OK another new DAW guy here.

I recently purchased both Pro Tools LE and Sonar 7 PE. It's a long story. Unfortunately I have not been able to get started on my studio due to my jobs habit of moving me around alot. I liked the idea of Pro Tools as they have a VERY good marketing team, it is about as close to an industry standard as you can get, and knowing that the big guys like George Lucas and Peter Jackson use it to make blockbuster movies made it very attractive. However since I was not able to set up either PTLE or S7PE I have spent my time reading the user guides and anything else I can find on both and have determined that Sonar is more of what I need. My interpretation of the info makes me feel that Sonar will be better at MIDI implementation than Pro Tools and since I'm usually on my own MIDI sequencing will be a huge part of how I operate. Besides being a prog rock and metal fan, I am also a huge film score guy and since I can't afford to have a full orchestra and choir hang out in my living room while I write I'm going to need the MIDI capabilites for softsynths. I know PTLE has MIDI stuff but my gut reaction is that Sonar will be better at it. Also finding that Roland and Cakewalk have teamed up is a good selling feature to me since I've been using Roland gear since the JV-80 came out. Any way I hope that Sonar will help me finally get a CD or three finished. Thanks for listening.

Heya Forum!

Switch? Oh yeah. I switched from Cakewalk Pro Studio 9 to SONAR 1 and never looked back. I have every version through 6 inclusive. I missed 7 but still plan to get 8. SONAR rox!

Here is my recording gear time line. I had more failures than successes, but it was interesting to look back over the path.

1985 - Tascam 234 4 track. The system worked well. Especially after adding a small outboard mixer. No MIDI capability.

1991 - Roland GR-1 and Cakewalk MIDI SW. MIDIAtor MPU401 MIDI interface. Primitive Windows stuff. I didn't like the MIDI sounds. Gave up on computer recording, and stayed with the Tascam tape machine for a few more years.

1998 - Roland VS 1680. It worked, but I hated the user interface. The sound quality was not great. The VS internal mic pre's were sub par, among other things. Windows still did not seem ready for prime time host-based recording. The Mac / Pro Tools path was well beyond my budget.

2000 - Tried Cakewalk PA9. The on board laptop sound card (ESS Maestro) never worked properly. Back to the VS-1680.

2001 - Tried Sonar 1.0 with an EGO-SYS WaMi Box sound card PCMCIA interface on laptop. Driver issues with EGO-SYS were never fully resolved.

2004 - Sonar 3.1SE. Home-built Intel motherboard P4 desktop computer and Delta 1010 interface. My first host-based system that actually WORKED. Still had some glitch issues, but I was actually doing most of my work in 2-track with Wavelab during this time period.

2009 - Jumped five versions to Sonar 8.3 SE. Upgraded last week, thanks to Cakewalk's welcome and affordable upgrade policy. 8.3 SE seems to be running fine on my 5 year-old P4 2.8GHz system w/ 2GB RAM and the Delta 1010 in tests performed so far. The program feels much more responsive as well. I love the look and feel of Sonar 8.3 (MUCH improved over 3.1)

I've stayed with the Studio Editions because the majority of my work is recording acoustic instruments. I do use MIDI tracks for click and melody guide tracks, and for importing Sibelius scores to make practice loops. I just don't need all of the extras offered in the Producer Edition. I've ordered Scott's book this time, in hopes of getting a better handle on some of the possibilities (which I am sure I am missing.) I am most excited about the arrival of the Tranzport to free me from the desktop. If it works as well as the demos I've seen, it could change my recording life.

The user community is a huge plus with Cakewalk. Thanks for being here!

Hiya
I am a keyboard player and wanted a music program to edit all my midi files to use with my Yamaha keyboards.

I started out with Mackie Tracktion v1 and liked it as audio was quick and easy but Midi wasn’t so good, so some months latter I switched to Cubase SE. After a few years I upgraded to Cubase Studio 4 (bad move), I just got so upset with Cubase and that dongle thing.

Then I purchased a Edirol M-16DX mixer with an USB interface that I can use as a analogue mixer when gigging with my keyboard and also use as a sound card with a midi interface when plug into the computer, anyway Edirol mixer included CAKEWALK SONAR LE so I gave it a try and then realising you can do so much more and also add Lyrics into my midi files, Well SONAR is great and I have a lot of learning to do but I feel SONAR far is better and more compressive than Cubase.

I finally decided that I had to upgrade, SONAR 8 PRODUCER EDITION was a prudent move for the added midi and audio features and 30 plus plugings included, so I phoned them at Cakewalk and explained my situation and they did a realy good price for me with free postage.

I have had SONAR 8 PRODUCER EDITION now for 2 months and just cant beleive how comprehensive it is, I have change the colours, removed most of this buttons as I like working from the menu and short cut keys (Keyboard bindings) have also bought the SONAR 8 POWER BOOK to help me along, If I get stuck there are some great tutorial video and forums on line, It is realy great to work with.

Hi I'm Ronnie Bee
Owner of Ronnie Bee's GigaByte Band, and Enchanting Moments Studio, (Home Movies).

The main reason I went to Sonar 8 Studio Edition from SHS-XL is I purchased a 64 Bit PC, and am running Vista Ultimate 64. Also. I recently bought a ASUS Xonar-D2X PCI-Express DTS, (Digital Theater Sound) Optical Sound Card, and a Logitech Z5500 5.1 Surround Sound System. When I found out you were dropping the 64 bit support on the HS-XL side is when I made the final decision to go to Sonar 8.3 Studio.

I sure am glad I did, I have just produced my first test song in DTS Optical Surround Sound, and it sounds Great. The Xonar converts the sound coming from Sonar 8.3 input to DTS 7.1, and you can hear every instrument I put in there, and the voice is so crisp, I love it. The Xonar also came with a PMP Program which will convert my MP3s to Virtual 5.1 or 7.1; and since it has channel volumn normalization it almost mixes the tracks for me.

I will be retiring from my day job April 30, 2009; Plus I have the full version of Dimension-Pro, and all of the other synths that came with Sonar 8; so I hope to have some knock out music up on my sound click soon. I plan to renew my VIP status and produce a few more CDs in Surround Sound before I retire permanently. -

Edit Spelling

I've been recording with DAWs since 2004. I use Sonar PE6, Pro Tools and Logic extensively and have some experience with most of the others. With all the DAWs I use coming out with version 8, it's a good time to settle on one. Logic and Pro Tools are entirely different from their previous versions. I want software I use to grow and be developed, not rewritten. I've had customer service experience with both Cakewalk and Pro Tools. Cakewalk responded the next day on each occasion, I'm still waiting to hear from Pro Tools. I belong to Logic Users Group, and know there's a lot of frustration with Apple's customer service. Apple sells computers, I'm not sure their committed to Logic. Sound quality is everything in recording. There is no audible difference in the quality of recordings in any of them. Logic has taken a big step backward (when you take a $1,000 program, add $1000 in programs and Jam packs, then sell it for $500, It makes wonder if their serious about future research and development. Pro Tools is limited in it's track count and third party plug-ins, its starting to get into MIDI but they are way behind that curve. Sonar is mature, stable and has a great mix of instruments and effects. Keep up the good work, I'm committed.

Hi everyone...

I'm involved in Dark Electronic Music...

I Have been using SONAR since "version 4" and, in my experience, It is, by far, the most featured - most stable DAW I've tried (at a quite reasonable price...) ... and I can tell you I tried all DAWs around... (before SONAR, I've used emagic Logic, Cubase SX3, Ableton Live...)

IN FACT, eventually, since "version 5" came out, SONAR has become my real "operative" Sequencer and all Instruments/Plugins supplier... together with "SAMPLITUDE" (other huge DAW/Editor...) for its really advanced "Audio Editor" functions...
I personally find these two together being the most powerful Music Production environment possible on earth...
...simply NO WAY BACK, after you deal with their capabilities/qualities....

To me, SONAR, by ITSELF, gives EVERYTHING needed for creating music... Advanced Sequencer (outstanding MIDI editing features), a deal of Instruments with sounds covering all music genres... great Fx Plugins... SURELY comprehensive - "All-In-One" like no other....

Let me end with a very "personal" consideration... ...I find SONAR even the most "Gothic-Styled" DAW available...
...which makes me really LOVE it more...!!!

Still Loving It..... Sonar Is The Best!!

ORIGINAL: ronniebee

Hi I'm Ronnie Bee
Owner of Ronnie Bee's GigaByte Band, and Enchanting Moments Studio, (Home Movies).

The main reason I went to Sonar 8 Studio Edition from SHS-XL is I purchased a 64 Bit PC, and am running Vista Ultimate 64. Also. I recently bought a ASUS Xonar-D2X PCI-Express DTS, (Digital Theater Sound) Optical Sound Card, and a Logitech Z5500 5.1 Surround Sound System. When I found out you were dropping the 64 bit support on the HS-XL side is when I made the final decision to go to Sonar 8.3 Studio.

I sure am glad I did, I have just produced my first test song in DTS Optical Surround Sound, and it sounds Great. The Xonar converts the sound coming from Sonar 8.3 input to DTS 7.1, and you can hear every instrument I put in there, and the voice is so crisp, I love it. The Xonar also came with a PMP Program which will convert my MP3s to Virtual 5.1 or 7.1; and since it has channel volumn normalization it almost mixes the tracks for me.

I will be retiring from my day job April 30, 2009; Plus I have the full version of Dimension-Pro, and all of the other synths that came with Sonar 8; so I hope to have some knock out music up on my sound click soon. I plan to renew my VIP status and produce a few more CDs in Surround Sound before I retire permanently. -

Edit Spelling

Update:
I liked the way Sonar 8.3 Studio works with my system so much, I decided to go ahead and upgrade to the PRODUCER EDITION, so I could get all the tools for producing surround sound, and the rest of the instruments that come with PRODUCER. I plan on producing some serious surround sound, and maybe even dubing a few of my Movie tracks.
I'm Trying to talk Cakewalk into Giving me a full production of RAPTURE, since I already bought the full DIM-PRO.

As Doc_Drop posted early on, I too switched over from Digital Orch Pro to Cakewalk Pro Audio (8 or 9...) and then of course to Sonar - when it didn't have a version number!

Two reasons I switched.

1/ Tech support at Voyetra couldn't tell me what happened to my work when it D.O.P. crashed while saving it. The entire project was lost. About 6 months later, I was cleaning off my HDD and discovered a hidden file: project.000. This was what D.O.P. did with their projects as a saftey when saving. Tech support couldn't tell me that.

I haven't had to test tech support for Cakewalk, since support is what I do.

2/ Even though the interface in D.O.P indicated more than one "port"... referring to individual sound cards, D.O.P. could not see more than one sound card at a time. I surmised that I needed something more robust.

I have been a Cakewalk product user since then.

Steve
Huntsville, Ontario.