Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

can anyone recommend a good studio sound module and/or pc computer software???

If you're a beginner, buy a used iMac with Garage Band on it.

More specific info might be good, do you want to record or something to create/practice with...effects and so forth? You can look a little and find anything you need, usually free. Just out of curiosity I've looked up software for recording (I use Audacity), guitar tuner, drum machine, signal processor...You can get software that will act as a guitar amp/signal processor.

All I'm using right now is Audacity for recording, I have a tuner and will get a live drummer, and the drummer I have in mind also has a bass I can play. A keyboard with midi capability might be useful, I'm not sure if I'd be able to do much with it though, a keyboard player I'm not...But software can be found to run it through a computer and record that.

If you want to record, you'll need an interface of some sort to get a decent mic into the computer. Since I had the thing anyway I use a Tascam Portastudio 414 cassette multitrack unit, the line (monitor) signal goes to the computer and does a good job, never have to even put a tape in so it bypasses the tape noise entirely. You can hear the results in the sound files on my profile. I htink it's not bad for a home recording in a really crappy sound environment. With an inexpensive adapter a regular cassette recorder will work too, use the line out and be careful with the mic level.

can anyone recommend a good studio sound module and/or pc computer software???

good studio sound module... how bout the roland jv1010... they are cheap ($200 used) and have quite the variety of good stuff in them...
you could just use your computer as a sound module... there are progs that will do this... but the overhead on the processor is substantial - ie it will limit what you can do in terms of recording/effecting while using the sound module.

afa software... I could recommend boatloads of it but if I don't know how you want to use it it's a waste...

assuming you are looking for a software sound module I'd say go with the korg fm-7/fm-8. it has the best sounds I've heard in a software sound module... has pretty low latency and you can find a ton of sounds patches for it.

if you are looking for recording software... again it depends what you want to do...
very few programs can compare to cubase in terms of recording audio...
very few programs can compare to cakewalk if you like to do lots of midi stuff (widgets to control keyboards, sysex commands, etc.)

good luck!!

Sony Acid - $80.

Decent: Cubase 4 Studio if you care about quality of the final mix. No substitute that I found in the price range of $300

Decent: Pro Tools If you like Mac.

Half decent: Sony ACID if you do not care about quality a whole a lot. (just good enough)

Indecent: Cakewalk if you just do not care at all. (Half decent for MIDI though)

It's true that Sony Acid Music Studio has very few effects and stuff.
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I use it because all I need is clean recordings of acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and vocals. I need to add reverb/echo. I need unlimited tracks.
I got that for $80.
It does looping too, but I never use that.
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As to quality of recording - bs.
Go to my myspace address, below, and listen to "Folks I Knew, (If You Catch Me Crying)."
It's a folk song, with several vocal tracks, bass, drums . . .
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Low quality? I think not. "Just 'good enough?"' Bullsh**.
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Again - the quality of the recording is up to the people playing and singing, and the sound engineer.
If you need more mikes or better midi-stuff or all sorts of distortion and effects and what-not for your music - well, ok.
You're gonna have to pay for it, of course.
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But you can get high-quality recordings for $80.

Indeed well mixed with ACID. Which version do you have? I had no such luck with version 4.

Did you mix it before ACID (mixer - preamp etc)?

Thanks.
Sony Acid Music Studio, their smallest program. $79.
My equipment?
> 100% stock computer. Sony VAIO, 5 years old.
> A $4 cable - I jack straight in to my guitar.
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That is it.