MarkydeSad
 
I'm fairly new to computer-based DAWs. For quite a few years I'd been using standalone multitracks, 
 
My question, therefore, is this: Why do you use Sonar? What does it have that elevates it above other DAWs?
 
 

Welcome to the forums. Great bunch of people here as you can already see!
 
To answer your question, I would say "this forum" 
 
I came from recording on small two trk tape machines. Then the multi-trk cassettes. And when I was looking to get into computer recording, I found this forum (well newsgroup at first). And from this forum I found out everything I needed to know to record my music on my PC. And the common thread we had together was a desire to make music, and the same DAW. And let me tell you, I was green. I didn't even know what an "Audio Interface" was! But these people help steer me in the right direction every single time!
 
This place is alive everyday. All day long. All night long! Someone is almost always around that can help.
 
The posts before mine have stated some of the software differences, so I won't get into that.
 
But this forum alone sold me on CW and has helped keep me around.
 
BTW, I have Studio 1 and Reaper also. They haven't been used since X2. And I have visited their forums. I am a member of them. But I haven't posted there in a very long time.

Grem beat me to it so I will just reiterate. The people in this forum are amazingly helpful. I have even had people make a video just to show me how to do something. There is also participation in the forums by Cakewalk and Gibson employees.
 
I am a hobbyist and I happened to pick Sonar originally because it seemed like it included the most for the price. But I am staying because of the community.

Thanks for the welcomes and the advice, folks. You guys are really helpful - I appreciate that :)
 
I must say that since switching to laptop recording from standalone multitracks, editing is sooo much easier. It's another world!
 
I like the idea of doing everything 'in the box'. I'm not a great buyer of effects units etc. So hopefully the various plug-ins that are available will be helpful. It's good to know that Sonar is stable and Windows-friendly. Very important to me

Let me just say, I had a HUGE list of free plugins and some that were low cost.  It was basically turning into a hobby that started a loooong time ago to collect all this free stuff...because it was free and worked.

My latest computer of a year old and my current version of Platinum is basically all I use nowadays, with the exception of some very carefully chosen 3rd party stuff.  I find that makes choices SO much easier, things run VERY stable and actually, I'm learning how to use what I already have much better, than discovering the 1% differences between similar items in my "free folder".
 
You'll have all you need within Sonar and if you venture more out into virtual instruments, I'd probably guess that's the 1st place where you might start adding (great string libraries, drum kits, vintage synths... whatever)
 
and you're right...the editing will make you never go back to those stand alone units.

Mark, welcome to the forums! FWIW Mark and I have collaborated on several bits of music, and he's one of the few songwriters whose music I cover.
 
As you can see, this is a remarkably helpful community. We've never discussed why I use SONAR, and I'll echo the previous comment that Studio One is a fine program. But here are what keep me coming back to SONAR, year after year.
 
I started with SONAR back in 2000 because at the time it was the only program that deep an equally good job of MIDI, hard disk recording, and looping. So its competition was...there was no competition.
 
The Cakewalk folks would always thank me at trade shows for my support, but my reply was always that I'd switch in a heartbeat if I found something better, just as I'd switched to SONAR originally. Obviously I'm still using SONAR...my top 10 reasons:
 
1. I've got it down to where I can create songs really, really fast. It took a while to figure out a workflow that was ideal for me, and I suppose I should write about it in more detail, but SONAR has been key to my surge in productivity.
2. It still handles audio, MIDI, and looping really well. It is the only program other than Sony Acid (which I believe will not be updated further) that can create, edit, and save Acidized loops. 
3. It can handle anything I throw at it, from narration to songwriting to developing loop and sample libraries. EVen though I use Ableton Live onstage, all the prep work creating the files to use in Live happens in SONAR.
4. And speaking of Live, SONAR's Matrix View is really cool although it seems to baffle a lot of people.
5. The look. I like the way it looks. Of course appearance is subjective, and the third-party plug-ins contribute to a "designed by committee" feel, but I find the core program visually inspiring.
6. The ProChannel. I believe SONAR is the only program that lets you create your own virtual mixer architecture, e.g., replicate different types of consoles on different channel strips.
7. It has lots of stuff included. That makes it very easy to collaborate with other SONAR users because you don't need to go to other companies as much. Many of the plug-ins in SONAR are underrated simply because they're old, but in reailty, a synth like Rapture got it right the first time. If it had never existed and appeared tomorrow, it would be hailed as an amazing VST. Dimension Pro...not so much, but it still has a lot of useful sounds. What's overlooked the most are synths like PSYNE II, with possibly the most ugly interface of all time, and Z3ta, which while not the second generation version does lots of cool things.
8. Some of SONAR's unique features are outstanding, like Mix Recall, VocalSync, the new control bar, Speed Comping (the best implementation of comping hands-down, IMHO), FX Chains, and what you can do with keyboard commands. Others are similar to other programs, but very well implemented (like Multidock).
9. MIDI FX. I don't know why the whole concept isn't more popular, and the roster hasn't changed much over the years, but they can be very handy.
10. My CA-X amps 
 
Now, here are what are downsides to me.
 
1. It's Windows-only, and Windows was never designed with real-time, low-latency audio streaming in mind. So you have to do certain things or pay the price - like disable drivers that aren't being used, laern what Task Manager is about, and keep your system up to date. I can't tell you how many "SONAR sucks donkey ballz, it crashes all the time!!" end up being some errant Windows driver or graphics card. (It doesn't occur to these people that if SONAR had some inherent flaw that caused it to crash every few minutes, the forum would be filled with users carrying pitchforks and torches.) The upside is once you get a Windows system running smoothly, SONAR is extremely stable. I haven't had a freeze, glitch, crash, or hiccup since upgrading to Platinum. That's pretty cool, given how hard I've been pushing it.
2. Quality transposition is available only in semitones and is not real-time. It's possible to tweak tunings, but I'd like it so much better if the iZotope transposition algorithm - which is really excellent - could do cents.
3. It can handle 32-bit plug-ins. This may seem like an advantage, and it usually is. However it opens the door to using plug-ins that can lead to instability.
4. There's no user-friendly sampler for creating your own instruments. You can create instruments for Rapture and Dimension Pro, but you have to script how the samples are mapped and such. It's not horribly difficult but it did make my brain explode at first. Some people ReWire Reason into SONAR to take advantage of their NN-XT sampler and other instruments, or just say "screw it" and get Kontakt with a ton of content.
5. Cakewalk isn't always clear about what functions are and are not supposed to do. For example AudioSnap is similar to Beat Detective, and works best with percussive material. So if someone applies it to a drum or bass track, generally it will work well. But then some people bring in an entire song and expect AudioSnap have it conform to a tempo, and it just can't do that effectively. The only algorithm I've seen that can do that is the super duper advanced algorithm in Ableton, for which they probably paid a pretty penny in licensing...
6. The same petty annoyances I find in all other programs.
 
It does have a learning curve if you want to take full advantage of it, but you can find your way around the essentials relatively easily.
 
DAWs are like people, they're all different and with some, you hit it off and with others, you don't. I hit it off with SONAR and it has performed extremely well for me on all levels. So I keep using it. And I must say, I think the membership thing is going to be huge.
 
 

For me......a few main reasons (most stated above):
 
The platform.  I am a windows guy.  SONAR works very well in the Windows OS.
 
The Forum.  The folks who hang out here can help you through almost anything that you might be struggling with.
 
The workflow with the Skylight GUI.  It's very intuitive to me.....may not be the same for all others, but for me it's very easy to understand.
 
The program has features and content that are suited to support complete beginners as well as salty old dogs.  I've been with Cakewalk Since SONAR 4 or 5.  The features, tools, and content continue to evolve right along with my understanding of best practice production techniques. I feel pride in using the DAW that I like for my creative work, rather than "the one" that the industry "expects" us all to use.  (I keep Pro Tools in the house only for clients who insist on using their file formats.)
 
and finally..... The Results!  I love the results that I get....... you really should give it a try.

Hi Craig! Thanks very much for the welcome and your very detailed post. A lot of good info there :)
 
Dave, I might just do that...
 

CAL is pretty awesome for tweaker types. It's sad it's not getting any love in recent times.

Sonar tends to be on the leading edge of things.
 
They went to 64 bit processing ahead of other DAWs.
 
They take risks, like re-designing the User Interface and integrating ARA (think Melodyne).
 
The added multi-point touch well in advance of others (but did it in a way that didn't interfere with existing functionality).
 
I like the new development model, but other DAWs are doing this too.
 
G

I use Sonar because to date, it has worked best for me. I've worked with Pro-tools, logic, cubase etc... the list goes on and Sonar was the decision I made after my father introduced it to me. He had used it at his studio. After learning Sonar in my opinion it was second to none. I do not like to DAW bash, but compared to the other engineers in my area the quality is much better although that may be more due to experience rather than just the DAW itself.
 
With Sonar I don't really need third party plugins to do what i want. I seriously only use the plugins/effects inside of Sonar except for a couple from Izotope and yes i hate to say it.. Auto-tune (although it can be good if used for its intended purpose) for all the rappers I record that seem to love it although you can get the same effect with V-vocal/melodyne. In all, I love that for the most part is a one stop shop for everything I need to do. 
 
The workflow is amazing. Alot of it may be due to the fact that i've used it for many years and I just know it better than any other DAW i have used, but it just feels smooth and right to me. I am able to set templates up how i want them. My docks where i want them docked to make for smooth easy editing. I also love there is multiple ways to achieve the same thing. I may be in a different part of the screen at the time of the editing but i dont necessarily have to travel to other side of my triple monitors to grab something. I don't spend time much looking for what I need as I do creating what I want.
 
THE FORUMS. I don't consider myself a professional even though i've been doing it for awhile now. I started when i was 14 after my father introduced me and I am now 23. So not nearly as long as some of these old timers here (sorry old timers ;), but been here awhile. I can vouche for the people here as being helpful. I believe the people here all about their passion for music and love to share that passion. Anytime i've had a question its been answered rather quickly and in depth and members never got short with me when asking follow-up questions. I have learned ALOT on here. And when forums wasn't enough. Cakewalk answered my support emails quickly and will not stop helping untill the issue is resolved. I believe its truly a company that is a group of people that has a passion for music and just wants to share it with us.