Alright now, I'm not going to scare you away with a question as bland as "Ummm, I want to make music. Waht pr0gr4m!!?" So here's my situation. I've got this new PC. I'm going to hook up this mixer to this soundcard. I want to do two things with it. First off I want to do a couple of podcasts. My ideal software will be able to record well and be able to edit it in with other tracks seamlessly. Secondly I plan to do my own sequencing, preferable through manual input (not a MIDI keyboard person, really. I'm good at the whole manual input now, I've used ACID Pro a bit). So my ideal software should also be able to integrate with a large variety of sythns (got to keep things fresh). Let's talk hypothetically, as if price was not an option (I'm more interested in finding the most effective software then scrounging pennies). Thanks alot! -IV

I recommend Reason 3 for sequencing--I've never found myself short of sounds. Download the demo--it's great software (www.propellerheads.se). It's $500 US, but if you're a student, studica.com has it for about half that.

For editing and audio capture, you could download Pro Tools Free (www.digidesign.com), which is great software (24 bit, 8 tracks, fully functional) and, you guessed it, free! You could also use Audacity, an open source audio editor/recorder that's available on sourceforge.net. If you are willing to pay, any Pro Tools hardware combination, like the Mbox or Digi001, would be great, and fairly inexpensive at around $400 US. Good luck, hope this is helpful!

Reason is godawful for sequencing. One of the absolute WORST piano rolls I have ever used, and I have used a lot of programs. FLStudio 5's piano roll is far, far, far superior - easily the best one I've had the delight of using. Now that I have grown accustomed to it, I cannot work with any other one without feeling constrained! Not to mention FL5 is $150. Plus, it has excellent VST/DX hosting capabilities, can freeze effects, and a high level of compatability.

I think I'll probably go with Reason for sequencing and editing my stuff. Would it be safe to say it is easier/better to record with Audacity and import the recorded vocals into reason as it's own track, or can I just do all the recording and everything in reason alone?

-IV

I'm telling you, Reason is NOT a good MIDI sequencer. Waste of money if you're going to buy it for that.

It can't record either, nor can it load audio clips or tracks like you would in a normal sequencer.

Quote: Original post by zircon_st
I'm telling you, Reason is NOT a good MIDI sequencer. Waste of money if you're going to buy it for that.

It can't record either, nor can it load audio clips or tracks like you would in a normal sequencer.

So basically what you're saying is Reason is completely worthless... what about ACID Pro 5.0?

-IV

EDIT: BTW, I lived in Pleasantville for 6 years... how's it doing?

I can't compare to Fruity loops--I've never used it. However, I've never found Reason to be frustrating at all, besides when I'm trying to come up with a sound and I can't get the settings right :) There actually IS a way to play back recorded audio in Reason--just load your recorded sound into the NN-XT sampler and play it back there. Plus, that's what the ReWire protocol is for--you can hook up Reason to a ReWire compatible application (most current pro and consumer audio apps include support) and you can run it side by side with your recording app. I use Garageband (yeah, I'm a Mac user) to record when I need a sequencer and a recorder. Unfortunately, neither Audacity nor Pro Tools Free include ReWire--however, the versions of Pro Tools that you can purchase DO include this support. The really useful part of that is that you can actually record vocals while listening to the backup track in realtime--a completely integrated audio system, and you really can't do that with any other sequencer.

Regardless of how the piano roll function of Reason works, it's a fantastically versatile program--I produce everything from hard techno to classical film scores with it. Again, I disagree with zircon_st, but it's a matter of opinion. Download the demo and try it for yourself, don't take our word for it--I believe there are demos available of all the software we've been discussing. Ciao!

Quote: Original post by TraderJack

Quote: Original post by zircon_st
I'm telling you, Reason is NOT a good MIDI sequencer. Waste of money if you're going to buy it for that.

It can't record either, nor can it load audio clips or tracks like you would in a normal sequencer.

So basically what you're saying is Reason is completely worthless... what about ACID Pro 5.0?

-IV

EDIT: BTW, I lived in Pleasantville for 6 years... how's it doing?

Haha, wow! Did you go to Pleasantville High School? I recently graduated from there. Everything's pretty quiet (as usual).

Anyway - no, Reason is not useless. It is a fantastic tool for sound generation. It has a great volume of samples as well as several synthesizers, drum machines/manglers, and a pretty high-end sampler/sample-player, NN-XT. Not to mention a big rack of effects.

Blaise, I have no doubt people have adapted to the Reason sequencer. But as a matter of fact, not opinion, it is not as easy to use as the FL piano roll. For example, in FL, you left click to place a note and right click to delete it. If you want to extend it OR move it, you don't have to switch tools. Simply click & hold to drag it to another notes, and those other notes will sound off so you can tell exactly what tone you're on. If you want to extend it, pull the right side of the note. You can click and hold as you place the note to drag it as well. Reason requires you to switch tools and use keyboard shortcuts to achieve what FL only uses two mouse buttons to do!

For sequencing, I'd suggest CuBase SX (or, if you're also into movie making, Nuendo) from Steinberg. I use an earlier version of CuBase VST, and love it. It does all three of MIDI, sound recording, and built-in virtual synths. (The built-in virtuals are where it's at these days -- Reaktor, Kontakt, etc) There's tons of various VST plug-ins out there.

For only editing sound, Adobe Audition is fine (used to be CoolEdit); Audacity is also quite serviceable (and is free!). This would take care of your podcast needs.

If you're getting into good audio, I'd suggest a pair of Genelec 8030 or 8040 speakers, too. They don't even need the subwoofer (although it makes 'em even better). If you can find used 1029s, they're about as good, and might be cheaper.

Why not give Steinberg Cubase a shot? It's a very powerful sequencer and is pretty good in the price department. It's what I use.