What Is The Best Production And Recording Software?
Im going to take a Studio recording class in college and i would like to buy a software. However by production I do not mean making beats or electronic music, i mean recording and mixing.
Im going to take a Studio recording class in college and i would like to buy a software. However by production I do not mean making beats or electronic music, i mean recording and mixing.
Cubase SX3 is great and has always been a mainstay for me, but you will also almost eventually have to check out Pro Tools because even though it is expensive most large studios use it, and it is always smart to be well versed in all types of software. the one thing pro tools has over cubase is that all hardware is integrated into the software which makes things a little more reliable sometimes.
With mixing, your going to want to use effects i’m sure and Cubase will generally have a more broad range of possibilities for third party software, like VST’s as pro tools deals mainly with RTAS and TDM.
But in the end its not really the software that matters, but your knowledge of techniques like EQ, Compression, and just basic mixing that turns a raw signal into a finished product.
I used to work at a studio based around Cubase and so purchased SX3 for myself so it was easier to transfer projects to and from the studio, however I recently put together my own home studio and recording rig and switched to Sonar 8 which I’ve found I much prefer to Cubase. On the other hand I have no experience with Cubase 4 or 5 (which are also supposed to be great) and so my opinion may be skewed by only ever using SX3.
Don’t bother with Pro Tools unless you can afford a proper HD rig. The LE stuff is just a rip-off and aimed at people who believe the hype about it being an ‘industry standard’ and think that running Pro Tools (albeit a crippled, cut-down version of it) will make them sound professional.
If you’re on a budget, take a look at Reaper…http://www.reaper.fm/