Can you suggest some useful recording software?
I will be posting an answer based on the responses below. Also see comments posted at the end of this Dandelion Report LJ entry.

Related FAQ:
How do I record a CD on a small budget?

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From "Mandelbear" on LJ:

"There's getting to be a lot of free software for recording and editing. We're using a program called Audacity which has a very simple interface and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The downside is that it's limited to recording two tracks at a time -- that's enough for most solo projects.

If you're willing to experiment with Linux, or already hooked on it, you need to visit the following three sites:

Sound and MIDI software for Linux -- the ultimate reference site for all Linux-based audio software.

Planet CCRMA -- everything you need to turn a RedHat or Fedora distribution into a recording studio.

The AGNULA Project -- A GNU/Linux Audio distribution -- funded by the European Commission and producers of a complete distribution called DeMuDi (Debian Music Distribution), which is what I'm using currently."

There is a ton of "useful" recording software - the question is, how much do you want it to do, and how much do you want to pay?

I'm a big fan of Sound Forge for the PC. It's a basic stereo recorder/editor - and they sell a $70 version.

If you want multi-track software, I like Sonic Foundry Vegas, but it's expensive and does a LOT that an inexperienced person would never use.

DigiDesign has available ProTools LE, a free version of the protools software for both Windows and Mac - it has track limitations, but is fairly full featured.

N-Track Studio is a nice piece of software, and is very full featured for around $35. You can even get a 24-bit version. It's shareware, so you get to use it before you buy.

Of course, most of my suggestions are PC based, since I am PC based. And these suggestions are the cheap stuff - you can spend upwards of $1000 for software packages if you so choose. :)

I recorded my first CD with Cubase's VST 32 for Macintosh. It was pretty good although sometimes a bit unstable, and I didn't have the version for Mac OS X.
I'm now using Apple/eMagic's Logic Audio and I like it a lot better.

Of course, these are pro software packages and as such can be a bit pricey. There are several pieces of software out there that are cheap or free, but I haven't used any of them myself.
Here's a good list:
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/mac/AUDIO_EDITORS/

I haven't worked with others, so I can't really offer comparisons, but I was reasonably happy with Cakewalk Home Studio... and am in the process of upgrading that to their pro product, Sonar.

Note that many publishers offer "competetive upgrades" (ie, they'll give you a discount if you want to move to their product from someone else's) as well as discounts for upgrading within their own line, so if you decide to try a different commercial product you may not be out your entire investment.

A PC really can give a traditional studio a run for its money these days. The limiting factors tend to be money (the multitrack recorder is reasonably priced, but "plug-ins" -- which serve the same function as additional pieces of equipment in a traditional studio -- can add up fast) and basic hardware capabilities. A moderate CPU may be plenty, but fast disks help. Obviously the quality of the recording depends on the quality of the signal coming in and quality of the hardware capturing it. And when doing the mix and mastering, a decent amp and serious speakers really do make a difference; you can't fine-tune differences you can't hear or that aren't presented well. The basic recording software, even something with a moderate pricetag like Sonar, may be the cheapest part of this setup.

I recently found a website which is a wonderful resource for the home recordist... and darn it, I've misplaced the URI. I'll try to dig it up and repost. Meanwhile, my "sound 101" pages are woefully incomplete and haven't been updated in entirely too long, and are biased toward reinforcement rather than recording, but there's some useful stuff there and pointers to a few other resources.

Found it:

http://www.marktaw.com/recording/HomeStudio/BuildaHomeStudiononaBudget/OverviewWhatDoyouNeed.html

This is a very useful overview of the options available within a hobbyist-to-amateur budget. It isn't complete by any means, but Mark did a wondeful job of explaining what the trade-offs are and making some suggestions for which items -- and combinations thereof -- he considered worth a closer look. You may not agree with him on everything, but there's a lot of good stuff here worth reading.

(BTW, the "related FAQ" link on this page is asking me for a password...?)

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