Building a Home Studio Part VI (It all finally comes together)

Finally, not only is all the hardware in place, all of the software is in place too. Let's take a look at what I'm using.

The Goal

Let's quickly review my goals in putting together this studio.

Inexpensive
I cut corners a lot, and could've probably done things even cheaper than I did, but "live and learn."
ProTools Compatability
I know a lot of people with ProTools, including a nearby studio where I can record drums. While ProTools sessions can be imported into other audio suites, I figured I'd go for complete compatability out of the box so I can trade files with my friends easily.
Sequenced Audio and Live Audio
I wanted to be able to do sequenced and "live" audio both live with as little latency as possible.

The Finish Line

As I already mentioned, I built a computer, bought a Digi001, got a keyboard and speakers. But the question remained. How am I going to combine live and sequenced audio? The answer came to me in the form of Reason and Cubase.

Reason is great for sequenced audio. I'm sure there are other excellent products out there, but I stumbled on to Reason - a friend of mine was using it and I heard what he was able to do in a matter of hours and was blown away the the ease and quality of his work. When I say "in a matter of hours" I mean he bought it and the next day had a complete song laid down.

Reason, via ReWire works in real-time with audio editing suites such as Cubase. Now the latest Cubase (SX) doesn't support Win9x, so I started asking around about options, and another friend of mine turned me on to Cubase VST 5x. It's the previous version of Cubase and no longer available, but no fear, eBay had it for under $200.

So two nights ago, for the first time, I was able to run live audio and sequenced audio, editing both at the same time. I could lay down drum tracks using my keyboard at the same time someone else was playing guitar and singing. It was sweet.

So for me the right combination was the Digi001, Cubase VST, and Reason, all on Windows 9x. If ProTools compatability isn't important for you, you can save money by buying something like the Edirol UA-5 or M-Audio Duo.

Equipment Breakdown