Gazebo

I am a cheapskate so up until recently used Kristal (free download) and free vst's only. A while ago bought Reaper and like ti very much, and have tried out Studio One (very good). All of them do the job for me as I use very few effects and no midi. Favourite vst's are: Classic Series - EQ, Limiter, Reverb Modern Series - EQ, Compressor Glaceverb - Reverb Simulanalog Guitar Suite (Fender Twin is very good) Greasetube - Amp Sim As I don't use midi, vsti's are a bit of a mystery, but I still haven't use more than 10% of the potential available in what I already use.

Would love to take part!

Still using Kristal, but have switched from Sonar LE to Reaper. Less crashes and glitches. Getting good results so far.

Boss ME-50 into a Peavey Transtube amp - covers all bases!

Cheryl, thanks for your advice. I don't like the idea of being reliant on tablets forever, so have spent some time looking up diet info, but sadly no curry, no caffeine, no tomatoes, no alcohol. That's not good, but I am aware that some foods affect me worse than others. I am almost relieved if it is just acid, though, as it is repairable. Thanks again - it is appreciated.

Update: Seen the doc today and have been told the following: 1) Likely cause is the combination of acid reflux and the cold, irritated by the coughing and singing. 2) I have been given some throat spray to take every 3 hours. 3) New prescription for acid suppressant pills. 4) Rest my voice for two weeks - no singing, no shouting. 5) Had some blood tests to rule out any other issues 6) Back for another check up in two weeks. You could be doctors!!!

Thanks to both of you. I am avoiding singing at the moment, because it's just not fun, but would hate to think this is permanent.

I had a cold about eight weeks ago, and still have a sore throat. When I sing my range and vloume is severely reduced and after a few minutes, particularly when singing higher notes, I start coughing. This used to happen before the illness sometimes, but only after a considerable time or when I put my voice under stress. To give you an idea, when I try and sing loud enough to cover the volume of my acoustic guitar I end up coughing and being unable to continue. I was diagnosed with acid reflux a few years ago, and changed my diet which kept things under control, but have been taking acid suppressants for the past two weeks in case this was the unbeknown root cause, but there has been no change. So my questions are: 1) Is there a risk I have damaged my voice permanently? 2) What can I do to help things get better? 3) Should I take some lessons? I am seeing my doctor on Monday about the soreness, but am genuinely concerned that my voice may never be as good again. Any opinions appreciated.

I've learnt that I've been way too precious about music for way too long. All people want is some tunes they know, and the quality of performance and integrity of the artist isn't top priority. Anyone fancy covering Barbie Girl with me?

I go transistor for a few reasons, all applicable to how I use the amp. 1) Normally playing at low volume, too low to get any valve break-up, so better tonal response at lower volume. 2) Reliability - too many posts on forums about replacing valves. 3) Lightweight -don't use my amp out much, but it's pretty light and easy to lug. BTW - noticing there is not much love for Peavey here, but I have a Peavey Transtube amp and have been really happy with it for four years. Straightforward, simple, no nonsense, but wide range of good tone on offer. Anyways, it's all about personal preference, but it goes from Fender-y to Marshall-y so it suits me perfectly.

Johnny - recording on a budget has never been simpler. My total budget for recording equipment over the last few years is as follows: Line 6 Toneport Guitar Recording Interface £45 EMU 202 Interface (better for vocals etc than the toneport) £110 Mic Stand £36 Non-name brand dynamic mic £36 Samson Condenser Mic £95 Laptop Speakers (not proper monitor speakers but easier better than using headphones and ok for mixing if you know your reference points) £50 Kristal DAW - Free download Cakewalk Sonar LE DAW -Bundled free with EMU interface Various VST Effects - all free downloads, or picked up from fee cd's with recording magazines. I started out with the Toneport, the dynamic mic, a cheaper mic stand and Kristal. So starting out point for me was less than £100. Even then, I still had a really wide sound palette available. Good luck in choosing you stuff. Doing it without huge cost is part of the challenge for me!

Positive Spin? Firstly, I think I am probably not alone on this site being someone who plays to escape from the other pressures of life, and I would guess that 90% of subscribers to this site are in it for the passion first, and the hope of a career second. Making music is a lot easier today than it was in, say, the fifties when the costs of equipment and recording compared to average incomes were way higher than today. Over the past twenty or so years the number of bands has increased exponentially, as it has become easier to reach a level of competence, leaving a huge number of musicians looking to make a living (and expecting substantial returns) from a shrinking market. We have been duped by the expectations of multi million dollar, multi album deals secured in the music industry equivalent of the "toxic mortgage" in the 70's and 80's. Lets be honest, not every band is the Beatles, and sometimes I think that a little more "difficulty" in attaining status is not necessarily a bad thing. Why should musicians expect to be making fortunes, when most provide less value than say a plumber or a nurse? By all means lets celebrate the brilliant, but lets also just enjoy the outputs of lowlier artists in lowlier surroundings. The real risks are the local venues providing (and suitably propmoting) local musicians. Many venues now rely on the band to do all the promotion, and expect them to bring their own crowd to obtain any income at all. It's a two way street. The other thing to point out is that labels need to return to supporting artists beyond their first album. Who of the long term artists who are filling venues would claim their first album is their best? So, in summary, yes it is depressing that there seemes to be less available money for music in the average wallet, and it seems that the lower level artists may be the ones to suffer, but sometimes the harder the struggle the greater the return. For the rest of us, it remains amateur hour on along term basis. Let's continue to enjoy our aspirations.

I agree with Lazz. Songwriting is a lot about starting out and keeping going. Sometimes it is necessary to manufacture some time pressure to make it happen, sometimes it really does come as inspiration. Most of the favourite songs I have written have come from a combination of both.

Let us know how you get on. Something else that has come to mind since is collaboration. Lots of people here seem to be keen to do it, and there's nothing like abit of peer pressure to drive the creative process. I have worked with a number of people from other forums and the end product is always better for additional input. Post your first song. Would also add that I like to work on collaborations if you wish to take that route. Best wishes - may your block be cleared quickly!!!

Just some thoughts from me. We are all creative in different ways, but I find that the blank page is a difficult place to start from. It's a good idea to make some notes as you go through the week of potential song titles, lyrical ideas and so on. Also, any ideas you have for tunes record them on your phone as they come to you, however short. Then, when you have a few days/ weeks worth of ideas sit down somewhere quiet and go through all of your ideas- you will probably find that several of them mesh together unexpectedly and spark your imagination. When you have started don't stop until it's finished, no matter how bad you think it is, as completing it will open up more creativity. I like to do things fast, so often set myself a time limit (or have life set it for me) for writing. If you cant think of an idea even then, let someone else give you some help. There is a songwriting challenge on this site, also google FAWM where and Kristal User Forum. Both of these sites set monthly challenges which will inspire and challenge you. Most importantly, don't seek perfection. Sometimes quantity is more important than quality. Sift through and keep the good stuff, but don't be embarressed about the stuff that you don't like. All artists create far more stuff than they use, and experimentation and enjoyment are really what it's all about, especially as an amateur. Good luck - would love to see what you come up with.

PS - I am a cheapskate. Most of this stuff is free on the net, Sonar LE came bundled with an interface I bought!

I use two DAW's. Kristal is my favourite - straightforward, simple and does what I need it to do. Downsides are only two VST slots per track and no direct monitoring, so generally use my Toneport for guitar recording. I suppose that I favour Kristal because I like fast sessions (time is tight for me and I rarely have more than three hours at a time to record) and Kristal has that ease of use to me as I have grown to love it over a few years of use. I use Sonar LE, also, which makes inputting drum loops much quicker, and has some additional features, but Kristal is still my fave for all it's failings. For drums I use loops or Leafdrums with some free downloaded samples. I have Audacity and use that when I am mixing and making final adjustments. Favourite VST's are the Classic Series VST's, Simulanalog Fender Twin and Glaceverb. Also use the Modern series and Fish Fillets, but Modern series seems quite CPU hungry and I am just learning the FishFillets stuff.