Mac: Yes
PC: Yes
Linux: Yes
Audio: Yes
MIDI: No
Virtual: No
Notation: No
Rewire: No
Plug-In: VST
Driver: Core Audio/WDM
Price: Free

Audacity is an open source (or free) DAW that functions only as a digital audio processor. It can record up to sixteen simultaneous tracks and has no limit to how many tracks can be added to a session. The functionality of audacity is simple yet powerful. It can import and export in most audio formats and is very simple to use. You basically hit the big record button at the top and it creates a new track and starts recording. Podcasters, interviewers and people producing their own audio books commonly use audacity. It is really the modern tape recorder. It is a simple way for the masses to be able to record and playback audio.

What Is an Audio Interface?

The term “audio interface” may sound technical and intimidating, but it’s essentially an extra powerful version of a computer sound card. It has two main functions: record audio signals into your computer and play audio from your computer. Okay, it gets slightly more complicated, but this is effectively all an audio interface is.

The vast majority of audio interfaces are external these days, connecting to your computer the same way you’d connect any other peripherals. Many audio interfaces connect via USB (most often USB-C), but you’ll also find interfaces that connect via Thunderbolt or Firewire.

While an audio interface is a single box, it contains multiple sections. Plug an XLR microphone into one of the XLR inputs and the signal heads to a built-in preamp. This is necessary because the level from a microphone is very quiet.

Audio Interface Driver

1. A software protocol designed to communicate between an audio interface or sound card (either external or internal) and the operating system controlling the computer.
2. A driver you install on your computer to be able to connect a specific audio interface.

Mac: Yes
Win: Yes
Linux: No
Audio: Yes
MIDI: Yes
Virtual: Yes
Notation: No
Rewire: Yes
Plug-In: VST
Driver: ASIO/Core Audio
Price: $21/month

Adobe Audition (formerly known as Cool Edit Pro) is now Adobe’s flagship audio program. Soundbooth was discontinued and merged into Audition in the summer of 2011 combining the control and quality of Audition with the streamlines interface and workflow of Soundbooth. Audition has always been popular with the broadcast market because the users of Cool Edit Pro simply continued with Audition. It has a main focus on audio editing, file transfer and audio cleanup while maintaining pristine quality and being reliable and robust. It is one of the few programs that switch back and forth between a single wav editor and multi-track audio mode. This is great for broadcast facilities focusing on one stereo or surround audio track. Another strength of Audition is that it has tight integration with Adobe Premier (video editing program). This makes it ideal for audio for post-production when Premier is used for video editing.Audition has traditionally been a digital audio program, but has progressed into a full DAW with MIDI editing and support of VST instruments. It was also always a Windows only program, but has been recently rebuilt from the ground up (July of 2011) to work equally well for Windows and Mac and to be a more competitive force in the DAW market.

Bert Kaempfert
(born Berthold Heinrich Kämpfert; 16 October 1923 – 21 June 1980)
was a German orchestra leader, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, arranger, and composer.
He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records and wrote the music for a number of well-known songs, including “Strangers in the Night”, “Danke Schoen” and “Moon Over Naples”.

The BK-7m is powered by a state-of-the-art Roland sound engine, packed with over 1,000 great tones and dozens of drum and percussion kits. The module is able to handle 128 voices simultaneously, and is compatible with a variety of voicing formats, including GM2, GS, and XG Lite. Feed the BK-7m a quality Standard MIDI File, buckle up, and get ready for a great-sounding band. You can also use it as a high-quality sound module for a MIDI-compatible instrument such as a digital piano, V-Accordion, organ or guitar.

BK-7M Brochure

What is buffer size?

Buffer size is the number of samples (which corresponds to the amount of time) it takes for your computer to process any incoming audio signal. A higher buffer size will result in greater latency (delay), and the higher it is set (larger number), the more noticeable it will become. That means that if you set the buffer size lower (a smaller number), then the processing will take less time and the latency (delay that you hear) will be decreased, making it less noticeable.

However, reducing the buffer size will require your computer to use more resources to process the data. So, this is a balancing act: the smallest-number buffer size will be better, but it may tax your computer’s processing power, resulting in errors. If you have a less powerful computer, you’ll likely need to increase your buffer size, both while recording and mixing, to keep from encountering errors. Typically, you’ll want to use the smallest buffer size your computer will tolerate without getting errors.

CC is one of the types of messages included in the MIDI protocol and is used to extend the range of functionality of a MIDI message. For example, a keyboard pedal will be assigned a specific CC number to record and control a specific music parameter, like the level of Expression.

1. An audio interface driver protocol created by Apple.
2. Allows audio interfaces to connect to and be controlled by a computer.

Mac: Yes
Win: Yes
Linux: No
Audio: Yes
MIDI: Yes
Virtual: Yes
Notation: Yes
Rewire: Yes
Plug-In: VST
Driver: ASIO/Core Audio
Price: $549

Steinberg Cubase has been a player for a long time in the DAW game. Originally a MIDI sequencer program on the Atari computer in 1989, Cubase has evolved with the growth of computers to a full DAW that works on both Mac and Windows. Benchmarks and user opinion show that it is more efficient on Windows than Mac, but it is still well designed for both. Cubase has long fought the stigmatism of being a less than professional-quality DAW. The audio processing was at one time considered ‘less than professional’ until the Nuendo (Cubase’s older sibling) audio engine was incorporated into Cubase. Steinberg then decided to change the market’s perceived relationship between Cubase and Nuendo, formerly consumer – Cubase; and professional (Nuendo). The market has now been officially trained to differentiate between Cubase, a professional music and audio production DAW, and Nuendo, a professional audio for post-production DAW.

Cubase is a great option for any music production environment, from recording a band to creating electronic music. It comes with an expansive suite of plug-ins, production tools, and advanced features. One of Cubase’s great strengths is the VST (and VSTi for virtual instruments) plug-in format. This format is used by many other DAWs but was originally created by Steinberg. There are thousands of free and inexpensive plug-ins readily available all over the web, including VST plug-in creators. Steinberg also brought us the commonly used ASIO (audio driver format) and rewire (in conjunction with Propellerhead).