Digidesign's LE Pro Tools has taken the accessibility of digital recording to a new level. Pro Tools software is known for its user friendly interface and wide range of capabilities, which has made it the most popular recording solution for recording studios throughout the country. And their entry level software, LE Pro Tools, has become the most sought after software recording solution for home studios everywhere.

So why has a new program as new as this formed such a monumental amount of dedicated fans in such a short amount of time? There are many reasons, but the biggest factor is probably because of how simple it is to learn and use.

With that said, don't make the mistake of interpreting its basic layout to mean its capabilities are limited. This software offers 128 virtual audio tracks and up to 256 MIDI tracks. When you want to start recording, all you do is patch your audio source (or audio sources) into the LE Pro Tools Hardware unit you purchased at the time you received your software, and record-enable your tracks. The amount of tracks you can record simultaneously depends on which hardware unit you purchased.

Editing audio is a breeze. LE Pro Tools offers completely non-destructive editing for all audio and MIDI tracks, meaning that you're given the freedom to change and rearrange previous edits. You can also copy, move or cut and paste sections of recorded audio; re-route inputs and outputs; add, duplicate or delete tracks; and apply various plug-ins and removable effects to tracks at any point during the recording/editing/mixing process.

The mixing solutions this program offers however are probably some its best features. Aside from the customizable mixer itself, complete recall and automation of all tracks is very freeing and minimizes your workload considerably.

And what a lot of LE Pro Tools users love the most about this software is its compatibility; you can record an entire album in your garage, and then take those sessions (which were recorded onto your hard disk) to a mixing or mastering studio where your music would benefit from post production with professional engineers and the much more expensive versions of Pro Tools, which most pro studios are equipped with. Or you can do it the other way around. You can record tracks in a professional studio, and take the sessions back home with you to do additional takes or editing.

In short, LE Pro Tools has redefined the possibilities of home studio recording for independent musicians, and the album making process in general. Take a look at the main features of this software:

- 32 Tracks of 16- or 24-bit audio; 128 virtual tracks
- 256 MIDI tracks
- Non-destructive editing of audio and MIDI tracks
- Real-time effects and mixing
- Auto-save session capability
- Import/export AIFF, WAV, MP3, RealAudio G2 file formats
- Multiple undo levels
- Mono and stereo tracks

And just to be clear, the software is free. The only thing you pay for is the LE Pro Tools Hardware unit.