About 25 years ago I discovered the wonders of recording music.  The equipment was primitive by today’s standards.  I think my first recording at Music Man Studios in Wilsonville was done on a 4 Track Boss digital recorder.  I had entered a song writing contest and I won an award in the adult group with the original Foolin’ Around 

It wasn’t anything spectacular.  I had just picked up the guitar again after not touching it much while raising 3 kids for 20 years.   But now I was hooked.

Ever since I’ve struggled with the decision of the approach one should take on recording music.  Fundamentally, is your source of recording material hardware or software?  In the beginning I went with hardware and invested in an 8 track DAW from BOSS that worked pretty well, but I always wondered if that was the right decision.

Since then, the software technology has progressed beyond anything you can imagine.  Most professional studios use Pro Tools, which, to the home hobbyist can set you back about $600 or more to invest in.  It’s definitely the top of the line.  I could never justify the expense there, but I did try to get a free (limited) version of Pro Tools that came with an audio interface box I bought from M-Audio.  But that experience sucked the big one.  Licensing for the limited version was a hassle, including dongles and everything.  Finding drivers to work with the POS M-Audio box proved to be difficult.  Hours and hours wasted on this path.  All I can say is, don’t do it.

I’ve seen what Pro Tools can do.  In fact, I’ve had another original, Invisible Man recorded with Pro Tools, but it wasn’t at home, this was at a studio.  Amazing what it can do.

So I’d gotten wind of a relatively free Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) tool called Reaper that was in my price range, tried it out, and it worked pretty well.  I made several recording using it and they are on soundcloud.  Reaper set me back only $60.  Not bad.

Recently I got wind of Pro Logic.  For $200, you get the full enchilada.  As an Apple user I decided to go all in.  It rivals Pro Tools in many ways for 1/3 of the cost.  It has options that will take years to learn and master.  I’m in the process of doing a couple of recordings on Logic Pro at the moment, which I will release to soundcloud here soon.  But this program strikes as the 3 bears of DAW programs.  The one that is ‘just right’.