Spaceduck
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Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
Heh, I just realized that the only reason why I've been using Sonar for the past 10 years (starting w/ Cakewalk 5, then 6, Sonar1, 2 and now 4PE) is: I have too many unfinished projects; it would be impossible to convert them to a different format.
I've never tried Cubase, Nuendo, ProTools, etc. so I have no idea what I might be missing. It's the old Windows vs. Linux conundrum. Cakewalk just lucked out that I happened to pick their box off the shelf 10 years ago. Now I'm roped in forever (or until I wrap up all my projects... same thing). Is anyone else the same? Be honest now. Or have you all done careful product comparisons for every release & every competitor?
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Bigger Lebowski 
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 11:24:00
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A good drummer friend of mine has been using Sonar for a year or so now. And he has told me the opposite. He said that he now has more unfinished projects than he has ever had. I can see his point. About a month into this and I already have a few trinkets lying about the place.
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RonsZound
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 11:31:41
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1) Reasonably priced.
2) Good product support.
3) Product loyalty.
4) Ease of use. (Does what I need.)
5) PC based.
6) Made in the USA!!!
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aruthas
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 11:40:23
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A couple of reasons steered me towards Sonar: 1) I knew the name (Cakewalk) 2) I was looking for a low-cost recording software, so I bought Home Studio. Really loved it. 3) When I bought my Tascam FW-1082, I could not use it with HS, and I could not make sense of the Cubase software that came with it, so I upgraded to Sonar (and saved un bundle by being a registered Cakewalk user already) 4) I tried a couple of other softwares (Cubase LE, Cool Edit (now Audition), ProTools, Audacity), and Sonar makes more sense to me (I am a professional software designer) 
post edited by aruthas - 2005/04/25 11:42:14
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dryan08
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 11:48:49
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 I haven't used Cubase, but I checked out Logic previously, and I used PG Music's Power Tracks Pro Audio (an incredibly good program for the price, BTW) for quite awhile before moving to Cakewalk and then to Sonar. I started with Cakewalk ver. 8, which was pretty close to Sonar in capability. At the time I had considered using ProTools LE, but decided not to when I found that ProTools doesn't have particularly good MIDI implementation. As an aside, I find it odd that, since digital audio has evolved so quickly on "home" computers, a lot of people have forgotten that almost all of these programs started out as MIDI sequencing programs, and moved somewhat gradually into full-blown DAW's. Cakewalk pretty quickly established itself as one of the best sequencing programs, and I think they've pretty much maintained their high standards in developing Cakewalk Pro Audio and evolving into Sonar. They've also done a good job of making different programs - with very similar capabilities - for differing price ranges and applications. I use Sonar 4.x Studio Edition, because I've always felt the Producer Edition was more than I needed. I'd like to have the extra plug-ins, but I don't care about Surround mixing and don't feel the difference in price would really "Produce" much for me, especially since I got my Yamaha 01x with a really great suite of plugins included. I think that's kind of the deal for continuing to use Cakewalk (now Sonar.) Once you've got a lot of time invested in the learning curve for any program, you have to feel that you're going to get something REALLY great by switching. At the moment, Sonar is comparable to pretty much any high-end DAW program in features, etc., and is certainly a good buy as to price - especially if you're upgrading from one version to another. Why learn to do it some other way when I can already do pretty much everything I want (and most everything the other programs can) in Sonar? So, that's my $.02. - DR
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bermuda
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 11:49:42
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Then because through my own research I found it to be the only place I wanted to lay my hat (and Cash !).
Now = because it's a drug that doesn't have a downside.
I find it friendly and accessible.
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haluSin8
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 11:53:08
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I tried them all for awhile back about 5 years ago and found the
following:
Logic was still made for PCs and was recommended by all the
midi-heads that I knew. I tried and NEVER got it to make a sound.
The environment setup was ridiculous (for my brain anyway) and so
I bailed on that one.
Cubase seemed like an obvious port from Mac as lots of things
like right-click menus and such did not behave in a "windows" way.
(i.e. when I right click, I don't want a toolbar I want a right-click menu!)
Nuendo was what I settled on for about 1-2 projects. At the time, (v.1.5)
was a little shaky so I kept looking.
I saw a demo of Sonar 2 at the old Mars Music and thought it was wonderful.
It was obviously a WINDOWS application and seemed very intuitive (even for
me...someone with very little DAW or recording experience).
I played with the demo and loved it so much, I saved up and ended up
getting Sonar 3 Pro (took me a little time to save up) and I haven't
regretted it for a sec. I now own S4PE and with the addition of track folders
and the various new comping tools, I feel very productive and that's the
important part (to me).
There are still loose ends as there will always be with software this complex,
but overall the experience is positive.
This forum, the cakewalk staff, and the actual software are the reasons I
stick with it. I wish Cakewalk a long life and I promise to be first in line
for S5PE!
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stratcat33511
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 12:03:56
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Ease of use
Interface
Support ...
Too many reasons to list why I find
SONAR 4 Rocks!
Mostly because now I"M the only excuse why music and production are not getting done!
From CWPA9, to Sonar 2.2XL, and Now Sonar 4.0.2 ....
helps me git 'er dun !
Rock On !
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John
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 12:07:33
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Because I like it.
Best
John
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ohhey
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 12:20:21
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ORIGINAL: Spaceduck
Heh, I just realized that the only reason why I've been using Sonar for the past 10 years (starting w/ Cakewalk 5, then 6, Sonar1, 2 and now 4PE) is: I have too many unfinished projects; it would be impossible to convert them to a different format.
I've never tried Cubase, Nuendo, ProTools, etc. so I have no idea what I might be missing. It's the old Windows vs. Linux conundrum. Cakewalk just lucked out that I happened to pick their box off the shelf 10 years ago. Now I'm roped in forever (or until I wrap up all my projects... same thing). Is anyone else the same? Be honest now. Or have you all done careful product comparisons for every release & every competitor?
I have tried the other DAW software and did not like any of them. To be fair I'm sure they have updated their products some since the last time I looked at them but I don't think they have changed all the things I didn't like. It was mainly non-Windows like user interface problems and bugs. They all looked like products from some other computer OS that had been poorly "converted" to Windows. There are also limits like ProTools only able to use Digi hardware and some plugin technology I had never even heard of. I'm sure it's great if you use a Mac but I don't have a Mac. Logic still looked like an Atari program with the little group of "tools" in boxes and didn't work the way I expected it to. Cubase and Nuendo were ok, but something as simple as selecting an input of output was a major deal and they were full of bad bugs and more limits on what drivers and plugins you could use. I stared out with Sonar 2.2. so I didn't have to go through all the pain I'm sure existed with 1.x. By 2.2 Sonar had become a fairy stable and usable product. At the same time computers had become fast enough to do all the things I wanted to do in a DAW. The very first time I used it the light bulb clicked on above my head and I realized that a DAW was the future of my studio. I looked at the two large racks of metal boxes and mile of wire next to me and thought "This stuff is going on e-bay VERY soon..." After all I had to buy a good sound card, some plugins, and preamps to get ready for the big conversion to DAW. I'm now on verison 4.0.2 and Sonar is still amazing me. Version 2.2 was already more then I needed and 4 is just incredible. I hope to master it by the time 5 comes out. LOL  The Sonar experiance can still be bad if you are unlucky enought to get a bad sound card driver (I'm on my third expensive card) but once you find one that works in your system it's clear sailing. I've used over 1000 computer programs (at least) at my day jobs and 99% of them were junk or had major problems. The rule being the more they cost the more bugs they had. Sonar is one of the few computer programs of ANY kind that I'm 100% happy with. Most software I look at I think "If I had designed this program it would have been better.." I don't say that about Sonar. I could not have done better even if I had designed it myself.
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mgc3003.com
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 12:23:26
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After hearding so much bashing about Sonar, all about how Cubase was so great -- I bought into that hype. I gave it a shot. I tried, and tried, and tried, and tried again. I gave Cubase an honest effort. Many efforts.
In the end, I decided that the Cubase users are out of their minds. It's the clunkiest, most difficult interface of all time. It's absolutely unconventional and made me feel like I was using an obscure DOS program or something.
I use Sonar because it has the tightest user interface around... I feel like there's nothing between myself and the recording. Consistently --- if I need to do something I'm unfamiliar with in Sonar, I know I'll be able to find it quickly.
In Cubase, the most trivial efforts were complicated and obscure.
I am convinced the only reason Cubase users think it's an easy to use software is because they grew up with it and have been using it for so long it seems that way to them. I have no doubt that Sonar is easier to pick up for someone new to the program.
Interface is important to me. Extremely important. I like to focus on the recording. I like to intuitively know where everything's at, even if I don't actually "know."
That's what SONAR gives me.
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SteveJL
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 12:36:16
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Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!) For me it comes down to: "biggest bang for the buck" and "ease of use for professional-grade features" and "the AWESOME audio engine" and last of all "Excellent Support by Cakewalk and this AWESOME forum".
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Guest
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 12:37:02
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i use Sonar for the following reasons:
1. I choose to use the Windows computing platform .. mostly because
I have more choice .. and I don't want to pay the iTax. "There's ProTools
on Windows" ... but it's like a duck swimming in olive oil ... it's slow
and sinks after a while.
2. I do a healthy amount of audio *and* midi work .. and Sonar does both
very well. other platforms do one or the other well .. but not both (imho).
Sonar's support of soft-synths and loop construction is adequate for my
purposes .. not as good as Reason, Acid, FL .. but good.
3. Cakewalk's committment is to software .. not hardware. i like to keep
hardware and software as independent variables ... you don't get
to do so with other plaftforms .. Avid in particular. Does this mean i
accept greater complexity . yes ... but it also means i can choose some
piece of hardware or to upgrade sonar or not on my terms. sometimes that
means i'm on the bleeding edge .. but it's by choice.
4. I can't read German.
5. Cakewalk is committed to my success. I know people who rag on their
customer support, but aside from a couple of email snafu's .. if i've ever
called in .. i got resolution to my problem in one form or another. I most assuredly
cannot say the same about competitive products .. even ones in my own
backyard.
6. Licensing ... I have several computers .. but I use one at a time for various
tasks. Cakewalk's licensing lets me do this no problem .. other software
packages make this damn hard .. or impossible. It's mine, I bought it,
as long as I'm not cloned, I should be able to use it wherever I want.
I'm not philsophically opposed to dongles .. but telling me how many computers
I can have my software on pisses me off.
7. Peer support .. no kidding, Sonar's forum/customer support group has helped me
out countless times ... we really have a good thing kids .. even with the occasional
loony.
that's why I use Sonar ... oh .. it works too .. so that's a bonus... ;-)
jeff
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oengus
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 12:39:03
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ORIGINAL: RonsZound
6) Made in the USA!!!
Really ? After my last journey in the States I thought it was MADE IN CHINA too ! 
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...wicked
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 12:40:36
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I use it for the free coke and hookers...
Oh no wait that's something else...
My college roomate used Cakewalk for DOS to score short films, I bought and upgrade off of his system when he converted to Mac and Sonic Solutions (prior to PT). After that I was on the upgrade path. When Sonar came out I just about wet my pants, it was a dream come true.
Spent so much time with it I couldn't think of using another platform unless this proggie died, after so many years I feel like I understand it so well it would be crazy to switch. Even with wacky work-arounds to approximate features that other sequencers have I'm still fastr on it then if I had something like Logic or Cubase. This would be the same if I had started on one of those other sequencers too, but as it was I ended up with Cakewalk and I'm not complaining!
Plus at this point, Sonar is a big-league butt-kicker. Enjoy it tremendously.
=========== The Fog People =========== Intel i7-4790 16GB RAM ASUS Z97 Roland OctaCapture Win10/64 SONAR Platinum 64-bit billions VSTs, some of which work
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John
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 12:43:56
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I stared out with Sonar 2.2. so I didn't have to go through all the pain I'm sure existed with 1.x. By 2.2 Sonar had become a fairy stable and usable product. Sonar 1 was very stable in fact, all the versions have been stable. Now I wll say this Sonar 4 is by far the most stable of them all. But they were all good and way better then most. Best John
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Benny Bear
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 12:45:32
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1. Used to use Steinberg Pro 24 on the Atari
2. Ripped off by Steinberg in some pay for future upgrades now scam - no upgrades followed except for a change of name to Cubase which was claimed not to be an upgrade! Vowed never to buy Steinberg again and I haven't
3. Switched to PC
4. My wife bought me Cakewalk Pro 7 for Christmas one year and I have stuck with them ever since.
5. End of story.
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Vuzz13
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 12:47:44
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Forum peer pressure......I actually hate music......
"I continue to require more cowbell..." "Turn the light on so I can hear it better..." Asus M4A89GTDPro/ Asus p8z68v-lx AMD 1042/intel I5 3ghz Layla3G XPpro/Win 7 32/64 X1PE/SPE8.5 ,P5v2,DimP,SForge,Audition,GS3,WusikS,QS-7, Reason, bunch o' plug-ins...love soft synths
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The Scar
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 12:48:39
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I've used Cubase (years ago) and still use PT all the time.
I use Sonar 'cause it's way better to compose in than PT. Hands down... though P5 vers 2 looks like it might be even better for composition.
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ohhey
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 14:45:31
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ORIGINAL: Vuzz13
Forum peer pressure......I actually hate music......
LOL ! Yeah.. and you had better keep using Sonar too.. we know where you live. 
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Vuzz13
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 15:13:35
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Yikes!!!!
.......Da big boss sez youse better keep usin' Sonar, if youse knows wats good for you,
ya know, it would be a terrible ting for you to have an accident or sumpthin' while you was playin' around with Cubase ot Spitools or whatever you call it....unerstand me...pally..?
"I continue to require more cowbell..." "Turn the light on so I can hear it better..." Asus M4A89GTDPro/ Asus p8z68v-lx AMD 1042/intel I5 3ghz Layla3G XPpro/Win 7 32/64 X1PE/SPE8.5 ,P5v2,DimP,SForge,Audition,GS3,WusikS,QS-7, Reason, bunch o' plug-ins...love soft synths
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harmony gardens
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 15:41:02
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I used to use Hybrid Arts SMPTE track on an Atari 1040 ST. It worked great for a while. I read a lot of great reviews, and got into Pro Audio 9. I've been impressed with the growth of the product since I've been with the company. It's an amazing program, and I've invested so much time and effort to developing my system, that I have a nice workflow going with it , now. I'm anxious for Project 5 version 2, because of the addition of audio recording. Still, right now, Sonar Producer Edition gives me the power I always dreamed of having in one great package. I just love it! Ease of use Familiarity Flexability Quality Great Support Awesome forum with great users.
post edited by harmony gardens - 2005/04/25 15:42:17
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Susan G
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 15:42:07
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Hi Spaceduck-
I've been happy with Cakewalk products since the early DOS versions. Cakewalk, IMO, is very responsive to user requests, and that's a big thing for me. I suppose it's largely a question of what you're used to. I'm used to Cakewalk's approach.
It's not perfect, but it's getting better all the time, IMO!
-Susan
2.30 gigahertz Intel Core i7-3610QM; 16 GB RAMWindows 10 x64; NI Komplete Audio 6.SONAR Platinum (Lexington) x64
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MrMenace
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 17:10:18
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I saw on Harmony-Central that Cakewalk was having a road show and they were going to be just down the road from where I live. Once I sat through the demo, they annouced the competetive cross-grade was $179 and I had AcidPro4, which qualified. That was SonarPE3.
A little over a year and a few months later, I am still a noob, but I have learned a lot. Both from the always helpful folk from this forum and from trial and error.
Remember, save the kittens! Dennis Do you miss the Coffeehouse? The Other Place
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rasmussen
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 17:18:33
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i chose v9 randomly in '00, and it's the only editor i know.
the progress the app has made over the years has been impressive as well.
stayin put.
nice tune, susan g...
Godspeed Triburion Quad-processor 4.7 ghz FBI issue notebook Omnipotentiometer Orgasmatron MOBO 7 GB slaytron hyper shazam RAM Savage Trend-master Ultra interface Sonar 8.02 deity edition squier strat, gorilla amp, galoshes
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Susan G
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 17:23:38
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Hi rasmussen- nice tune, susan g... Thanks! -Susan
2.30 gigahertz Intel Core i7-3610QM; 16 GB RAMWindows 10 x64; NI Komplete Audio 6.SONAR Platinum (Lexington) x64
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wogg
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 17:24:08
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I searched for recording software when I got my first computer in 1996 and Cakewalk Pro Audio 5 had the feature set I was looking for. I've upgraded ever since. I've seen Nuendo, Vegas and Digital Performer in action but aside from a small feature here and there I've never seen a compelling reason to jump ship and buy something else.
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EvilGuitarMonke
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 17:34:04
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I bought a J station, which came with a copy of one of the cakewalk products (can't remember which one). I liked what I saw, but I had this idea that cakewalk products were somehow less 'hardcore' than stuff like cubase and logic.
Luckily I have a friend who has waaaay more money than sense, and he let me help on a project of his using Logic (this was in its PC days). Lets just say that logic didn't make me think 'wow, what a great piece of software'.
I bought a copy of Cubase 5, and basically I couldn't get it to work well at any useable kind of latency. Having sent Cubase back, and bought Sonar 2 XL, I can only say that I was more than happy. Now I'm on Sonar 4 PE.
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tonester
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 17:40:10
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A good drummer friend of mine has been using Sonar for a year or so now. And he has told me the opposite. He said that he now has more unfinished projects than he has ever had. I can see his point. About a month into this and I already have a few trinkets lying about the place OK, I'm curious. What is it about Sonar that keeps your drummer friend from finishing projects? Conversely, what do the other DAW's have that allow him/her to finish said projects? To me, Sonar does everything those other programs do, and quite well. Tony www.livesayrox.com
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Astra10
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RE: Why do you use Sonar? (da truth!)
2005/04/25 18:36:49
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Why am I using Sonar?
It is more stabile then Cubase!
It has DX and VST support, so it has more plugins then VST only hosts.
Lots of plugins are the main reason for using Sonar since there are many plugins that are DX only like Sony (Sonic Foundry), Sonic Timeworks, etc… (Tough, Cubase has DX6 only, that means that it cannot automate plugins and it doesn’t have latency compensation!)
WDM and DX runs more smoothly then ASIO and VST!!!
Sonar has flexible GUI (much more than Cubase), furthermore VU meters are horizontally aligned so there is no need for mixing console while mixing!!!!
Sonar has real offline bouncing, not only “Freeze†like Cubase. That function is more flexible then “Freezeâ€
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