Hi all.
Please be gentle with what I am sure are my bone-headed questions. I've been a professional and semi-pro musician for nearly 20 years, but this is all new to me.
Recently, I purchased a midi controller that allowed me to use Reason Adapted for M-Audio (the software came with my Mobile Pre). Here's the deal: I'm a guitar player, not a keyboard player, and even though I've spent a good bit of time in recording studios and around hard disk recording, most of this new-fangled sequencing software is quite new to me.
I understand what most of the bits in the "rack" do, but I have a few questions:
1) Is there somewhere I can go to get free (or cheap) instruments for Reason? I've looked around, and it seems like all I can find are bass tuners (
). If so, what, exactly, am I looking for? Audio units? Something else?
2) Can I construct a loop in Reason and make it playable in something like Garage Band?
3) Is it possible to use Reason (adapted) as multi-track recording software? I realize I can stretch out the length of the loop, and I'm fine if this is beating the program into submission. I'm just curious about whether this would be like using a hammer to drive a screw.
4) I can't seem to get the effects to do anything (the delay and the reverb unit, specifically). Is there something I'm missing?
5) Is there a way to designate a loop as "done" and simply use it as a single track in the mixer?
OK. On to the assorted questions:
Garage Band is neat and all, but it's frustrating (the interface is stupid, it crashes, etc). It's *nearly* fine for my needs (I rarely need more than 8-12 tracks for what I do—a drum loop, 2-3 guitars, 3-4 vox, keys, electric bass), but the limitations are maddening. So here it is:
I realized that GB is for consumers. Should I just pick up Logic Express? It *seems* more in line with what I need that GB, but does it have the same problems as GB? Lock up with a handful of real instrument tracks (I never record more than 2 inputs at once [usually just two lines from a single guitar, but occasionally guitar and vox])?
How is Logic Express? Same kind of loops as GB? Does is run better than GB? I'm interested in hearing impressions before I shell out $150 for it (faculty discount).
Thanks in advance!
Cheers
Scott
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