Topher wrote:OK, I read a review http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2223125,00.asp about some different software recently which did not include ProTools. Since I'm starting out, do you think one of these programs (MAGIX sounded like the best of these three to me) would be better than ProTools in terms of simplicity of use? ProTools and all the accompanying M-audio stuff sounds like it is geared more towards recording live music to incorporate with synthesized sounds, and also sounds like it's going to have too steep of a learning curve. I won't be doing much live recording other than vocals and maybe my trumpet here and there. Am I on the right track here? It just seems superfluous to be purchasing amps and the m-box and whatever else if I'm really only going to be entering music by MIDI keyboard and editing it later. More important to me is a set of high-quality instrument samples to work with.
Speaking of MIDI keyboards, does anyone have any suggestions? I want to get one that can emulate an actual piano as well as be used for recording digital music.
Thanks for everyone's contributions to this thread, your advice is a great help!
Hi Topher,
A couple of general comments on Pro Tools. I use PT LE 7.4. It does everything. It is not just for live audio. It does midi recording fabulously. Further, you can insert soft-synth plug-ins in RTAS format that add a powerful range of sounds at your disposal...including some pianos! Out of the box it comes with Xpand, which is a fabulous and easy to use soft-synth with nearly 1,000+ sounds on it. You can layer and arpeggiate up to four at a time AND you can have several instatiations of the program on different tracks! You also get Reason Adapted 3.0 using Re-Wire, which adds another arsenal of synths and sounds, including rhythms of all sorts, to your set-up. And then there are others included in the box as well. If you're not familiar with what soft-synths are, you're in for a real treat. For modest cost you can have unbelievable sound creation possibilities. So no matter what DAW you end up with, make sure you can insert soft-synths AND effects plugins (reverb, delay, EQ and other effects). Most of these are either RTAS or VST format. PT uses the RTAS format. Cubase and some others use VST. Some soft-synths and plugins come in both formats.
Yes, there is a steep learning curve with PT, but I find its well worth the effort because of all you can do.
As for your piano keyboard question, I guess part of the answer is that it depends on what you want to do. Any MIDI keyboard can serve as a basic controller for PT, however, the M-Audio boards can add additional MIDI controll features that others can't, but I don't find that to be too limiting. Do you want a full 88 keys? Do you want them weighted to feel more like real piano? Do you want a full range of synth programmability? What price range are looking in? there's so many good boards out there.
I'd also suggest you visit the digidesign website and view the digitv tutorials you can find there. Especially see the accelerated videos with Phil Jackson (the bald guy with the british accent) that explains various ways of using PT for re-mixes, the AIR plug-in instruments, and elastic time...which is amazing! For the money, I think PT is very powerful!