Why did you choose sonar and what makes it better than other DAWS?

A friend gave me a copy of Cakewalk Pro Audio 6 that he never used. I upgraded to Pro Audio 9 promptly and started using that. I had no idea about any other DAW's or even what a DAW was.
I am very glad I did. I really like Cakewalk, and I like to support them.

Well, 

I'm on a PC. 

How I chose Sonar was - I went to the local music store and wanted to get back into computer music ( I had some basic notation and sequencing program like 10 years ago) and there was a Sonar Home studio XL demo coming to town. I signed up for it and there was a demo of what programs capabilities so I ended up getting it and eventually pushed it to its limitations then got Sonar 8 Producer and have upgraded since.

Ableton is a different beast, not so much a linear sequencer, I don't know it well, but I don't think it's a 64 bit app, and it's good at grooves and loops.

Logic is mac only

Don't know FL Studio, but I don't think it's as fully featured or advanced as some of the other DAWs. 

Pro Tools is good if you're recording audio and mixing a lot I suppose ( don't know much else)

Cubase is similar to Sonar as both originally started as MIDI sequencers and now work with audio too.

Pluses for Sonar X1 - 

I would say, no dongle required. One of the cheaper of the options.
PC only so if you have a PC that's good. 

The forums here are active and generally good and helpful, I've heard they're much better than other DAW's forums and the developers post frequently too.

Sonar X1 Producer comes with a lot of great plugins to get you started, Rapture LE (i'd upgrade to the full version) Dimension Pro, a number of great effects and the ProChannel which is pretty good overall in the Producer edition. Z3ta is great and they're going to be releasing a new version of that later in July.

Sonar X1 has nice interface generally speaking, I like the browser, and inspector, the multi-dock is okay. I like using the Piano Roll view for MIDI composition, 

Cakewalk has great hardware that integrates well with Sonar X1!
- the roland interfaces - octacapture, quadcapture
- V-Studio 100 (I have)
as well as Keyboard MIDI controllers, I recently picked up an A-500 Pro and I really love it a lot, WAY WAY WAY better than my former Yamaha KX-61, better build quality and I won't go on about other features too.

Then there's their flagship V-Studio 700 (quite expensive though)

Anyways, 
Each DAW has it's pluses and minuses, I would suggest that if you have a PC you look at Sonar X1 and Cubase, (haven't used Cubase and it does require a dongle though) you can demo Sonar X1 for free!

If plan on working with MIDI and softsynths and softsamplers with large sample libraries, I'd definitely recommend Sonar X1.

Me personally, I'd say my work is maybe roughly a 70/30 split, 70 MIDI, 30 being audio recording, maybe 60/40. It's worked great for me so far, been using it for over 2 years now. 

To avoid frustrations make sure your computer is relatively up to date, and you have an audio interface with good stable drivers and you should be good to go.

Sonar X1 isn't perfect obviously, no DAW is.. but it's definitely fun to use, easy to learn (well for me anyways) and the community here has been a HUGE help! so if you did run into issues, there are a lot of knowledgeable and helpful people here which to me is a huge +++1000

Hope I haven't overwhelmed you, 

This has been my general experience and opinion. I'd recommend Sonar X1 Producer

Started with Sonar because an LE version came bundled with my first soundcard- an Edirol.

I also own, because I'm a DAW whore, Ableton and Cubase. I would say Cubase is equal to Sonar overall but is more expensive and requires a "dongle". Ableton is deficient in so many ways I regret buying it now.

 Ableton is deficient in so many ways I regret buying it now. 


I totally agree with you and this is a purchase I have also come to regret.  There are things I really like about it but I do wish I could take it back.....

When I decided to leave Adobe Audition as my main DAW and purchase Sonar 6 PE, the biggest factors were: A Fully functional Demo, No iLok/Dongle protection, it had all the features I wanted/needed and I found it very easy to get  up to speed with.  The others I tried such as Ablelton, FL Studio, Traction, MultiTrack Studio etc., just didn't suit the way I wanted to work at all.  Cubase I never tried but it was out of the running anyway since there was no demo at the time and used iLok/PACE, Protools was also out of the running because I wasn't going to buy any software tied to specific hardware.

Dan

Started with Cakewalk back in the DOS days and here I am.

Back in about '97 I was with a friend in a big box music store. I was looking for a guitar preamp and my friend said I should pickup Cakewalk. So I did. It was my first foray into recording since my old Tascam 80-8 back in '78 or so. Absolutely did not "get" the whole thing. But I was really enjoying my Rocktron Vodoo Valve pre... Bought a Roland VS2400 (I think it was) and I could relate. I would upgrade Cakewalk and what came to be Sonar about every three versions... But still preferred my "analogue world".

A few years ago someone "borrowed" (with out my permission)  the VS2400 along with the Voodoo Valve and and some nice Lexicon MPX1 (sniff) units I had so I revisited my skepticism over computer based recording. Mind you I write software for a living so it ain't like I'm binarily challanged. Been with Sonar ever since...I think I was on version 7.0 at the time (3 years ago) and have moved through 8.5 and now X1. Still have my Sonar XL CDs (LOL).

I'm a skeptic when it comes to software (possibly because I had my own development firm). I think the whole industry is filled with charlatans and snake oil sales tactics. When I started using Sonar 7 (3 years ago) I started visiting this forum. The Cakewalk personnel who regularly contribute here were the defining factor for me. I really didn't see it on the other suppliers (no names they know who they are). 

At a certain point in all software, assuming all other things are basically equal, I believe it comes down to do you trust the people you are dealing with? I've witnessed the Cakewalk personnel do above and beyond duty on these forums and it appears to me that they are really committed to the product (just my opine).

Let's see? Cubase had just ditched SX for C4. I tried out C4LE, liked it but S5PE offered too much more... really wasn't even a choice. Still love Cubase but somehow Sonar is just more fun to play with.

Wookiee


Got Cakewalk Apprentice with my first Sound-blaster sound card AWE32.

Tried Cubase 3.5 decided that Cakewalk pro Audio suited me better Stayed with it ever since.  It does what I want it to do, compose and record music that sounds OK to me ears.  (It is probably worth noting Wookiee ears are some what a little weird.)

My story as well. Learning one DAW properly takes so many years (unless you're a pro-/ semi-pro/heavy user), that  I've never seriously thought about changing, because SONAR does what I need.

I used Cakewalk back in the DOS days, found it to be a capable sequencer. Eventually ended up in the Cubase camp for a few years, even designed/built custom DAW PCs for quite a few clients. However, during those years I always followed Cakewalk's progress (as well as other DAWs, felt I owed it to my clients to be as well informed and versed in all options).

I jumped off the Cubase bus around version 4 of Sonar, took a LOT of Cubase users with me, and haven't looked back. Steinberg's treatment of their users, as well as their employees, plus the Yamaha acquisition was just horrible. But, I found the Cakewalk company to be an entirely different story...

I was fortunate enough to be employed by Roland Corporation US from 2000 - 2009. During that time I learned quite a bit about Cakewalk, but more importantly the OUTSTANDING people who run the company and the AMAZING employees who support the product. Cakewalk's commitment to continual improvement of their products, truly listening to the users, along with the people who make it all happen -- to me is the most significant difference between Sonar/X1 and anything else on the market today.

When I first came to the PC from the Amiga, Twelve Tone was the first company I came across that made sequencing software  that I felt comfortable with. I can't remember which version it was but it was a light version of something If I recall.
 
I decided to support that company by updating every version to this very day.

I wanted to do surround and Logic seemed a good DAW. I worked on Logic at the SAE in 2003. So I bought in that year the Roland Studio Package Pro II. In 2004 Emagic was sold to Apple and became Mac only. So I upgraded a few years later to Sonar 7PE.

Sonar is nice. It has that 64bit I was looking for and overall a sweet package. I hope to upgrade end this year.

Started with Cakewalk Pro 7. Used it for a while before switching to Logic Gold. Liked that even better. Then Apple bought over Logic and dropped all PC versions. Lost a lot of investment there (I'm still pretty sore about that). Went back to Sonar.

So...I guess the reason for me is - PC.

yorolpal

gustabo


Started with Cakewalk back in the DOS days and here I am.

Ditto.

Well Cakewalk Pro 3.0 on Windows 3.1, so gustabo and ouroldpal have a little more "time in grade".
Customer #A0050 in those heady days!

sykodelic


Cubase- Dongle and no demo

Sonar- No dongle demo available

Go figure!