Best Free Recording Software for your Kitchen Studio - Protools First with Mbox 2 Mini

So finally after a few years of pushing Protools 8 on an older Windows 7 computer with an Mbox2 Mini, I made the jump to Protools First.   I had tried casually a few times last year to see if I could use 'First' but ran up against problems with legacy drivers for Mbox. 

I just wrapped up production on my latest project (https://cosmicseam.bandcamp.com) and really noticed my trusty PT 8 wasn't cutting the mustard.   The production sounded good, but I finally decided now was the time.  I debated whether buying new hardware and interface would be the best solution, but it came with a price tag I just can't afford.  I am after all just a 'kitchen studio' writing and recording songs for the pure love of it.

Free 99.99 was the goal and last night I succeeded!  So the Achilles heal to this is the driver for the Mbox.  If you're not careful you will BSOD your Windows 10.  I'm currently on 2004.  I did a scratch install of Protools First on a laptop with Windows 10 1903 and it worked and the Windows Update surprisingly found the driver.   However on a anything newer than 1903 there's a major issue with the driver. 

So "robertomurta" in the Avid forums found a work around to install a specific driver set with instructions here: https://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?p=2595552  

Prior to finding this gem of a resource I managed to Blue Screen my newer PC 2x.   Luckily I had created restore points prior to installing and was able to recover both times. 

So a night of installing to my 'better' Windows 10 PC and I managed to fully jump from Protools 8 to Protools First.   My first impressions on First is so far are really good.   It's free 99.99!  The new Expand 2 plugin samples are sounding awesome!  I managed to get my old Radium 49 Keystation working flawlessly.   The only thing missing from First is the Eleven Rack guitar amp simulators.  But those weren't great in the old version, so using an Orange Micro with the headphone out seems to work nicely to give my guitar tracks a better sounding guitar amp.

 

Droppin the Bass

Managed to sneak away to the studio the other night.
 
With some help from MC we nailed down the bass part for the next song of the recording project.

Tracked it a few times and we believe we have got a few good takes that are keepers.

It's very minimalist and very tonal.

It gives the song a lot of breathing room.   It's a fairly intimate song so the bass should compliment KJ's vocals very nicely.

This is one of my most creative bass parts I've crafted to date.

I don't purport to be a bass player.  I'm a guitar player attempting to play bass.  Not having any experience on the 4 string the consensus among the group is that I can potentially come up with non-standard 'go to' bass lines.

So far so good.

Cosmic Seam Is Tracked

Our first song is completed and no more is to be recorded for it.  It is ready for editing and mixing.  We spent the last session adding a few sprinkles of guitar notes here and there.

Of possible interest to the audio geeks - we borrowed a technique from Mutt Lang and Brian May.  You see some of us have been on a Def Leppard Hysteria kick for the last month and we've been watching a lot of the behind the scenes action of how that classic album was recorded.

One little nugget we came across was recording little guitar noodles. Mutt Lang made them track each  note  separately. The result of this time consuming process was that no note would be cut off or muted if it was on the same string.  Each note would have the same sustain.

I had a little 3 note run we wanted to record with this technique.  To make it official - Mike dug out an original Rockman X100 guitar amp simulator - the same one they used for the recording of the guitars in Hysteria.

To take a it a step further - we did it twice.We ping ponged the notes so each note is either left channeled or right channeled (ala Brian May).

Once that was completed - there was one 'space note' we needed to end the track with.  Ken was up to pluck harmonics on both low and high 'E' strings.  One set of notes.  Pretty easy right?  Unless you were up against a practical joke that would make it near impossible to get it right.

You see - we had a separate track up in the mix that made some guitar noise shortly after the spot where Ken had to hit his mark.  Every take - he thought he screwed up.  I figure this went on for about 8 tries before he caught on.

Let's just call it studio initiating.

Oh yeah - I snuck into the studio early in the week to lay down the bass tracks.  It didn't take Ken long to figure this out upon playback.  He was crushed - but as always - a good sport about it.   I think he's earned his lumps and is now fully and completely a studio musician.

Prep work for the next tune has already begun and Mike hopes to have the drums tracked for next week's session.

Track-Orr

Cosmic Seam may make mixdown by Christmas after all!

Last night's session was short but uber productive.  We had a plan going in and stuck to it and even got a little extra for our efforts.

Ken got his 2 acoustic tracks down in short order once we determined that just the drum track was all he needed to play against.

I was next to track.  Mike and I a while back stumbled upon a pretty cool mix of choruses and delay last month when we were doing scratch tracks.


We tuned up the Strat, figured on the right pickup selection and started laying tracks.

We hit a snag when I couldn't keep time as the effects chain had a delay in the playback. So we just muted my playback and I relied solely on the sound of the strings.  Me thinks that worked well enough that if it is a smidgen behind that it can be nudged later in post production

Between takes I was noodling and discovered a nice picking pattern that the guys insisted I lay down.

I was reluctant as my chops aren't 100% yet but did a quick take just to have the idea for reference.   It turned out really well and helps lift the chorus section of the song. The take may even stick.

The guacamole provided by the studio was fantastic.  Will have to credit it in the liners as inspiration.  That and Dr. Who.  Don't ask.

Another Productive Session

After some hilarious chit chat and banter, we got down to work and worked on a song that was close to be finalized in the last session.

We were stuck - the chord progression was catchy as hell, but was missing something.

We decided to change up the drum pattern and make it a bit more loose and not so rigid.  Success.  Altering the drums changed the entire feel of the song and put a real nice groove to it.

We jammed it out quite a bit and decided on the form of the song.  It was simple.  Once the groove of the song was established - it literally wrote itself.  Even the voice melody was pretty much there.

This may be the first song we track.

Tracking I think will be up just around the corner.  Mike's got some tech stuff to finalize with Mics and pre-amps for the drums.  So close to getting all these idea's out of the ether and onto some tangible listening.

Something Ends, Something Begins

The end of winter is finally upon us.  This week was my last game of indoor co-ed soccer with my team Pixie Caribou.  Weather is finally getting sunny and i hope the snow is finally finished..

It was a hard fought campaign, i don't think we won a single game and i think we may have had one draw.  But that's not why we play. Exercise and camaraderie is what indoor co-ed footy is all about.

As always, the end of the season is sad. But it always ushers in the spring.  As something Ends, Something Begins.

Sports will do wonders for burning off pent up frustrations, the endorphin release of intense exercise and the 'team' element always helps social side of things. There's a great sense of belonging. It's finished for this season - i need something to fill the void.


With two close friends, a 9 song writing expedition has commenced.  Four songs from a demo recorded over the last 2 years has now grown into a full album.

There's a different type of synergy.  Its very pure when you get in sync with others with music.

Something spiritual.

It's even more inspiring when you wake up in the morning with a tune you helped craft stuck in your head.

With this new chapter being written, i look forward to this project. It is a great combination of song ideas, form and direction.  7 of the 9 songs have been charted out and we're on the verge of tracking