How to use Audacity?

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Permalink Reply by Oliver Gassner on April 25, 2008 at 8:50pm

I used Audacity to record and cut voice podcasts. But I have done no voice/music or even music/music mixing wit it.

It seems a powerful tool for that, though.

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Permalink Reply by Carsten Trotzkowski on April 29, 2008 at 12:21am

A few month ago I tried Audacity to find out the state of this Open Source software developement.
IMHO this tool is OK for everyone who a) wants to find out if recording and multitracking is OK for his music, or b) those not willing or capable to invest. To simply record your own live tracks to those downloaded this will do at least - simple editing and limited mixing and mastering is possible - at demo niveau of course (better than an old compact cassette pingpong tape anyway).
Since you will easily run into trouble trying to connect a "real" mic to any onboard sound, many musicians might want to invest into a proper sound interface (pci, usb, fw) to get reasonable mic amplification - or to get your stratocaster sound into the PC without boiling the onboard inputs. Many of these hardware products (even in the lower price region) come with bundled Light Editions of (semi-) professional software - most of which might be the better choice since they introduce really useful things like realtime effects, virtual non destructive editing with multilevel undo, enhanced user interfaces, MIDI editors, virtual instruments integration like VST, realtime multichannel recording with low latency monitoring / processing, powerful mastering maybe even with instant CD burning and mp3 export etc. etc.
Of course - for anyone who has bought a proprietary software in recent years, Audacity may look merely like a software toy. But as I stated before: Some might not have the opportunity or fundings for the big bangs (or have old PC's too small for multi-GB-monsters), and some might even appreciate that the software has less then 2048 features..... Remember: Even the groundbreaking Beatles' "Strawberry Fields" had been cut with "ordinary" multitrack tapes in long long mixing sessions :-)

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Permalink Reply by Dominik Heer on May 21, 2008 at 10:45pm

My recommendation: Don´t waste time with experiments and take protools, cubase or logic. Those are the most adcanced programs and available for a petty amount of money according to the possibilities they provide.

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Permalink Reply by Carsten Trotzkowski on May 21, 2008 at 10:54pm

Yes, that might be the best solution for most cases. At least as bundled Light versions with Soundcards or other stuff. Still I wonder if Protools has lowered prices so even newbies could get tempted :-)

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Permalink Reply by Carsten Trotzkowski on May 21, 2008 at 11:02pm

As for myself, I dismissed Cubase a year ago being somehow disapointed by it's performance, it's overloaded virtual racks, complex routing, and finally stability and poor wave editing (in an earlier version), so I promoted my old Samplitude software to a current Pro version. This might not be the best pick for newbees, but for my kind of production technique it has the most versatile and fast-to-handle graphical surface and lot's of performance reserves. Of course I know people who judge it to be too close to a technical view of production - opposite to a more musical view like Cubase or Logic). After all it is also a matter of taste :-)

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Permalink Reply by Andreas Schwall on May 22, 2008 at 9:11am

Until 2006 I was working with NO SOFTWARE at all. I had an old TASCAM 4-track recorder! You cannot image my pain. And of course, CUBASE eased my pain completely. But yes, you're right, performance is poor and furthermore I started a "technical experiment" by implementing it on Windows Vista Business. Highly regretting! But I haven't enough time and motivation to change it to the better. Frankly, I pushed along buying a pricey software. Not everbody can effort it (especially here @Sawubona)!

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Permalink Reply by Juan on May 23, 2008 at 4:31pm

Hallo carsten,

I used Audacity to record too. It's easy and fast.

Regards

Juan

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Permalink Reply by Carsten Trotzkowski on May 23, 2008 at 4:43pm

Hi, Juan.

Yes - I suppose it will be OK for many basic tasks - I for myself also prefer to drive a smaller car in real life since they can do many tasks better than the big ones (and are much less expensive / consumptive)... Oh, sorry, I'm leading the discussion away from the core :-)))

But now you are in great danger! Newbies could read your commitment and ask for support! But being a supporter like I know you, i guess you won't have troubles with that :-)

CU Carsten

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Permalink Reply by Brian McDonald on June 24, 2008 at 8:12pm

This is one of those great apps that come along that finds its way into your toolbox.
For me, it has become my favorite "scratchpad" for getting rough music/lyric ideas down quickly so they don't disappear with the list of things I was supposed to pick up at the market.
"Let's see, bread, milk, progression from Ab to C, now what was that melody? . . .
Wow did you see how the price of cheese has gone up lately? Wait . . ."

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