Alternate to Cubase? (If you do audio...)

Amber Jalink · 07-25-2010, 08:16 PM

My hubby just bought me a professional mic and interface system yesterday, and the interface came with Cubase. So far it's a total nightmare, it doesn't seem to be working (recording sound but you can't hear it back lol).

He's got the manual and has been reviewing it, but said it's totally cryptic (and he's very experienced with computer systems and documentation, so it then makes it worse for me to look at it).

So - can anyone recommend some good alternative to cubase, something a little easier/faster to work with? (I can take time to learn it later but don't want to spend too much right now).

(I am on a PC - windows 7, so please don't recommend MAC software

... yes, I know - the store guy showed us some cool software (Garageband?) but since I don't have a MAC it doesn't help me).

Amber

neil_patmore · 07-26-2010, 12:19 AM

WOW, Cubase is probably a little overkill if all you want to do is record voice onto your PC

.

You could try Adobe soundbooth which is probably overkill too or why not use good old Windows Sound Recorder?

njaad · 07-26-2010, 03:35 AM

You might want to checkout SoundForge. It's easy to use and comes with a low price-tag.
Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 Overview

bfas · 07-26-2010, 04:39 AM

I use and absolutely love Reason + Record. Seriously professional capabilities, much easier to use than Cubase: Propellerhead Software - Products - Record

However if you want something SUPER easy and SUPER cool, you absolutely MUST check out Riffworks: http://www.sonomawireworks.com/riffworks.php

bfas

wincex · 07-26-2010, 04:39 AM

You can also try free beta audacity for windows 7

Dean Martin · 07-26-2010, 04:59 AM

I've used Cakewalk's Sonar for years and love it. I also use Adobe Audition for doing quick editing at another location.

Cheap or Free software's not always best - you want something that will save you time and make your workflow seamless. Both the above products have a trial or demo you can download and play with.

For voiceover work a good ducking compressor is imperative (VST plugin).

What mic & interface do you have? How are you planning to use your system?

Amber Jalink · 07-26-2010, 08:14 AM

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions... checking them out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlmartin

I've used Cakewalk's Sonar for years and love it. I also use Adobe Audition for doing quick editing at another location.

Cheap or Free software's not always best - you want something that will save you time and make your workflow seamless. Both the above products have a trial or demo you can download and play with.

For voiceover work a good ducking compressor is imperative (VST plugin).

What mic & interface do you have? How are you planning to use your system?

I was looking at Sonar last night - we found another program Mixcraft 5 (supposed to be like the PC version of Garageband). My husband downloaded it last night on trial and it looks pretty good.

The mic we bought is the Apex 435, and the interface is Tascam US-122MKII.

We finally got it working "basically", watched a tutorial on youtube lol - however, I think we'll be switching to something else like Mixcraft. (I will look at the other programs above too though. Mixcraft has a comparison on their site vs. other programs, and it actually has more features than cubase surprisingly.

One of the big drawbacks to cubase we found, was that it does NOT export to MP3 without buying an add on. That's even for some of the higher versions. Mixcraft has it built in. (And it's $74.95).

What are we going to be using it for?

For me - I'll be doing video/podcasting type stuff. If it was just that I'd stick with something totally simple (like windows) - but it's not - my hubby does play guitar (for fun) and likes the idea of mixing LOL. So on that side the software needs to do more than just voice.

For me - Voice and getting noise reduction, exporting to mp3 and other formats.

Amber

07-25-2010, 08:16 PM	#1
Amber Jalink Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 811 Thanks: 238 Thanked 300 Times in 156 Posts Social Networking	Alternate to Cubase? (If you do audio...) My hubby just bought me a professional mic and interface system yesterday, and the interface came with Cubase. So far it's a total nightmare, it doesn't seem to be working (recording sound but you can't hear it back lol). He's got the manual and has been reviewing it, but said it's totally cryptic (and he's very experienced with computer systems and documentation, so it then makes it worse for me to look at it). So - can anyone recommend some good alternative to cubase, something a little easier/faster to work with? (I can take time to learn it later but don't want to spend too much right now). (I am on a PC - windows 7, so please don't recommend MAC software ... yes, I know - the store guy showed us some cool software (Garageband?) but since I don't have a MAC it doesn't help me). Amber

07-26-2010, 12:19 AM	#2
neil_patmore HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: UK Posts: 276 Thanks: 28 Thanked 61 Times in 34 Posts	Re: Alternate to Cubase? (If you do audio...) WOW, Cubase is probably a little overkill if all you want to do is record voice onto your PC . You could try Adobe soundbooth which is probably overkill too or why not use good old Windows Sound Recorder?

07-26-2010, 03:35 AM	#3
njaad Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 54 Thanks: 2 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Alternate to Cubase? (If you do audio...) You might want to checkout SoundForge. It's easy to use and comes with a low price-tag. Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 Overview

07-26-2010, 04:39 AM	#4
bfas Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 604 Blog Entries: 8 Thanks: 330 Thanked 166 Times in 116 Posts	Re: Alternate to Cubase? (If you do audio...) I use and absolutely love Reason + Record. Seriously professional capabilities, much easier to use than Cubase: Propellerhead Software - Products - Record However if you want something SUPER easy and SUPER cool, you absolutely MUST check out Riffworks: http://www.sonomawireworks.com/riffworks.php bfas

07-26-2010, 04:39 AM	#5
wincex Italian Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Italy Posts: 172 Thanks: 148 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts	Re: Alternate to Cubase? (If you do audio...) You can also try free beta audacity for windows 7

07-26-2010, 04:59 AM	#6
Dean Martin HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Chambersburg, PA Posts: 264 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 12 Thanked 45 Times in 38 Posts	Re: Alternate to Cubase? (If you do audio...) I've used Cakewalk's Sonar for years and love it. I also use Adobe Audition for doing quick editing at another location. Cheap or Free software's not always best - you want something that will save you time and make your workflow seamless. Both the above products have a trial or demo you can download and play with. For voiceover work a good ducking compressor is imperative (VST plugin). What mic & interface do you have? How are you planning to use your system?