batsbrew
well, so far,
s1p is making my happy and productive,
and i was able to let go of all that angst over what was going to, or not going to happen, to sonar.
 
 
i'd like to read some more success stories on s1.........

I do like PS1-3, because it's sooooooooooooooooo easy.  I've had it for four months now and only looked at the manual three times.  I think it sounds beautiful.  I've read articles that say it's impossible to tell one DAW from another, but I swear PS1 sounds more open and defined tan SONAR.  Maybe that's a placebo effect, dunno.  It can also handle huge project loads much better than SONAR. I have yet to experience a dropout.  I do miss the FX bin in SONAR terribly.  Also, I love the GUI on both SONAR and Reaper.  To me PS1 looks like a big gummy bear.  But in the end it's about how well things work, so I can certainly be forgiving of that. 
 
When CW went belly up I was depressed for weeks.  I tried PS1, Samplitude and Reaper.  None of them made me happy.  Now I'm working with PS1 more and thinking I could bond with it.  When BL brings out their version of SONAR I'll definitely take a look, but right now I have a feeling that the future lies with PS.

jude77
 I think it sounds beautiful.  I've read articles that say it's impossible to tell one DAW from another, but I swear PS1 sounds more open and defined tan SONAR.  Maybe that's a placebo effect, dunno.

As several tests have shown, basic mixing engines NULL. I mean it is out of discussion whether it is possible to tell the difference when there is no difference, digitally it is outside of the best DACs capabilities. That means even in case some alien can spot such difference in the sound, the equipment available on the earth now is unable to produce it.
All tests I have seen which try to prove the difference have "bugs", like using fixed point (24bit WAV) audio files with silence and then cranking it +100dB. So calling the differences in particular rounding and dithering.
 
Sure, as soon as you put faders or pan knobs into "the same" graphical position... Different fader curves and current pan-law come into the game. And finally when some "exclusive" FX (which does not work outside particular DAW) is in use, the sound is different. But that is not the "sound of the DAW".
 
To test, try to null 3-4 tracks mix without FXes in Sonar and S1. You will find the job is not as easy as someone can think. But after you have done that once, you will learn what are the first options/preferences/adjustments you should do/check when importing track from one of these DAWs into another. I mean that can be valuable knowledge in practice

jude77
 
I do miss the FX bin in SONAR terribly.  

 
hmmm.. that's interesting,
because one of the things i like the most about S1, is how easy it is to grab and use FX.
maybe that's an area you can play around with more,
because its super powerful and super easy.
 

batsbrew
well, i'm not convinced.
and if you don't get into specifics, then it's hard to discuss differences..
i simply said what i liked about S1p, the specifics i mentioned about s1p that sonar didn't do,
is still the most relevant of the list of items

I'm glad you found something you like Bat, and as I say can't hardly blame people for jumping ship given the circumstances we had.
My "easy on the eyes" comment comes from my preference for the graphic user interface in Sonar. It's just better all around to me. I don't say this entirely because I have bad eyes. I have 20/20 seeing distance and with my prescription glasses on I can see into the pores on my hand. I ordered those especially for computer work, anti-glare all of that. The problem with looking at a daw mainly comes into play over long periods of time. My job involves computers all day long. I have two 22" computer screens when running my daws and I STILL prefer Sonar to almost any other daw I've seen to date. Studio One has small fonts and a crammed looking GUI compared to Sonar. When I'm running a project I want large and spacious. Sonar gives me that. If you get used to S1 it isn't a deal breaker. You can use it ok. I don't think it has as many Graphic options as Sonar.
 
The other stuff people mention like ease of using effects. I must be missing something. I have never had an issue with effects either single or in chains. Either in the FX box or in the PC. SO3 is drag and drop. Sonar is drag and drop.
Sonar still allows you to use 32 bit along with 64bit effects unlike others. Have you ever felt the frustration of grabbing a vst instrument or effect and attempting to use it only to be told your daw won't accept it? Especially when you've invested a significant amount of money in them.
SO3 won't deal with Mp4. Neither will Ableton. Sonar...no problem.
 
I have the SO3 and I'm just not convinced it is really head and shoulders better. It is good. It is usable. It gets the job done well.It does some things better and some things it doesn't do at all.It's a nice tool to have in my box, especially for mastering albums. Other than that, if I'm staring at something for 4 hours I would rather it be Sonar. Just me.
 
 

batsbrew
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT S1P VER 3.5:
 
15. multi instrument panel

+1
 
Many great points, but #15 is special! 

I actually prefer the Studio One GUI.  I am still looking at it way more than most people here and it never bothers me.  I am using it on two monitors as well and having the mixer on a separate screen and fully vertically extended is very nice indeed.  It looks fantastic on a Mac especially a high res one.  It is quite adjustable in fact.  Stability is still way ahead in all areas.  External midi timing kills Sonar, end of story.  It is faster, smoother and just better as far as I am concerned.  Its gapless engine for both audio and midi are light years ahead.  Sonar never got that right.  There are tons of things you can do on the fly that Sonar cannot even contemplate.  There are free MP4 to wave converters around too.  Easily sorted that issue. Integration into Presonus hardware is amazing especially the new range of Series III mixers.  V4 is coming with some seriously amazing features. 

I am currently working 2 new songs in Studio One and one new song in Sonar.  I find there are things that I really like better in Studio One, but I am still pretty much finding my way around the program. 
 
My biggest complaint right now is just the learning curve.  Some things, even after I have figured them out, I will go back after a couple of days away from S1 and I can't remember how I did it.  Having used Sonar for over 10 years, I never really have to think about what I am doing, it just became second nature.  I think once I get really comfortable working within S1, it will become second nature as well.  It really won't matter to me then, which program I am working with.  
 
One thing that I wish Studio One would change, and maybe I just don't yet know how to do it, would be to give me an option to make the tracks even wider in Track View.  I know there is a narrow version and a wider version, but I wish there was an extra wide.  I generally don't use tons of tracks in my songs and could easily manage with them being a tad bit wider.  

michaelhanson
I am currently working 2 new songs in Studio One and one new song in Sonar.  I find there are things that I really like better in Studio One, but I am still pretty much finding my way around the program. 
 
My biggest complaint right now is just the learning curve.  Some things, even after I have figured them out, I will go back after a couple of days away from S1 and I can't remember how I did it.  Having used Sonar for over 10 years, I never really have to think about what I am doing, it just became second nature.  I think once I get really comfortable working within S1, it will become second nature as well.  It really won't matter to me then, which program I am working with. 

That is exactly what I've been trying to say.  I never used more than 10% of SONAR's functions; and I'll probably do about the same with SP1-3, so I'll never really know which is the "better" DAW.  To be totally honest I'm just hating learning a new program, and, again to be very honest, I'm sure I'm interpreting that as "liking SONAR better".  Hopefully, after I've used them both for a while I'll find them both useful and great. 

Jeff Evans
  V4 is coming with some seriously amazing features. 

Jeff you're such a tease

michaelhanson
One thing that I wish Studio One would change, and maybe I just don't yet know how to do it, would be to give me an option to make the tracks even wider in Track View.  I know there is a narrow version and a wider version, but I wish there was an extra wide.  I generally don't use tons of tracks in my songs and could easily manage with them being a tad bit wider.  

 
Hold down SHIFT and press E to widen the track widths. Keep holding SHIFT and pressing E and each press will widen the track headers.  You can set them to any size you want.  Hold SHIFT and press W to narrow them again. There are other ways too.  To the right of that little downward pointing triangle where you mentioned to set the track header size is a little fader that pops up.  Click and hold on that.  You can adjust the header size there too. You can also grab the bottom of the track header in the middle and drag the size.  Select multiple tracks and you will effect all of them the same way. 
 

InstrEd
 
Jeff you're such a tease

 
Not really. Major updates usually bring in some great new things.