Im looking at software for my new computer. I need some new software as im doing a music tech course and usually edit at home. Would love pro tools (obv) but may be outta my price range.

Does anyone know how good ableton is for editing multitrack rock band recordings and the such.

Cheers,
Rik

I love Ableton for jamming with and being creative, but I always stick with Cubase for multi-track band stuff.

I use logic for that. But im on pc and they dont do for pc now :( despise cubase tho! :hiding:

Ableton is geared toward electronica type music. Lots of looping functions and synth stuff. Definitely not aimed at your genre.

By my research, educational copies of Live 6 are $300. You can get an Mbox mini with ProTools LE for that price. If you're taking classes, might as well start using what 99.9% of major studios use.

i use live for multitrack recording, and to be honest, it rocks. pro tools le doesn't have automatic delay compensation now does it? a lot of people don't give the app credit because it was origionally geared towards electronica, drum and bass and eventually djs, but with every version it becomes a better and better DAW for multitracking, six is great you can download a full demo from their website, i say give it a try, it might just do exactly what you want. on the other hand if you are using protools in your course its nice to have the same program at home to edit on, but at least grab the demo and give it a try.

topher.

ableton.. very very cool program.. certainly can be used for multitrack rock.. and the "warp" function would be very handy for tightening up sloppy playing (ie. cheating!!). It's got very good automation, supports VST plugs very well, easy to learn.. I say thumbs up..

I still run logic 5.5.1 on my PC for most of my mulit track recording though just because I've been using it for 10 years and I'm super fast in it... but I have a daily growing appreciation for Ableton.. can't stand Cubase's interface but Sonar by Cakewalk is another one you should check out.

Ableton's great for live performance and electronica but it really doesn't cut it for multi-track editing. Pro Tools really is the standard, and while its not perfect by any means, its very good for multi-track sessions.

It may seem a bit expensive but its ridiculously affordable compared to what was available 10 years ago. Buying a Pro Tools rig would be a sound investment. Nearly every decent studio has Pro Tools available in one form or another, and while it may not be their preferred platform, you can always bring your session in and be able to open it. This is kind of critical. If you only use Cubase (for example) and want to bring it somewhere else, chances are they won't have it.

If you only need a DAW for editing and a-few-tracks-at-a-time tracking, an MBox 2 or MBox 2 Pro would suit you well. If you need 8 tracks of simultaneous tracking ability, look for a 002. You can find all the above used for significantly lower prices than you can find new.

If you're even moderately serious about recording you really do need a decent setup. For the love of science don't use the mic/line in's from a Soundblaster and the trial/limited version of a major recording program. You'll really be limiting the fidelity of your recordings and the scope of editing you can perform.

Its a tough choice to call to be honest, ive been trained in protools (my first program i learnt) and i love it more than any other ive used. Im gutted i cant get logic now tho, bloody apple eh. (love em really but i cant afford a mac!). However in the UK protools must be more expensive (like most things) it starts at around £200-£300 whereas ableton is £150. Id also like to learn a new program but essentially this is to edit at home rather than in the uni (were limited on time there, way to many students). Also there is no way I will be using cubase anywhere in my home lol, i hate the feel of the program :hiding:

Sonar 6 should be in the price range of Live. i used to use Sonar 4 and i really liked the audio editing in it. just another option.

I use and love Sonar. I have played with Ableton and found it to be incredibly cool - but very differennt from Sonar and it took me a while to "get it" - BUT, Ableton, for what it does, is an absolutely amazing program! You can take ideas to new heights in seconds with Ableton. So in conjunction with a program like Logic, Cubase, Sonar, etc... Ableton is a great additional tool to have. I don't think I would go with it as a primary editing package, however. But I also don't know THAT much about it...

Ok well ive manage to conjure up the cash for a mbox 2 with protools just to find out that it doesnt work on pc's with windows media centre! Is there anything I could do to get round this? Also does anyone know if theres any plans regarding protools and windows vista premium! ARGH turmoil! Please help! :crying:

Ableton is great as a solo musician to play around with arrangements and song structure. I use it as a scratchpad to record riffs and grooves and piece them together. It's emphasis on loops and live play make it much more freeform if you don't have a solid song structure yet. If you are interested in incorporating electronic/sequenced elements it can also offer a flexible way to incorporate them into a liveshow w/o having it too pre-structured.

If you are recording a whole band multi-track and allready have a song structure then a full-featured DAW like protools, cubase or logic would be the way to go. Personally I use logic for this purpose but your preferences (and computer platform will dictate this choice)