Just looking for some professional advice.

Recently bought some gear, one of the items was a Lexicon Alpha and it came with Cubase LE5. I am looking into music production and currently learning the ropes, I was just wondering if someone would be able to speak on the quality of this product, and if it can provide adequate/flexible mixing and mastering. Would there be any other software suites I can pick up that are of very good quality and not too expensive? Not only musical quality, but also solid UI's, utility, etc...

Any recommendations would be great, I have looked at ProTools 10 but the price is really steep. Hoping to get a good idea before I dive in.

http://www.lexiconpro.com/en-US/products/alpha

I'm not a big Steinberg fan so I'd suggest you check out http://www.reaper.fm for a full featured program that is well supported, reliable and won't break the bank.

James.

--------------------
JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

Welcome to the forum.

I don't know how limited Cubase LE is, but I'm sure you can do everything you might want to do on it for the time being. All music software (DAWs) these days will do the job, the only differences are appearance and workflow really.

I would give Cubase a go first, see how you get on with it. You can also give Reaper a go as it is free to download and demo for 30 days.

--------------------
http://soundcloud.com/richie-royale
http://www.mixcrate.com/richieroyale

Hi There.

Not had experience of the Alpha but I would say that its pretty difficult these days to buy an audio interface that actively sounds 'bad' so I would expect as a first product, its more than adequate to learn about gain structure, monitoring, latency, pre-amps, noise etc.

Re Cubase LE5 this is a cut down version of Steinberg's previous version of their flagship DAW for music production so again (current version is 6.5), its more than adequate as a first product.

In fact I would actively encourage you NOT to buy the full version of any sequencer when you start. As you have rightly pointed out something like Pro-tools 10 is expensive and there's no guarantee it will suit your preferred method of working. DAW's are a personal thing so only investing after trying several demo, light or cut down versions make perfect sense. The full versions also have loads more features which while useful are not essential to making music and therefore offers a much steeper learning curve, and may put you off altogether

I'd always be wary of people telling you, that you can't make music unless you have the best or most expensive gear. Experience and knowledge is far more important and you can get that from the setup you describe - If you gave me Chris Lord Alge's studio for a day and gave him mine - his output would still be be way better than mine!!

Personally the best bit of kit you can have when starting out is access to this website - there's plenty of helpful people on here that can help you start out!

Good luck...

Playing the devil's advocate here - are you going to feel good about yourself, are you going to feel like a pro, with anything installed on your computer that has "LE" in the title...? If you can, that's great! I'd sooner shoot myself. But that's just me.

I'm sure it's a decent enough product. Reaper is supposed to be good too. You'll undoubtedly want more than Cubase LE's two FX per channel sooner or later, so if you get into Reaper it could work out cheaper in the long run.

Best advice is to try anything you can get a demo for.
There are a ton of DAWs out there, any one of which might suit how your mind works.

I went through Sonar 3,5,6 and 8 before deciding Reaper was better in enough ways to start again from scratch.

--------------------
Me? But I`m such a loveable old bugger!

As an owner of Cubase LE4 I'd say that I am not particularly crazy about the customer support that I've received. Other apps that I have are a lot better in that department. Cubase overall sneer at such things as customer loyalty and service

--------------------
www.descentintomadness.com

Nothing you learn on your current software will be wasted. Most of what effects your sound recordings doesn't happen in the software it's more mics and environment. Midi, VSTi, synths, etc all the programmes have their own ways of doing things but the principle's the same.

If you accept that you'll have to learn a new way to do and old thing then you can swap easily from one to the other.

I use Reaper because it's very flexible, well designed, supported by developers and fellow users Pro and amateur and it's cheap to buy and maintain.

--------------------
Ohm's Law states, "Your PA isn't as powerful as you think it is".

Okay great, much thanks for the input!

It does slightly depend on what you're doing...If you're doing your own production at home, then I think any of the main packages have pros and cons. Reaper is certainly very good for the money if you're not sure. But if you're planning to record bands in studios then you're better off going for Pro Tools as it's pretty much ubiquitous in recording studios. Equally Logic is the software of choice for most dance music producers, and people doing composition. There are exception to these 'rules'. Lots of exceptions. But certainly some software is better suited to certain styles of working, and thus genres of music than others.

J

--------------------
www.jackruston.com

hi,

just to second the "pro-reaper" advice, i started using it about 1 year ago and have been totally impressed w/t quality for what is a value-priced product. i've used four or five different packages since my first in the mid-80s (voyetra sequencer plust gold), and used sonar for a decade because it was stable and i have a lot of old h/w that didn't work w/newer or fancier packages. what i look for is good drivers, low latency, a decent user i/f. i don't use a lot of plugins or VSTs so simpler is better for me, but Reaper seems to have very good support for these based on what others have reported in the forums.

cheers,

d

--------------------
"Patsy had the drug tolerance of Keith Richards and the moral rectitude of Brian Jones." - Dr. Walter Bishop, "Fringe"

I'm here to defend Cubase - nothing wrong with it (which is probably why I have no experience with customer support, come to think of it). I make electronic music and Cubase certainly isn't inferior to Logic anymore either sine they implemented side-chaining in version 4.

Some people have a natural affinity for a particular DAW. I suspect that most people have more experience with a particular DAW and mistake that for an affinity. I'd suggest that you try Cubase LE and Reaper to see if either one reaches out and grabs you. I don't know if you have other purchases that you need to make in the near future (midi keyboard, field recorder etc) but many of them will come bundled with cut down sequencer software similar to what you got with your interface. If you can get your hands on other free lite versions of different sequencers, you would do well to see if any of them particularly suits your work flow.

Once you have made a decision, you will be able to upgrade your cheapie of choice to the level you need to get serious about production. Decent savings are available there. If you really have a handle on new-toy-syndrome, you might be able to wait till your chosen software is on special and pick it up for a reaper-like price.

I wish I'd known that when I first brought Cubase. Even still, I have had a couple of times when the freebie-plus-upgrade path has been the cheapest way forward.

--------------------
"To upgrade a computer, physically hardwarewise, is easier than making a lego dog kennel." Tex