jmmp

Why O why O why Good point. Well now?... I've used..mainly.. Software Audio Workshop for about 8 years. It's good - a fine audio rendering engine which gives a warm sound lacking in, for example FLStudio. For a final mix - I would always choose SAW. However the interface is basic - you're getting a virtual model of a multi-(99)-track tape recorder - designed for old Audio Engineers who didn't like the idea of using a computer; and its keyboard shortcuts are ...idiosyncratic. But, it's getting long in the tooth - it can only really cope with 16-bit 41/48 KHz wav files - can't handle 32-bit; 96Khz, MP3; Flacs - all that stuff. But playing to the "old Audio Engineers" it is painstaking about the sound quality. Wave; Cool Edit; Goldwave; - basically sound designer stuff, not much use for someone wanting to record guitar/vocal, and where audio quality isn't as studied. Good fun for making beeps and clicks and raw material for samplers, but... limited. ( CoolEdit was been bought over by Adobe ) so now good for PowerPoint presentations! Abelton Live - OK, but, like all brands, it's own workflow, which I didn't take to - that's no criticism. It's a bit "clubby" for singer songwriters IMHO. Reason - (when I looked at it for about 2 days) - bit of a toy (I'm sure I'll get flamed for this! And probably justly. ) - spending more CPU making its interface dance than actually focussing on the audio. Again, "techno clubby" in its perceived market IMHO. Other stuff which I can't recall - mostly checking out freebies - generally you get what you pay for. It's either a scutter to use, or crashes when you hit the save button. Though I loved CSound for a season - again for a really fine audio quality - great for making bells and gongs for your sampler - or really off-the-wall audio experimentation; but incredibly time-consuming learning the Maths ;-) Not good for singer/songwriters. I haven't used Cubase; Prosounds ( though I have a mate who thinks it's the beez-knees; it's sophisticated with a concomitant learning curve); Nor various other commercial stuff for no other reason than SAW had the quality I looked for from the outset and an interface I was used to. I would still always opt for SAW for Sound quality. Why I recommended FLStudio? You get everything in the one box - Synths; drum machines; Beep Oscillators; Samplers; Audio tracks of course; and a plethora of good quality FX/EQ, etc., which of course you can add to with Freebie VSTs. (It can be used as a VST in its own right with other software.) Why I am banging on about it is because it *is* contemporary - it's not phased by ASIO, newer sample rates, and what have you. It is very simple to use: has that rare quality that I can imagine a sound I want to hear before I go near the computer, and know how I might make it in FLStudio (near enough!) You can use it straight as "a multi-track tape recorder" - so OK for Singer/songwriters. But - suppose the song you are imagining has a synth pad way back in the distant background - you could do that too - almost as fast as you can think it. I considered it would be a great beginner's package for the price - it's not all that expensive, in fact free to try - so no nasty surprises if it's exactly what you don't want you've lost nothing. "Calm down, dear"; it's only an advert. As far as hardware is concerned - though I use it and have no complaints, I'm not really knocked out by M-Audio stuff. Power spikes, and it will crash, and freeze your computer and unsaved work. Most of the time, tho', it works, is reasonably priced, and up-to-date vis-a-vis compatability, etc. I point to it so you can see a picture of the sort of thing, but sure there are lots more vendors of that type of thing. Eridol has a reputation for good sound quality, but pricey? I don't recommend a PCI card, because you can take outboard stuff to other computers, or carry it across when you upgrade to a new system - even if you only use it as an extra input. So assuming you have a good enough computer; a guitar; and a mic. FLStudio ;-), and some sort of input hardware would get you up an running with plenty of creative headroom to get most of what you want done, and I believe (haven't checked) - it's cheaper than all the Prosounds /Cubase stuff - however, since it is a free trial download - I wasn't considering price. If the other companies aren't prepared to offer a similar free demo version, then "go figure". I'm afraid I don't have the time or interest, to do price comparisons for you - you'll have to do that yourself. Sorry about the essay, but you asked. :-) jmmp

Thank you Pierre, No, I just talk like an advert all the time. Is called enthusiasm :-) jmmp

FLStudio is interesting software for rendering songs See: FL Studio Homepage It comes with a set of synth instruments, sound generators and FX at the entry level, Plus all the higher level stuff as demos. As you purchase these you get a software key to unlock them, and can then save their output too. Of course, straight off you can record audio tracks into it and sync. them with the other stuff above. Download the demo and see for yourself. It's a really good package - good sound quality, and growing in popularity. Once you get used to it you can put together an impressive demo in a few hours. As already mentioned - a decent sound unit - that says somewhere on the box "with ASIO" - most of them should have that nowdays anyway, but check. I have an M-Audio box which handles both audio inputs thru' mic. preamps, and the MIDI input from a keyboard. Something like Fast Track Pro here ( If your sure you only want Guitar vocals - no decoration then check out the other cheaper packages too. Just a USB mic.!? ) See: M-AUDIO - Record Guitars and Vocals NB: Where they say things like "4 x 4" - this can be misleading the left of a stereo mix is 1 channel, the right, a second. Unless you are some sort of avante garde musician you'll want to monitor what your recording at the same time - then you're using two channels in and two channels out. i.e. They are saying 4-in OR 4-out, rather than what most human beings need - 2-in and 2-out = 4 channels, which often isn't what their 4x4 implies. Some sort of MIDI keyboard (to play in supporting Bass lines,etc. ) something like See: Oxygen 49. That would be a pretty comprehensive setup. Note that with this you will get impressive demos, and stuff to exhibit you talents to friends, etc., but home recording is still home recording. There is another level of refinement and "body" to the sound that only studio priced equipment and training can attain. Your computer needs to be quite fleet to handle all this io and sound generation, with adequate onboard memory. Less power = less multi-tracks. My 2p's worth. jmmp