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Looper's Delight
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On 25 jun 2007, at 11.53, Stephen Goodman wrote: > Hi folks, > > I'm an old, old Cool Edit Pro user, and while I've been quite happy > with its multitracking etc., I look around and see what everyone > else is using once in a while. > > A look at the TapeOp (now available in the UK, thanks!) mentions > Pro Tools quite a lot. But a look at the product tells me that > this is the kind of full-on hardware-software system sales bit that > Avid has been getting people to pay too much for, for some time - > if not also an efficient barrier to keep the so-called 'amateurs' > out of the mainstream of studio works. (Hell, it didn't work for > the reel-to-reel, cassette, DAT, VHS, CD or DVD - so now it's done > with a software-hardware combo) > > So much for my attitude! But it does beg the questions: > > 1. What recording program do you use? > 2. Why? Is there something you get from your program that you > can't anywhere else? --> My first choice is Logic Pro. What I get from Logic is an application that is made for people that do not only edit audio but also compose. Logic has been the leading application for MIDI sequencing since its birth somewhere back in -93 and I think it gives more bang for the bucks than andy other DAW. It is a system for composing and producing music that is working very well on its own, so you don't need to buy any extra third party plug- ins. Logic has all the audio effect plug-ins and software instruments you'll ever need for production work (FM synthesis, Subtractive Synthesis, Modular Synthesis and a great sampler). It also has some Max-like functionality for routing and transforming both real-time MIDI streams and recorded MIDI events (the Environment). I left Cubase for Logic back at version 2.0 (we're now waiting for 8.0) mainly because of the better MIDI timing. When Apple bought Emagic (that developed Logic) and killed the Windows version, I bought Cubase SX to see if it would be a good way to stay with the Windows PC platform. However, Cubase felt like a very bad tool in comparison, so I decided to buy my next PC from Apple and stick with Logic. This was also a decision I made after checking out the specifications for OS X; it was pretty obvious that OS X would be a better audio and music operating system for PC's. A final option of Logic's that means a lot to me is the built-in global micro tonal tuning system. Since all the synths and the sampler are part of the application they all adapt to whatever micro scale you chose in the global preferences. When using synths I definitely want to go micro tonal. With guitars and wind instruments that doesn't matter much because intonation of pitch is done while playing. --> My second choice is Ableton Live. I like Live because it works the same on OS X and Window XP (I wouldn't dare to get Vista for at least another year, until all audio software manage to catch up). Live has easy routing possibilities and if you run it on a Mac you can open the OS X built-in MIDI pipes directly in Lives mixer to send MIDI data to, or fetch from, other parallel applications. Or just send controller data into some plug-in on a different channel in Live. Under Windows you can achieve the same routing capability by installing the third-party OS Hack MIDI Yoke. I'm not very keen on the audio fidelity of Live though. When I make music in Live I move the audio files over to Logic ASAP because everything sounds better there. One powerful combo is to run Live as a ReWire slave to Logic. Live is in many ways a kind of music instrument with its own sound and powerful audio mangling capability. I just don't see it as a high end finalizing tool. --> The recording program I use most is Mobius. It has a function that renders a stereo file of the merged audio processes going on in the looper. You simply push record and make music for a while and there you have an almost finished recording in pristine 32 bit floating point wave format waiting for you on the hard drive. I don't own the latest version, but I have been checking out Protools a bit. If you don't mind being locked into using audio interfaces from Digidesign that's a good recording application. At least as far as audio matters. Cubase is also good in the audio department these days. And if you need good surround mixing tools and will work with soundtracks Nuendo is a good choice. Greetings from Sweden Per Boysen www.boysen.se (Swedish) www.looproom.com (international)