Hi zoobooboozoo, I'll give you some useful info here (I use both Sonar X2 and Studio One 2.5).

What I like about S1v2:

Tabbed plugin window (containing all instruments/effects loaded).
Lots of shortcut key-assignable commands (especially the marker positions are very convenient).
When you load an instrument, the track view (they call it Arange View) only displays the instrument's MIDI track, and the console view only displays its audio track. This saves space significantly if you use many instruments (especially the ones with multiple outs, such as Kontakt and M1).
The height of tracks in the track view can be really small (more tracks can be shown on the screen).
Better control surface plugin (better than Sonar Control Surface Plugin or A-Pro Editor). It's really easy to control-link your hardware controller with various parameters in S1.
VST3 support.
There are more but...please download the demo and check. 

What I don't like about S1v2:

This:
http://forums.presonus.co...list/31938.page#215738

And also:
None of their instruments and effects can be used in other DAWs (if I'm not mistaken).
No flexibly customisable drum map manager   
No step seaquencer
No MIDI panic button
Unprofessional and boring look
Useless online tech support (user forum is good).

I hope these will help.

Thanks

It's a very subjective thing, but, I just don't care for S1's PRV.   I much prefer working with MIDI in SONAR.
 
Where S1 excels (for me) is pitch/time editing, both with Melodyne integration and its native audiosnap.

No MIDI panic button

That's a concern.


Midi instruments are stateful, no midi-panic = hung notes if you stop in the middle of track at the wrong time - something you'd likely do in a DAW, not necessarily in the middle of a live performance.


A DAW could automatically send a reset (panic) when it was stopped in the middle of a track, but would one want that limitation in a midi editor if the behavior could be useful in some instances?

.02 cents..

I forgot to add two very handy features in Studio One:
Legato and Overlap Correction, and Delete Double Notes (both of which I requested to Cake recently)

PreSonus Exchange is also good.

BTW, IIRC they did a 50% off sale on Valentine's Day last year. But DON'T include it in your purchase decision. Features and workflow are the most important.

If you use hardware synths or sound modules, and do MIDI recording a lot, Studio One may not be the ONE.

I remember trying out StudioOne v1 and I liked it but thought it was a lil' premature and lacked some important features,

Me too.
Not that I was dumping Sonar because that's what I learned on and am comfortable with.
The thing I couldn't deal with in Studio 1 was no 3rd party VST support.
Not sure if that changed in the new version but I paid a lot of money on plug-ins to not have them usable.


You just have to demo all the DAW's that interest you and pick what works best with your needs.


Mike

I have both, but 9 times out of 10 I use X2a.  You can make good music with either, but Sonar just fit me the best visually and worflow wise.

I use both - Tend to favour ST1 V2.5 though.
Plus/minus on both.

ST1 better for me when composing on the fly while looping,
VST Synths stay in sync, after two or three passes in X2A they are all over the place.
Chase MIDI notes i like in ST1, along with Folders into busses.

Even though Staff view in X2A is not that great, i still use it for some Orchestral stuff,
then export MIDI/Audio into ST1.
No staff view in ST1 [and no plans for it at the moment]

I get odd things happen in Pro channel and strange goings on elsewhere with some hangs.
[I have not got to the bottom of them]
I don't get hangs or crashes in ST1.

Horses and all that, i suppose i like them both for different reasons.
Between them both i get plenty done, and that's all that matters.


Garry

chefmike8888

I remember trying out StudioOne v1 and I liked it but thought it was a lil' premature and lacked some important features,

Me too.
Not that I was dumping Sonar because that's what I learned on and am comfortable with.
The thing I couldn't deal with in Studio 1 was no 3rd party VST support.
Not sure if that changed in the new version but I paid a lot of money on plug-ins to not have them usable.


You just have to demo all the DAW's that interest you and pick what works best with your needs.


Mike

Studio One Producer and Studio One Professional does have VST support. In fact, it supports VST2, VST 3, AU, and ReWire. Studio One Free and Studio One Artist does not support VST. 


http://studioone.presonus...re-the-versions/ 


IMHO DAWS are like shoes. You need to find the pair that feels comfortable to you. There are a lot of good ones out there. Logic and Reaper are excellent. In the end you got to pick the one that works the best for you. I happen to like the workflow the best in Sonar, but other people may not agree. To them the work flow in logic is better. this is the opinion side of things. In the end the one that fits you the best is the one you should use. 


my suggestion to the op is to download all the demos from all the DAWS and run a series of tests with each one. The one that you personally like the best should be the one you get. May the best DAW win. 


Then again what is the best one? All I can say is the best one for me was Sonar X2, but that might not be the best one for you.

IMHO DAWS are like shoes. You need to find the pair that feels comfortable to you. There are a lot of good ones out there. Logic and Reaper are excellent. In the end you got to pick the one that works the best for you. I happen to like the workflow the best in Sonar, but other people may not agree. To them the work flow in logic is better. this is the opinion side of things. In the end the one that fits you the best is the one you should use. 

I couldn't agree more. I really don't get "DAW wars". I find Sonar great - it does everything I need it to and is stable. I don't expect everyone to agree which is a good thing.

If everyone thought Sonar was great they'd all be using it, there wouldn't be any other DAWs and therefore nothing to keep improvements being made.

Find one you like and learn it well.

a few words...

S1v2= Great Daw: fresh codes, limited functionality, good effects, bad virtual instruments, poor content, good audio editing, good midi..
 
Sonar x2= Great Daw: old codes, great effects, ProChannel Modules, full functionality, good instruments, good content, good audio editing, the BEST of midi..

Reaper 4= Great daw: fresh and unique coding,  limited functionality, ugly but good effects, no instruments, no content, the best of audio editing, poor midi.