Looking for recording programs

[Calamitas1786]

Ok, so this solo competition has really caught my interest, but the problem is I don't have any recording software or hardware. I'm looking for something simple that'll let me record straight into my computer without the need to mike an amp. It seems alot of people on this board are a little more recording savvy than me so I could use a little piece of mind.Thanks guys.

 

[Steve Smyth]

Hey Calamitas1786,
I'm not entirely sure what "freeware" might be out there for ya, but there are a few "audiophiles" on this forum who may be able to help ya.
Guru? Moonlapse? JBroll? LiverSlapper?
Anyone else?

 

[Ermz]

Try searching for a program called 'Reaper'. I'm not sure whether it's freeware anymore, but it was during the beta stages and it was by far the best and most powerful freeware DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) you could find.

In terms of getting a guitar sound with no amp mic'ed. Well that's an entirely different can of beans. You'll need a soundcard that supports low-latency drivers (ASIO 2.0) so that you can use software applications to process your guitar and give you all the goodies like distortion, amp/cabinet simulation etc.

However, arguably the best freeware software for processing a high-gain guitar sound is GuitarSuite. You'll hear a sample of it for lead sounds when Steve posts the new slew of solo comp entries.

 

[guitarguy]

Try searching for a program called 'Reaper'. I'm not sure whether it's freeware anymore, but it was during the beta stages and it was by far the best and most powerful freeware DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) you could find.

In terms of getting a guitar sound with no amp mic'ed. Well that's an entirely different can of beans. You'll need a soundcard that supports low-latency drivers (ASIO 2.0) so that you can use software applications to process your guitar and give you all the goodies like distortion, amp/cabinet simulation etc.

However, arguably the best freeware software for processing a high-gain guitar sound is GuitarSuite. You'll hear a sample of it for lead sounds when Steve posts the new slew of solo comp entries.

+1
GuitarSuite JCM900 and TS simulations sounds better than my PODxt . You can download Reaper here:
http://www.cockos.com/reaper/files/0.x/reaper0999-install.exe <- 0.999 version is still freeware. If you dont like MS Windoze you can try dyne:bolic Linux distribution or SuSE 9.2 Audio Live CD. Linux kernel ALSA (and JACK also) provides me less latency (and buffer issues/problems) than Windows ASIO driver (at least on my emu10k1 soundcard).

EDIT:
You can find very useful infos/links about every commercial/freeware hosts/plugins/stuff on KVR Databse:
http://www.kvraudio.com/get.php

 

[Steve Smyth]

Right on guys! Hope this helps you Calamitas, and anyone else out there looking for freeware.

 

[Liverslapper]

Use Audacity man, if you are new to recording software this is the one to use. Its very easy to use and straight forward, and free.

audacity.sourceforge.net/

also Guru's home recording guide has a lot of helpful information as well for home guitar recording.

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=241323

this should help you a little bit

 

[Calamitas1786]

I don't neccesarily need freeware. I've been looking into the Pod xt and the Toneport among other things. Would I be able to accomplish what I need if I get one of these?

 

[Seedawakener]

I use the older version o the toneport called guitarport. Its hot that very good, but it is good enough for the solocompetition, But i would get the pod xt... THe distortons you can get from that are incredible.

 

[Calamitas1786]

Could you guys reccomend a soundcard?

 

[Ermz]

If you go for the PODxt, you won't necessarily need a hot soundcard. It depends on what program you'd use with it.

I upgraded to a card with ASIO 2.0 drivers because Cubase essentially wouldn't function without them.

But m-audio have a good, cheap range of hobbyist recording cards on their site. May be worth a look over if you're still interested.

 

[JBroll]

I'd say that anyone can use Reaper and Audacity... I'm a Linux guy so I also have Ardour at my disposal (as will Mac users).

Sound card - PODs won't need them, a lot of things are marketed just towards people who want a USB/Firewire/whatever connection between guitar and computer, and it's fine for convenience but I wouldn't recommend it too strongly for really good sounds unless you spend a ton of money. If you do get a new sound card, I'd recommend getting a 1010lt or an Audiophile 2496 (which I use myself - you will need a few phono adapters though, as it uses 'old-school' RCA plugs and not the TRS everywhere else). Note that you will also need a moderately good sounding amp, a decent microphone (Audix i5 or SM57 without the transformer), a good pre (home-built solid state with a decent schematic - pm if interested - or if you must pay, M-Audio DMP3, ART Tube MP), and a little patience to get things up and running well. I'm not going POD/digital modeling until digital starts doing something new (I fucking hate that modeling is all we're doing with such wonderful circuit designs, but that's a rant to be well-hidden on the Sneap forum somewhere) and I can safely say that my Crate XT120 -> transformerless SM57 -> ART Tube MP -> Audiophile 2496 chain gets the sound I want. Just for expandability I'd have to say that a good mic (if you haven't one already), mic pre (can't recommend my Tube MP strongly enough, and I also have nothing but praise for a certain DIY solid-state pre), and sound card (Audiophile 2496 kicks an ass and a half) would be the best route to go if you really want to get good sound after good sound with tweakability to fuck and back.

Jeff