Something that will do it ALL

[dougjohnson72@gmail.com]

Hello all. I am so excited to find this website / forum.

I need advice / recommendations. I am looking for a DAW product that will do it ALL.

My gf plays guitar and writes her own music. In the past she has been in bands and she / we are tired of having to squelch her creativity because this person wants to do this, this other person wants to do that, the producer wants to add this sound, etc... So, we want to be able to record her vocals, guitar, and her friend on bass, add drum beats, keyboard, etc... mix / burn to cd / upload to web...

I also plan to be on stage with them to do the back beats, live mixing and DJ in between her sets.

My experience:
I have done live mixing on analog and digital boards, by Ramsa, Mackie, Presonus and factory trained on Yamaha M7CL / LS9
I have used Audacity
Most importantly, I have Asperger Syndrome (so, if I put my mind to it, I can do it) I.E. nothing is too hard for me to learn, I am self taught everything from HTML, CSS, PHP, SQL, Linux, network security, to tearing down and rebuilding a german sports car. Therfore, Im not necessarily concerned with "ease of use" as much as I am its scalability and ability!

Any productive comments are greatly appreciated!

Thank you,
Doug Johnson

[Delfinoverde]

Hi and welcome!

Self taught people are most of the times (or sometimes) the best!
Learning by doing is a great thing - and it's all in the mind-set:
You can reach every goal and higher heights all without a diploma! Look for example what Jaz Coleman (frontman & singer of Killing Joke) has done. That man is a sort of visionary with brilliant ideas! Search on YouTube for Interviews with Jaz Coleman. Experience & knowledge makes you to a Master.

If i might recommend you a good DAW to realize your ideas so this would be Studio one Pro (i'm using Logic). You can use bandcamp.com, YouTube, Facebook and Soundcloud to gain new fans.

Good luck!

[MaxSynths]

My suggestion is for Studio One as well. I switched to it some months and I really like the workflow and I think it's very easy to use and more intuitive compared to other DAWs.

There is a free version available, give it a try:

http://studioone.presonus.com/free/

[crystalmsc]

I need advice / recommendations. I am looking for a DAW product that will do it ALL.

My gf plays guitar and writes her own music. In the past she has been in bands and she / we are tired of having to squelch her creativity because this person wants to do this, this other person wants to do that, the producer wants to add this sound, etc... So, we want to be able to record her vocals, guitar, and her friend on bass, add drum beats, keyboard, etc... mix / burn to cd / upload to web...

I also plan to be on stage with them to do the back beats, live mixing and DJ in between her sets.

My experience:
I have done live mixing on analog and digital boards, by Ramsa, Mackie, Presonus and factory trained on Yamaha M7CL / LS9
I have used Audacity
Most importantly, I have Asperger Syndrome (so, if I put my mind to it, I can do it) I.E. nothing is too hard for me to learn, I am self taught everything from HTML, CSS, PHP, SQL, Linux, network security, to tearing down and rebuilding a german sports car. Therfore, Im not necessarily concerned with "ease of use" as much as I am its scalability and ability!

Sounds Like Ableton Live 9 Suite + Push will be a good solution.

1. Your GF would be able to do what she wants with a highly interactive workflow. Also using the huge library as well, which covers those instruments mentioned plus a decent Orchestral library.

2. You can use it on stage as a live performance/DJing or interactive backing tools.

3. With those type of background, the world of Max for Live could be interesting. You'd be able to do many things with it, including building your custom effect, instrument or utility to fit your personal style or workflow.

[Panphobia]

I suggest you get demos for reaper, and sonar in addition to those already mentioned. They are all good and bad in different ways, you just need to find what works best for you.

And even though you are good at being self taught, don't forget to look at tutorials every now and again to improve you workflow. Its amazing how a little change can save you hours of time!

[robogone]

Why not try them all? Most DAWs have demos, so try them and see which one has a workflow that you like. Anyone here can recommend one and say it is "the best", but what they really mean is that it is the best for them.

[michael2]

how exciting for you, I miss my first time playing around recording. you didn't say what you're using computer wise. on the off chance that you are on a Mac, my recommendation is Logic. it does,....everything.

[cyphersuit]

Studio One

[dougjohnson72@gmail.com]

Thanks everyone!

I've narrowed it down to Ableton Live 9, FL Studio 10, and Presonus Studio 1...

LOTS of great reviews all over the web for FL Studio, some seem to think it is a non 'professional' tool, BUT could that be just because it isn't as 'sexy' or 'cool' to use as another tool? No REAL reason? Kinda like the iPhone?

PUSH looks like EXACTLY what I want to do on stage but can I do the same thing with another DAW and something LIKE Push? I don't want Push to be the only reason I get Ableton Live...

Studio 1 seems to have a lot of integration with their live mixing boards BUT if Ableton was made to do live mixing, would we even NEED a TRADITIONAL mixing board??? At least not until we get in some BIG venues and I couldn't do a quality live mix from the stage...

Any and all input GREATLY appreciated!!!

I'm just not into Mac... I figure if you are gonna use a UNIX based OS, why go half way with an Apple, go ALL the way with a Penguin!

I use Linux in all my multi site business installations but I don't know if I'm ready to go Linux with this new musical venture. Setting up the business software on Linux was a REAL challenge when it came to hardware, peripherals, integration to Win only programs, etc... I don't know if I got time for all that!

I built a PC for home office and will be using it for this for now until this 'career' outgrows it and I move it to its own. Nothing fancy, just the basics; Cooler Master HAF932 Full Tower, ASUS P6T Deluxe V2, Intel Core i7-920 2.66Ghz 8M LGA1366, 12G Corsair Dominator PC128000 DDR3 1600MHz, 2 Velociraptor 2TB 10000RPM in RAID1, XION Power Real 1000 Watt, XFX GeForce GTX 260 1GB Black Edition, LG 40x DVDRW, Corsair Airflow V10 memory/cpu cooler.

I hope this will suffice for what I am wanting to do with it.

Haven't decided whether to go 64Bit Win 7 or try 8...

Anyway, I appreciate all the input and I guess, like one guy said, I'll just try them all!!!

Thanks
Doug Johnson

[wesleyt]

Doug,

Mac isn't halfway, it's just different. Nicely defined audio subsystem; highly recommended. Logic is ideal for me, with Live for spice.

That said, I'd recommend Win 7. Win 8 is way too green for me.

- Wes

[crystalmsc]

PUSH looks like EXACTLY what I want to do on stage but can I do the same thing with another DAW and something LIKE Push?

For live performance feature and interactivity, the are nothing like the integration of Push with Live. Sonar X2 has the matrix feature which is some kind of a scene view in Live, but it's just not the same to me. Also Push is able to do both step sequence and real time beat programming using velocity sensitive pads with after touch, also slider and touch sensitive knobs. Almost like the combination from several type of available units. Maschine has a nice integration with quality hardware, but it's not a DAW. If you like FL, it's able for being used with the Launchpad, but again it's just not the same.

I don't want Push to be the only reason I get Ableton Live...

With your self taught background, seems like Max for Live is going to be another good reason to get Live. With the beta release (V 9.0.2b1), Max for Live Devices now are accessible in Push browser, along with many updates.
https://www.ableton.com/en/articles/liv ... ease-notes
Since Max for Live is now included in Live 9 Suite, there are going to be many new users. I sense a bright future in the development, for both new devices and tools for the builder.

[dougjohnson72@gmail.com]

Atlanta Institute of Music this Thursday is hosting an "electronic music production" clinic "unlocking the power of ableton live with push"



Coincidence? I think not. I'll be there!

Thanks again for all the advice.

[V0RT3X]

Ableton Live + push + m4L is definitely a good way to go if you are planning on live music shows.

If you want to prevent buying a ton of VST's and need a good all around solution for instruments and the like, maybe look into Reason because it works great for rewiring into ableton and is very reliable in live music situations.


Reason is also really easy to learn!

[Mister Natural]

another vote for LIVE

every user finds their own way of using it to his/her preference which, to me, is the sign of a sophisticated tool-set

LIVE intro is affordable and 95% of everything you might need

[adydub]

For me, Live is great, but I tend to do more experimental electronic type music. It is very good for beats too. However, if your focus is recording your girlfriend, then overdubbing further performances on top, then it may not have the toolset most optimised for your needs.

My suggestion would be to check out Reaper, it's far more CPU efficient and is better for say comping vocal takes and applying pitch correction etc. In some ways it's very well suited for someone with aspergers in that it is a very powerful tool that perhaps appeals more to those who learn new tools in a focused and methodical manner as opposed to the more intuitive approach that is perhaps offered by Live.

Reaper is not the most user friendly DAW but in terms of power and value for money, it's very compelling.