Upgrading to a new computer a couple of months ago I realized I could no longer activate the old version of Mackie Tracktion 2 I've been using for years. What a pleasant surprise to find that the software is now back in the hands of its original developer Julian Storer (Mackie had let it fester for years). Not only that but a new version to boot!

I've been raving about this software since beta and swear by it. I used to be a huge fan of Cubase but hated the overhead and complexity. This is as simple and effective as it gets. If anyone's interested you can follow the linky-poo below and download the demo:

http://www.tracktion.com/

I also retired my old M-Audio Firewire 410 and replaced it with a Focusrite Scarlett USB interface. Sweet piece of gear that comes with a nice set of VSTs.:



Here's a track recorded in Tracktion 4 using S-Gear plugin for the guitar signal (audio routed through the Scarlett). Additional plugins used - aforementioned Scarlett Plug-in Suite and Ozone 5 for polished final mix. I posted a similar recording some time ago you can use for comparison as I feel this sounds way more polished - owed to better playing and components/plugins.

https://soundcloud.com/petegnj/gimme-shelter