Home printing projects are a fun way for you and your family to express creativity while creating functional and professional-looking documents. There are many different printing software programs available that can assist you with this. Most programs offer a number of tools and templates to help you format and print out personalized business cards and stationery, birthday and other celebratory cards, and "thank you" letters. There are a few tips that can help your decide what software to buy for home printing.
Print Shop Deluxe
Print Shop Deluxe is published by Broderbund, and -- according to TopTenReviews.com -- it is the No. 1 creative printing software on the market. In addition to letting you create projects using its editing tools and some 21,000 preloaded templates, the software also allows you to publish your projects onto a website or send them in an e-mail or online message. According to TopTenReviews.com, Print Shop Deluxe is also equipped with a quality enhancer that can sharpen the details of your project's graphics, photos, and text. The software's cost started at $35.99 as of December 2009.
PrintMaster Platinum
PrintMaster Platinum is another creative printing software producut published by Broderbund, and is also a strong choice for home printing projects. While providing fewer templates than Print Shop Deluxe with 17,000, PrintMaster Plantimun is especially well-suited to creating greeting and celebratory cards, and boasts a huge library of preloaded images that you can incorporate into your projects . The software's cost started at $34.95 as of December 2009.
Print Artist Platinum
Published by Nova Development, Print Artist Platinum is another choice. According to TopTenReviews.com, Print Artist Platinum offers a number of project options that most comparable printing software programs do not, such as the ability to print on T-shirts and other fabrics. However, the software provides fewer templates than those mentioned above (15,000), and is more expensive, starting at $49.95 as of December 2009.
Less Expensive Alternatives
For their price, Value Soft's Print Workshop and IMSI's QuickStart Print Studio Pro are also good software options for home printing projects. Both software programs offer basic editing, formatting and printing options, such as creating greeting and business cards. Print Workshop, which started at just $6.69 as of December 2009, provides 20,000 preloaded templates, which is more than many of the more expensive creative printing software programs offer. QuickStart Print Studio Pro started at $7.20 as of December 2009, but only provides 2,000 templates.
Having a piano set up in a studio for recording involves more than just hooking it up to a computer (through microphone or MIDI cable). Equally important is loading the correct software on the computer. There are a number of different programs that cater to different needs of a recording artists, so having the ideas of what the end result will be is vital before making a decision.
Finale
Finale is a notation software that is popular with both amateur and professional composers. There are a good number of powerful features within the program that can be used with a keyboard. Most prominent is the ability to compose with it. When directly connected to a computer through a MIDI interface, Finale has the ability to transcribe what is played in the piano into notes. This feature is best used for composers and people who wish to print and distribute sheet music. It is not a good replacement for an audio playback device.
Sebelius
Sebelius is another notation program. Along with Finale, the two are the dominant software choices in the field. Sebelius can transcribe notes played on a MIDI connected piano into sheet music, and also allows for music composed in the program to be synced up to video using a plug-in contained within the program. Again, although it can handle playback and has embedding instruments that sound realistic for a MIDI-powered program, it is a weak choice for pure audio recording.
GarageBand
Apple's popular digital audio recording software that comes standard with the iLife suite has been a mainstay for amateur musicians since its debut. It has a very easy-to-use interface that can handle both MIDI input as well as recorded audio for pianos. The number of filters included in the program allows for a wide variety of effects to be employed to change the sound of the piano.
Pro Tools
The professional industry standard of recording is Pro Tools. It is used in many studios, although to learn it on a basic level is possible without too much effort and manual reading. The power in Pro Tools comes from the enormous scope it has in recording, which includes filters, effects, editing tools, mastering and a large library of plug-ins. For a professional sounding recording, Pro Tools gives great leverage and room for creativity.
Logic
Logic is a professional-level recording program for Macintosh computers. It can handle MIDI as well as raw audio input. It has a similar interface to GarageBand (the two in fact use the same engine); however, it contains many more features and is commensurate with Pro Tools in terms of complexity and power. It can record piano and layer on effects to create a unique sound. It also has a large library of loops, which may come in handy when recording contemporary pop or hip hop music.
Serious musicians dream of having their own private recording studio. Due to obvious financial constraints, most end up with music production software on their computer. Given the uniqueness of one person's music to another, different musicians need different tools and techniques to be able to record at home the way they want. Obtaining the right software is just the first step.
Purpose
One important question to answer is what your goal with using the music production software is. The capabilities of music production programs varies given your budget, whether you want professional-quality or simply home demos and whether you want a program that facilitates playing live in front of an audience.
In terms of price on the bottom end there is Apple's Garageband comes bundled with any new Mac computer and Orion for only $75. For free, open-source programs there is Audacity and Rosegarden, both of which have more limited features than Garageband.
Mid-range programs include Reason at $300 and the light versions of Cubase and Logic at $200 each.
At the top end are the full versions of Cubase, Logic and Ableton Live which all retail for $500 and the full version Pro Tools for at least that much depending on which of the required accompanying hardware you get.
In terms of sound quality, professional musicians and producers typically use Pro Tools or the full versions of Logic, Ableton Live and Cubase. Reason's software instruments are commonly used, too.
Without any of the Jam Packs that bring additional loops and instruments, Garageband alone is not typically used by professional producers. Likewise Reason does not facilitate the recording of live instruments or voices, only software instruments restricting its usefulness.
That isn't to say that the lower-priced programs aren't ever used by professionals, as they can be combined with others to get maximum capability.
MIDI or Live?
A MIDI controller, which is to music production software what a Nintendo controller is to a Nintendo video game, is needed to use many of the features on any recording software.
MIDI is an abbreviation for musical instrument digital interface, and can be either hardware or software that send MIDI signals to interact with music production software. A typical example is MIDI keyboard that can be used to play software instruments.
While all music production programs use MIDI controllers, not all allow live recording such as Reason. So if this is something you're looking to do, make sure the program allows this.
Discounts
Logic, Ableton Live and Cubase all offer discounts on the full versions of their program for people already owning the light versions. While the light versions are available for purchasing, they often come bundled with MIDI controllers.
Combining Software
Instead of purchasing the more expensive programs, some mid-range and lower-priced music production programs can easily be combined with others, either directly as Reason's eWire Slave mode allows it to play simultaneously with numerous other programs or indirectly by taking clips of music recorded in one program and importing it into another.
Many programs also come with add-on software such as Garageband's Jam Packs or Ableton Live's software instruments.
Working with clips
The typical interface for recording is a sequencer arrangement, which shows clips as rectangles across linear slots representing the individual tracks.
One of the drawbacks of recording using this type of interface is unlike when recording on tape, changing tempo makes looping difficult. If you plan on changing tempo mid-song, consider a program that allows that such as Ableton Live or Logic.
There are several different audio and MIDI recording programs on the market. Most of them are good products. Some are better for MIDI sequencing and others are better for audio editing and recording.
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is the industry standard for audio and MIDI recording. The biggest flaw with Pro Tools is that it only works with Digidesign interfaces. An interface basically acts as a sound card for your computer, sending and receiving audio signals. The Digidesign interfaces are more expensive than other interfaces such as MOTU and Presonus. However, Pro Tools software comes free with most Digidesign products.
Cubase
Cubase is another audio and MIDI recording software program. It works with several different interfaces such as Presonus, MOTU, and M-Audio. It is also equipped with good MIDI samples. It is another very popular software program because it is very user friendly.
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition, also known as Cool Edit, also allows for audio and MIDI recording. The benefit to Audition is that, unlike Cubase and Pro Tools, it is also a mastering and CD-burning program. It works with most audio interfaces. It doesn't work as well as Cubase as far as MIDI sequencing, but it does have the capability.
What Is Audio and MIDI Software?
Good audio software will allow you to record and edit audio files such as WAV, AIFF, and MP3. Good MIDI sequencing is the process of playing through a keyboard and the software will record the notes, velocity and tempo that you play. The software will allow you to change the sound to various instruments.
Confirm that you are running a Windows operating system (98 or higher) with a full duplex soundcard and have at least 512 MB of free space on your hard drive. You will also need to have Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher on your computer to install n-Track.
Install Microsoft .Net runtime v2.0 if it's not already installed on your computer. If you're unsure as to whether or not you have it, rest assured that the n-Track setup will prompt you to download it if it's missing.
Purchase and download the n-Track home recording software from the FASoft website .
Locate the n-Track setup file, "ntrck_sw" on your computer and double-click on it. Accept and authorize the installation of the program. This may not be necessary with all operating systems.
Designate a destination folder to which the program should be installed. The n-Track installation creates a default folder called "C:\Program Files\FASoft\n-Track Studio," but if you prefer it to be in a different folder click on the "Browse" button and select the correct folder or create a new one.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete installation.
Select the n-Track Studio icon in the "Start" menu to begin using the program.
Download the current version of n-Track. Depending on the version of n-Track you are currently using, you may have to pay a slight upgrade fee.
Install the current version without uninstalling the previous version.
Manually register n-Track if the program doesn't automatically detect that it is already registered. Use the registration codes you received when you originally downloaded the program, and enter them in the "Help/Register" box.
Select "Start" on your Windows PC, then "Control Panel" and "Add/Remove Programs."
Locate the keystroke recording software on the software list (provided you know the name of the keylogging package that is installed) and uninstall it through the Add/Remove Programs utility. (You may need administrator access to your system to do this.)
Research unfamiliar entries using Google (or the search engine of your choice) if you do not know the name of the keystroke recording package you believe to be installed on your computer. Obviously, pay special attention to programs with names including the words "keystroke," "monitor," "record" or security- and safety-related phrases. However, it is not always that simple. Keystroke recording software may be deliberately misnamed so that it is harder for users to locate it in through Add/Remove Programs.
Determine if you are dealing with a sophisticated software package that installs itself "secretly." If you cannot locate the keystroke logging software through Add/Remove Programs, this is likely the case. You will have to edit your registry to disable the software. If you are unfamiliar with backing up, searching and editing your registry, find a knowledgable IT resource to assist you in locating and removing the registry entries for the keystroke logger. Incorrect registry editing can severely damage your system.
Reboot your system and run a full system scan using the anti-spyware and/or security software of your choice. Quality security software should be able to detect an unwanted keystroke recording program as a security threat and report it to you to with options to complete the software removal.
Review all the functions you'll need in your recording studio. Even the most basic software, including Sound Forge and Audacity, offers cut and paste capacity where you can move one track or audio blip to another point in the sequence.
Choose software that lets you use a MIDI device. That means you can connect an electronic keyboard, a guitar or other instrument to your computer and record songs and audio samples directly using your recording software.
Control pitch or tempo. Some recording software also functions as a pitch correction and can gloss over off-key notes or imperfections in a vocalist's performance and eliminate the need for retakes.
Mix your recordings with a software system. High-end software, like Cubase, ProTools and Cakewalk, allow you to mix multiple tracks with your desktop workstation instead of relying on a separate mixer. Anything you can do with an analog mixer you can do with software, like bussing and adding sound effects, such as wah-wah and flanger.
Organize sound loops if you want to build a song from various tracks or pull loops or sound effects from a music library. Add samples or sound loops from a song or from effects software like Cakewalk or Sony Media and transfer them to your mixing program to get the sound you want.