Low-budget DAWs

[PhoBucket]

I just got a new laptop, which is running Vista, and I am looking for a new DAW (since I was a Logic/OS X user before). I'd like to keep the budget low (definitely under $200).

What are some of the DAW/OS combinations used by people on this forum? Is anybody dual-booting?

I'd like to try Ardour, but haven't got the nerve up to install Linux yet (have a presentation to give on Monday and don't want to hose my laptop).

Is anybody here using Reaper?

Thanks,
Ben

[GaryOpenhill]

I always like to recommend energyxt (or xt for short) for anything. I bought it years ago, for $40, and that includes any upgrade for the rest of my life, even when they recently reprogrammed the sourcecode entirely and started a new line. It is super small, super fast, and super stable. The guy that leads the programming have been owrking really hard for years and years. Works on linux and windows (i run the windows version). It also have a support forum that is boiling. It runs as standalone and as a vst. It is modular (like buzz), has its own synth and effects, and much more can be said.

The demo version is the full version, but i dont think u can reload a project with it.

It doesnt use a sheet editor, but a pianoroll type midi editor in the sequensers. I used to run "mozart" and just lead the midisignlas from that into xt. Now i own finale so i dont do it anymore, since finale has its own nice sounds and file-rendering.

http://www.energy-xt.com/

I recomend downloading the latest beta version, because they usually are as stable as the released version, but better:

[jamsire]

The professor will certainly investigate!

WOW! Now my students can't complain about money.

[lactose]

Some thoughts:

-some people keep two Windoze installations, one for normal use and once for audio recording, with extra stuff and ACPI disabled. I haven't needed to do this, I can tolerate the 8-10ms latency I get with my Delta 44 card. The Linux audio stuff uses a special low latency kernel.

-you don't have to install Linux to try it. You just boot off of a CD. In fact there are Boot CDs for audio stuff. That is what I am using at the moment. (Studio To Go)

-Sonar and Cubase are very popular, and I used N-Track for a long time on windoze. I would make sure whatever program you choose has VST plugin support and ASIO driver support.

-I don't think energyXt on Linux is GPL compliant. This may or may not matter for you. As a developer, it seems that writing one of these programs would be a HUGE undertaking, especially if any semi-rigorous testing was done.

-I now use Ardour and RoseGarden (for MIDI) on Linux and am very happy. The power of Ardour and the JACK routing system is awesome. As with most *nix stuff, a little steeper learning curve in the beginning, and much more power in the end.

I went to school for audio, and I laugh now. We used to drool at the Studer 24 track machine we had at school, around $100k. The last song I recorded was 42 tracks in my bedroom, and the software was FREE !!!

[PhoBucket]

Originally posted by lactose
Some thoughts:


-you don't have to install Linux to try it. You just boot off of a CD. In fact there are Boot CDs for audio stuff. That is what I am using at the moment. (Studio To Go)

-I now use Ardour and RoseGarden (for MIDI) on Linux and am very happy. The power of Ardour and the JACK routing system is awesome. As with most *nix stuff, a little steeper learning curve in the beginning, and much more power in the end.



I downloaded Ubuntu and burned a copy. Do I need to put the disk in the tray before I turn on the laptop?

What is JACK? Is Jack a service that runs in the background, or is it another application that is running at the same time?

Since there is no real substitute for experience, and I have several recording projects coming up in the next six months, so I think I will test a different DAW for each. I pulled down Reaper for a recording I'm doing on Friday. Then I'm going to try Ardour, Rosegarden, and EnergyXT.

I found this article online, and will see if it helps with system performance.
Optimizing Vista for DAW (http://www.audioforums.com/windows-vista-optimization.php)

[smueske]

I just started using Reaper and have been extremely pleased with the results (although the learning curve is much steeper than with the Big Boys). I've been using Sonar for years and while I love it, I think the upgrades are way too expensive.

[haimeh]

I used protools (001, 002, mbox) on windows machines for about five years. I recently got rid of it due to the fact i was spending the majority of my time tweaking settings and trying to solve crash issues, instead of making music! I'm pretty burned out of computer recording at the moment. I definitely used to get ALOT more done back in my tape days.

I just need a simple program that will allow me to get ideas down.

[loneguitarist]

My secondary-main computer in the studio is a triple-boot called "The Badboy". It's running XP, Ubuntu Linux Studio and Mac OSX86. I use Ardour and Rosegarden on the linux boot. It all works very nicely but JACK and ALSA can sometimes be hard to configure especially if you have multiple soundcards.

[GaryOpenhill]

Originally posted by haimeh
I used protools (001, 002, mbox) on windows machines for about five years. I recently got rid of it due to the fact i was spending the majority of my time tweaking settings and trying to solve crash issues, instead of making music! I'm pretty burned out of computer recording at the moment. I definitely used to get ALOT more done back in my tape days.

I just need a simple program that will allow me to get ideas down.

I still reccomend energyxt because if its intuivite modular workflow.
But if you want a simple solution, you could go and download audacity. Free and does multitrack recordings to audio files, and you can edit audio tracks and add simple effects etc.. I used it years ago, and it was more than good back then, so it probably is way better now. multiplatform too.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/features

EDIT: omg, i see now that audacity now can load vst plugins. If that works, the thing must be awsome. I must test that out. ITS FREE!

Edit2: Yep, it does vst effects, so all the kjearhus free once can be added easily. Looks good. It certainly has come a long way since i used it back in the 1800's.

[lactose]

+1 for Audacity. Simple easy and quick !

Since my hard drive didn't spin up this morning I will probably be investigating new software sooner than I intended. I want to have one audio recording OS, and I am thinking either Ubuntu studio or 64 Studio (http://64studio.com/). Shouldn't be too different from what I use now, Studio To Go.