Hello, thanks for stopping by for a visit. It's been a while for me as well, so I thought I'd stop by myself, and post an update.
A few weeks ago, I decided to get back on the recording "horse" as it were, and get to ridin' once again. I've got more songs that I'd like to demo, as well as some pieces that are mostly basic instrumental ideas at this point. I figure, once those are recorded, I can decide whether they will remain instrumental pieces, or try to add some lyric and melody to them.
However, this time around I decided to put a spin on recording this new batch of 3 songs. Being that this blog is called "the harvard experiments", I came up with what I think might be an interesting one: to record 3 songs, using a different Digital Audio Workstation (DAW, for short) program for each one.
What's the purpose of using 3 separate programs for each song, you might ask? Well, DAW's are available from many different companies these days. While the task of recording and mixing digital audio is usually the end goal, many programs have their strengths in certain areas; their own unique spin on certain features, some of which could drastically improve the user's workflow for what they are trying to do with their project.
The 3 DAW's I am using for this project will be: Avid's Pro Tools LE 8. This is the software I used to record the 3 songs I posted earlier this year, and the one I'm most familiar with, as far as getting tasks done fairly quickly. I've been using Pro Tools since 2003, and while I don't consider myself a true Pro Tools "master", I do feel like I know what I'm doing when I work with it, more so than with any other audio program. Pro Tools is actually up to version 10 now, but I've decided not to upgrade, although I'd like to. I may get into that more in depth in a future post...
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| Screenshot of Pro Tools version 10 - not the one I'm using, but similar. |
Second, I'll be using Apple's Logic Pro 9. I started using a previous version of Logic back in 2008 or so, and since I liked many aspects of the software, I upgraded to Logic Pro in December 2011. As I mentioned earlier, Logic has a different approach to certain workflows in comparison to Pro Tools, some of which I find that I prefer. I think because of the fact that it is from Apple, Logic Pro seems to be more integrated with the Mac OS in certain ways to give the user more of a seamless experience, and I do appreciate that. I'm anxious to get more experienced using it, and hopefully take advantage of its strengths.
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| Logic Pro 9 |
The third program I'll be using will be Reason 6.5, by Propellerhead Software. This is the one I'm most excited to work with because, although I've been a Reason user since version 2.0 (as long as I've been using Pro Tools), the current version is the first that includes audio recording and editing, which now officially makes Reason a DAW in its own right. For those that don't know, previous versions of Reason included samplers, drum machines, synthesizers, effects, and a MIDI sequencer to build your own musical masterpieces. However, you could not record your own vocal or "live" instrument tracks into it. You would have to export the sounds from Reason into another program, where you'd mix those together with your "live" tracks - that is, until now. Reason 6 now has audio recording and editing, a full-featured virtual mixing console with EQ, dynamics, and other new effects to play with, so you could potentially buy Reason and an audio interface, and you'd have everything you need to put together some awesome tracks. But I'm reserving final judgement once the track is completed...
Some may feel that it's counter-productive to try to record music with software that you're not very familiar with. There's also a group of folks that like to learn one thing, and stick with it to the death! A friend of mine probably falls into that category. If I offer, or even mention, a new piece of software to him, he is NOT interested, haha. I believe his way of thinking is along the lines of the old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", which certainly does work for him - he produces some excellent tracks with the same software and equipment he's been on for years. I do admit there can be a learning curve with a new piece of software or other gear, which can slow down your productivity while trying to figure every thing out. I suppose the "newness" and the discovery period excites me as much as the end result of the project I'm working towards. I guess I get bored easily, at times. In other words, the tools interest me as much as what they can produce. If I see that some new software has a killer feature that expands my possibilities or could enhance my workflow... If I have the means to do so, I've GOT to check it out! However, I DO want to get some actual tracks done at SOME point, so that is why I've restricted myself to only 3 programs, haha.
So, that's my current recording project: To use a different DAW on each song, and discover what I like and don't like about working with each one. I'll also compare which song I feel came out the best, in comparison to which program was used. Naturally, I'll be sharing my results and thoughts in future posts. I've started recording some basic tracks a couple weeks ago, so yes, the project is definitely under way. Till next time...
