Check out N track at http://www.fasoft.com/
or
pro tools at http://www.digidesign.com/

They both have free versions available, with ntrack being limited in
functionality.If you tire of these, try Cubase, Nuendo, Logic Audio,
or Sonar for audio/midi multitrack programs.


Randall









On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 19:56:50 GMT, wrote:

Hello,
I was a music teacher for about 25 years, and between that and work as
a musician managed to pay the bills. I used to use a computer for
MIDI sequencing (Atari / Notator), but have pretty much missed the
rise of digital audio. In addition to instruments I have an
acceptable mic, a sampler, and a Fostex 4-track. I also have a newish
Windows laptop and am hoping I can use the Fostex mixer to send audio
to the computer to do multi-track recording. I'd like to use the
computer for MIDI sequencing too, so I've been thinking of something
like Cubase. I live a few hundred miles from anywhere that sells
music hi-tech stuff, so I'll be buying mail-order. Any advice on how
to get going cheaply would be much appreciated. The audio quality
doesn't have to be much better than 4-track cassette (with which I
was able to do work for music libraries, demos, etc.). I'm just
hoping to get reasonably clear audio recorded, which I can edit and
mix on the computer more conveniently than I can with the
cassette/Atari comination, then put that on CD, and .wav or .mp3 to
put on my website.
Thanks very much for any advice on what equipment I'll need to
accomplish that,
Gerard

Gerard,

One can do digital audio now-a-days relatively cheaply on a computer, but
your laptop might not be the best computer for it. I recently setup an
inexpensive system (if you don't count the computer...) consisting of the
following:

Windows 98 desktop machine, 1.4GHz processor, 512Mb RAM, 80Gb drive
Audiophile 2496 audio card
Pro Tools Free (that's right, www.digidesign.com offers a free version of
Pro Tools)
Master Tracks Pro for MIDI

The reason your laptop might be a limiting factor is that you need a good
soundcard that has analog and digital input/outputs. You might be able to
hook some kind of "break-out box" to your laptop that will be a substitute
for the soundcard's I/O, but it will be much more expensive.

The Audiophile card cost me only $140.00 or so and has good sound quality.
The Pro Tools software is, as mentioned, free, but the free version can only
be installed on Windows XP or 98 and can only record/playback up to 8 tracks
simultaneously. This is really not much of a problem for small studio
recording. Check the hardware compatibility at Digidesign too, because it
won't work with certain motherboards. It also has automated faders, built in
FX and many more features (basic editing, etc.).

I get very powerful results with this modest setup...I can record my MIDI
compositions live (playing and recording it simultaneously from the same
computer) or import the MIDI directly into Pro Tools, mix all the tracks
with automated faders/panning, etc., and mix it down to disk for further
mastering or saving to mp3/burning to CD, etc. I am very pleased with it -
and the sound quality is terrific.

I am an IT/computer consultant and also musician so email me direct if you
have other questions,

Good Luck,

Mosher


wrote in message
...
Hello,
I was a music teacher for about 25 years, and between that and work as
a musician managed to pay the bills. I used to use a computer for
MIDI sequencing (Atari / Notator), but have pretty much missed the
rise of digital audio. In addition to instruments I have an
acceptable mic, a sampler, and a Fostex 4-track. I also have a newish
Windows laptop and am hoping I can use the Fostex mixer to send audio
to the computer to do multi-track recording. I'd like to use the
computer for MIDI sequencing too, so I've been thinking of something
like Cubase. I live a few hundred miles from anywhere that sells
music hi-tech stuff, so I'll be buying mail-order. Any advice on how
to get going cheaply would be much appreciated. The audio quality
doesn't have to be much better than 4-track cassette (with which I
was able to do work for music libraries, demos, etc.). I'm just
hoping to get reasonably clear audio recorded, which I can edit and
mix on the computer more conveniently than I can with the
cassette/Atari comination, then put that on CD, and .wav or .mp3 to
put on my website.
Thanks very much for any advice on what equipment I'll need to
accomplish that,
Gerard

I take it you missed the word "laptop", Arny?

--


Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio

301-585-4681




"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...
wrote in message

Hello,
I was a music teacher for about 25 years, and between that and work as
a musician managed to pay the bills. I used to use a computer for
MIDI sequencing (Atari / Notator), but have pretty much missed the
rise of digital audio. In addition to instruments I have an
acceptable mic, a sampler, and a Fostex 4-track. I also have a newish
Windows laptop and am hoping I can use the Fostex mixer to send audio
to the computer to do multi-track recording. I'd like to use the
computer for MIDI sequencing too, so I've been thinking of something
like Cubase. I live a few hundred miles from anywhere that sells
music hi-tech stuff, so I'll be buying mail-order. Any advice on how
to get going cheaply would be much appreciated. The audio quality
doesn't have to be much better than 4-track cassette (with which I
was able to do work for music libraries, demos, etc.). I'm just
hoping to get reasonably clear audio recorded, which I can edit and
mix on the computer more conveniently than I can with the
cassette/Atari comination, then put that on CD, and .wav or .mp3 to
put on my website.

I don't know how Cubase interfaces with the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, but
it
would let you get into recording and playing up to 4 tracks concurrently
for
minimal money and with really pretty good sound quality.

Does your laptop have either USB or Firewire? CardBus (PCMCIA)? If so,
there are a number of methods to get audio into and out of your computer
other than the built in soundcard. Metric Halo and RME Audio both have
CardBus cards with multiple track inputs, although I think the Metric Halo
is stereo only, while the RME will do 8 channels. USB devices are the
slowest therefore the lowest input number, usually falling in at stereo, but
with Yamaha USB 424 (I think) you can get 4 input channels going with stereo
playback, plus it has faders, etc., that tie into your computer application
via the USB. The Yammie has two OK mic pres, so you don't even need
anything else.

If you have firewire a totally different world opens up to you in terms of
external removable hard drives, CD burners/DVD burners and even outboard FX
processing and such.

So there's actually quite a bit you can do. The question is how much do you
want to spend. Or not spend.

The concept of not needing much better than 4 track cassette doesn't enter
the equation at all. Digital is digital. As long as good converters are in
the chain, you should get an immediately pleasing difference in quality.

As far as software, I see that N-Tracks was also offered as a solution, and
it does both midi and audio, uses VST and DirectX plugins and goes for $69
complete. But if you're looking at Cubase then I'd suggest that you give us
a little more info on your laptop. There might be some ways we can point
out how best to use a laptop and still have what you want. Some older
laptops that are great for email and web surfing are not good candidates for
doing music.

--


Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio

301-585-4681




wrote in message
...
Hello,
I was a music teacher for about 25 years, and between that and work as
a musician managed to pay the bills. I used to use a computer for
MIDI sequencing (Atari / Notator), but have pretty much missed the
rise of digital audio. In addition to instruments I have an
acceptable mic, a sampler, and a Fostex 4-track. I also have a newish
Windows laptop and am hoping I can use the Fostex mixer to send audio
to the computer to do multi-track recording. I'd like to use the
computer for MIDI sequencing too, so I've been thinking of something
like Cubase. I live a few hundred miles from anywhere that sells
music hi-tech stuff, so I'll be buying mail-order. Any advice on how
to get going cheaply would be much appreciated. The audio quality
doesn't have to be much better than 4-track cassette (with which I
was able to do work for music libraries, demos, etc.). I'm just
hoping to get reasonably clear audio recorded, which I can edit and
mix on the computer more conveniently than I can with the
cassette/Atari comination, then put that on CD, and .wav or .mp3 to
put on my website.
Thanks very much for any advice on what equipment I'll need to
accomplish that,
Gerard

"Roger W. Norman" wrote in message

I take it you missed the word "laptop", Arny?

Yes. He did a nice job of burying it.