hello,
maybe someone knows, maybe someone can advise, I'm looking for a good application (Windows x64) for recording guitar, supporting VST x64 plug-ins such as ToneLib, Amplitube, Guitar Rig etc. It would be best if it was something "portable" that could be placed on a fast pendrive with plugins. I would like it to have a lot of features, but not be extremely difficult to use. To work well with interfaces such as Scarlet, Presonus, Zoom G5N or other similar devices. Possibility to record tracks, add and export them mixed as mp3 or wav. Additional interesting options, recommended by those who know this topic, are welcome
thank you and best regards

 

Reaper, the portable version, seems to me to be the perfect answer to what you're describing.

 

Not a Reaper fan personally, although that is a good option. But not the only one. I use several flavors of Cubase/Nuendo poratble versions on a USB stick for exactly that purpose. There are also portable versions of Samplitude, N-Track and others out in the wild.

 

Last edited: Jun 6, 2024

+1 for the Cubase/Nuendo family.

Even though I believe, Reaper Portable would better suit your needs with less hassle.

 

Thank You guys for really helpfull answers. One more question, is there any big difference with quality, between recomended DAW's, i mean, audio quality, latency problems or something. Thank You

 

As a long-time Cubase user, I say Cockos Reaper. It's about 30mb heavy.

 

Tracktion Waveform or Reaper. Both are available for free so you can install/use them anywhere you want. Reaper personal license does cost $60 after the trial, but you can still keep using it after the nag screen. Cakewalk by Bandlab is also great but it's quite heavy and there's account creation and such hassle, and it's complex as fuck as it's been developed for something like 30 years (like Cubase and Logic).

And really, there is no difference in sound quality between DAWs. It's your interface and your guitar and then the VSTs that make the difference.

Not that it should matter, but for recording business my personal preference would be Tracktion first, then Reaper, and finally Cakewalk, especially if you do MIDI heavy stuff. But again, my preference based on my usage, try them out and see which one clicks for you.

 

Reaper hands down!

 

FL Studio works great for me. Because besides recording guitar I also like to do a lot of Piano Roll programming.

 

Reaper portable install 100%

 

ACID Pro, which costs slightly more, undoubtedly offers the best usability/flexibility (and compatibility) of all DAWs available for Windows.

 

Reaper user here. It is light on the computer resources; and if you will use the portable version you can be sure it will run better on older systems. I am also a guitarist / bassist and generally use Reaper for building booster / FX chains before and after NAM, Tonex etc plugins

 

Another guitar player here... one more vote for REAPER: besides being the lightest DAW in terms of installation and resources, it is simply FAF!

 

While I guess we can debate the fact that ACID tends to be forgotten in DAW discussion, for the purposes of this question, is it really the best one for dealing with guitar recording? I'd say no, especially given that there are several recognized great options already listed that are free.

 

If it is just for recording some tracks and exporting them, why not Audacity?

 

do you wanna record or just play? if its just play id suggest Steinberg VST Live 2 , its what i use. if im playing with Backing tracks Cubase which is seamless with VST Live 2 run that that direct into a PA

 

Boss micro br-80, portable, pocketsized 8 track recorder, usb audio interface, backing track player. boots in under 10 seconds (depends on capacity of sd/microsd card) -has built in Boss FX

 

The BR-80 is indeed a nifty little box. Great for quick practice, sketching songs and recording gigs
but I belive th op wants something that can host VST plugins. Other than a laptop, there's never
really been a good standalone hardware solution for that. SM Pro Audio V-Machine & Muse Research
Receptor were both overpriced and underpowered IMHO. But it's been over ten years. You'd think,
by now, given the current price performance ratio of CPU's & RAM that someone would give this
concept another go. But seeeing as how capable used laptops are plentiful & cheap as chips,
I don't know if I'd ever be tempted.