What DAW/Sequencer/recorder do you recommend?

[Bobbosaurus]

I'm looking for something-anything- that will record faithfully and not crash often or lose data. Well, here's a list of my personal "specs":

1) Dependable and reliable (ie actually records when you press record)
2) Intuitive interface
3) I don't need to fight with it
4) Able to export mp3 (as well as the usual WAV etc)
5) Easily replaced (ie if it breaks I can get another one or something very similar)
6) Must be able to run on batteries (my home has some electrical problems)


I just do basic recording. Ideally I want to jam on 2 synths and record everything, maybe tweak the levels as needed. I'm not a pro when it comes to the studio, I just want to be able to record my music without it becoming a nightmare. I do NOT enjoy fighting with my equipment, wrestling with it to force it to perform the most basic functions.

My Juno-G is a good example: the most basic functions bring new meaning to the words "counter-intuitive". I would NEVER figure out how to bring Preset FX settings over to Performance on my own- had to buy the DVD and it's STILL the most convoluted process imaginable. Just picking a sound to record is a ridiculous 10-step process(!) The advanced features by contrast are totally self explanatory and intuitive.

(So I'm looking for an intuitive synth as well)

What do you recommend? It seems all the intuitive software interfaces are designed for Mac, never Windows. Is that true? I'll buy a Mac or ipad if I have to....I even tried one of the last Tascam Porta-Studio tape decks to no avail- same problem I had with digital medium: I'd test-record something, it'd work fine. Then I'd record for real with all the same exact settings but it would fail to record- this happened so many times I gave up.

Just a friendly caution- I'm neither an idiot nor a "12:00 Flasher" so keep your "snarky" comments to yourselves. I posted here in good faith looking for advice with a serious musical/tech problem. Any nasty comments will be reported to Forum moderators.

 

[happyrat1]

I'm looking for something-anything- that will record faithfully and not crash often or lose data. Well, here's a list of my personal "specs":

1) Dependable and reliable (ie actually records when you press record)
2) Intuitive interface
3) I don't need to fight with it
4) Able to export mp3 (as well as the usual WAV etc)
5) Easily replaced (ie if it breaks I can get another one or something very similar)
6) Must be able to run on batteries (my home has some electrical problems)

Personally I've been using Cakewalk Products (Home Studio 9.01 and just purchased Music Creator 5) as well as an open source program called Rosegarden on a Linux system for the last 15 years or so. The cakewalk programs run very well under Ubuntu using the Wine Windows Emulator set to WinXP emulation. I also use a Behringer Xenyx 1002 Mixer to output to a set of monitors and my computer so once it's set up I don't have to mess around unplugging wires.

For recording I use any of a number of available wav recorders and then process them to MP3's or OGGs on my computer.

However, I will warn you that there is a learning curve for any sequencer or recording software but there are literally thousands of video tutorials on Youtube to make the process as easy and painless as possible.

The truth is that neither Cakewalk nor Rosegarden are very intuitive but I've been using them so long I now have pretty much mastered them for what I need to do with them.

My advice to you is to take a look at all the reputable DAW softwares out there and search them out on youtube for demos and tutorials and make your own choice based on those.

Likely suspects include Cakewalk Music Creator, Sonar, Abelton Live, Steinberg Cubase, Band in a Box, Reaper and even Apple's Garageband and do your research. Lord knows the world is lousy with DAW software these days and a bit of careful research will help you meet your criteria.

As for stability and failsafe during power crashes, I'd say invest in a laptop or a UPS and just how stable it will run will depend on how stable your computer and OS is.

Actually it's hard to tell from your post if you're looking for a software solution or a hardware solution. Either way, if your electricity is that unstable, a UPS or two would be a good investment.

If you're looking for a good hardware based multitrack recorder, there are dozens of them out there with many features that run the range from basic recording to full blown studio mixing and effects and USB audio interfaces. Again Youtube is your friend. You can find video reviews on almost any piece of gear these days.

Hope this helps,
Gary

 

[Bobbosaurus]

One year has passed...still found nothing reliable that works...