Entries Tagged 'free stuff' ↓

Michael suggested I put together a list of free online resources for SONAR users. So without further ado…

Cakewalk.com: SONAR Support

• This is the official site for SONAR technical support. It features solutions for common issues, tips, downloads, recommended books and more.

SONAR Wiki

• A comprehensive wiki dedicated to SONAR!

Sound on Sound Magazine: Sonar Notes

• Access to the most recent articles is limited to paid subscribers, but most older articles are available for free online. Their website contains archives going all the way back to 2002 – useful if you’re working with an older version of SONAR.

CakewalkNet: The Ultimate SONAR Users Website

• Features news, articles, tutorials, tips, downloads, and other free resources for SONAR users.

CakewalkSoftware on YouTube

• Search for “SONAR” in CakewalkSoftware’s videos to find dozens of short video tutorials for SONAR.

SONAR Flash Tutorials by Digital Music Doctor

• Eight free flash tutorials about mixing, mastering, using AudioSnap, MIDI editing, using Rewire and soft synths, and the Session Drummer in SONAR 6.

Know of any good SONAR resources I missed? Let me know! -kf

triple j Unearthed is a gem of a website from Australia. Not content to simply feature terrific new artists from down under, they also offer a free 3-page PDF primer on DIY recording. Three pages is admittedly just a very basic intro to do-it-yourself recording, but it’s surprisingly useful if you’re just getting started. Their mixing tips are bang on.

The British go one step further. BBC Radio 1 offers a few more comprehensive guides to home recording. Their How to… recording guides cover everything from choosing the right music software to selecting tracks for a demo. Their primer on home recording even has advice on what to look for when buying equipment, whether buying new or second-hand. They also give some great advice on buying from overseas.

Here in Canada, I like Exclaim! magazine’s Where I Play section, which gives an inside peek into the home studios of musicians from across Canada—from Ninja Tune heavyweight Amon Tobin’s “mountain of digital and analog gear” to avant-garde musician Jesse Zubot’s “chaotic mess of wires, cords and blinking electronics.” It’s fun inspiration for any recording musician. -kf

Audio recording software such as Logic, Cubase and Pro Tools are powerful tools; trouble is, they’re expensive. Stuck with a low or nonexistent budget? Consider one of the free open-source and other inexpensive programs that are available.

Free open-source programs

First of all, let’s define what we mean by “free” and “open-source.” Free software is not necessarily software available at zero price (although it often is). Free software is defined in terms of giving the user freedom. This includes the freedom to copy a program and redistribute it to your friends and neighbours to use (something the makers of commercial proprietary software typically frown on, oddly enough). Open-source software also means users are free to use, change, and improve the source code. This means that development of open-source software typically happens in a public, collaborative manner.

Open-source has its drawbacks. Since no one is technically responsible for open-source software, there’s no guarantee a bug will be fixed. And don’t count on finding a 1-800 number for technical support; you’re on your own. However, if you’re technically-minded and willing to tap into the growing online communities of open-source software users and developers for support, free and open-source audio recording software might be for you.

Here are some of the options that are available:

Audacity (Mac OS X, Windows, Linux)
Audacity is a free and open-source digital audio editor. It can run on Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux. It’s easy to use, and especially popular among podcasters. You can see a list of its features here. The Audacity website lists a number of helpful tutorials; there’s also an Audacity Wiki and other step-by-step tutorials available online.

Rosegarden (Linux)
Rosegarden is an audio application that includes audio mixing plugins, a notation editor, and a MIDI matrix editor. Sound on Sound calls it “the closest native equivalent to Cubase for Linux.” Free documentation, tutorials and other helpful resources are available here; there’s also a free Rosegarden Companion.

MusE (Linux)
MusE is a MIDI/audio sequencer with recording and editing capabilities. According to its website, “MusE aims to be a complete multitrack virtual studio for Linux!” There’s an online FAQ and documentation.

Brahms (Linux)
Brahms is a fully-featured midi sequencer, notation system and music laboratory with excellent score features. Development has been very sparse lately though; the last update seems to have been about five years ago.

JAZZ++ (Windows, Linux)
JAZZ++ is fully-featured audio-capable MIDI sequencer for Linux and Windows. It too hasn’t been updated for a very long time though.

Low-cost alternatives to pro audio software

These applications aren’t free open-source, but they’re very inexpensive alternatives to expensive professional audio software. When all you need is a digital equivalent to a tape recorder, buying Pro Tools is like buying a Hummer just to drive to the corner store. While some of these programs are very basic, some offer a lot more features and functionality than you’d expect.

Anvil Studio (Windows)
Anvil Studio is a multi-track audio and MIDI sequencer with a very basic user interface. The free version will let you create an unlimited number of MIDI tracks, and a one-minute audio track. You’ll need to buy the $19 USD Multi-Audio accessory to record up to eight 60-minute audio tracks.

LUNA (Mac OS X, Windows)
LUNA is an ultra-light music application. It doesn’t have a complex feature set, but it’s an easy-to-use and rock-solid musical tool. There are two versions of LUNA: LUNA Free and LUNA Unlimited. LUNA Free is free (duh!); LUNA Unlimited (€29 EUR) supports an unlimited number of VSTis and mixer strips.

Quartz (Windows)
Quartz Studio is a line of simple multitrack digital recorders. Quartz Studio Free is the free version (limited to 4 simultaneous audio tracks); you can upgrade to Quartz Studio (8 tracks - $19 USD) or Quartz Studio Pro (16 tracks - $29 USD). Quartz Audio is a fully integrated digital mixer, recorder, sound and time line editor which also comes in various configurations to accomodate your needs and budget. Quartz Audio Master also includes a MIDI sequencer; there’s a free (4 audio track, 16 MIDI track) version available, along with some inexpensive 16, 32, and 128 audio track versions.

KRISTAL (Windows)
KRISTAL Audio Engine is a powerful multi-track recorder, audio sequencer and mixer. It’s designed as a modular system. The main application provides a mixing console; the audio sequencer, live audio input, etc. are loaded as separate plugins. KRISTAL is free for “personal, educational and non-commercial use.” A KRISTAL single-user license for commercial use will set you back around €25 EUR.

n-Track Studio (Windows)
n-Track Studio is multitrack audio recording software that lets you record, edit, overdub your audio tracks, apply effects, process audio live input, mix and then burn audio CDs or create mp3 files. The standard version costs $54 USD. There’s also a 24-bit version that costs $79 USD.

REAPER (Windows)
REAPER is a powerful Windows application for multitrack recording and editing of audio. It has a flexible but easy to use interface. Sound on Sound recently praised REAPER’s “remarkable flexibility, advanced feature set and responsive development team” in a June 2007 review. You can download REAPER without technological limitations for evaluation purposes. Once you’ve evaluated REAPER, you should purchase a license. A non-commercial license will cost you around $40 USD; a commercial license costs around $200 USD.

Of course one program I haven’t mentioned here is GarageBand (Mac OS X) which comes free with every new Mac. Sometimes hardware comes bundled with free versions of commercial proprietary software; for example, our MOTU 828 interface came with AudioDesk, a basic audio-only version of Digital Performer.

The moral of this tale is: don’t let the high price of DAW software stop you from creating music. There are lots of low-cost options available that won’t break the bank! (Now, if only someone would make a free open-source microphone…!) -kf

There are lots of great plugins out there that can add functionality and sonic enhancements to your DAW. Plugin bundles from Waves, Nomad Factory and many others start at a few hundred dollars and continue upwards to the thousands.

But great plugins don’t have to cost a lot. Here are seven free plugins I find useful on a day to day basis. All are available in VST and AudioUnits (AU). Don’t let the price fool you – these are all serious pro audio tools!

1. Solid State Logic LMC-1 – This is a free compressor from SSL that was modeled on the compression circuit originally designed to prevent overloading the return feed from a studio communications mic. SSL claims the LMC-1 is “the secret weapon in many producers’ sonic arsenal of recording techniques,” and it’s no exaggeration. Its fixed attach and release curves make it perfect to use on ambient drums mics.
2. Digital Fish Phones Fish Fillets Bundle – This bundle from Digital Fish Phones consists of a compressor, de-esser and expander/gate. Blockfish is a compressor with “soul;” it’s a great tool once you’ve learned how to use it. Spitfish is an easy-to-use de-esser for mono or stereo vocal tracks. And Floorfish is a simple expander/gate that’s easy to set up and manages everything from slight expansion to extreme gating effects. I find I reach for these before many other plugins I actually paid for.
3. Nomad Factory Free Bundle – A trio of useful effects plugins, consisting of the Nomad-Phaser, the Nomad-Sweeper, and the Nomad-Tremolo. Discontinued, but still available.
4. iZotope Vinyl – This vinyl simulator plugin uses 64-bit processing and advanced filtering, modelling and resampling to simulate audio being played on a record player.
5. CamelCrusher – This is a free “colouring” multi-effect (distortion, compressor and filter) plugin that offers two characteristically different distortion sounds. Blend these together to create a variety of tones and textures. Especially good on guitars and drums.
6. Magnus’ Ambience – This reverb seriously rivals the quality of some of the best commercial reverbs.
7. RNDigital Inspector – This plugin doesn’t change your sound, it lets you see it. Inspector is an audio analysis tool that can help you get a full picture of your audio. Includes a spectrum analyzer, a balance meter, and peak and RMS meters with customizable caution and warning zones.

There are literally hundreds more free plugins available from big companies and independent developers. The sites listed below are great places to start if you’re looking to take your sonic pallette beyond your DAW’s built-in plugins:

• The Ultimate List of Free VST plugins is exactly what it says.
• www.dontcrack.com also has an extensive list of plugins available free of charge.
• www.databaseaudio.co.uk has a very comprehensive list of free plugins. -mc

We’ve been getting a lot of requests recently for Cubase tips and techniques. Video tutorials are a great way to learn, and there are a lot of free ones available online. Here are 53 free online video and flash tutorials for Cubase SX3 and Cubase 4.

If you’re using another version of Cubase (such as Cubase LE, Cubase SE, or Cubase SL) most of the core concepts still apply. Though some functions may not be available in your version, you can still learn a lot by checking out these tutorials.

Links to the videos will open up in a new window or tab in your browser. All content belongs to the respective copyright owner; please support them by visiting their websites (links provided where known).

Cubase SX3

Beginner Level Cubase SX3 Tutorials (from MusicPro Guides)

• Adding virtual instruments, audio and MIDI tracks (~6 min)
• Layering and building up arrangements with multiple instruments (~5 min)
• Creating loops with cycle recording (~6 min)

Cubase SX3 Tutorials (from grooveboxmusic.com)

• Overview of track types (~6 min)
• Setting up and recording audio (~4 min)
• Organizing your session with markers (~9 min)

Ten Cubase SX3 Flash Tutorials (~45 min total) (from Auxbuss Publications)

• Use the menu on the left hand side to access ten flash tutorials about MIDI multitracking, VSTi connections, processing audio, automation in detail, dragging events in the logical editor, and audio objects.

…and two more:

• Sidechaining: How to create sidechaining for use with compression or gate effects in Cubase SX3 (~3 min)
• Vocal comping and lanes (~11 min) (from ASK Video)

Cubase 4

Eight Cubase 4 Flash Tutorials (~20 min total) (from Digital Music Doctor)

• Eight flash tutorials about mixing, mastering, using Audio Warp, MIDI editing, using Rewire and soft synths, and the score editor in Cubase 4.

Twenty Four Cubase 4 Video Guides (from SteinbergUsers.com)

• 24 free flash tutorials for Cubase 4 covering FX sends in Cubase, using foldertracks, offline processing, the play order track, studio manager, rendering VST instrument tracks, using notation in Cubase, MIDI devices, external FX integration, audio setup, beat calculator, stacked recording, inplace MIDI editing, using Twiddly.Bits in Cubase, Audiowarp, edit history, MIDI setup, workspaces, Audiowarp hitpoints, crossfades, film score with Cubase, and Timewarp.

…and finally three more for good measure:

• Cubase Installation Tips: Audio and midi device setup in Cubase 4 (~7 min)
• Cubase Project Setup: Setting up a new project and creating basic connections between Cubase 4 and your audio interface (~9 min)
• Cubase Recording Overview: Basic steps for recording audio and midi in Cubase 4 (~9 min)

If you have any favourite free online video tutorials for Cubase that aren’t listed here, please let me know about them. -kf

When you send your music out into the digital world you want it to sound as good as possible. Although there any many digital formats available to distribute your music, none are as ubiquitous as the so-called “inferior” MP3. Newer formats include Apple’s AAC (as used in iTunes) and Microsoft’s WMA files. Both create better sounding files at smaller sizes, but you can’t play a WMA file on an iPod, or an AAC on a Zune. This is where LAME comes in.

LAME is not an MP3 encoder itself, but the “back end” of the encoding system. From the LAME website:

LAME is an educational tool to be used for learning about MP3 encoding. The goal of the LAME project is to use the open source model to improve the psycho acoustics, noise shaping and speed of MP3. LAME is not for everyone – it is distributed as source code only and requires the ability to use a C compiler.

Blah, blah, blah… You don’t have to be programmer to reap the rewards that LAME encoding can bring to your MP3s. There are many free open source applications for Windows and Mac OS that use the LAME engine. There are also many commercial products that use LAME. Find a list of applications that use LAME here.

I use LameBrain. It hasn’t been updated since 2003, and it never made it to version 1 (I’ve got version 0.6.2b3) but it makes noticeably better sounding MP3s than iTunes. (And the app icon is an image of Skeletor, so it makes me feel powerful and sinister.) Not everyone has an iPod, and Windows Media Player isn’t available for Mac, so MP3 is still the best option for mass digital distribution. And using a LAME MP3 encoder is the best way to get the most out of this “old” format. -mc