easiest software for recording....and drums to for a total NOOB ?

siraxeman

What says you ? say one that starts off at retard level and works up from there ? )

ecc83

They are none of them easy-peasy, you will need a good 1/2 day in a quiet room to get to grips (then a day in a quiet, darkened room to recover!) .

Then there are very broadly two variant types. The "cut and shunt" style as I call them. Ableton, Fuity Loops and others that us "blocks" of sounds and you move those around to create songs.

I am an old tape jockey so I favour the second type, the "linear mixer recorder" system. Digital Audio Workstations as the software is often called of this type include..Cubase, Sonar, Samplitude* Reaper and many others.

But, you make no mention of an Audio Interface? This is the first step and almost all AIs include a cut down version of a famous DAW, most commonly Cubase.

The Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 is presently available for just £139 and you will not get a better 4 in 4 out +MIDI AI for more than twice that money.

*My personal fave' See if you can find "MAGIX Samplitude ProX Silver" on the web.

Dave.

spark240

Just to add......most of the DAW software have downloadable demos, it's worth trying these before committing , sometimes just the colour can put you off !

thomasross20

Easiest?

Tracktion by a country mile!!

But I know it's not "standard" (it has a different workflow) so not many people like it here.

siraxeman

I've got a Sapphire 6 AI....and even got Cubase 5 that I bought 3yrs ago and have done naff all with. I did try very briefly but felt that I was hitting a brick wall and that the learning curve was massive. I'm just a lazy git really and want an easy way into all this...but I guess its just one of those "there's no avoiding it..." situations. I'm determined that this year I'm gonna actually do it and learn a DAW and start doing some stuff. Even got a DSLR recently for youtube vids and an external mic is the next purchase. 2016 is a year were I really do expect to get my ass in gear and do some recordings......

oh...and drum software ? Are they all coming with a steep learning curve to ? Is there any programme or DAW with tons of loops you can drop in n copy n paste in to create easy drum tracks ?

I actually teach guitar for a living for over 10yrs now but in all this recording malarky I'm way behind and need a good kick up the arse. In fact if I could find someone locally to give me a few easy lessons on operating all this stuff that'd be good to get me going initially.....

kin

I've tried Reaper, studio one and Cubase le and all of them are fairly simple to put something basic together, plenty of tutorials available if you get stuck.

Garage band on the iPad is probably the easiest , it's limitations and simple layout mean it's perhaps not as intimidating as the others.

Drag and drop one of the included drum loops onto one track, add another track, press record and play along to the drums, add another track, press record add some bass and so on.

Take a look at what people have been able to create using just this set up on u tube and then decide whether you need anything more complicated.

 

ecc83

"I've got a Sapphire 6 AI....and even got Cubase 5 that I bought 3yrs ago"

You are set up then. Microphone? Don't just plonk for the ubiquitous Shure SM57. IMHO the best mic type to begin with is a Small Diaphragm Capacitor (aka "condenser") since these are some 5 times more sensitive than a 57 and are generally of a neutral, uncoloured character. They are THE most versatile of microphones but especially suited to acoustic guitar. Expect to pay about the same as for the 57 for a decent model (varder AKG P170 for an example) .

I have Cubase (El' 6) but rarely use it since I have been with Samplitude so long everything else seems to have daft set up schemes! But, persevere with Cubase and you will have THE most powerful DAW or one of them, there is to hand.

Drums? All in Cubase. There are better sounding softwares, BFD is one (I have BFD Eco, good) but one you have the MIDI track sorted in Cubase it can play any other MIDI base program.

Dave.

andypwudtone

another recommendation for tracktion here. I don't have bags of time/skill and this was the piece of software that I finally managed to produce music with. Mackie Black Jack audio interface, condensor mic ,  I never got anywhere near with others. use ez drummer with it for some quick drums. 

kind regards

Danny1969

Oddly enough having used just about every DAW on the market since the days of midi only Cakewalk the easiest to learn is actually Protools, because it only has 2 windows, one to edit and one to mix. I like Reaper and I know my way around Cubase, Studio One and most other DAW's but Protools is the easiest to learn. At least it is if you come from the analog mixing desk and tape machine world. 

I wouldn't advice Protools for you because it's expensive but I would say don't invest your time in learning a DAW which might not be around in a couple of years. 

Deijavoo

I reckon if you're starting, just go for the DAW you like the look of. They all do much the same for a beginner so just get good with one that you actually will like the look of and using. When your requirements get more complex then make the detailed comparisons.

Just my opinion of course. 

markv

I was in a similar position to you earlier this year, having played guitar for a long time but never tried recording anything. So this is only what I did (and why) and not something from the perspective of someone who has tried lots of alternatives!

I got Ableton Live Lite with my AI (a Focusrite Scarlet Solo) but it was too limited and too expensive to upgrade, so I am now using Reaper. My reasoning was that if I was starting from knowing nothing, anything was going to have a learning curve, and Reaper simply gives the biggest bang for the buck.

For drums, I have no experience with anything else (yet) but I have been using something someone on here recommended a while back, the free drums plugin MT-Power Drum Kit. Comes with 1 drum kit, a bunch of grooves and a basic but usable user interface. For free! To me it seems like a reasonable place to start before deciding whether to commit a little more financially to something like BFD Eco.

siraxeman

Some good info here cheers guys! I like the sound of a lot of suggestions here! I might just have to try the free MT Power Drum Kit. And to delve in and see whats the drum situation in my Cubase 5. I'm actually quite excited of what lies ahead now...even though I'm sure there's gonna be a few headaches along the way.

ElectroDan

I find Cakewalk (or Sonar) ok to get to grips with. You can demo for free too.

They also do a stripped down package called Music Creator 7, which is really inexpensive.