vladasyn
So it is the Microsoft to blame for losing the battle to Apple for being industry standard?
I build computers and I love Windows 10 on the latest hardware. I do not use Xeons processors, but Intel i7 is plenty for good performance. I don't see how Apple holds the monopoly so strong with the prices they have.
 
But I am thinking- is the ProTools that much better than Sonar? The ProTools is industry standard- PC or Mac, right, or just on Mac? I have been looking in to it and considering to install it and see if it really that much better.

Current i7s beat the Xeons in the Mac Pros effortlessly, the top of the range iMacs are faster than the Pros. Which is a bit weird to put it mildly, and I say that as someone who mostly uses Apple computers.
 
Apple have a few things going for them which Windows PCs do not when it comes to audio. Not many things, but in the right circumstances they matter. Seamless low latency MIDI networking over wifi built into the OS for example. Most PCs can't produce low audio latency without disabling the wifi adaptor in Device Manager and often Bluetooth as well. Macs don't have that problem so if you need to send e.g. MIDI clock round a network live or in the studio that's advantage number one for Macs.
 
No worrying about driver modes, ASIO vs WDM vs WASAPI etc., OS X Core Audio and Core MIDI just get on with things. No need to worry about cpu parking, sleep states etc. either. BIOS? What BIOS?
 
And if you have Apple's Applecare maintenance plan if your Macbook dies on the morning of a gig you can pick up a replacement from any Apple store, install it with a clone of your original setup and know it will work. There are people who tour foreign countries by just taking a bunch of DVDs and telling the venue/gig or tour organiser to supply a such-and-such model bare Macbook and be sure it will work when they install their personal configuration onto it.
 
The final advantage, as has already been said, is that macs were capable of serious audio work at the time the IBM-compatible PC was primarily a business machine with inferior sound and graphics, not the powerful games and everything else platform it is now. Upgrades to what you have are nearly always perceived as easier and less expensive once system design, familiarisation, training etc. is taken into account than switching, so once committed to a system, businesses tend to stay committed to that system.
 
PCs have the huge advantage of much more power for your money or the  same power for less money, more available software, you can configure the hardware how you want and you're not reliant on just one hardware company. And the way Logic in particular handles multiple MIDI hardware inputs and outputs is nothing like as good as Sonar.
 
On to Waldorf. Now, I really like Waldorf synths, I own a couple in hardware and the iOS versions of Nave and Attack. But it has to be said that Waldorf excel at three things. The first is their distinctive sound and the second is the variety and number of bugs. The Blofeld was unbelievably buggy when released and remained so for years, major issues like failing to MIDI sync or dying when an OS update was installed , and it's apparently still buggy now. The earlier and quite expensive Q was released with lots of functions not even working at all. The OS for the MicroQ didn't really settle down until just before they stopped making the synth. Plugin versions of Attack had bugs such as the delays didn't work.
 
The third thing Waldorf are good at is saying "bugs? Our synths have bugs? Really? Are you quite sure?". Until one day they quietly slip out an update that fixes a few bugs but may introduce a new one or two to keep everyone on our toes.
 
I guess their excuse is that they're actually a small company in terms of people on the design and programming side that hit far above their weight and they do their best.
 
As for Pro Tools, don't bother going there. It may be the established studio's virtual tape recorder of choice for the reasons Craig Anderson has said, but for MIDI, electronic music, project and home studios it is a poor choice. And if the same plugins are used, no-one can tell which DAW was used to record, mix and master a track anyway.

My two cents...the "Business" as it is, often is motivated and greatly reacts/responds to conformity and image. The product is often seen as directly and correctly manufactured with little deviation from the cookie cutter of current "taste" or trends.
 
Artistry is different. The only thing you achieve by following the rules is more of the same.
 
Find the tools that work for you, and tool the work that finds you... 

Soundwise
Oh, so it is Waldorf that defines standards for audio industry. Now we know.

Brian Walton
Waldorf is a German company.
 
Since Cubase + Ableton + Logic are all German Companies
 
And of Course Pro Tools has been the studio standard for a long long time.
 
I'm guessing their statement stems from the small rock they are living under in Germany which has about 1/4 the music sales as the USA.  

I had no idea who Waldorf is. Had to google them. However I have been familiar with Cakewalk for 20+ years.
Just depends are where you're coming from I guess.
 
btw- kudos on the lucid and well presented post tlw!

I keep hearing this about wifi interfering with audio, I have to say I have never had a computer or laptop where this has been an issue. 

and Justin Bieber is the industry pop standard...
whats that tell you.

at the end of the day, a company cannot validate its software against every DAW.. so, they pick the ones with the larger market shares...and afaik its not sonar. 
 
waldorf never said they would not address the bug.
 
Rather than bemoaning the situation, .. create a bug report for sonar, record the video of the issue with the waldorf project and submit it to Waldorf,, give the cakewalk contact details and bug report # to waldorf, and give a contact number to cakewalk.. 
 
been there, done that with both NI and Access.. folks are keen to help, and will. 

A vast majority of "industry standard" begins in schools, which is also a viable revenue stream to those companies that got into that arena. Once a student spends countless hours learning one DAW, they are not likely to shift to another. The "Mac-fetish" of most schools tends to lock out SONAR from the get go.
 
I spoke to a friend's daughter last weekend who began audio engineering at a smaller school and she said, "We are required to learn on Pro Tools." Not surprising in any way, but the ramification is that most of these students pursuing such a career are only going to be exposed to select options on their path.

SONAR is beyond the industry standard. They're all trying to catch up now! :-)

According to musicradar Pro Tools is the 8th best software while Sonar is no 7. Industry Standard doesn't mean the best (FWIW). It just means most people use it, no more....and because most people use it, other people buy it. That's basically how Pro Tools got to be "Industry Standard".
 
http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/the-20-best-daw-software-apps-in-the-world-today-238905
 

I always thought the Atari was better. Good old Dr. T's stuff...