Short answer: I see a good opportunity to learn new methods of working.
Continuing with Sonar in the short termWe know that Sonar won't last forever and I will need to find a replacement at some stage. But I am assuming, rightly or wrongly, that I will be able to continue using Sonar for some time to come. If re-authorization eventually becomes a problem I will be forced to quickly switch to another DAW. But for now, with Sonar freshly installed on a new PC, I should be able to continue with Sonar for a couple of years.
Time to spare (hopefully)So I don't need to rush to move to a new DAW yet. But now is a good time to begin learning about alternative methods with new software. From now until the time when Sonar becomes inoperable (whenever that is) should hopefully be sufficient time to gain proficiency in a DAW product. Also, it will be useful to have a second DAW anyhow, especially if it has a few features that Sonar lacks.
What I was looking forSo, what do I want from a second (and eventual replacement) DAW? Many people here seem to be seeking something as close as possible to Sonar or something without too much of a learning curve. But I'm doing the opposite and going for something a bit more challenging. I imagine that if I started working with something similar to Sonar I would be disappointed or frustrated by the differences. I really don't want to be thinking about Sonar at all. I prefer to go with something that has a completely different design and requires a different approach. Learning a new approach is always a good way of gaining perspective on a subject. And I believe (and of course I may be wrong about this but I'm optimistic) that there will be plenty of time to learn my way around the software before I need to start becoming reliant on it. I therefore would not rule out something because of its learning curve.
Digital PerformerDigital Performer 9.5 seems to fit my requirements. It's a substantial and mature program that can apparently do all the audio and midi stuff that I am familiar with but deals with it an unfamiliar way, but I'm OK with that. The GUI looks attractive (although some of it is miniature). It looks as if it is well thought out and well-integrated rather than just a collection of features that have been added over the years. I find it all a bit intriguing. It's not for the fainthearted, but I'm reasonably confident that I can work with it. I'm also impressed that they don't include unnecessary extras such as sample content and integration with social networking sites. This suggests that the developers are focused on the things that matter to the serious musician.
Some of the things that stand out for me are as follows:
- The documentation is good. The manual is a joy to read, although some of the terminolgy is strange.
- DP includes an arrangement window (although it's called something different) and a nifty way of arranging the parts of a song, vertically and horizontally.
- A project can be split into separate sections/sequences and these can be viewed and worked on separately.
- Syncing audio to video is something I have not done much of so far, partly because Sonar's implementation of this feature is less than adequate. But it is one of DP's stong points, so I will be doing more of this in future.
- I was initially unimpressed by the Motunation forum, which appears to be far less busy than Cakewalk's, plus there is some apparent segregation between Mac & Windows users. But I posted a couple of questions and both times I got some helpful replies almost immediately. My initial impressions were wrong. It's a good forum after all.
Other alternativesI have not undertaken extensive research on DAWs and their capabilities. I therefore may have possibly missed some DAW that I would have prefered over DP. If so, then it's too late.
So now it's still business as usual with Sonar for my main projects, while experimenting with DP as a sideline. Suits me fine.