sonar? or cubase? logic?

ashcat_lt · Post by **ashcat_lt** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:08 pm

I hate to make it sound like I'm trying to prove my cred, but since everybody else mentioned it...

I started my adventures in computer music on Cakewalk v1 for Windows for Workgroups and road the upgrade train right up until about the time they started calling it Sonar. At that point I took a detour over to Mac land, bough Cubase, hated it. Then I found and fell in love with Opcode Vision. It did almost everything I wanted exactly the way I expected it to work. Unfortunately, Roland bought and killed it shortly before VST 2.0 came out, so it never got host sync, midi support, VSTi's...

When the mac ate itself, I ended up back on PC (because it was free) and Cubase (let's just say it was the best bargain at the time). I still don't like Cubase, but recently managed to get myself into Sonar. While I'm still a little shaky acquainting myself with the new layout and menu structure, I can already tell you I'm very pleased with it's performance, it's sound, it's feel.

Reaper looks cool, but I'm heavy into MIDI. Anytime I hear that a program is skimpy on the MIDI side, I don't even bother.

nicholas · Post by **nicholas** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:26 pm

Why not Ableton Live?

JASIII · Post by **JASIII** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:32 pm

Another satisfied Sonar user. I just moved from 4 to 6 producer edition and I like it a lot. The bus routing is super easy, and with #6 they made the plugin organization better, and producer edition has a multiband paragraphic eq on every track with it's own visual display too, so no need to open a instance of a eq plugin on every track.

radical recording · Post by **radical recording** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:46 pm

I'm a big fan of Sonar--it always does exactly what I need it to.

Ableton Live is great but Sonar is I feel more flexible and just SOUNDS better. Play a track in Ableton Live and then the same track in Sonar -- I can tell a difference.

I am interested in Reaper as an alternative though, maybe after the New Year...

Jeremy Garber · Post by **Jeremy Garber** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:18 pm

JASIII wrote:with #6 they made the plugin organization better, and producer edition has a multiband paragraphic eq on every track with it's own visual display too, so no need to open a instance of a eq plugin on every track.

There is a four band EQ available for each channel in v4. I'm taking advantage of that in my current project to free up some plugins. How does plugin management improve in v6? I should be getting into it real soon. I can't wait.

RodC · Post by **RodC** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:45 pm

SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ wrote:
JASIII wrote:with #6 they made the plugin organization better, and producer edition has a multiband paragraphic eq on every track with it's own visual display too, so no need to open a instance of a eq plugin on every track.
There is a four band EQ available for each channel in v4. I'm taking advantage of that in my current project to free up some plugins. How does plugin management improve in v6? I should be getting into it real soon. I can't wait.

You can create your own custom menus that appear when you right click in the effects bin. You can have as many layouts as you want. It seperates them MIDI/Standard automaticly so if you have them both in one layout it wont show the wrong plugs.

Its pretty cool, I like to have one layout by manufacture and one by effect type. Ie all comps in one menu, all delays in one.

V4 is awsome, wait till you get your hands on PerfectSpace, I dont know how I lived without it. Tons of responses out there, I even maded some of my own from the varous vents, rooms in my house.

RodC · Post by **RodC** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:47 pm

BTW, Sonar has the best board hands down. There are a few wankers over there, (Im prob one of them lol) but its real active.

nicholas · Post by **nicholas** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:00 am

I'm curious about Sonar now.

Ableton Live is touted as a sort of songwriting tool which is why it initially appealed to me. How does this aspect of it compare to Sonar?

radical recording · Post by **radical recording** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 4:28 am

You can load loops and song sections into Ableton and then re-arrange them very easily. It can be like a step sequencer for entire songs not just drum loops.

But when I use it this way I export the finished parts into Sonar after I've gotten the "song" figured out and then use Sonar to finish and mix it. Ableton's like a really good song demo maker if you use loops and write songs in the studio. You can use Ableton to do a complete project--it works fine--I just prefer Sonar.

rluk · Post by **rluk** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:07 am

Adding another option - Samplitude.
I m just starting out, and can only compare it to cubase and ableton, and it seems
to make much more sense

MichaelAlan · Post by **MichaelAlan** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:32 am

What about tracktion? Any fans?

I am also looking for a way out of Pro tools (since it never works right on my laptop) and I downloaded the demo versions of Reaper, Tracktion, Sonar and Cubase. So far Cubase is at the bottom...

Mike

nicholas · Post by **nicholas** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:29 pm

rulesforradicals wrote:You can load loops and song sections into Ableton and then re-arrange them very easily. It can be like a step sequencer for entire songs not just drum loops.

But when I use it this way I export the finished parts into Sonar after I've gotten the "song" figured out and then use Sonar to finish and mix it. Ableton's like a really good song demo maker if you use loops and write songs in the studio. You can use Ableton to do a complete project--it works fine--I just prefer Sonar.

This seems like a good idea, I'll try this out. I've been frustrated with some of the sound quality of the final mix I've been getting out of Ableton.

radical recording · Post by **radical recording** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 2:02 pm

I don't know if they have a demo or not on their site but you might wanna try that first before paying for it--That's how the Cakewalk guys hooked me!

JWL · Post by **JWL** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:13 pm

Another Sonar vote.

Their new marketing campaign actually makes sense: no artificial limitations.

Sounds great, great features, great workflow. I'm a fan.

JASIII · Post by **JASIII** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:26 am

This thread got me looking around the innernets, and according to Cakewalk (in their info on Sonar 7) Sonar has always had delay compensation. However it appears there have been problems with the UAD plugs. Here's a link to a Gearwire vid showing how to fix that in Sonar 6.

http://www.gearwire.com/sonar-delay-compensation.html

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