what is your sequencer/recording software?

zynthetix · Last edited by zynthetix on Wed Apr 07, 2004 11:53 am; edited 2 times in total

Alright, so I've been reading some messages around here lately in which people are specifying what sequncer/recording software they use. It is a subject of frequent debate amongst my peers as well. So, please humor me and answer the poll to ease my general curiousity of what people are using. I find that people use different software(s) for specific apllications, so please elaborate why you chose your software after answering the poll.

zynthetix · Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2004 11:48 am Post subject:

Cubase is my software of choice. Many times in the past, people have given me shit for this. (Most of these people are not into electronic music, so it makes sense why they don't understand/use Cubase.) I prefer Cubase's MIDI editing and Score editing over others, and obviously for Steinberg's VST and ASIO. However, I will use Sonar when I want to quickly record tracks with live musicians, but prefer Cubase for the "massive studio projects".

jkn · Joined: Mar 14, 2004 Posts: 469 Location: La Porte, IN, USA

When I built my current computer back in 1999 - I wanted a program that would act essentially as a tape recorder. Something to record audio tracks into, and hopefully have a bunch of features beyond that. Several of my friends had Sonic Foundry Vegas - and that worked perfect. I had Cool Edit on my old pc - but it wasn't really suited for audio beyond minor tinkering - so building the computer in '99 was all about creating something to record with from the ground up. I went all SCSI on it due to that reason also.

I still essentially use it like a multitrack tape - record a track, record another on top while listening to the first. Advantage to me getting into the computer was limitless tracks (even though I usually still stay under 8 - or rather 16 since it's typically stereo) - and the envelopes for volume and panning and all that - what an amazing thing for me to not have to do a "performance" on mixdown to get any volume changes and panning!

I got my 8 in / 8 out soundcard (Aardvark Aark24) in order to record live jam sessions - and that works perfectly.

I've never been a sequencer type of person - for whatever reason I just never have done much with it - even when toying with sequencer's I'd still treat them like tape and never edit anything anyway... The most I've really done with midi over the years besides the obvious layering two synths - is to use a drum machine pattern to drive multiple synths with small patterns. I love doing this - and it's the prime reason I bought Fruity was becuase it could do it (Rebirth couldn't).

Anyway -

Multitrack = Vegas
Editing = Sound Forge
Drums = Fruity
Rarely used = Acid (I think I've sync'd up maybe 3 drum loops in the last several years... why'd I buy it? Anyway... )

jkn · Joined: Mar 14, 2004 Posts: 469 Location: La Porte, IN, USA

Ah - just reread what I wrote... I meant the old computer wasn't suited for much beyond tinkering (bad sound card, etc etc etc) - not that Cool Edit wasn't good, it was.

seraph · Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2004 12:51 pm Post subject:

the first sequencer I ever bought was C-Lab Notator for Atari ST in 1989, I guess. The user interface was bad and the learning curve was steep but I managed to learn everything I could and did some very big projects with it.
Why I chose it? When I saw, in a music store, a musical staff on the monitor screen and that you could drag, copy, delete and paste note events I knew I had to have it! (you have to remember that at that time sequencers had very primitive GUI: editing was mostly done looking at never ending event lists. MOTU Performer, for example, did not have a score page, you had to save the song and open it with another application: MOTU Composer in order to see music notation)
Notator mutated into Notator Logic (for Atari ST) that had a completely different GUI but I followed Dr. Gerhard Lengeling and his new company: Emagic. The last released version of Logic for Atari ST was 2.5 that I still have (the Atari too! I am an Atarian loyalist). When I moved to Mac I kept upgrading up to the current Logic Pro6 and I do not regret to have sticked with it Very Happy

lastlamb · Joined: Mar 21, 2004 Posts: 4 Location: San Diego, CA

Seems I'm the first Mac user. (Am I?) I too started on an Atari 1040 ST using Cubase. I moved to Performer after that, because everywhere I went, you saw Performer. Back then, it was Opcode's Vision or Performer. (Hmmm, where's Opcode now...?) I still use Performer (the non-Digital version--with which you can record audio anyway), though I continue to hear things that aren't encouraging about MOTU from a friend, who at least used to be a very devoted customer of theirs. For recording, I use Ensoniq PARIS, which sadly is no longer being developed. That is a shame because the system sounds sooo good and has some very cool capabilities. Performer syncs with it nicely, so that's about all I need.

One day, PARIS will die though, and I'm looking at either Nuendo or Logic to replace it. Any comments one way or the other. And in answering, know that I do far more recording (for my studio business) than sequencing. Ahh, how elusive the luxury of finding time to write my own music...

Cyxeris · Joined: Oct 30, 2003 Posts: 1125 Location: Louisville, KY

Sonar 3.0: Sequencing, multitracking, mixing, mastering
Waves 4.0 Plat: Effects and processing
Sound Forge 7.0: Editing
CD Architect 5.0: Mastering
Gigastudio: Sample playback

7 · Joined: Apr 04, 2004 Posts: 69

When I moved to PC, Cakewalk was my first software. I've gotten so used to it I hardly have to pay attention when I use it. Everything is pretty fluid when it comes to midi sequencing.

I'm using Sonar 2 now.

(and for the record, Sound Forge for wav edits and sample tweaking,. Gigasampler for software sampling)

cloudscapes · Joined: Feb 09, 2004 Posts: 100 Location: Montreal

I used to use a bit of cubase vst (really old version). But now use DDClip for aranging tracks and samples. However I've been learning Ableton Live and I think I will be getting myself a copy! I've used Logic and Sonar a bit before but I don't think they're right for me.

Now, I primarily use DDClip, Back To Basics (go and laugh), FLoops (laugh some more), SoundForge for half of the recording, Guitar FX Box or Chainer for the rest, depending. And I'm pretty sure Live will soon become a main part of my setup. Smile

mosc · Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2004 7:14 pm Post subject:

Sonar 3 is used as a multi-track and automated mixer. I use Sonar for midi projects once in a while. I've used Cakewalk and Sonar for years, always upgrading when new releases come out. I'm not really enthusiastic about it though.

K · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2004 2:50 am Post subject:

play · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2004 3:59 pm Post subject:

nice pic.

my first sequencer was Overture 1.0
I recently tried Sonar and just wasn't feeling it. I've gotten hooked on trackers. I use jeskola buzz for complicated drum programming and cooledit for recording. I really enjoy doing algoritmic sequencing with reaktor and sometimes I use event tables in reaktor to build loops. It's amazing what you can do with pulse-wave driven event data.

Cyxeris · Joined: Oct 30, 2003 Posts: 1125 Location: Louisville, KY

Here's a shot of how I work with my music.

Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.

Cyxeris · Joined: Oct 30, 2003 Posts: 1125 Location: Louisville, KY

Same song (Lines in the Sky), staff view.

AKA: "Why I no longer use staff view."

Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.

elektro80 · Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2004 7:17 am Post subject:

I am using Cubase. There is no specific reason for why I am using cubase apart from it seemed to me to be a decent alternative to tape and analog/hybrid step sequencers. I bought Finale for the mac when it first came out some 14-15 years ago? ..something like that. I only used Finale for writing notation. At the time I started with Cubase ( 99 ) it had all sorts of cute features. It even could do harddisk recording. In retrospect Cubase was probably the best choice I could have made back then. I still use Cubase ( VST 5.2 32 ) on a dual G4 1.25 ghz in OS 9. My current rig works ok and and SX does not quite seem like a great alternative yet. I have a lot of pretty big projects in Cubase format so I guess I will rather buy another OS X based rig for new projects some day. I am still learning the midi side of Cubase. when I started with Cubase, I decided to record some old and dense sequencer oriented music from way back. My earlier experience with sequencer is just with gear like the sequencers from Roland system 100, system 700, kits like those from Phonosonics and the Formant, early Roland CSQs, the MC-8 and the Waveterm. All in all Cubase can do all of this but I miss some of the interfaces from the old gear. When midi sequencers and midi synths were first designed the engineers seemingly had no understanding of how geeks were in fact using the analog gear this new stuff was meant to replace. This seems still to be the case. A lot of patches relied on messing with not only note and gate but also with VCFs, envelopes and such.This can be done using MIDI of course, but the physical interface of the old gear ( patch cables and pots and shit ) did in a way provide a kind of visualisation that noone has yet started to play around with. from time to time play around with the idea to design a geek interface for all this together with .. like Howard... building a new "mean mosc time machine" which would provide musicians with a smart interface for playing sequenced timbre and envelope settings. This will probably never happen.. but the idea is nice though.
I have looked at Logic and Performer. I might go for one of those if I feel I must convert the DAW to OS X anytime soon. I am using OS X on all my other macs, so it is kinda weird to see 9 again when I boot the DAW. Cubase SX / SX2 is not yet quite how I want a "better" Cubase to be. I suspect they Steinberg design team changed their drug habits and that is why they did not make a better " VST 5 32", but made something I often describe as "the Quaalude of DAWs". ( http://www.erowid.org/ask/ask.cgi?ID=143 http://www.erowid.org/ask/ask.cgi?ID=143 )

7/4 · Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2004 2:48 pm Post subject:

Cakewalk and now Sonar 2. I started with Cakewalk 11 years ago and I needed an upgrade from Pro Audio 9.

Sibelius 2 for notation. A friend hooked me up with a free copy last year to work on a string qt. that never got written. Now someone else is asking me to write one. Sample movement coming up!

Mohoyoho · Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2004 12:44 pm Post subject:

I wrote a lengthy reply, and somehow it got lost. So now I will be brief:

I started with Sonar 2 XL. I have upgraded to Sonar 3.11 PE. It works great. The customer support is excellent. No outsourcing. You speak to a support person from Massachusetts. The user base is very loyal. The Sonar Forum has very few complaints. When there is a problem with an update, Cakewalk has a fix in one or two days. There is no wacky software protection scheme like PACE or a dongle. It's a great stable product.

Norm Vogel · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 157 Location: Central NJ

Ever the "Nonconformist", i don't use sequencers AT ALL! (For that matter, MIDI, either!).

I record directly to a Korg D-16 16-track digital recorder, then mix it down into stereo using Goldwave software.

Norm

jkn · Joined: Mar 14, 2004 Posts: 469 Location: La Porte, IN, USA

Norm - we share the not using a sequencer approach. I'm not sure why, but it just never connected with me much. I'll tinker now and then - but rarely use them.

Norm Vogel · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 157 Location: Central NJ

I've always been of the opinion (and, many will disagree) that, by the time you set up all that stuff, you could've had your composition ALREADY RECORDED!

Now, squencers, etc are GREAT if you do live stage work, etc, but i prefer the ol' "lay down each track live" approach.

Norm

mobilchakram · Joined: Oct 09, 2003 Posts: 16 Location: Poland

sequencers drive me up the bloody wall. i used to work with cakewalk - and it was possibly one of the oldest cakewalks - no audio support, no frills, no nothing. then i bought a nord modular and redefined the way i work.

first, i make patches using nm's step sequencers and then i record stuff - either half-complete tracks or tiny snippets into ableton live 2. when i start working on things seriously with live 2 there's no 'sequencing' about it - i usually have about 2-4 gb worth of nord modular samples, which i alter, mangle and mutilate in many different ways with no midi involved whatsoever.

sla