really simple recording software

musicegbdf

OK , this for daughter who is not very techy at all. I already have a  Yamaha AW1600 , pre amps , monitors , audio interfaces, etc etc.

I have tried her on the AW1600 and Ableton live on a PC , but she can't cope with it. At the moment she just uses my Jamman Solo and loops and then records it to her iphone....

I have used Audacity , but found it a bit "buggy" . She has talked about garageband , but we do not have any Apple stuff so have not tried it. I have seen ads for Garageband for PC... any use ?  If I can find the right software that is dead simple to use ( i mean really simple) . I don't mind paying for it (not hundreds!) and have a laptop with windows 7 and a focusrite scarlett 2i2 some spare Fostex monitors , and some mikes (sm57 ., se2200 ) so can really set her up well just need to start her off on simple software . Once she has some confidence/Patience I can start showing how to develop further and I can help her mixing , etc. She just needs to get the tracks down while I am not around on concentrate on the song writing rather than the tech side. I can then help sort it later for her.

The idea behind all of this is she "creates" some basic songs which she can send to her producer in America , so he then develops them with his songwriter ready to record when she is back in the studio with him.  Whilst she is very creative she is not technical.....

digitalscream

Reaper looks complicated, but if you just want to record some stuff then it's a pretty simple process. Create project, add track, arm track, hit record, repeat as necessary. Then just save and render it and you're done.

Also...$60.

guitarfishbay

I'd imagine guys like @octatonic or @Drew_fx will have used several different DAWs and could possibly advise on a straightforward one if you're sure you want to purchase something new.  

I only have current up to speed knowledge on Logic 9, and since you're not on Mac that doesn't help.  Prior to going Mac I was on Cubase on a PC, can't remember what version it was a long time ago.

If all she's doing is really simple audio recording then pretty much anything will do, she'll just need to learn how to use the program she has available.  You could explore online tutorials or see if anyone offers tuition nearby (or online) if you think it might be a case of she'll learn better from someone who isn't dad.  I don't mean any offense by that but just know that sometimes children don't listen to their parents but then take on board someone else telling them the same thing (frustrating eh!),

Personally I'd advise not overwhelming her with any talk about mixing, besides panning and volume if it is necessary to what she's doing (multiple instruments etc).  If she isn't releasing these demos and has a producer already in place to flesh them out properly then wait until she shows any interest in learning about mixing before going there, IMO, otherwise you could confuse her.  If she is doing barebones audio demos (eg acoustic and voice) then she'll probably only need the panning and volume sorted  to make it listenable anyway.

I guess it would help if you'd describe what her demos usually consist of (vocals/layered vocals, instruments, midi instruments etc).

octatonic

Get a Mac and Garageband.

It is really simple to use.

ecc83

Different folks find different DAWs easy or hard I have found.

I have Reaper, paid for, but rarely use it as I was "brought up" with MAGIX Samplitude. The Silver Cloud version of this is free and really quite basic but is a "proper" DAW. It also has an excellent MP3 encoder in it and an easy to use Cloud poster.

But I am a bit concerned that you find Audacity "buggy"? It is usually THE most innocuous of softwares! It might be worth downloading C cleaner and running a registry scan then just save and fix any crap it finds (and it WILL find some!)Just in case you got a corrupted copy, uninstall Audacity and get a fresh download. It SHOULD work! Also disable the computer's internal soundcard and possibly re install all audio stuff again.

Dave.

ThePrettyDamned

Audacity - it's very, very straightforward and free.  

I'm also surprised you found it buggy - very reliable here. I can even record to it from my computers internal mic.  

Nice and easy to set up a click track, and it records and edits for guitar just as well as Reaper or Ableton.

ChrisMusic

Why not give Garageband a try on her iPhone  (small screen but extra hardware cost = 0 (unless you need an input thingy))

http://guitar.about.com/od/recording/tp/How-To-Record-Guitar-Using-Your-Iphone-ipad.htm

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2011/11/garageband-for-iphone-8-track-studio-in-your-pocket/

And a YouTube playlist of how to  (some stuff, much more on YouTube search)

Hope that helps, cheers, Chris  

musicegbdf

Mmm ınterestıng comments guys . Guıtarfıshbay you hıt the naıll on the head.
The "demo's " wıll be the bare bones of her songs usıng her voıce , guıtar and acoustıc pııano . She then gets together ın a team ın the studıo and ıt ıs fleshed out , then recorded.
Perhaps ı should try audıcıty agaın. All she needs to b able to do ıs record and buıld uo overdub tracks . I can do the rest. I wıll tell her to record dry for that reason.
Agaın thks the feedback, hopefully her advance wıll come through soon so she can get a mac as ı know that ıs what she wants

Fretwired

Check out Steinberg's Sequel - it's cheap and very easy to use. It costs about £65 and you can download and use the full product for 30 days without spending a red cent.

http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/sequel.html

exocet

For basic stuff, I've never had issues with Audacity and I've used it on many different hardware O/S platforms

I use Reaper as well but I'd say that it is too complex for doing straight forward "simple stuff" - it can do it, but there are so many options / buttons that you can hit by mistake!

Grunfeld

exocet said:

I use Reaper as well but I'd say that it is too complex for doing straight forward "simple stuff" - it can do it, but there are so many options / buttons that you can hit by mistake!

I've had exactly the opposite experience with Reaper.  I only use it like a giant tape recorder. 

As @digitalscream has said, it's just a couple of clicks.  I could literally have something recorded within one minute of deciding I want to pick up my guitar and record.  Its simplicity is why I like it.

exocet

I agree that it can be simple to use....but to the novice, the User Interface is very cluttered compared to Audacity.

musicegbdf

Fretwired said:

Check out Steinberg's Sequel - it's cheap and very easy to use. It costs about £65 and you can download and use the full product for 30 days without spending a red cent.

http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/sequel.html

That looks interesting , might take the trial and see if it can be used easily , otherwise might try Audacity again . Will have a go at the weekend ... thks this is a very interesting subject. I must admit for my own recording I used to get so tied up in the techy stuff it just screwed me on the creative side....

PolarityMan

reaper, 

Basically you need to understand what a track is, how to select what is being recorded on each track (its a pulldown on the track itself) and how to press the record button and you're done.

plenty of tutorial vids all over youtube too.

ecc83

musicegbdf said:

Fretwired said:

Check out Steinberg's Sequel - it's cheap and very easy to use. It costs about £65 and you can download and use the full product for 30 days without spending a red cent.

http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/sequel.html

Yes, Sequel is ok but I am still concerned that you had problems with Audacity. Let us know how Sequel goes because you might have a computer problem. Most modern computers will run audio soft and hardware "out of the box" these days but if it is a few years old it might be a bit clogged up and in need of a clear out. If you have further problems, give as precise details as you can as to the nature of the "buggynesses!"

For starters look at all the programs in Control Panel and remove anything that has been "acquired" that you KNOW you don't need. Then run Ccleaner on the Registry and follow the instructions, never does any harm in my experience but if you are worried set a Restore point before you start all this.

Dave.

That looks interesting , might take the trial and see if it can be used easily , otherwise might try Audacity again . Will have a go at the weekend ... thks this is a very interesting subject. I must admit for my own recording I used to get so tied up in the techy stuff it just screwed me on the creative side....