allan_evett Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 So I've got a new keyboard student. He's fairly experienced, and returning to playing after a several year break. Along with working on technique, expanding improv knowledge and ability, and brushing up on theory, he also wants to re-vamp his home rig to include the capability to record. He plans to do this with a fairly recent PC (one that can be brought up to spec. for current DAWs, if need be). We've discussed keyboards, sound modules, and software instruments. Instead of overloading him on the hardware side, I feel that one, current keyboard with good control features and sounds (he does intend to play out, again), plus an solid, varied compliment of software instruments should do the trick. Though he can add software instruments ala carte, I'd like to recommend a DAW, starting out, that includes a good variety of software instruments on-board. Being that I'm mostly a Mac user (Logic Pro 9), I'm looking for DAW suggestions that would give my student the SI experience that gets as close as possible to Logic Instruments, but for PC. Any suggestions ? 'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo. We need a barfing cat emoticon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Hines Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 On the PC side, Cakewalk Sonar 8.5, Producer Edition has a lot of virtual instruments and effects: http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/Sonar8-5-Producer-8-5-Studio.aspx?Prod=SR8.5 Sonar also comes in a "Studio" edition, but that does not contain the full version of Dimension Pro that is in the Producer version. Dimension Pro is a good all-round virtual ROMpler -- http://www.cakewalk.com/products/dimensionpro/ Also, to avoid your student having to spend alot of time trying to figure out what computer specs are needed, what audio interface, etc., I would suggest he purchase one of the basic computers offered by some of the audio computer companies. Here are some of the companies: http://www.adkproaudio.com/ http://www.pcaudiolabs.com/ http://www.terradigitalaudio.com/ http://www.sonicalabs.com/ http://www.visiondaw.com/productcart/pc/index.asp Using an existing computer for music may be the cheapest solution, but many times it is not the smartest solution, especially for someone just getting into using computers for music. For example, your student could buy a turnkey Sonar 8.5 computer setup from one of the vendors above. Sonar and an audio interface would be pre-installed and tested, ready to go. The only big question would be how many audio inputs and outputs would your student need (which would drive the choice of audio interface). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan_evett Posted March 7, 2010 Author Share Posted March 7, 2010 Thanks, Martin - Lots of good options. I'm going to suggest going the audio computer route. The turnkey solution seems an excellent choice. I checked out Dimension Pro; your assessment as a 'good all-around virtual ROMpler' is right on. 'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo. We need a barfing cat emoticon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgoo Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 +1 on Sonar. Also, check out www.studiocat.com for a custom PC builder. Jim Roseberry has built me 2 systems, answers the phone when I call & is great with tech support. Custom Music, Audio Post Production, Location Audio www.gmma.biz https://www.facebook.com/gmmamusic/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksoper Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 +1 Sonar 8.5. Looked at a number of those turnkey units the other night as I'm also planning a computer replacement. Nice stuff, a little pricey. 9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicsant Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Sonar 8.5 is the way to go for a Windows DAW!! It is now 64-bit on Windows 7, although you can still go 32-bit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoodyBluesKeys Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I've never run Logic on a Mac, so I don't know how close Sonar 8.5 is in operation, but it is a VERY good program with an interface that is more logical seeming to me than other similar PC products. The higher end versions will run in 64-bit, including on Windows 7. Also, feedback that I've had in general is that Cakewalk support is much better in resolving issues than some of the others. None of them are trivial to learn, but some seem to go out of their way to make it difficult to accomplish work (or maybe their thought processes are so much different from mine). Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smanzella Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 You may want to take a look at Reaper. I've been using it for quite some time. It's very straight forward, rock solid, and runs on all 32 and 64 bit platforms..just my $.02.... Yamaha CP-73, Hammond SK Pro 73, Yamaha MODX 7, Roland Fantom 06, Roland VK-8M, Yamaha FS1R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Martin Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 I'm a little surprised that no one here has mentioned Cubase as an option. It's cross platform compatible. Just my $.02 -Mike Martin Casio Mike Martin Photography Instagram Facebook The Big Picture Photography Forum on Music Player Network The opinions I post here are my own and do not represent the company I work for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridog6996 Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 I'm a big fan of FL Studio, which is kind of halfway between something like Ableton Live and Cubase. It's got killer plugins too. Imageline, the makers of the program, offer free updates for life as well, which is an incredibly cool feature that I wish more software manufacturers would adopt. When they release a new version, you don't have to re-buy it. My YouTube Channel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.