X1c Thoughts, Now That I've Been Beating the Crap Out of It for a Week...

So I got an Alyssa Atherton song for remixing with 80+ tracks done originally in Logic, and brought all the tracks into Sonar X1c. A few observations.

* I had a couple crashes within the first day which I found really annoying. I went into Task Manager and disabled running processes relating to other audio interfaces that I wasn't using, and haven't had any crashes since. Hmm...anyone who's having stability issues might want to see what else is demanding their computer's attention while Sonar is running.
* For almost all EQ and dynamics, I'm using ProChannel instead of other plugs. It sounds fine (the 4K is great for drum loops), does the job, and having it built into Sonar is really convenient.
* I'm finding a lot of the Clip edit menu functions invaluable, like convert mono to stereo, bounce to clip, etc.
* AudioSnap finally works. I rarely used AudioSnap because a) I'm not into the quantizing thing, and b) it was squirrely. But as this is a dance tune, and some of the tracks arrived with shaky timing, I took the plunge and started AudioSnapping. I've been very pleasantly surprised with the results.
* I'm learning to love the mute tool. I really felt the song was overproduced, so I want to get rid of stuff without actually trashing it. Between the mute tool and the archive function, it's easy to pare down the arrangement but be able to get stuff back if I realize I needed it after all.
* Layers are useful for more than just comping. I'm using them as ersatz track folders when I want common processing for related tracks and don't want to go through sends.
* I'm using lots of clip effects. With so many tracks, I don't want to create another one just for something like a share hit with a huge reverb splash on it. So I'll just isolate the snare as a clip and add the reverb (usually the Sonitus because I'm doing this a lot, and want to keep the CPU consumption reasonable).

Overall I was a little nervous about using an update so soon after its release on a big project, but it's been very well-behaved even though this is a pretty hefty project.

Well, I do my album assembly and overall mastering in Studio One Pro (with the prior "detail work" in Sound Forge, Wavelab, or Audition, although interestingly Sonar is often best for click removal), my live performances in Ableton Live, quite a bit of composition in Reason, and classical sessions at a local studio in Pro Tools. I also do all the online examples for loop libraries I review in Electronic Musician using Sony Acid. So I'm an equal opportunity fanboy

The reason why I've learned a lot of different software is so I can choose the right one for the right job. For this project, based on the results so far Sonar was the right choice.

The reason why I've learned a lot of different software is so I can choose the right one for the right job. For this project

Can't argue with that.

I too have other DAW software and each has its own place.

Sonar X1 is my goto DAW though.

Oh BTW did I tell you how much I love your video on X1 "The Advanced Workshop"?

There is something for everybody in that video. Its simply outstanding. I have it on my tablet and show it as a demo for quality videos as well as showing what X1 is about.  Its great getting oohs and aahs from it.

The automation chapter is worth the cost of the video alone.

Yup, Studio One almost can't be beat for final assembly.  Their layout is very intuitive.

John


So do you like X1? LOL

You do know you will be called a "fanboy".

Let's be accurate, that's me and you. Craig's a "shill". And anyway, dance remixes aren't real music anyway.

John T

John


So do you like X1? LOL

You do know you will be called a "fanboy".

Let's be accurate, that's me and you. Craig's a "shill". And anyway, dance remixes aren't real music anyway.

LOL. You do have a point.

What's your problem with the midrange?

Middleman

Suprisingly Analyst is getting a lot more use here especially the Sonograph buttton for seeing ultra low signal that my room & monitors aren't revealing.

+1

Every once in a while I'll run across something in Sonar that totally changes my mixes and the way I work. I recently started using the Sonograph and found that's one of those things I should have been using all along.

It's totally changed how I approach EQ and Volume on tracks, especially ones that fall in the 1KHz and lower range. I use it all the time now.

Mid-range.... can't be trusted...

Thanks for sharing your experience Mr. Anderton. I've been running Sonar between 8 and 14 hours a day for the last eight days and have had three crashes, two of them was my own fault and the third was PSYNII (I've given up on you old buddy). Running smooth at very low latencies. And it's really fast to work in it!!

Yes, I have other DAWs as well, but Sonar just work so well for me!

SONAR X1c was giving me some grief with my Edirol UA 101 at first. It stopped working as if the program had lost focus. I used Auslogics registry cleaner and ccleaner to get rid of a lot of junk files and now things are fine.

Middleman

John T


What's your problem with the midrange?

Across many tracks, it just sounds a bit hard and grainy. Cut is fine, boost is another thing.

Ah, yeah, that's true enough. I tend to think that's a general reality about EQ, but there are more forgiving ones out there, for sure.

My take on the pro channel EQ is that for your general nipping and tucking work, including as you say shelving the low and high end, and also for notching stuff out, I am completely happy with it. For my methods, that accounts for 99% of the EQing that I do. I think it also performs well for boosting the high end.

I'd make a bit of a case that mid range is where you need to really fine tune the Q, and that if doing that, the differences between EQs get fairly small, but I wouldn't strenuously argue that point. If you do lots of boosting, then yeah, the character of a given EQ may well be better for you than that of another.

Anderton

A shill for Ableton Live? Or Studio One Pro (check out the video I'm doing for them on how to use the mastering capabilities, it's coming out in October)? Or Sonar?

Oh, all of them. You're clearly in the pay of the lizards who run  the New World Ordaw. :)

DJs are musicians, too.

Yikes. And I was right there with ya, Craig, but you lost me on that one.

Which kind of DJing John, ol pal? 

yorolpal


Which kind of DJing John, ol pal? 

Playing records or now MP3 for dances and events. Getting the room rocken!!!!!!!