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rokq22 Offline OP
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Besides needing to upgrade my 2018 BIAB this December, I'd like some suggestions for some fairly good (and user friendly) home recording software. Preferably UNDER $200.00, if that's possible.

I especially desire that the software include PITCH CORRECT or, if it doesn't, an inexpensive pitch correct add-on suggestion.

TIA

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You need to specify if this is for Windows or Mac. If Mac, Garage Band. If Windows, try downloading DAW demos to see how you like the workflow. Since you mentioned December, I assume you have a PC.

Cakewalk by BandLab is excellent and is now free (formerly many hundreds of dollars). I’m not sure about pitch modification; I use another utility for that.

And, have you tried RealBand, bundled free with BIAB (Windows version)?


BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
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Hi,

I use Reaper to record, arrange, mix and produce my songs.

https://www.reaper.fm/

A Reaper expert, Kenny Gioia, has heaps of fantastic and very-easy-to-follow videos from 'how to get started' through to 'expert'.

http://www.kennymania.com/reaper-videos/

Regards,
Noel


P.S. If you want to have to have a listen to some of my songs, click on the Soundcloud link in my signature below.


MY SONGS...
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True. In addition to Cakewalk (formerly SONAR), there are many users of Reaper here. I think that’s also free to download, last time I checked.


BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
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rokq22 Offline OP
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Yes, PC/Windows.

Reaper $60 for the license. A great price. smile

Thanks for the replies. Enough to get me started. smile

cheers

Last edited by rokq22; 08/12/19 05:50 PM.
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I like Reaper. There are a couple of things you might want to consider:

You can try Reaper free for as long as you need. They say 30 days but if you hit the Still Evaluating button, it still works. I did that until I was sure.

Reaper doesn't come with instruments (if it does, I haven't found them)so you will need some VST's to play your midi files. If you download Cakewalk (free), you get the TTS-1. It has a decent piano and a couple of basses. For drums, you can use Westwood Drums (think I paid $5) and MT Power Drums (free).

Reaper does have one gigantic advantage for me: I have had only one crash in about 200 hours of work.

Good luck and have fun.

2b


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What is wrong with RealBand? You already have it and I always said if you don't have a favorite DAW use Realband.

Here are some free pitch correction software:

https://bedroomproducersblog.com/2011/07/25/bpb-freeware-studio-best-free-pitch-correction-auto-tune-vstau-plugins/

Don't ask as I have no experience with any of these. But the price is right and one or more may work for you. Most are for both 32 and 64 bit software.

Good luck.


Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up.
Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.

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In the Mac world its hard to beat Logic Pro X
Its got every feature imaginable and a large user community.
Plenty of YouTube videos to help you get started and challenge you as your skills grow

Its right at the limit of your budget.

You will never need another DAW.


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Originally Posted By: MarioD
What is wrong with RealBand?

It is clunky, slow and limited. Plus it has an old GUI.

I always suggest starting with a real, modern DAW. They are no harder to learn than RealBand and will take you much further!

Reaper is an awesome DAW to start with. Modern and full featured. Easy to learn but tremendous depth if you need it. Large community. Inexpensive/free. Upgraded frequently. Tons of add-ons. Supports all common plugin formats. Great tutorials available.

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Originally Posted By: JohnJohnJohn
Originally Posted By: MarioD
What is wrong with RealBand?

It is clunky, slow and limited. Plus it has an old GUI.

I always suggest starting with a real, modern DAW. They are no harder to learn than RealBand and will take you much further!

Reaper is an awesome DAW to start with. Modern and full featured. Easy to learn but tremendous depth if you need it. Large community. Inexpensive/free. Upgraded frequently. Tons of add-ons. Supports all common plugin formats. Great tutorials available.


I agree completely. Plus it is only 32 bit. Note that I do not use RB; I use Studio One Pro but that is not in his price range.

As I don't know what his DAW experience level is I suggested using it as it is free. Some people love and use RB. We both are not in that category.


Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up.
Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.

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Originally Posted By: rokq22
Besides needing to upgrade my 2018 BIAB this December, I'd like some suggestions for some fairly good (and user friendly) home recording software. Preferably UNDER $200.00, if that's possible.


I'll throw out these considerations....all are free:

https://www.tracktion.com/products/t7-daw
https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk
https://softdepository.com/search/?q=aud...ASAAEgIVC_D_BwE

NOTE: I've been with Cakewalk since 1994 and have no working experience with Tracktion or Audacity.

I know you're just starting out but "user friendly" is very subjective smile.
So, whichever one you choose just give it a chance and accept the initial learning curve protocols.
We've all been there with our own (various) DAWs of choice.

All of these choices have their place in the recording context....it's a matter of checking them all and determine which GUI/workflow works best for YOU.

Happy hunting....


Last edited by chulaivet1966; 08/13/19 12:24 PM.
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I have used Cakewalk Sonar (now Cakewalk by BandLab) for years. More recently I also use Reaper. I tend to use them for different purposes. However, Cakewalk as a free product is brilliant but for manipulating audio Reaper is better and easier IMHO. For editing MIDI Cakewalk is more intuitive. Cakewalk also makes notation fairly simple.

Both Cakewalk and Reaper have all the plugins needed for creating a good mix. (And then some). Cakewalk has good intuitive channel strips in Reaper you need to create your own (there are plenty already set up but you need to add them)

When it comes to instruments there a many good ones out there both free and low cost. Kontakt player comes to mind as a free one. If you get Cakewalk some pointed out you get TTS1 which you should be able to use with BIAB. There are a number of free synths if you are into this.

Learning a DAW is something that can be transferred to other DAWs both Reaper and Cakewalk have heaps of tutorials.

I would recommend subscribing to a Groove 3 (groove3.com) for a while. They have a heap of training videos and books on all aspects of music production from writing a tune to mastering and selling the song. They cover many DAWs, heaps of plugins, how various aspects of audio work... IMHO it is the place to start as many of the DAWs folks here speak about they have covered in great detail (but then which comes first the chicken or the egg).

That’s my two bobs worth. Have fun

Tony

Last edited by Teunis; 08/13/19 12:50 PM.

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rokq22 Offline OP
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I play guitar, but all I need for the rest of my sound is BIAB, no?

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rokq22 Offline OP
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Thanks.

Hey, I'm clueless and have been out of the recording loop for years (I bought 2018 BIAB but didn't do a thing with it, then my motherboard got fried. Picking up the PC next month).

I'm just trying to catch up before it is too late. (Hell, maybe it's ALREADY too late. I'm 68).

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rokq22 Offline OP
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It seems that some here prefer Reaper over RealBand. Must be a reason for that.

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rokq22 Offline OP
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Oh my, over 9 years ago and I suck more NOW then I did THEN. (Before BIAB) frown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUhwf6ttIPw

And over 11 years ago. Remember 4-track analog recording? (And played back on a karaoke machine).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8BqFSTNfpo

Sorry, just felt like doing that.

Last edited by rokq22; 08/13/19 02:57 PM.
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Like your guitar playing.

Yep, use BIAB to generate backing tracks. I prefer using Realtracks but others prefer MIDI. Either way is great, but, you need to spend more on BIAB to get Realtracks. IMHO it is worth the extra to get the Realtracks. Then again for good MIDI you need to spend money on good instruments.

Then in BIAB it’s usually just a matter of finding a beat, setting the tempo, entering the chords then exporting the parts. I prefer to edit parts be it MIDI or audio in a DAW where you can cut and paste or slide stuff about (others don’t). I use RealBand where I want to change a bar or so of audio. Use the MultiRiff feature to change how a part is played (but that comes later).

I generate the backing tracks. Then “on stage” I use the backing tracks and put my guitar through an amp sim (TH3) into the PC where I can balance the guitar to the backing. I use a Behringer FCB1010 MIDI Foot Controller to control rig setups, stomp boxes, volume etc in the amp sim. All then goes into a PA along with my vocals. All quite simple and I think nice.

Tony

Last edited by Teunis; 08/13/19 03:24 PM.

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I liked Real Band because of its simplicity. I'm one of the few people who like the interface. It's easy to edit with and has some nice effects.

The problem that led me to give up on Real Band was crashes. I rarely had a session that didn't have a crash. It would also Initialize the Arrangement Function right in the middle of a session and it was difficult to get the program back on track. I moved to Reaper and haven't had these problems since.

To be fair, there are some users on this forum who don't have any problems with RB. If you want to stick with RB, you might want to PM JFord or Jazzmammal; they seem to do well with it.

2b


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Sonar and Melodyne.

Sonar is now free as others have pointed out.... Melodyne isn't. But in the world of pitch correction.... there's Melodyne, then there's everything else IMHO. Melodyne is worth the cost if you're looking for transparent pitch correction.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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I'm a Reaper user. Last time I checked Audacity, it was amazing how it has
continued to improve. Many very talented professional coders contribute to the source software. They provide a creative outlet and a relief from the workday world. PMG programmers work for such a cool company, I don't think they feel that need.

Last edited by edshaw; 08/20/19 07:08 AM.

Link: www.soundcloud.com/ed_shaw (Feel Free to Use)
https://drooble.com/edward.shaw/hymn/index.htm
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