dnafe

have ya been here http://www.cambridge-mt.com/ms-mtk.htm

Seems an awful lot to pay for something that Reaper pretty well gives away for free.

If you're speaking to me it's Don...and no problems at my end...all is cool. The real thing the OP has to understand is there are no magic bullets, no quick fixes and no all in one solutions in audio. I was on a skype call this AM with a friend of mine...top level AE and we were discussing various ways to deal with certain audio tracks and it was interesting that in each case there were at least three ways to approach the problem so there is nothing written in stone.

Point made

From my limited personal experience I have yet to run across a spectrum analyzer being used as part of the daily routine of mixing and mastering. So we'll have to agree to disagree on that point but reserve the right to be wrong As for pointing out aberrations in an audio track, an experienced AE or ME would hear that in an instant so a spectrum analyzer would be redundant. I'm not suggesting they aren't used at all, I just think you might be giving them a little more importance than they are due. For someone new to audio they can be a great tool to identifying frequencies but in my opinion the human ear is far more discerning than a spectrum analyzer and once it's trained the need for a spectrum analyzer diminishes quickly.

I think analyzers are really good for giving you an visual representation of what that particular instrument or track is doing but I certainly wouldn't do any EQ-ing based on what I saw. You also have to be aware of whether it's the fundamental or a harmonic that needs to be treated or whether the overall timbre of the instrument is correct for a song. Sometimes just changing the instrument or the source i.e. DI or mic or mucking with compression can make a huge difference For example with a bass guitar - I had this one bass guitar that just wouldn't play nice...beautifully recorded, good timbre and well played but after futzing with it in various ways it just didn't sit well so I tried a little distortion on the upper harmonics and Bob's Your Uncle, that was what was needed. So I guess what I'm saying is use your ears, take the time to learn frequency ranges and how each effects individual instruments and you'll never need a spectrum analyzer. It's not hard, it just takes a little time

Well I'm going to buck the trend...being from the non-performing side of the glass, unless I'm totally familiar with the song and instrument / voice I'm about to record I will always have a compressor set up...most of the time it never even blinks but it's there just in case. Then there are times when an artist, (usually a singer) has less than adequate mic control and having a compressor there takes a lot of the wild swings in dynamics out of the equation. With that said for the most part the bulk of my compression is done after the fact.

Thanks for the compliment Rob BTW I have a final mix for you that's a bit more aggressive if you're interested...just need your email addy

DifferentRobot - I checked out your songs on Soundcloud and my only comment is the mixes are a little narrow. To give you an example of what I'm talking about, check out this track https://soundcloud.com/tmr-productions/mars-wide-a-b-c-justin-holness It's an A/B of a widened stereo backing track I did for a client....the only downside was losing the centre snare/clap to the sides but the client said he could live with it....with some radical treatment I might have been able to put the snare / clap back in the middle but time is money and the client had only so much to spend on his backing track Either way this is the kind of space you should be aiming for. Also you might try being a little more aggressive with your sounds in terms of EQ. just my $0.02 CAD

I think he's after better sounding instruments drums, amp sims, keyboards etc - apparently Studio One's full version has a larger assortment of VSTi to choose from and that might be the place to start but eventually good quality 3rd party VSTi plugins will find their way into the VST folder.

Excellent DAW if you're on a Mac.

Well Ableton is sort of a plugin (I think)...I've never used it in that context but I don't see why it couldn't be...especially if Studio One has rewire capabilities then I'm pretty sure you could patch it into your DAW if it isn't a plugin. I'll be researching this shortly but info is out there if you want to know ASAP I stand corrected..it is a DAW / Sequencer that would have to be routed to Studio One via rewire http://www.propellerheads.se/substance/rewirehelp/index.cfm?article=live0&fuseaction=get_article http://www.propellerheads.se/products/reason/index.cfm?fuseaction=get_article&article=rewire Once that's done it is essentially a plugin over many tracks

Well if you're looking for EDM stuff Ableton would be my choice...as for the learning curve its not that difficult...there are several very good tutorials at Groove3 and at Lynda.com. It looks intimidating but once you understand the work flow it's a cinch use. Seriously! Besides you already have a DAW in Studio One, why go for another?

Two different monsters really...one is more loop oriented with audio capabilities, the other a DAW with looping capabilities. That said when my new rig is up and running my second purchase will be Ableton the first being Komplete 9 and Steinberg's Halion.

Can't really go wrong with Mixcraft, but don't rule out Ableton which is a massively powerful program albeit slightly more than you want to spend. At least for the Standard version