The Music Software Recommendation Thread

[Headless97]

First, I want to say that it's really nice that this forum is here; I hope you all can help me.

I've been looking for decent beginner recording software for some time now. I want to connect my Digitech RP255 Modeling Processor via USB and my Casio LK-160 keyboard via USB. Audacity only detects the RP255, though the multitrack ability is nice for doing basic rhythm and lead stuff.

Most of the software I find in my searches doesn't give me a straight answer for what it's about. Many of them seem focused on creating "beats" or other electronic/hip-hop music which I have no interest in. Others seem entirely focused on virtual instruments and make no mention of recording actual instruments or having any way to make a cohesive song.

What I'm looking for is something I can do real-time recordings of my guitar and piano with. It should have some way of keeping time between instruments and ideally have some options for adding percussion. Easy interfaces are necessary because I don't want to learn an entire content creation pipeline; I just want to create some basic music.

I really appreciate any advice you can give me.

[happyChicken]

Yes, very

[beatmaker]

BTV Solo is pretty legit - Its my primary BEATMAKER247 software platform - I like it a lot

[Deviouz]

I use FL Studio. Some people prefer Ableton, some prefer Garage Band (lol). They're all the same, depends on how passionate you are about creating music and how much effort you put into the software.

There are endless tutorials on YT n **** for every DAW out there! Windows, Mac, anything.

[JohnMur]

Originally Posted by wiggums

Any CSound users in the house?

CSound Those were the days...

Originally Posted by Deviouz

They're all the same, depends on how passionate you are about creating music and how much effort you put into the software. There are endless tutorials on YT n **** for every DAW out there!

+1. It is the creativity of the person that matters, not the software. Personally I started to make music with MAGIX, granted it isn't as well known as the major DAWs, but I learned the principles and can apply them to whichever DAW I wanted.

BTW, I also didn't see it mentioned in this thread, but it is worth remembering that with most controllers come with some form of Ableton Lite, while all DAWs generally have a 30-day trial period. I recommend trying a few out and seeing which suits you the best.

[Carpe Mortem]

How hard is it to get the hang of Cakewalk if all you ever managed on FL 7 were some beep maps and 40 seconds of engineered song? I need a new mic and one I found comes with a free install, I have heard its easier.

[Plankton]

Originally Posted by Carpe Mortem

How hard is it to get the hang of Cakewalk if all you ever managed on FL 7 were some beep maps and 40 seconds of engineered song? I need a new mic and one I found comes with a free install, I have heard its easier.

All DAW's do pretty much the same thing, it's just the interface learning curve that people struggle a bit with. Sonar (Cakewalk) is fairly straight forward, and there's always the help files, knowledge base, and forums if you get stuck.

I say jump in and see what happens.

What kind of mic, btw?

[Carpe Mortem]

Any ol' vocal mic under 50 bucks, really. The one I saw with cakewalk was about 40 bucks, just ten bucks more than the cheapest Best Buy had to offer. Mine has been acting up lately, and performed admirably for a piece of ****. Had it for years, used it frequently for years.

[Plankton]

Originally Posted by Carpe Mortem

Any ol' vocal mic under 50 bucks, really. The one I saw with cakewalk was about 40 bucks, just ten bucks more than the cheapest Best Buy had to offer. Mine has been acting up lately, and performed admirably for a piece of ****. Had it for years, used it frequently for years.

They probably tacked on 10 bucks because of the software. You could get a better mic, and just use Audacity but then again, I'm an Audacity fanboy. I've used it for so long, that even when I get a piece of equipment that comes with ProTools or whatever, I never install it.

[Carpe Mortem]

Yeah I've been using audacity with my current mic and it is pretty awesome, but I'd like the ego boost of learning something more complicated haha.

Just... not too complicated. FL made my head explode more than once.