| In the studio, there;s a lot of different software which | | | | se, although it can be used for both. A favorite of DJs |
| may be in use. They all have slightly different | | | | and minimalists. |
| capabilities and there is more than one way to get that | | | | 6) Vegas - Like Adobe Audition, Vegas is a |
| perfect sound. If you are up on these different | | | | multitracking solution which can also provide mixing and |
| programs and what they can offer to the producer, | | | | mastering capabilities. Individual tracks can be EQ'd just |
| you will have an easier time deciding which to use to | | | | as in Adobe Audition. |
| get that "just right" sound for your recordings. Read on | | | | 7) Cubase - A larger and more complex program, |
| for a brief rundown on some of the most popular | | | | Cubase offers a lot of versatility to the user. Unlimited |
| options: | | | | numbers of patches (called VSTs) may be used on a |
| 1) MIDI - Standing for Musical Instrument Digital | | | | single track for a full sound. Cubase also has a host of |
| Interface, this is an older technology and as such has | | | | plugins and add-ons available for it which expand its |
| some limitations when it comes to editing in stereo. | | | | capabilities. A great piece of software with a little bit of |
| There are however a lot of prebuilt MIDI patches | | | | a learning curve. |
| available and MIDI offers a broad palette which should | | | | 8) Studio Vision - A higher end option for Mac |
| not be dismissed out of hand because of its age; | | | | systems, Studio Vision offers a lot of control over your |
| indeed, MIDI is still in use in just about every studio. | | | | tracks and is a top choice of professionals who use |
| 2) Adobe Audition - This is a very easy to use | | | | Mac systems in the studio. |
| software package which can provide even the home | | | | 9) Reason - Somewhat similar to fruity Loops, this is |
| user with professional sounding mixing and mastering | | | | another suite which has found a large audience among |
| capabilities; again, it has some limitations, but its ease of | | | | DJs, hip hop producers and others who work with |
| use and its versatility make it a favorite of many. | | | | loops and rhythms. It can do more than this, but looping |
| 3) Band in a Box - This is a piece of software for Mac | | | | is its specialty. |
| systems that is ideal for smaller scale recordings and | | | | 10) Pro Tools - This is the industry standard software |
| is designed largely for the novice. This software can | | | | and one of the best known tools in the recording field. |
| help you build arrangements and as such is used by | | | | There are a lot of options for the use of VSTs and |
| some as a sort of sketch pad for recordings. This by | | | | complete control over tracks. ProTools takes some |
| no means implies that you cannot use Band in a Box | | | | learning to get the most out of, but its versatility makes |
| to make your recordings, however. | | | | it well worth the effort. |
| 4) Cakewalk - At one time available only for Mac, this | | | | Each of these software options has different |
| is now an option for Windows based systems as well. | | | | capabilities for producers and some programs will |
| This is a MIDI based program which also offers some | | | | work well for some while not suiting the needs of |
| mixing and mastering capabilities. | | | | others. If you know about all of these programs, you |
| 5) Fruity Loops - This is more effective as a tool for | | | | will be able to choose and effectively use their |
| creating and mixing loops than as a recording suite per | | | | capabilities for your recordings. |