Sonar 64, new DAW pc, simply incredible!

Hi guys,
 
I just felt the need to do a little bragging about a few things. I know, it's not nice to brag or boast, but when something comes into your world that totally changes things for the better and you have a new sense of "holy sh!t!?" everytime you experience it, (like when you get a new car and you look forward to each drive for like the first 6 months lol) it's worth telling a few thousand friends about it. :)
 
A few weeks ago, we got tornado warnings here in NJ. This is extremely rare for us, but these warnings were unlike any I've ever seen or heard in all the years I've been here. Usually we get "tornado watch" but never a warning. So you better believe I was terrified. I grabbed all my cash, locked up my favorite guitars and grabbed my dad (not in that order lol) and prepared for what was supposed to be some extreme weather. I powered down all my stuff and unplugged all the important stuff just to play it safe.
 
Well, in 10 minutes, the storm came and went. We had a little rain, a little wind and some thunder and lightning and that was it. We didn't even lose power. Thank God that's all it was. So, I plugged my stuff back in and decided to start a mastering job and some other work. When I turned on my stuff, I smelled that wire burning smell...you know the one. I couldn't tell where it was coming from though because I have quite a bit of gear here. So, I turned out the lights and grabbed a flashlight. I saw smoke coming out of my power supply of my main pc. Power supply cooked. I dropped in a new one, the pc never booted up. I found out I cooked the mobo, 3 hard drives and the cpu. I loved that pc...and it served me well from late 2004 until now.
 
Well, here I was fighting with "do I build a system, or buy a system?" I decided to talk to Jim Roseberry and guys, I swear to you, if you ever consider a new DAW pc, that is the man to talk to. Jim is absolutely amazing with everything he does. And, he has the patience of Job when you talk to him on the phone or email and ask questions. I got an i7 930 with 12 gig of ram, 3 hard drives and he padded the inside of the pc for me. It is absolutely amazing in all aspects. Quiet, well put together, tidy inside and lightning fast! Jim, you rule man...thank you so much for your help, wisdom and for building me one of the best DAW machines on the planet!
 
Trying Sonar 64 was my next move. I've heard lots of bad things about it. Plugs not working, other issues...I didn't even want to go here. But I figured, what have I got to lose? I'll run Sonar 32 bit too and I never had any issues with that. Well, 64 is every bit as great as guys like Jose and Fred have mentioned. It truly is. The first thing I noticed when opening an old project was, the cpu % just doesn't move. LOL! I used plug after plug, soft synth after soft synth...when was this thing going to start breaking a sweat? Well, it never did. I couldn't get the cpu to go over 9% and I had a load going on. Another thing I found quite impressive was how well my plugs work that supposedly weren't supposed to work so well. Waves, Abbey Road, Superior and EZD (even without the 64 bit updates you supposedly need...what gives?) all worked without a hitch. Superior works fine if you use JBridge, if you get the 64 update for Superior, you don't need to run it through JBridge.
 
Another thing that is incredibly impressive...no more freezing tracks. I don't run loads of softsynths like many of you. I use drum modules, a few piano/synth things (the new Alicia's Keys VSTi is incredible if you need a killer piano and cheap too!) and the new amp sim I'm helping develop, but not much more than that. Loads of plugs though, that's for sure. I also got a new UAD 2 card that has been incredible. I had 2-UAD 1's in the past which wouldn't work in this box due to only having one pci slot.
 
As for issues, the only thing I haven't tried that I've been a long time fan of is Reason. I know it won't work in 64, and I haven't even tried to install it on Win 7 yet because the version I have is 2.0. Chances are it won't even work on this anyway...but I may give it a shot.
 
Anyway, sorry for the boasting, but I really wanted to express how happy I am with everything and give our buddy Jim some props as well. Any of you looking for a DAW with bawls at a VERY affordable price with excellent service, don't procrastinate. Get in touch with Jim....he'll really make things as painless as possible and will build you just about anything you want. Always cheery when he answers the phone and never rushes you off. Total class, great businessman, a guy I'm proud to call my friend and you get what you paid for and then some in a timely fashion. :) Just figured I'd share! :) Check him out at www.studiocat.com but I know, you knew that already. :)

Yep, i7 PCs rock! Congrats on the upgrade, Danny... it's almost like having an entirely new studio, eh?

Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series. Get Sonar 8 Power - Today! Go to: http://www.garrigus.com/  - http://www.musictechshop.com/ - http://www.cooltechshop.com/

Publisher of DigiFreq - free music technology newsletter. Win a free SoundTech Vocal Trainer Package, go to: http://www.digifreq.com/digifreq/

Publisher of NewTechReview - free consumer technology newsletter. Win a free i2i Stream Wireless Music Pack, go to: http://www.newtechreview.com/newtechreview/

mudgel


You are officially welcomed to the x64 uber DAW club.

Jim spec'd my system (as I'm in Australia) and I built it myself early this year.

Enjoy the boast. The level you work at you deserve to have a super DAW.

Reason should work in a 64 bit OS its just the Rewire libraries don't. I've not encounteres any reasonably modern (last 5 years) software that doesn't run. That goes for VISTA Ultimate x64 on my studio rack mount DAW (see signature) and my new i7 Laptop running Win 7 x64 Home Premium.

All the best Danny.
I remember when I got my i7 DAW setup I just wanted to scream from the rooftops because it was a really different computing experience to what I'd had before. it was like; FINALLY!
 
 

Thanks Mike! Man, you said it perfectly...scream from the rooftops is what I feel like doing! I thought my old Creation Station was good, which it was...but this thing is like...from another planet compared to that. lol! Will Reason Rewire work with Sonar 32 on a 64 bit os?

garrigus


Yep, i7 PCs rock! Congrats on the upgrade, Danny... it's almost like having an entirely new studio, eh?

Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series. Get Sonar 8 Power - Today! Go to: http://www.garrigus.com/  - http://www.musictechshop.com/ - http://www.cooltechshop.com/

Publisher of DigiFreq - free music technology newsletter. Win a free SoundTech Vocal Trainer Package, go to: http://www.digifreq.com/digifreq/

Publisher of NewTechReview - free consumer technology newsletter. Win a free i2i Stream Wireless Music Pack, go to: http://www.newtechreview.com/newtechreview/

Thanks Scott! Yeah it is like a totally new studio....I guess because in a sense, it is! lol! I still use your Sonar Tools program...very useful. I meant to say thank you for that....like 100 years ago...so I'm a bit late, but thank you for a wonderful little program that is both easy to use and very clever. It should come with Sonar by default. ;)

Wait until you go SSD. That matters even more than an i7 for everyday use IMO.
Full Windows 7 boot in 7 seconds.

Danny I have been touting the advantage of going 64 bits with either Vista or Windows 7 for awhile now. Many have called me a lair or that what I have been saying was not true. I am so glad you have found out what I have known for some time now. Welcome to the 64 bit club. Its growing bigger everyday.

Trying Sonar 64 was my next move. I've heard lots of bad things about it. Plugs not working, other issues...I didn't even want to go here. But I figured, what have I got to lose? I'll run Sonar 32 bit too and I never had any issues with that. Well, 64 is every bit as great as guys like Jose and Fred have mentioned. It truly is. The first thing I noticed when opening an old project was, the cpu % just doesn't move. LOL! I used plug after plug, soft synth after soft synth...when was this thing going to start breaking a sweat?

 
Hey Danny,
Thanks for posting this.   I've been terribly ambivalent about going 64bit/Windows 7 for my DAW for quite awhile - mosly due to the stories of incompatibilites floating around.   Hearing this all from you makes me re-think because I know you're serious about your stuff and are knowledgeable enough to know the difference between what "should" work and what "doesn't."
 
I just put together a powerful new laptop - it's fully 64bit, so I can experiment with that while I keep my main DAW as is.
 
But again - thanks for posting.  It definitely makes me a lot more interested in experimenting now.
 

I built a very similar i7 box running Vista x64 and also took notice that I mastered a CD in Sonar 8.5 Studio and Ozone 4 without the processor showing any % of effort made. Plenty of headroom to get crazy, although I'm usually a minimalist on effects. I recorded and mixed that project on another system, so I'm anxious to do the new project completely in the upgraded 8.5 Producer. This PC never meets the internet. I tweaked it for recording. It's just a dedicated recording unit. We seem to be in the frontline of x64 explorers and the experiences seem to be very positive overall. It took me a very long time to get to this point, but it's great to be here.

Danny Danzi

Scott: that untility you gave us for adding programs to the tools menu as well as all the other little tweaks we can do in there. Sonar Utilities I think it's called? LOL! I'm here praising the thing and can't even remember the name for crying out loud. LOL! *Stamps L on forehead*

Hey Danny,

Ah ha... that's SONAR Utils. But that's not actually mine... I didn't created. It was created by Bruce Ennis, but he stopped development and closed down his site. So I just made the utility available for download from DigiFreq since it can't be found anywhere else. Glad you're enjoying it though!

Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series. Get Sonar 8 Power - Today! Go to: http://www.garrigus.com/  - http://www.musictechshop.com/ - http://www.cooltechshop.com/

Publisher of DigiFreq - free music technology newsletter. Win a free SoundTech Vocal Trainer Package, go to: http://www.digifreq.com/digifreq/

Publisher of NewTechReview - free consumer technology newsletter. Win a free i2i Stream Wireless Music Pack, go to: http://www.newtechreview.com/newtechreview/

Danny,

I'm so happy to hear about your experience with 64 bit and also with Jim's work.  I always recommend the guy cause I know he knows his sh!t and is always very helpful in these forums.  I'll eventually get a system from him myself when SSD drives become more affordable and 8 core chips available.  I want a bad azz system next.  Well, enjoy the new machine bro.  You really deserve it :-)


Take care my friend!

For me, the number one factor in building a system like is that it keeps me clear of mechanical limits that would hold me back from creating music. The gear isn't going to make me have to sacrifice an effect, a track or edit because it's not up to the task. I can follow through with an idea and finish it quickly as intended.

Billy: You're quite welcome man. Yeah, you know me....I'd never praise something unless it was earned. Definitely mess around with 64. If you use massive plugs and softsynths, it's just as everyone has said...and more. If I didn't experience it for myself, I probably would be on the fence about it. But it really does make a difference for me. I've really had no issues at all. The only plugin that had to be JBridged was Superior for me. Once I got the 64 update, it didn't need to be bridged anymore...but even in bridge mode, it worked perfectly and I didn't even need the update. My amp sim I'm working on for ACME Bar Gig doesn't totally work in 64 either. I haven't tried bridging it, but I may do that. I CAN make it work, I just have to enter the plugin save menu at the top of the plug and click on "main" and the plug initializes and works. Other than that, no others issues to report at all. Now, I'm still toggling between 32 bit and 64 bit and have only done one little test file in 64 from start to finish, so all that I'm saying may not be what it's cracked up to be in time. But from what I'm seeing from the test file as well as other projects that were done in Sonar 32, Sonar 64 is VERY stable and works fine. I also admit I'm a bit gunshy with 64, but I'm trying it out here and there with other projects just to see how it works. So we'll see. :)

 
Danny,
I do intend to explore with 64bit setup.   Interestingly enough, though - I am on a quad-core, 4G RAM, XP Pro 32bit setup and I use a ton of synths/plugins.  Like you I don't have to freeze/bounce anything unless I want to for some reason.
 
I think I'm just more interested in the (hopefully) smoothness of the OS with Sonar.   There's no question I can get close to the limits of 32bit sometimes, so that's where 64bit will make a difference I'm sure.
 
I also suspect this year will finish out with most of the major plugin and hardware players (audio, etc) upgrading their stuff to 64bit, so I'm fine with the fact I didn't rush into it.   I use to like being a adventurer, now I just like making music while all the vendors get their acts together ;)
 
 

Very cool Danny! I'll be switching to 64 bit here soon enough as well. I'm glad you enjoying the new puter!

nedped,

 The first thing coming to mind is the size of the partition you are installing your software on. Does x64 fit there?
Even if it does, do you have another partition to try the installation on?

Danny Danzi


A few weeks ago, we got tornado warnings here in NJ. This is extremely rare for us, but these warnings were unlike any I've ever seen or heard in all the years I've been here. Usually we get "tornado watch" but never a warning.

Wow! That is rare. The last tornado warning I remember back in Jersey was in like 81 or 82. :) I live in Iowa now and we get them weekly! LOL! I was afraid to come out of my frickin' house for about a year when I first moved out here. LOL!

Glad to hear someone's 64bit experience went well. I wish I would have contacted Jim before building my PC. Didn't know about him at the time. I'm half tempted to box up my PC and send to him with a blank check and a note saying, "Make it work, or sacrifice it to the PC Gods and send me one that does work." :)

Shane

ned, I'm wondering....and I could be totally off with this. But, is your version of Sonar an actual stand alone install or an upgrade? Mine is an upgrade that (I think) needs Sonar 8 to be installed first. (at least that's what I thought I read) I have the exact same processor and OS as you on my net box with the only difference being you have more ram than me and more hard drive space. I had no problems at all with Sonar 64 on this machine. As a matter of fact, when Jim was building my REAL recording pc and mentioned he'd be installing 64 on it, I ran and installed 64 on this machine to get familiar with it. You know, write a list of what works, what doesn't, what may hang, what plugs work etc etc.
 
To my surprise everything worked without a hitch. But, I had Sonar 8 installed on here first before I put Sonar 8.5 on. For some reason I was just always under the impression that Sonar 8 HAD to be installed first for me due to 8.5 being an upgrade. Now when Jim installed it on my new box, I sent him all my serial numbers etc and he probably used a real install for 8.5 instead of my upgrade version. That said, I can't say anything I've said here is valid...I don't even know if this upgrade vs real install is true or if it makes a difference....but it's worth a try if your install of 8.5 is indeed an upgrade. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong about this. :)