Acid Pro 4 or Home Studio 2004

[TVD]

First the good news :

As always, I'm still a true FLS user. I'm have a great time making FLS & Project5 co-exist. My electronic & hip-hop tracks are getting better.

Now the bad news :

I'm torn apart between Home Studio 2004 & Acid Pro 4. With loop creations, they both can do the same thing. They both run DXi's & VSTi's (wrappers included).

As for vocals, you think I would've use only Home Studio and call it a day right?

Not ready, I use Audition for those vocal takes.

Deep down, I really don't like using midi for recording. Yes, I love using a keyboard controller ro play my soft instruments. But midi recording????

I rather use step sequencers first (within FLS & Project5). Some of my tracks are tight. But most of them have about a 5-10% swing...and nothing else.

So based upon everything I just said, how would you solve this problem?

All words of wisdom from past & present Cakewalk users and Sony Acid Pro users are very welcome.

Everyone else are welcome to give me a second opinion...but be nice.

[Reverend Rhythm]

Have you tried acid express ( free version) http://download.acidplanet.com/acidxpress.exe?

I use acid and love it, but you've gotta like the workflow. Nothing beats acid for looping, but do you need that? I'm sure people are going to argue that live is better, so just give the demos a spin and make your mind up.

As to Home Studio: I think it beats acid in the midi editing department and maybe the audio recording, but do you need those?

[garret]

All words of wisdom from past & present Cakewalk users and Sony Acid Pro users are very welcome.

Everyone else are welcome to give me a second opinion...but be nice.

I haven't used Acid, but I'm a very happy Home Studio user. I don't do any step sequencing anymore, however... so I don't miss those features. For a while early on I used Fruityloops Express for step sequencing drum parts, but before long I switched over to midi sequencing everything.

Home Studio does support acid-style loops (calling them Groove Clips)... and I use them fairly often for percussion parts like shaker or tambourines. I'd be surprised if the beat slicing in HS is the equal of Acid, but it's sufficient for my needs.

One other thing I like about HS is that it's very much a "lite" version of a big studio package. It's a great place to get started with learning how to record & arrange a tune, use virtual instruments and effects, automation, etc... the same techniques you use in a big package like Sonar, Cubase, or Logic. I don't know Acid, so I'm not sure if it's as good of a place to start...

-Garret

[Dewaine]

Acid 4, I own it and if you have FL studio why would you want Acid? Acid is really weak in midi. I mean really weak!!! Acid 4 (no matter what they tell you) is an excellent loop machine, but that is all it is. I own Acid 4, FL studio, Cubase SL. I use Cubase SL the most but FL studio is a close second. Acid is useless unless you use Acid loops.

[Sicklecell666]

Those apps listed blow..

pardon my Italian..

[TVD]

Those apps listed blow..

pardon my Italian..

Be nice! And by the way, I know that you make your loop patterns with Orion. Yes, I saw it coming.

[Sicklecell666]

Be nice! And by the way, I know that you make your loop patterns with Orion. Yes, I saw it coming.

No I don't..I use Audition for loop stuff..I just hate pluggin Corporate Scum..

My Crunk-Ball's a little buggy right now..it gives cloudy results that are waaay less reliable than reading Tea Leaves..



Don't use it & try to glean whether or not you're getting rid of that case of shingles you have next week, m'kay?

[TVD]

Acid 4, I own it and if you have FL studio why would you want Acid? Acid is really weak in midi. I mean really weak!!! Acid 4 (no matter what they tell you) is an excellent loop machine, but that is all it is. I own Acid 4, FL studio, Cubase SL. I use Cubase SL the most but FL studio is a close second. Acid is useless unless you use Acid loops.

Good questions. I'm perfect at making original loops with FLS. I have no fear in music experimenting. Beside Acid, I'm also checking out Live at well...just to see if new musical ideas are develop. I believe that I'm just looking for a good excuse to cut down on waste.

Maybe I'll just keep Home Studio for midi development....or push myself to make FLS the center of my production.

Choices.

[TVD]

Be nice! And by the way, I know that you make your loop patterns with Orion. Yes, I saw it coming.

No I don't..I use Audition for loop stuff..I just hate pluggin Corporate Scum..

My Crunk-Ball's a little buggy right now..it gives cloudy results that are waaay less reliable than reading Tea Leaves..



Don't use it & try to glean whether or not you're getting rid of that case of shingles you have next week, m'kay?

Audition is great. But I'm surprise that you don't use Orion of looping sometimes. That's a new one.

[Sicklecell666]

Audition is great. But I'm surprise that you don't use Orion of looping sometimes. That's a new one.

I use what Crunk-ball tells me to..Get with the program

[Cabinfever]

orion to make loops ? you're kidding right ? it can't even 'wrap remainder' so its one of the world's most useless loop makers.

fl studio is the loop-making king.

as for acidpro - a great app. i use it for audio tracking long & complex songs. sometimes i might have eight or ten one-shot parts ruinning more than four minutes - the entire song. plus lots of chopped loops and single hits and effects.

and acidpro5 shoud be here soon. its looking to be a major update and there's always been good upgrade deals offered

[FAL]

Wait for Acid 5 (Not Acid Music 5). I heard that it's coming out soon.

[dystonia_ek]

I don't know HS, but I use Acid Pro 4 for non-destructive editing of long soundfiles and short (non-looping) samples, and for complex rhythms/stutters etc that need to sync to long soundfiles (I normally use trackers for complex rhythm stuff but they don't handle 10 minute files so effectively). I find it pretty flexible, and I haven't used any other apps that sync loops as well as Acid in non-4/4 time sigs, at least not yet. 5.1 support is a must for me also, due to my line of work - hope it gets upgraded to 7.1 in the future. Effects support (via VST wrapper) is solid. MIDI definitely sucks, but I don't use MIDI anyway so I guess it never bothered me.

[Reverend Rhythm]

I've been thinking about your question, and it’s close to something I've been thinking.

I use acid and reason exclusively. To each his on, but for me, acid is a great environment for mixing. I'm not advocating a position or pushing an agenda. It’s just the way I learned to work.

Anyway, I've been thinking about picking up home studio for audio recording and midi recording/editing. I think I would still mix in acid (it’s what I know), but you never know. What's been holding me back has been learning another application. I still struggle with reason from time to time and it’s simple! Don't I want to add another learning curve into the "mix"?

At least it’s something to think about.

[Karma_tba]

Acid is the Rodney Dangerfield of audio/midi sequencers.I have used Acid since v2.0...now at 4.0 and I like the stripped down simplicity of it.I use FL and Orion as sketchpads and loop production,but I use Acid to sequence and mix.I am a citizen of AcidPlanet and have well over a hundred posted songs.I say use what works for you regardless if it's state of the art or not!