sonar platinum questions and basic stability question

hello all,
 
those who have sonar plat. do you find the instruments that are included are ok?  mainly wondering about pianos, woodwind and brass?
 
also how is the stability of the DAW? i just got home studio and has crashed a bunch..just exploring around..i know there are updates, but went to com. cent. and didn't see anything.
lastly, some folks have reported that when playing a plug in (rapt) the sound breaks..any thoughts on this?
 
thanks all!

jjvibes
 
those who have sonar plat. do you find the instruments that are included are ok?  mainly wondering about pianos, woodwind and brass?

I would say that the included True Pianos has a decent piano sound.
 
For woodwind and brass, Dimension Pro has a few, and some other good sample based, real instruments, but it's not a full blown sampler plugin.  It's more like a synthesizer that can play samples.  But it can only play one instrument at a time. It does have some of the Garritan Pocket Orchestra included.  The sounds that it includes are good, but it doesn't cover everything..
 
If you are looking to arrange a backing band or an arrangement of real sampled instrument sounds, you would probably be happier with something like Native Instruments Kontakt sampler, that has a multi-timbral ability and can handle more than one instrument sound at a time. Samplers usually come with a factory sample library that covers most basic instrument sounds, then you can purchase additional sample libraries according to your specific needs.
 
As far as other 3rd party VST, I will add that I have found that AIR Music Tech Xpand!2 is a cool VST plugin, that has a great selection of sounds.  Like 2300 patches.  It covers every sound I can think of, and then some.  Xpand!2 includes a large, comprehensive collection of instrument presets—everything from the usual drums, bass, keys, strings, brass, etc., to orchestral sounds, synth sounds, and even loops. Each Xpand!2 patch can combine up to four of these preset instruments—called Parts—with control over relative level, tuning, and the ability to split the keyboard for different sounds on different ranges. The four sounds/Parts can all receive MIDI on the same channel (for layering of instruments), or be assigned to receive MIDI notes on different channels, for more complex Patches.
 
I think the brass & woodwinds sound great in this instrument, as well as the orchestral patches.  Overall, I'd say it is more useful for real instrument sounds than Dimension.
 
It's on sale for $1 at AudioDeluxe:
https://www.audiodeluxe.c...instruments/air-xpand2

jjvibes
 
also how is the stability of the DAW? i just got home studio and has crashed a bunch..just exploring around..i know there are updates, but went to com. cent. and didn't see anything.
lastly, some folks have reported that when playing a plug in (rapt) the sound breaks..any thoughts on this?

Stability on a DAW is usually a matter of the interaction between the audio device drivers and the DAW software.  There is also the matter of size of the audio buffers assigned (latency) factor.  This is important if you are using a MIDI keyboard controller to play a virtual instrument in the box.  Too may buffers, and you have a huge lag between pressing a key on the keyboard and hearing a sound.  Too little and your sound breaks up.
 
Most current DAW software is created under the assumption that the user will most likely be using a USB pro audio interface that provides low latency ASIO audio drivers.  There are exceptions for playback only, but if you are serious, you should invest in a basic USB interface for around $99.  Tascam, Focusrite, and Steinberg all make inexpensive, Sonar compatible, audio interfaces.  It is pretty much a requirement if you wish to record from a microphone or a direct instrument line in.  The entire timing and stability of the audio system depends on high performance, low latency drivers.
 
The typical setup is that you plug your USB keyboard controller directly into the PC USB port.  Then you attach the USB audio device to another PC USB port as well (don't forget to install the drivers before plugging the audio unit into the PC).  Then plug the speakers into the audio interface.
 
Play on!

thanks all...i do use audio interf. but had the laptop in the kitchen and just wanted to try things plugging into the computer..
i was surprised the latency was low without using audio interf. but i am hoping the break in sound was just that.
 
thanks for the tips and i can't believe good instruments will only cost a $1!!!
 
seriously?
 
jj 

ok! i will be checking this out! sounds like a good stocking stuffer!