Dreams Of Noise

All you need is a decent sound card, a decent record player, a decent tape player, some manner of .WAV-editing software with good noise filters, and either a filter to take out the cracks and pops or the practice and patience to take them out by hand (which takes longer but usually sounds better.)

-=ShoEboX=-

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And, if you've got onboard sound like AC97, or you just don't like the software with your sound card, you can get good software free -- Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) will do what you need, with style.

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http://www.br0wn.co.uk/vinyltocd.htm

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sunfell.livejournal.com

Wow- great stuff! Thanks!

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smallship1.livejournal.com

I've just discovered Digitope's Media Digitaliser, which makes nice mp3s out of my tapes, will probably do the same with my records when I get my turntable plumbed back in, is easy to work with, and is shareware.

Now that's what I call a deal.

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I finally bit the bullet and gave up on trying to get Impulse Tracker to work on my new version of XP. So now I'm using ModPlug Tracker, which is also freeware and heavily based on IT but with some niftykeen additions like an integrated sample editor, great for making small modifications or adding simple effects on the fly. And as much as I like waving my oldschool banner, it's nice to not have to switch between DOS and Windows when working on music. My first completed piece 'o' music with this thing was a commissioned work for a mutual friend of ours who I believe you're also doing some work for. :)

Other than that, I really want Adobe Audition 1.5...1.0 is great, but 1.5 adds .VST plugins (FINALLY,) pitch correction, vocal extraction, and all kinds of other nifty stuff. Apparently I can upgrade for $69.00...so this is probably on my birthday list.

Incidentally, someone gave me a copy of Acid Pro so I could check it out, but I have yet to do so...what'll it do for me? And I've never used Band in a Box...does it confine you to a predefined set of samples for instruments?

-=ShoEboX=-

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Oh, and my son got a tamborine. He's been experimenting with how to get the loudest noise possible out of it, with a surprising amount of success.

-=ShoEboX=-

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I finally bit the bullet and gave up on trying to get Impulse Tracker to work on my new version of XP.

Did you try VDM?
http://sourceforge.net/projects/vdmsound

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And I know there are several other free trackers out there.

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I can understand wanting to use IT - once you got the hang of the interface, it was devastatingly simple to create music. But it's severely dated.
I used VDM to run IT on Windows 2000, and it worked pretty good.

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A link to a variety of trackers:

http://www.united-trackers.org/

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Yeah, VDMSound was what I was using before, but no luck this time...

-=ShoEboX=-

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Acid has one huge strength: No program is as good at looping samples. An "Acidized" .wav file (they sell a gazillion of 'em, and if you own Sound Forge you can Acidize files yourself) is exactly like any other .wav file, except that it's got software hooks in it that allows Acid (and other programs like FL Studio) to change its key or tempo on the fly. So, don't like the song in A? Click the mouse and knock it down to G; it transposes instantly, and it'll still sound all right.

The other big advantage of Acid is being able to "paint" the tracks into place. Pull the mouse across the screen with a 4-measure loop, bam! Ya got a drum track. Other programs do this, but Acid was the first and best. There are a lot of other advantages to it, but to be blunt many pros are more fond of Reason, Sonar, and/or Cubase.

Band in a Box is a different beastie, and not at all what you apparently think. It's a MIDI jammer; give it a bunch of chords and a musical style, e.g., Country, Hip-Hop, Celtic, whatever, and it creates a background track for you. If you have the Melodist or Soloist add-ons, it'll write you a melody or a solo. It'll write the MIDI file, crank out the WAV file, print the notation, the newest version uses VSTs... it's got more options than you will ever need. And the people there are very nice to deal with over the phone. That said, if you think you like it (and their demo downloads are usually at least two versions behind, although honestly that still gives you a decent idea of the program), get a Megapak rather than buying style addons individually -- you will save a ton of money. In the same vein, you can go to my site, http://www.musicmachines.net, and pick up SuperJam for free. :)

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I need a new hammer dulcimer.

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hms42

Recording device (I are the techie for a few people).... A lexicon Omega. Its advantages are that it allows me to record 2 people (max of 4) to two seprate files and comes with a copy of CuBase. (Also multiplatform so it will work on my new Mac when I purchase it within the next month.)

Harold

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billroper

I'm going to get an M-Audio Project Mix I/O when my store gets them in stock. Of course, I've already got Cubase...

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phillip2637.livejournal.com

I love BiaB and hate it at the same time. I've toyed around with it for a long time, starting in my Atari ST days, and I have a ball throwing together simple things and trying out variations. To me, its ability to read a MIDI melody and invent an OK starting point for matching harmonization is worth the price.

The hate part comes mostly from being a software development geek myself and wanting to scream at PG Music for really clumsy implementations of great ideas. Once they get a function working (sort of) they tend to forget about making it easy to use or robust...and their motto for user interface design appears to be, "who cares". The fact that their Macintosh version is about four years behind their Windows one doesn't help my mood much either. :-)

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Which is why I still use SuperJam, ten years after the last version of the program. Blue Ribbon Soundworks knew what they were about.

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ericcoleman

Software and hardware so I can mix on my computer. I have a DA-88, but I am not as good as I would like to be mixing directly from that. I just need to be able to transfer the tracks to the computer, and then of course software to mix it.

Probably not this year though. The next CD will probably be mixed at a local studio once the tracks are recorded (eventually).

A good acoustic bass

And I want a pony ...

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Lotsa decent stuff out there, some free. Part of the reason I'm not using the portable digital studio we have is that the interface makes you go back and forth between umpety-ump little specialty screens. The full version of Vegas is pricey, but man does it do the job. On the other hand, you can pick up Acid XPress for free, and that's got ten tracks you can record to. FL Studio leaps to mind. Adobe Audition was mentioned earlier by Shoebox, and Garage Band if you've got a Mac. Here, this list of software, shareware, and freeware at Hit Squad (http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/win95/DJ_MIXING/) should keep you busy for a minute or two.

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And the list I bet you really want is here (http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/win95/MULTITRACK_RECORDING/).

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the-magician.livejournal.com

... I have a half ton of kit (hardware and software) and just need to find the time/energy to put it all together and do something with it.

I bought a big box of old software from a magazine journalist (and tons of samples in there and from ebay) ... I have a full legal version of Cubase SX3 ... an Akai sampler, a Yamaha SY85 synth, a Yamaha W5 synth, a couple of Casio keyboards and a couple of Midi controller keyboards (including an Oxygen8) ... plus more acoustic instruments than you can shake many sticks at ... and a few microphones and such.

... the BiaB megapak sounds wonderful (need to find out if they'll ship to the UK ... hmmm looks like they will! And fairly cheap too!!) Anyone got an old version I can upgrade from? :-)

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sylverwolfe.livejournal.com

i'm waiting for anna nalick's "wreck of the day" album to be released in sheet music. i'm hoping it'll be in piano/vocal/guitar format, since i'm teaching myself piano slow by little, and eventually i'll manage to convince my mother to teach me to play her guitar. and i'm squirreling away, like i have been for years now, to manage to buy a bowed psaltery next time i go to sterling ren faire, just because i think they sound nifty.
and i found a neat little music store in town whose owner claims he can get most commercially-available sheet music within 24 hours. he asked my musical preferences, i asked if he was familiar with filk. he was, so i jotted down your website for him.
:-D

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I've actually got cause to drag out the Phil Collins and Billy Joel songbooks I've had in the closet for ten years. I think I can be proud of what I've done musically, and how far I've come -- but everything started with me just wanting to play and sing at the late-night filks.

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druidsfire.livejournal.com

I'd like to have a keyboard, a really decent one.

A few more recorders, a flute, Neil Peart's favorite drum set... ;)

All the mixing toys would be cool.

A good mic would be better.

A private studio would be bliss. :)

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Honestly, a lot of the consumer-level Yamaha keyboards sound really good, with velocity and aftertouch, for way less than $200. And our AKG C1000S mics are still going strong -- sensitive, warm, and tightly directional. You can pick 'em up on eBay for about $150, and they're worth every dime.

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poltr1

Geez, Tom. You and I should chat about MIDI, how we use it, etc. etc. Maybe even turn it into a round-robin session at a filk con.

Current MIDI gear: A soundless MIDI controller (interfaces with a PC's sound card), Cakewalk Home Studio 2002, Sound Forge XP.

On the wish list (if I win the lottery): Minimoog Voyager, Kurzweil K2000 or newer, a Lintronics MIDI board so I can retrofit the old "model D" Minimoog.

And a studio to keep these in.

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That would be fun. The portable studio keeps evolving; I can now fit everything into one (very heavy) bag. I have an Oxygen8 controller which I probably will use a lot more on the next album.

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hms42

Then again, Bill, you are working at a different level than I am. I am just hoping to get a decent product recorded for friends. You have a LOT more experience (and much more of a clue on this) than I do and my equipment needs to be portable enough to hawl on the NYC (and Long Island) public transport by one person.

Also, your planned purchase is way above what I have a clue how to use. My current mixing board does what I need it to do except I only get one signal out. (Works great in a live environment, but not really good for an improv and portable studio.)

The other problem is that I seem to never record in the same place twice. I have recorded one friend in about 6 different locations and the only time I ever setup in the same place twice was at Philcon and the person didn't sing the first time. (I missed their one shot due to working at the art show during teardown.)

Harold S.

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