF Symphony that was all they used.

[jdk90042]

Pro Tools notation works pretty well, as did Logic last time I used it. No problem if you're just using ghost midi tracks to generate parts, but if you are using any MIDI instruments in your mixes, you'll find that correctly noted parts sound pretty stiff, and if you play more naturally, the notation will read like something Frank Zappa used to audition drummers with.

Additional notation app might be useful. Sibelius is great but not cheap. Muse-score is FREE and works very much like Sibelius. Totally useful, I've found. I believe you can import/export midi tracks, so maybe another step, but depending on what you're doing could be a good solution.