Which DAW to use OPINIONS.

[rbowser-]

Omigosh, it's Fastlane Phil! -- HI, Phil!--wow, it's been quite awhile. I just now clicked your info tab and see you responded to that thread about sound-cards in the tech too--hadn't found that since I didn't get email auto-response for some reason. But got this one. Great to see you here!

And, thanks for the info on Metro 6. I'd never heard of it before - Now I've been looking around at their website:

METRO 6

Looks like this program has all the tools we'd expect in a recording program. There is a track limit, but probably not enough to curtail most projects.

I couldn't see how one uses Sends with Metro 6. There are Aux buses for FX - but where are the Sends from the tracks?

Thanks for this--Interesting, and at $150, a relatively low-priced sequencer.

Randy

Metro 6 (Sagan Tech) is one my DAWs. The interface is little "classic" compared to Reaper or DP and it has track and number of instruments or effects limitations but it might be a good one to at least give a spin with a free demo download . I bought the full version years ago when Cakewalk sold it. It's now back with the original developer.

It has a uncluttered layout with a pretty low learning curve, strong MIDI editing features and is pretty easy on the CPU.

The SE version is now Mac/Windows compatible. Although it's pretty limited it would always work fine for a smaller project or creating a midi file to import into a larger DAW.


Phil

[fastlane]

Omigosh, it's Fastlane Phil! -- HI, Phil!--wow, it's been quite awhile. I just now clicked your info tab and see you responded to that thread about sound-cards in the tech too--hadn't found that since I didn't get email auto-response for some reason. But got this one. Great to see you here!

And, thanks for the info on Metro 6. I'd never heard of it before - Now I've been looking around at their website:

METRO 6

Looks like this program has all the tools we'd expect in a recording program. There is a track limit, but probably not enough to curtail most projects.

I couldn't see how one uses Sends with Metro 6. There are Aux buses for FX - but where are the Sends from the tracks?

Thanks for this--Interesting, and at $150, a relatively low-priced sequencer.

Randy

Randy

Unfortunately the $150 mid priced version is Mac OSX only but the low end SE version WIN/Mac is half the price. I have the full version Win/Mac which does have basic notation editing but is $329.00. I bought the full and Mac only version from Cakewalk back when the future looked rather dire for Apple Computer so Cakewalk was blowing it out for $100 with CD, manual and no CP. Jermy Sagan took it back and developed it for OSX for a modest upgrade price.

He's added "useful" features like freeze tracks and many small improvements and bug fixes over the years.

Windows compatibility is a recent addition so if one was interested in the LX maybe Jerm would update that one to Windows also.

So OK,

In the Effects/Synths window click on untitled to the right of Track #1 and select an Aux. Then find Garritan Aria player in the Plug-Ins widow and either drag it into the Effects/Synth window. Now click on the edit button in the Effects/Synth window until the Aria player shows up. Now go to the Tracks window and under outputs you'll see Aria Player 1- 16. Select a loaded instrument and it should work. You'll need to set up your MIDI inputs in the Setup>MIDI Setup widow. You should be able to play in some notes.

You also have sections that the tracks reside in the sections window. You can put down some tracks in two separate sections and then select a third section and maybe name it the main section. Now carefully select the little colored arrow in the section window and drag it into the Graphic Editor window. It will turn into a colored ribbon. Do the same things for the second section and put the ribbon just to the right and underneath of the first ribbon. You can adjust the ribbons with the black arrows on the ends to line up the what are now sub sections. Editing the individual sections will also edit the sub sections. By growing the Main Section track in the Graphic Editor you can line up your tracks with precision.

Now select the the Main section in the Track window and go to the Edit menu >Expand>Subsections and both section tracks will be in the Main Section.

Now you can select all the tracks and go to the File menu>Mix or Render Audio>Render Audio and create audio tracks. The MIDI tracks will be archived. Now select the Audio tracks and again go to the File menu >Mix or Render Audio>Mix Audio. You'll have a finished stereo track that can be exported. Choose Export Using Quicktime and there will be a number of formats to choose from.

Thats the basics. You'll also want to add effects using an Aux Buss with your rendered tracks which you do in the Mixer. Just select the aux buss at the right corner of the mixer window and the instrument sliders will become effects slider so you can adjust the amount of effect you want for each instrument.

When working with MIDI tracks each track in the graphic editor will have it's own menu for selecting controllers and such, instruments and synths.

You can add multiple instances of the same Section to the Main section if your working in a song structure and make a copy of a Section in the Section window, change it and drag it into the Main Section window as a new Sub Section.

That's Metro sort of in a nut shell!


Phil

[stinkopants]

Thanks for all the feedback from everyone. I've started playing around with Reaper, and I think I've found the DAW I'm going to stick with for now. Really a nice program, and love their forward thinking pricing structure.
Just fiddling with it so far; but hopefully I'll kick myself in the and actually really get going on it


But again, thanks for all the helpful information.