So, how about gearing up your studio with a professional Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) for free? Sounds almost unbelievable when you know Protools, Nuendo and others cost hunderds of euros to buy. I’ll present you Ardour, the open-source audio workstation, available for os X (Tiger & Leopard) and any major Linux distribution (Slackware, Debian, Suse, Fedora, Ubuntu, Gentoo) on the street!

It has unlimited undo/redo, multichannel recording, track punching, full automation, pro mixer, hardware control from surfaces like the Bitstream, Mackie or Novation Remote, timecode synch, unlimited tracks & busses, LADSPA and LV2 and limited VST plugin support and an advanced routing system you could only dream of. It has audio-for-video features, persistent undo functions and supports multiple languages. It’s capabilities are similar to it’s professional variants, but ready to rock and roll; and if you really like this software, you could help the Ardour development by giving a tip to the author without breaking the bank!

It was supported thanks to the SAE Institute (Munich) which came a corporate sponsor of the Ardour Project in April 2007. This collaboration led to the development of an os X version of the first Linux-based software. The developer, Paul Davis has created a masterpiece which has an easy overview and which is easy and relaxed to use; just like any DAW should work!

This genious piece of software is available at www.ardour.org

Some other interesting free DAWs and sound editing software:

• Acid Xpress (a free, 10-tracks edition of ACID software for music recording, editing and mixing. Easy to use, even if you never did loop-based music ceation before! When you’re ready, publish your song to ACIDplanet.com)
• Kristal Audio Engine (16 audio tracks, 32bit, 44.1 to 192kHz sample rate, VST support, ASIO low latency, 4 KRISTAL Plug-In slots)
• Audacity (free audio editor, it just does the work! Comparable with a light version of Cooledit/Audition)

I’ve got no ackward feelings about getting the Roland SP-555 in my midi setup. It has been partially replacing my older Akai S-3000XL and S-2000; although I’ll still be using these two beasts, for the older samples needing less attention/already on disk. This machine is incredible in use, has 2 midi channels available, fast and handy; has almost more effects than my Behringer Virtualizer has and all in one neat tiny electronic box!

I’ve been creating Manifezto with it, as first demo and cover and I’ve been astounished with the quality of this thing. First I’ve had some problems with getting the MIDI working all-right but that was because I’ve not been reading the user manually before using the machine.. Don’t we all hate RTFM, right? The selection of the memory cards for this machine went a little bit steep; since it does not accept any type of CompactFlash. Both my Memorycorp and Kingston CF modules did not work. The Memorycorp card accepted the samples but the reading was edgy-skedgy because every boot-up there were random samples working and missing!

The user manual defined cards all not available in Europe, although, when thinking “Which memory card should I take now”, I’ve contacted Sandisk and asked them about compatibility with their earlier products. There was no clear answer, FNAC in Antwerpen couldn’t let me buy one and return it, so I’ve asked at MediaMarkt, no big deal to open the package, tested it and am happy ever after! It works great, fast, even PC-to-CF works faster than ever.

Roland SP-555 unofficial tested compatibility list:

• SanDisk Extreme II (product code: SDCFH-2048-*) is compatible
• SanDisk Extreme III (product code: SDCFX3-2048-*) is compatible
• Memorycorp CF2GB gave problems with randomly showing/hiding samples at bootup

From which I could conclude, all types of SanDisk CompactFlash starting with SDCFX3-1024 or 2048 and SDCFH-2048-* are compatible with this machine.

Loop slicing could be made a lot easier, since I’ve turned to software to do that work now; the machine is a bit stug when slicing up longer loops. It’s responsive and creative at it’s best. It’s best feature is the direct record and save to pad to save yourself some new rhythms on your holiday trip! How about that! You can always find a demo of my latest audio file DrumPlugME using the MC-555 with the MC-808 as master sequencer.

It’s sure a rating 5/5, worth it’s value, works as a charm and a beauty for any mobile DJ or producer who wants to keep things tight. I’ve fell in love with this thing and it’ll sure be helping me out the next few years! I’ll be sure of that! The next clip is made with this extreme-sampling-device!