What DAW program should I get?

[Jim Alfredson]

Cubase cannot save directly as a PDF, but there are several free applications that do it. I use PrimoPDF. Basically, you just print the page(s) and choose "PrimoPDF" as the destination, instead of a printer. It then pops up a window and you save the file wherever you want. Pretty easy.

 

 

[MonksDream]

Cubase cannot save directly as a PDF, but there are several free applications that do it. I use PrimoPDF. Basically, you just print the page(s) and choose "PrimoPDF" as the destination, instead of a printer. It then pops up a window and you save the file wherever you want. Pretty easy.

 

+1 Another good one is CutePDF. The basic version is free to use.

[midinut]

I personally think you still should look into upgrading from Cubase AI|4 to Cubase 5 or maybe Cubase Studio 5 (if it has full scoring functionality). This would prevent another learning curve as you are already (albeit somewhat frustratedly) learning how to use it in conjunction with your Yamaha. I have found more support for Cubase at motifator.com than I have at Steinberg's website. With C5 you will have full integration with your Motif.

 

The question remains ... will the scoring abilities of the full version of Cubase 5 give you the tools you need to do what you want. If not, you'd be better off looking elsewhere. I haven't played around with scoring in C5 yet myself, but I just upgraded a couple of months ago and haven't gotten around to scoring anything yet so I'm not much help there. Call them and ask.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

"I have found more support for Cubase at motifator.com than I have at Steinberg's website. "

 

Interesting. I've never found the Steinberg site to be helpful at all. My first visits there were in the DOS days. I haven't been there for years, and I just assumed that, given their larger presence in the US marketplace, they would have done something to improve that perception.

[Mark Schmieder]

Although I agree it is best to stick to one DAW once you know it well, I'd like to announce that a surprise ad appeared yesterday that already created a five-page thread on the MOTU forum, which I've barely had a chance to start reading, but which highlights one key new feature in Digital Performer 7:

 

Chords and lyrics in line with notation!

[JeffLearman]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll take your guys advice and first try sticking with my cubase ai4 program and testing out some notation programs that I can supplement with(I don't really like ai4 but it is free afterall).

 

Kind of disappointing there isn't a simple, all-in-one program. I definitely can't handle a more complicated program so will have to have 2 instead. I'm still learning my motif really and its been more than a year now.

The problem is, while the features you're asking for may sound simple, they're not.

 

Anyway, with a good DAW, you can forget the composition side of the Motif. The DAW's MIDI editing should be far better -- assuming it's a half-decent one.

[Mark Schmieder]

The MOTIF is not easy to learn. I was green on all fronts so it took me longer than most (I had no MIDI experience at the time, other than using MIDI cables to connect modules, using standalone hardware sequencers, creating MIDI files, etc. -- but what I mean is I didn't have experience with the more complicated use of MIDI in a ROMpler workstation environment, where I would say one of the more difficult things I dealt with was consistently and reliably inserting the PLG100-VH board into a combined live/sequenced Song Setup and successfully vocoding alongside backing tracks).