This is a nice video that gives you a walk-through of the functions of the MBox 2, Digidesign's portable Pro Tools LE recording interface, From the Hal Leonard released DVD, Pro Tools LE 7 - Beginning Level.

The Mbox 2 lists for around $350 and is a USB-powered studio in a box that will work with Windows XP or Mac OS X. Pro Tools LE offers 32 tracks of simultaneous recording and playback, 128 virtual tracks, 256 MIDI tracks and tons of other features.

The Mbox 2 includes Pro Tools LE software, 37 DigiRack plug-ins, Pro Tools Ignition Pack, and 7 Bomb Factory plug-ins. Plug-ins like Moogerfooger Analog Delay, Joemeek SC2 Photo Optical Compressor, Joemeek VC5 Meequalizer, Cosmonaut Voice, and Digidesign Maxim.

The Mbox 2 has 4 simultaneous inputs and outputs, 2 analog inputs (XLR, 1/4",and DI jacks) and two analog outputs (1/4" jacks), phantom power, 24-bit/48kHz audio, MIDI in/out, Zero-latency monitoring and is 100% USB powered.

The Mbox 2 is a nice little addition to any home studio and a great way to experience Pro Tools LE for an affordable price.

This is a nice video that shows you how to fatten up your guitar tracks in Pro Tools. This was produced by Berklee Music. They show you whow to double tracks and add layers of compression in Pro Tools.

I found this nice little video tutorial. It's a two and a half minute overview of SONAR Home Studio 6. They cover the interface, and a run down of some of the features and views. It's pretty quick, nothing groundbreaking. It gives you a good idea of what to expect from the interface.

It's finally becoming clear to me that it's the end of the line for my Pro Tools Digi001. The popular card and rack combination which got many ProTools users started on the ProTools ladder has been discontinued.

The Digi001's future was already in doubt when Digi announced it was not compatible with the new Apple G5 due to its 5v PCI power requirements.  read more »

TC Helicon has created Harmony4, for guys like me, who aren't the greatest vocalist on the planet. Harmony parts can make or break a song. This program allows you to create great harmony parts during mixing.

It has MIDI controlled and auto control and includes humanization features and pitch detection. Harmony4 creates convincing virtual harmony tracks from a single vocal. Also, includes special effects. The harmony parts can sound like the original singer or 4 different singers. With individual gender and vibrato.  read more »

Free drum loops and samples, yep. If you're recording digitally in your home studio, some day you're going to be playing with samples or drum loops. You can do a lot of really creative and fun stuff.

Here are a few sites that offer free drum loops and samples:

Cutterz Choice
Devine Machine  read more »

People do some amazing things with Microsoft Office. People do some amazing things with computers. This guy built a drum machine using Microsoft Excel. Excel!

The other great thing about this drum machine is it is controlled by your keyboard or a video game joystick. He says SNES is the most compatible. Good times!  read more »

One piece of software that I use all of the time is Sound Forge. It's come a long way since 4.5, which is what I still use. I like living in the past.

Sound Forge is great when you have a final mix that you want to add effects to, or fade the entire song out, or just cut and paste something to the final song.  They even used Sound Forge when I was an intern at a recording studio.  read more »

Digidesign announced on Friday the release of Pro Tools 7, a new version of the company’s digital audio workstation software. According to Digidesign, Pro Tools 7 offers significantly expanded MIDI and audio recording and editing capabilities, greater mixing power and flexibility, enhanced efficiency and improved ease of use.  read more »

• More Compositional Tools
• Tweaking Encouraged
• Greater Mixing Power and Flexibility
• Even Easier to Use
• Unique Hardware Options

I really enjoy using Pro Tools. It has been a great addition to my home studio. But, did you know you can get Pro Tools for free? Yup. Digidesign has a special version of Pro Tools that they are just giving away to guys like us.

If you have never tried Pro Tools, you need to download the free version and give it a try. It's not quite the full blown version, but hell...it's free. For some home studios 8 tracks is an upgrade.

The free version includes:  read more »

Since I've posted a list of VST Plugins, I feel it's my responsibility to also post a list of software that will work with said plugins. Any of this software would be a fine addition to your home studio.

So, without further ado, here is a list of some software that will support VST plugins. As usual, I'm sure there are a ton that I've overlooked, if you know of any others please post them here.

Steinberg Cubase, Nuendo & WaveLab  read more »

Fasoft n-Track Studio is something to consider if you want inexpensive recording software.

Way back when, when I was just weened off of my old Tascam 4 track. I discovered a little piece of software called n-Track Studio. At the time, n-Track was only like $30 something dollars. Which is an amazing price. Considering all the other mid-range music production software programs like Magix Music Studio, Cakewalk, Steinberg Cubase, etc. were going for quite a bit more. Thirty bucks was a steal.  read more »

Guitar Pro 4 is a cool little program! I wish I would have had this when I was about fifteen.

Since I am a guitar player and a computer geek, I am always trying out different recording and audio software. I stumbled across one that really impressed me. It's called Guitar Pro 4.  read more »