[Andy Evans]

Hello - I'm now at the point where I want to put about 20 songs down
onto some kind of recording setup. I have PCs but could get a Mac if
necessary. I'll be entering the sounds on a Roland FP MIDI keyboard,
and will need about 8 tracks (maybe more when I actually do it). I'm a
musician (bass and keyboards) and am keen on good acoustic sounds,
particularly strings, and don't know where to source those - hardware
or software. I would then need to put some vocals over the MIDI
tracks, and maybe some other acoustic stuff like latin percussion.

I'd like to start with a MIDI base so I can change key if necessary
depending on the vocalist I may use in future.

What's the best way to get started here? I can answer any questions as
we go along. Thanks in advance for your help - I've been waiting 20
years to get all my songs recorded!! (other things to do) Andy Evans

[drichard]

Hi Andy,

You need an app that is solid for MIDI, yet powerful enough for audio
to do what you need. I'm not sure of your budget, but both Cubase SX
and Sonar are excellent choices. If they are beyond your budget, check
for lower end versions of those products. I know Sonar has a lower
budget product, but I'm not sure of the name right now.

You probably want to start by creating or transferring MIDI sequences
onto the computer. Then you can change key until its right, and go
from there to lay down your tracks.

Good luck,

Dean

On Jun 21, 10:41 am, Andy Evans wrote:
Hello - I'm now at the point where I want to put about 20 songs down
onto some kind of recording setup. I have PCs but could get a Mac if
necessary. I'll be entering the sounds on a Roland FP MIDI keyboard,
and will need about 8 tracks (maybe more when I actually do it). I'm a
musician (bass and keyboards) and am keen on good acoustic sounds,
particularly strings, and don't know where to source those - hardware
or software. I would then need to put some vocals over the MIDI
tracks, and maybe some other acoustic stuff like latin percussion.

I'd like to start with a MIDI base so I can change key if necessary
depending on the vocalist I may use in future.

What's the best way to get started here? I can answer any questions as
we go along. Thanks in advance for your help - I've been waiting 20
years to get all my songs recorded!! (other things to do) Andy Evans

[Andy Evans]

Thanks for answering. I'm considering Sonar, and also Reaper. I don't
mind a 100GBP kind of package, just not the really expensive stuff
like Nuendo.
I'm curious about Mackie Traktion and Soundforge, but I don't know if
these are as dedicated to MIDI - the MIDI side must be pretty
bombproof and straightforward to use without being underspecified. I
intend to do the majority of work in MIDI, so a really good interface
to work with would be good. The ability to write out charts would also
be good - this could be an add-on maybe, not sure how this works. It
would be nice to be able to edit actual notes in a chart as well as
changing notes from a keyboard.

[drichard]

Hi Andy,

Many of the current integrated apps started as audio apps first, and
later added MIDI. In many cases the MIDI side is not as strong.
Obviously, that is a guideline and not a rule, but it is often the
case.

Both Sonar and Cubase have their origin as MIDI apps, so they are very
strong in that area.

I'm not familiar with Reaper, nor do I know enough about the MIDI
capabilities in Tracktion to comment. Sound Forge is not multitrack,
so I doubt it would work very well for you.

Good luck,

Dean

On Jun 22, 8:11 am, Andy Evans wrote:
Thanks for answering. I'm considering Sonar, and also Reaper. I don't
mind a 100GBP kind of package, just not the really expensive stuff
like Nuendo.
I'm curious about Mackie Traktion and Soundforge, but I don't know if
these are as dedicated to MIDI - the MIDI side must be pretty
bombproof and straightforward to use without being underspecified. I
intend to do the majority of work in MIDI, so a really good interface
to work with would be good. The ability to write out charts would also
be good - this could be an add-on maybe, not sure how this works. It
would be nice to be able to edit actual notes in a chart as well as
changing notes from a keyboard.

[Andy Evans]

On Jun 22, 2:46?pm, drichard wrote:
Hi Andy,

Many of the current integrated apps started as audio apps first, and
later added MIDI. In many cases the MIDI side is not as strong.
Obviously, that is a guideline and not a rule, but it is often the
case.

Both Sonar and Cubase have their origin as MIDI apps, so they are very
strong in that area.

I'm not familiar with Reaper, nor do I know enough about the MIDI
capabilities in Tracktion to comment. Sound Forge is not multitrack,
so I doubt it would work very well for you.

Good luck,

Dean

On Jun 22, 8:11 am, Andy Evans wrote:



Thanks for answering. I'm considering Sonar, and also Reaper. I don't
mind a 100GBP kind of package, just not the really expensive stuff
like Nuendo.
I'm curious about Mackie Traktion and Soundforge, but I don't know if
these are as dedicated to MIDI - the MIDI side must be pretty
bombproof and straightforward to use without being underspecified. I
intend to do the majority of work in MIDI, so a really good interface
to work with would be good. The ability to write out charts would also
be good - this could be an add-on maybe, not sure how this works. It
would be nice to be able to edit actual notes in a chart as well as
changing notes from a keyboard.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

that's great - I may start with Sonar. I'll look up some past posts.
Andy