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[Using your PC for recording]

Using your PC for Recording !

Used to be PC's were slower, and the software that could turn your PC into a recording studio was pretty expensive and frankley pretty complicated. It was an investment that required a farily steep learning curve to master to the fullest capabilities of the software and you were dealing with computers that were at best sluggish as more and more tracks were added and...

NOT ANY MORE !

There is a host of new software coming out right now that tries to emulate a 4 track tape deck in the way that it's used, and the results can be very cool ! For example, Cakewalk company has a product called "Guitar Tracks", and is now announcing "Guitar Tracks 2" an even simpler version !

Using your PC gives you a great new outlook on your capabilities, and allows you do to things that are almost impossible with tape. Also, the software includes some very cool "stompboxes" that you can dial up and use just as if you had them hooked in line to your guitar !

We're talking about a retail price of $49.00 !!!!!

The following is from the Cakewalk site...

Cakewalk Announces Guitar Tracks 2
  • Redesigned Interface Provides More Intuitive Multitrack
  • Tape Deck Controls for Recording, Mixing and Editing

LOS ANGELES, CA (May 11, 2000)-Cakewalk, the leading provider of music and sound software for Windows, today announced Guitar Tracks 2, the latest edition of its popular eight-track digital audio recording and mixing software for Windows. Due to ship June 26, 2000, Guitar Tracks works with any electric guitar, as well as with any other instrument or microphone connected to a standard Windows sound card.  It has an estimated retail price of $49.00 U.S.

With Guitar Tracks 2, the user interface has been completely redesigned to provide guitar players with a more intuitive "portable studio" recording and mixing experience. So now any guitar player, singer, or songwriter that has used a portable tape deck or cassette-based multitrack recorder can be up and recording with Guitar Tracks in minutes.

Beyond the redesigned recording and mixing console, Guitar Tracks 2 now integrates multitrack digital audio editing in a simplified, eight-track editing view for cutting, copying, and pasting audio sections quickly and efficiently.

"We had tremendous success with the first release of Guitar Tracks," commented Michael Hoover, product manager for Cakewalk. "Our goal was to provide guitar players and songwriters with a simple, flexible tool for quickly recording, editing and mixing multiple tracks of digital audio on a PC. And with Guitar Tracks 2 we’ve taken this concept even further. Anyone who has ever recorded with a portable studio or multitrack tape deck will immediately know how to use Guitar Tracks."

New Feature Highlights for Guitar Tracks 2

  • Redesigned stereo eight-track recording and real-time mixing console, providing guitar players with a more intuitive recording and songwriting experience;

  • Integrated audio editing view for performing multitrack audio edits like cut, copy, paste; also provides volume and pan envelopes, audio scrubbing, and other tools;

  • Master panel for easy access to global track operations, including Record, Play, Fast-Forward, Rewind, Loop Record/Playback, and Auto-Punch Record;

  • Mini-Track Overview display provides scrolling window of all audio tracks while the user is working with real-time mixing controls;

  • Enhanced Playback/Record track meters;

  • Track Bounce command for combining any of the eight available audio tracks to free up new space; provides user with an unlimited number of virtual audio tracks for recording and playback;

  • WavePipe © audio processing technology for responsive, no-latency audio playback and mixing on standard Windows sound cards;

  • New library of over 100 drum patterns for use with the included
    Drag-and-Drop Drummer Lite™ utility;

  • Trial version of the industry-leading Fraunhofer MP3 encoder for Internet delivery; also exports to RealSystem G2 and Windows Media formats.

    • Like its predecessor, Guitar Tracks 2 plays back up to eight simultaneous tracks of digital audio, and allows users to mix tracks in real-time with up to eight simultaneous effects. Guitar Tracks also supports industry-standard DirectX audio plug-ins, for adding hundreds of available third-party effects as needed.

    Additional Guitar Tracks Features

    • Works with any electric guitar, microphone or instrument connected to a standard Windows sound card;

    • Records and plays back up to eight simultaneous stereo tracks of CD-quality digital audio;

    • Real-time, non-destructive stereo effects including parametric and graphic EQ, chorus, reverb, delay, and flange;

    • Includes AmpSim Lite DirectX plug-in for simulating vintage amplifier sound on digital audio tracks;

    • Allows user to expand system with more DirectX plug-ins as needed (sold separately);

    • Drag-and-drop editing of audio tracks;

    • Allows user to tune up quickly with the built-in chromatic tuner;

    • Provides audio mixdown to stereo WAV files for burning to audio CDs;

    • Drag-and-Drop Drummer™ Lite for creating high-quality drum tracks quickly;

    • SlowBlast™ utility for practicing guitar licks from any audio CD; allows user to loop and slow down music without changing the original pitch.

    Pricing and Availability

    Guitar Tracks 2 will be available June 26, 2000, and has an estimated retail price of $49.00 U.S. It includes a trial version of the industry-leading Fraunhofer MP3 encoder; users can purchase a full version of the professional Fraunhofer MP3 encoder for $25.00 on the Cakewalk Web site.

    I mean, what else can you ask for ???

    Think about this ! You can run your guitar directly into your PC, turn on the drummer included with the software, select an amp to use, dial in your effects (distortion,flange whatever), record a track in stereo, do a solo, make it run in reverse, add bass and other instruments, "bouce" (digitally not like on a tape deck where you start to loose definition), add more tracks, add midi tracks(if you desire), mix to stereo, create an MP3 or a wav file, burn a CD and give it to your friends, and ALL THIS FROM A $49 piece of software from one of the most respected names in the business !!!!

    AND ALL YOU NEED IS A REGULAR SOUNDCARD, A 1/2 DECENT PC, and the GUITAR you already own !!

    I'll tell you what...I have about $3000 worth of gear to allow me to do all this, and I have just ordered the package from Cakewalk and will be reporting back to you. If this sucker does what it says, I will NOT tell my wife !! She'll SHOOT ME !!!!!

    Seriously...this is a guitar players dream, and I would definitely go up to Cakewalk.com and check out the pictures of the software screens and the additional information they have up there.

    The Cakewalk Pro-audio line of software (currently up to version 9), allows you to do even more then this, but if I were you, I would definitely consider the Guitar Tracks version as your 1st stab at digital recording.

    You might never turn on your mulit-tracker again :-(

    HAPPY RECORDING !