Jackster
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Sonar X1 Studio v Reaper & Sylenth1
I was going to get Reaper & Sylenth1 syth when I saw that Cakewalk were about to release Sonar X1 Studio and it had Rapture synth included. Is this the full version of Rapture? If so do you think it would be better to get Sonar X1 Studio as it works works out pretty similar in price. Also would Sonar X1 Studio be all I need to start making my own music? Can I also add in voice and other samples? I'm a bit of a newbie as you can probably tell. I have a digital piano at the moment that I wish to use as the main instrument input and am looking to make quite atmospheric, trancey type music - would X1 Studio be suitable for a beginner? Thanks in advance.
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benstat
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Re:Sonar X1 Studio v Reaper & Sylenth1
2010/11/23 08:14:40
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No, it's Rapture LE (the cut down version) that comes with both Studio and Producer I'm afraid, although it does come with quite a few presets. I use Sonar 8.5.3 Studio, and yes, it's all you'll need to start making music, although you may feel the need to buy a synth plugin or two (that's what I've done). You get a lot more plugins (effects and synths) with Sonar Producer, but it's obviously more expensive. Don't forget that there is a new Sonar edition coming out called Sonar X1 Essential. If you're trying to save money, perhaps this would be a better option to get with Sylenth1 than Reaper? The new X1 version really is looking good from what we've seen so far. It's due on December 8th. You can compare the options here: http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/X1-Comparison-Chart.aspx If you go go to the Japanese Cakewalk site ( www.cakewalk.jp), and run it through Google Translate, for some reason their comparison chart is a lot more detailed. [Edit: Sylenth1 is especially good for dance/trance music (I own it), although it isn't quite so good at atmosphere. I can recommend Spectrasonics Omnisphere, Camel Audio Alchemy and Native Instruments Absynth if it's atmosphere you need. I'm sure there are plenty of great free synths too. And to be more specific, you can use any of the Sonar versions to record your voice, guitars etc, and use samples like drum loops etc which you can buy or get for free in plenty of places.] NOTE TO CAKEWALK: Here is a great example of why you need to improve the comparison chart on the US website!
post edited by benstat - 2010/11/23 08:21:36
My DAW: Intel i5, Cakewalk UA-1G, Win7 64 bit, SONAR X1a Producer 64 bit
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arkiruthis
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Re:Sonar X1 Studio v Reaper & Sylenth1
2010/11/23 08:14:48
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Jackster
1) I was going to get Reaper & Sylenth1 syth when I saw that Cakewalk were about to release Sonar X1 Studio and it had Rapture synth included. Is this the full version of Rapture?
2) If so do you think it would be better to get Sonar X1 Studio as it works works out pretty similar in price.
3) Also would Sonar X1 Studio be all I need to start making my own music?
4) Can I also add in voice and other samples? I'm a bit of a newbie as you can probably tell. I have a digital piano at the moment that I wish to use as the main instrument input and am looking to make quite atmospheric, trancey type music - would X1 Studio be suitable for a beginner? Thanks in advance.
Hi there, welcome aboard. 1) No, alas it's Rapture LE, which is a presets-only version of Rapture with limited controls. Still a pretty nice synth, but no where near as configurable as the full Rapture. 2) Reaper and X1 Studio are 2 very different apps, with different feels, different features and interfaces. All I can suggest to you is to wait until the demo for X1 arrives and get a feel for both apps. I own both Reaper and SONAR, and while I miss a few of Reaper's features, I always feel a bit more creative and musical in SONAR, and that's something you can't really put a price on. May be different for you, who knows! 3) If it's not possible with X1 Studio, I fear it's not possible with anything!  But seriously, even the Studio versions of SONAR are aimed at professional or extra-geeky amateurs (myself in that bracket). 4) Handling samples and voice recordings is one of the main features of these packages (even SONAR Home edition, now X1 Essential, I think). If by samples you mean playing back audio pitched via a keyboard, SONAR includes several instruments that allow this. Otherwise, audio clips on the timeline can be pitch-corrected and time-corrected relatively easily. Now, if memory serves, it's only the SONAR Professional that has support for External Instruments (i.e., latency corrected via External Insert?). Could be wrong about that, but I've not used external instruments in SONAR. Hope someone else can chime in on that front!
post edited by arkiruthis - 2010/11/23 08:19:36
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benstat
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Re:Sonar X1 Studio v Reaper & Sylenth1
2010/11/23 08:30:25
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Actually, I just notice that, according to the Japanese Cakewalk site comparison chart, Sonar X1 Studio will come with the Z3ta+ soft synth (it doesn't come with the current 8.5.3 Studio version). I own that as well as Sylenth1 and they are definately very similar in terms of sound and obviously meant for the same kind of music (dance, trance etc). Although I really like both, if I was trying to save money I'd be happy just with Z3ta+. That might mitigate the fact that Studio only comes with Rapture LE. Bear that in mind when considering Sonar X1 Studio. Studio also comes with Dimension LE, which has quite a few nice atmospheres in addition to Rapture LE.
post edited by benstat - 2010/11/23 08:33:36
My DAW: Intel i5, Cakewalk UA-1G, Win7 64 bit, SONAR X1a Producer 64 bit
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Jackster
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Re:Sonar X1 Studio v Reaper & Sylenth1
2010/11/23 09:00:39
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Thanks a lot gentlemen, you have been a real help. I think seeing as Sonar X1 Studio comes with both Z3ta+ and Rapture LE synths I will probably go for that. I can always add in another synth or DAW at a later date when I get more proficient. One more quick question, I'm about to get a new PC, can you recommend a good sound card. Would I still need a MIDI controller if I got an appropriate sound card?
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Karyn
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Re:Sonar X1 Studio v Reaper & Sylenth1
2010/11/23 09:30:45
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Being a little pedantic here, but you said you're new to all this, so...
Sound card implies something by those excelent people over at Creative Labs. They make great stuff for listening to your mp3 collection, or playing games or watching DVDs in theatre surround sound.
What you need is an Audio Interface. These range from $50 to $5000. The difference between an audio interface and a sound card is the quality of the converters, the quality of the input preamps and the drivers. The drivers on their own will make the difference between a system that can handle many multiple tracks with ease and a system that craps out with anything more than a basic stereo piano sample.
Check out the hardware forum for threads on 3rd party audio interfaces, or Cakewalks own brand of interfaces.
Mekashi Futo. Get 10% off all Waves plugins.Current DAW. i7-950, Gigabyte EX58-UD5, 12Gb RAM, 1Tb SSD, 2x2Tb HDD, nVidia GTX 260, Antec 1000W psu, Win7 64bit, Studio 192, Digimax FS, KRK RP8G2, Sonar Platinum
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benstat
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Re:Sonar X1 Studio v Reaper & Sylenth1
2010/11/23 09:33:37
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Jackster
Thanks a lot gentlemen, you have been a real help. I think seeing as Sonar X1 Studio comes with both Z3ta+ and Rapture LE synths I will probably go for that. I can always add in another synth or DAW at a later date when I get more proficient. One more quick question, I'm about to get a new PC, can you recommend a good sound card. Would I still need a MIDI controller if I got an appropriate sound card?
When Sonar X1 comes out on the 8th, just make sure it definately does come with Z3ta+, bearing in mind it only mentions it on the Japanese Cakewalk site, and not the US one. There are others on this site better equipped to give advice on soundcards. All I know is that it's better to get something dedicated for music production (an audio interface), and leave Windows/games/MP3 listening to something else, such as a basic onboard sound card. I bought a Cakewalk UA-1G USB audio interface which is relatively cheap and is working well with Sonar for me. It doesn't handle MIDI though, it's audio only. My motherboards onboard sound card handles the sound for everything else. I can't give advice on MIDI as I only use plugin synths.
My DAW: Intel i5, Cakewalk UA-1G, Win7 64 bit, SONAR X1a Producer 64 bit
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Jackster
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Re:Sonar X1 Studio v Reaper & Sylenth1
2010/11/23 10:08:12
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Thanks Karyn. So an Audio Interface is still a card you would put into a PC or is it an external device (or can it be both)? And this is what you would use to connect your digital piano to your PC in order to play it through your software synth and into your DAW?
By the way you are not pedantic, I'm a complete novice when it comes to creating music. I'm pretty handy on the PC side and usually build by own so you can be a bit more technical there.
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Karyn
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Re:Sonar X1 Studio v Reaper & Sylenth1
2010/11/23 10:16:27
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Audio interfaces can be pc cards, or USB or firewire. PC cards will give the lowest latency (smallest processing delay) but you're stuck with all the connections on flying leads dangling out the back of your case...
Firewire works fantastic when it works, but it can also be a real pita if things go wrong. Most top end gear currently favours FW.
USB has traditionaly been lower end (cheaper), but the top end manufacturers are now doing wonders with it.
It all depends on what you want to do with it and how much you want to spend. But this post should really be in the "hardware" forum....
Mekashi Futo. Get 10% off all Waves plugins.Current DAW. i7-950, Gigabyte EX58-UD5, 12Gb RAM, 1Tb SSD, 2x2Tb HDD, nVidia GTX 260, Antec 1000W psu, Win7 64bit, Studio 192, Digimax FS, KRK RP8G2, Sonar Platinum
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bvideo
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Re:Sonar X1 Studio v Reaper & Sylenth1
2010/11/23 10:19:26
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Being a little pedantic here, me too, just in case...
About your external synth: you mentioned a digital piano. I assume you would want to connect its audio output to your audio interface input so you can record its sounds.
I presume you would also want to connect the digital piano to midi in and midi out of a midi interface for your PC. That would allow you to record performances that can be played back on either the digital piano (external synth) or vsti's. I.e. you can use midi from your digital piano to play or compose for vstis like Rapture/z3ta+, etc.
For midi connection to your digital piano, any version of Sonar will handle it.
Bill B.
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Rain
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Re:Sonar X1 Studio v Reaper & Sylenth1
2010/11/23 11:11:37
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Karyn
Audio interfaces can be pc cards, or USB or firewire. PC cards will give the lowest latency (smallest processing delay) but you're stuck with all the connections on flying leads dangling out the back of your case...
Firewire works fantastic when it works, but it can also be a real pita if things go wrong. Most top end gear currently favours FW.
USB has traditionaly been lower end (cheaper), but the top end manufacturers are now doing wonders with it.
It all depends on what you want to do with it and how much you want to spend. But this post should really be in the "hardware" forum....
Well, some PCI cards do have a breakout box. M-Audio's delta series are a fine example of inexpensive cards w/ a breakout box. I wouldn't exactly recommend them at this point cos it's an old product, but just so you know, PCI doesn't necessarily mean a cable mess.
TCB - Tea, Cats, Books...
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