Cubase SX should do ya just fine, man.
G'luck.

What about Cakewalk Pro 9.0 or Sound Forge 6.0? Do these differ greatly from Cubase?

Well, if you would be looking into a DAW it would not be Cakewalk, as it is now called Sonar!

Sonar 2.x is supposed to be really good but I can't comment since I haven't used it at all.

Never been a fan of that software myself, but again, that's my opinion.

I'm a huge Steinberg fan as I love their interface and flexible configurations and the ability to add VST, Direct X programs within.
Also rewire capabilities with Reason!

I would see about getting demo's of any program to try them out first.

Also any Guitar Center usually has these programs on a system for you to try out as well.

Sound Forge is only a two track editor and not a multi-track editor like Cubase or Sonar.

I would recommend SX as well since it's editing is very top notch with some great features built into it.

Things like, Hit Points(Recycle program to make Rex files), real time processing and off line processing to save CPU usage, extereme sample editing and drawing, great automation capabilities, great sync setup scenarios and much much more!

Hope that helps

Opus :D

I just went through a similar decision making process. What helped me a great deal was downloading the Sonar Demo and messing with it. I ran it on a wimpy 333mhz ibm with built in sound card, but it was good enought for me to decide that it had everything I was looking for. I also found the manual (in the help file) very useful. I think any of the softwares you mentioned could do what you are thinking about doing, but Sonar is nice because you can try before you buy.

Downflow
Please check my post in New Used or Trade.
thanks Roly

downflow,

One consideration that might help you make your decision is what kind of computer will host the DAW, i.e., PC or MAC and the 'horsepower' in the machine? Can the machine handle the software??

I use Cubase SX and love it. I'm relatively new to DAWs so Cubase was/is a little intimdating. It's a powerful application with many, many features and functions. It's probably closer to a so called professional app then say Sonar or Sound Forge. Jim mentioned that Sonar ran on his 'crappy' computer where he might not have had as much luck with trying to run Cubase SX.

Other considerations, Cubase SX prefers to be on an Win2000 or WinXP OS.

Samplitude 7.x is getting a lot of attention, even in the Cubase forums. It has features that we have been waiting for in Cubase SX. I haven't tried it yet but hearing some good things. The most common negative remark I hear is that Samplitude is weak in the midi department.

Which brings me to another question, are you strickly audio or audio and midi?

The best advise has already been offered, if you can, try before you buy.

Oh yea, don't be spending all of your money on the software. The soundcard is THE MOST IMPORTANT piece in any DAW.

These are stickly my opinions and do not represent the opinions of this forum or the people involved with this forum. :D

I've been a Samplitude user for years and love that program. The midi features are improving and vst and vsti integration has taken a major step forward with the new version (7.1). The forum is moderated by the developers themselves so you have a direct line of communication. I've seen bugs mentioned and fixed in the same week. Try that with Steinberg. If I was more midi based I would go with sx, but for audio and usable midi I say Samplitude 7.1 pro. The bang for the buck is pretty incredible. Lots of high quality effects and laid out for an audio engineer (not a computer dude... no offense intended...). also, basically all features of wavelab are integrated as well. batch processing, cd burning, etc...

http://

Sonar is a very powerful, and I think underrated, audio program. As others have said, you can try the demo and see if it works for you. It is at version 2.2 now, and has become very stable (with most hardware) and now supports ASIO drivers. I would also say that Logic 5x and Samplitude are both awesome, but I feel that the learning curve for either of them is greater than Sonar, and Sonar is a better sequencer than Samp.

Sound Forge 6 is only 2 channel, as mentioned above, but it is an very cool editor. I use it to edit/master after I have mixed from Sonar or Logic.

I will admit that i used to be a loyal cakewalk/sonar user (that was, until i started using nuendo). Sonar XL2.2 is an underated program. Though its interface isn't as eye pleasing as stienberg apps, the programs works very good. There are a few things that i still find easier to do on sonar over nuendo such as inserting markers. In Nuendo you have to open a marker track (unless you set up your own template of course) vs sonar has a marker track integrated into the track window. Also Sonar has the ability to apply all the effects of each track into the wave all at once, giving the user the ability to apply more effects if needed with ease; on nuendo, unless i just haven't learned how to do it yet, can't do this. But over all, I found nuendo easier to use, better sounding, and better looking. I also found that i can do things faster on it and it has extensive routing for effects like a real studio. You can run reason with it just like sonar and you can use both dx and vst plug-ins. Cubase SX is very similar so if you ask for my opinion between sonar xl and cubase, i would go for cubase. Just don't use it on mac because alot of people tell me that it crashes like crazy on macs.

You could take a chance and go with Nuendo 2.0 and hope it's not full of problems as Steinberg seems to be a bit slow fixing bugs. You may have to wait a month before it's in your local stores. It appears to be a feature rich pro product. If you're heavy into midi and on a budget Sonar may be the current best choice. If support is important to you I would check out Samplitude 7. I haven't used it but I've heard great things about customer support plus full delay compensation for your plugins. The ability to mix, master, and burn CDs in the same app is appealing to me. I'm looking forward to the NAMM show so that I can check it out. Almost all of these choices sound good if you record at 24 bit or higher. Perhaps identical would be the word- it's just math after all. (Let the flames begin)- Plugins are a different story however. Find one with good EQs and compressors, reverbs (such as Samplitudes convolution), etc. Support, ease of use, and an interface that is pleasant to you is essential. You also may ask around and see what your friends are using so that it is easy to share files.

Hi Downflow,

All of the programs mentioned above (Cubase SX, Nuendo, Samplitude) are really fine pieces of software, but if you're starting in the DAW world I think that the BEST solution would definitely be the Cakewalk SONAR 2.2... It is a very straightforward program with all the tools you would ever need and almost no learning curve at all... It may not visually be as pleasing as Cubase & Nuendo, but it's interface is definitely easier and closer to the MUSICIAN's LOGIC, if you know what I mean. It's price/performance rate is also much better than the other's. If you need a direct comparison chart between Sonar & Cubase, take a look at this link :
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.twistedm…"]Cubase SX vs. Cakewalk Sonar[/]="http://www.twistedm…"]Cubase SX vs. Cakewalk Sonar[/]

Cheers !

Interesting... I want to see what the die-hard Cubase fanatics have to say about this one. Even to me (an admitted Sonar fanboy) the comparison seemed a tad biased. True, all those points brought up make sense, but all of Cubase's strong points were totally ignored or overlooked.

Looks like the new Samplitude demo is up...

http://www.samplitude.com/de/dwnloads_trials.htm

Originally posted by falkon2:
Interesting... I want to see what the die-hard Cubase fanatics have to say about this one. Even to me (an admitted Sonar fanboy) the comparison seemed a tad biased. True, all those points brought up make sense, but all of Cubase's strong points were totally ignored or overlooked.

I decided to leave that one alone actually.

It may be a good program to start on but there are definite features which are truly lacking to make it a "logical" program IMHO.

Opus :roll:

I own three programs: Emagic's Logic (LAWP 5.51); Steinberg's SX; and now Cakewalk's Sonar 2.2

Just upgraded to Sonar 2.2. For years, prior to 2000, I used Cakewalk 4.something before purchasing my first version Logic. Much to my surprise, everything configured out just nicely with the midi and the audio.

Except for one major problem.

I can't get the ASIO audio drivers to work with the Motu 2408 mkII. So, I have to use the WDM drivers. . . which seems to work just fine with low latency. So far.

My favorite DAW? Emagic's Logic. I'm just so sorry that the new parent company doesn't support the program for PC users anymore.

All in all, though, I think it just comes down to person preference. I mainly use the SX program now because of the many Steinberg plug-in's purchased. Although I prefer the "look" and layout of the Logic program, SX is equally stable and produces the same great sounding mixes to my ears as the Logic program.

I purchased the the Sonar upgrade because I've recorded three important albums using an older version of Cakewalk and want to access those old files. Now I can, thankfully.

Never tried the Samplitude program. I guess I'll stick to what I have.

up until a few years ago no-one I talked to had even heard of Samplitude. I'm just glad it is becoming a recognizable name along with the other staple daws. I had some very real concerns that samplitude would be no more when emagic took over distribution of Magix (samplitude's parent company... I know confusing...). some good came out of that brief marriage, though, as the samplitude developement actually created the freeze feature in conjunction with emagic (which is why it is in both programs) and I'm sure they picked up a few midi tips while they were there. Now they just have to get all of that working well. Pretty daunting task but they are doing a fine job. And I'm a happy camper as it seems my daw of choice has a bright future...

Best to all,
Brock

I am very surprised no one has mentioned Pro Tools, the industry standard DAW. Of course, the question still remains about your MIDI needs, but if you are planning to record mostly live instruments, then Pro Tools is an awesome solution. IMHO Pro Tools is the mark of a pro, plus HUGE compatibility with many LA studios. Pro Tools LE and the Digi 001 are very competitive in price to all these other solutions mentioned. Logic is an excellent choice for MIDI needs and the new parent company is Apple Computer. You'll find there again Apple is an industry standard. I'll probably get flamed for this, but Macs are a large percentage of what you will find in the biz.....get used to using them. Computers are the tools, no matter the platform, so don't limit yourselves to only philips screwdrivers, if you get my meaning. Good luck!

It's just that the Motorola screwdriver turns so slowly.... ;)

Ah, but now we have an IBM DRILL with multiple bits!!!!!!

http://www.apple.com/powermac/

Did I just hear the Mac Community collectively say, "Buhbye, Motorola"???? I think so......... ;)

Have a good day guys!

Yeah, Gotta admit that. The G5 is looking pretty cool.

If you want also sounds coming from the box, get a Creamware Scope card. I'm not using Vst instruments anymore, they can't compare. The Creamware Software is absolutely the best in terms of routing, Sound generation, flexibility, quality of Asio drivers.

Then get the Sequencer app you like most, I'm used to Cubase from too many years, but I use it only for midi data for my Scope Fusion Platform and for Audio tracks.

A little OT but...alfonso any info from Creamware after they declared bankruptcy?

I was thinking about making a Creamware investment, now I'm in wait and see mode.
:confused:

AFAIK, they had a problem with cashflow, due to the too much prolonged time delay in the production of the Noah hardware, in wich they invested a lot (you can hear it, hehe), as they were planning to start getting money back from the buyers some months before.

But the company problems have been judged temporary by the creditors, and so a protection strategy was allowed, considering that Noah is almost a sell out all over the world before the units are sent...

The official CW statements say that all the staff remains and the financers have guaranteed the undisturbed workflow.

We, the users, are not scared at all, we know the value of our CW gear, and if the german banks decided to cover the cashflow delay, they think the same.
And the interestment of some of the greatest synth gurus, like Assaf Dar and John Bowen, making new third party companies to support SFP, shows a great future for the platform.

Ah, something good for us from this cashflow problem....very good offers are made now, if I hadn't 4 cards, I would buy more.....

I'm a advid cubase user. I also use Sonic Foundry's 2 track editing program Sound Forge. I could imagine what their multitrack program "Vegas" is like. In one word.....Stable. And with stability comes.....reliability. Enough said.

LOOK, Pro Tool's is used because of it's name cache and the simple fact that It was the first on the scene. People tend to stick with the familiar... If It were to pop up on the scene today, no-one would buy It. Plug-In implementation SUCKS, with no delay compensation as used In most of the other player's (yes, Steinberg need Delay Comp. in SX- Send FX, that is, as it exists everywhere else- as in Nuendo) and the moronic idea of limiting tracks in LE to a gnerous 32- from 24. This is marketed as the equivalent of all the main sequencer packages. No Thanks! Yes, they just created ASIO drivers... good luck with stability.
Since VST plug-In's and ASIO drivers are the most used, obviously they are most stable in thier Manufacter' products- Cubase SX/Nuendo. Beside's, they (Steinberg) are the only Dual platform Seq. as far as i know. Get SX unless you need advanced surround sound capabilities and do lots of Post...

Interesting thread; don't mind me while i dredge it up to mention...

N-Track...

IMHO, N is the 'little engine that could'. Anyone else using this great little proggy?

tj

I use a combination of logic and vegas. for 2-track editor I've almost always used sound forge, but i've recently found that stienbergs program "wavelab" to be much much nicer - after some getting used to of course. it has some great built in features. for cd burning i could use vegas, but i've had my eyes on sonic foundry's cd architect (the new stand alone version).

I use vegas almost only for editing and arranging, cause i find you can really zoom in there and get surgical and more accurate then anything i've tried doing in logic. logic is a midi-geek's dream come true though. i've used it for nearly 6 years now and still enjoy trying out new things. people say's it's too slow or complicated (too many windows and such) but damn once you learn it's shortcut keys and screen sets, it becomes a wild beast.

as for tempo matching prerecorded audio that happens to be played with no click track, i've found that the newer ACID program has a very precise and fast tool for doing such a task. doing such a thing in logic takes forevor. I've heard that cubase's "hit points" system can be used to tempo match, but i've never figured it out. anyone care to ellaborate on that? or is that another thread? sorry

yeah hey what about RADAR!? I've heard that it's the only program some of the very top engineers would even consider touching.

downflow....

It's now been months since you first posted your topic....which has now morphed into a broad discussion of DAW's.

So my first question back is:

Did you finally buy a DAW?

If so, what did you buy, and how do you like it?

In any event...I'll add my two cents.

Since this discussion began around a purchase decision, I think that the topic of value needs to be brought up.

For a purchase decision is usually (usually--barring unique needs and circumstances) all about value.

This is probably the main reason that Pro Tools hasn't been a strong contender in this discussion...nobody thinks that it's a good deal.

There may be other reasons to buy it, but a "value" it's not.

IMO, the leader in this particular arena is Cakewalk's SonarXL.

Feature laden and easy to learn, for the money, it's the best bang. It's got everything you need in one package to put out a superior recording...right through the mastering stage (with Sonic Timework's plug ins...they're excellent).

The others mentioned herein are excellent choices also...no question. They are superb programs...but not so distinctive that any of them are heads and shoulders above the others...they all sound and work great (neither, in this regard, is Sonar...they ALL sound great.)

But I think that all the extras-- the soft synths/audio effects/midi effects/mastering plugs etc.... -- make SonarXL the best choice when value is the primary consideration.

Best-

Kev.

Protools is expensive, it has Digidesign holding a sword over your head, the plugs are expensive, EXPENSIVE, the issues with apple painful,

However,
Protools is the best software to get a easy handle on and if you work with the audio functions as much as I do, then you find editing as its severe strong point.
Non destructive or destructive, simple and fast for editing audio is its main power, its mixer is realistic to an analog mixer and automation is excellent, for audio, midi or automating plugins it is simple.

If you havent tried protools its available for a free version tryout, fully functional without a bit of the fruit, isnt that worth a try?

There are many political problems with Digi, however their support is good and future vision probably as good as the rest.

I am not preaching Digi, to you but I did own Logic from 2.4 to 5.0 so dont anyone tell me Logic is friendly: Cubase is marginally worse in my opinion, especially its file management(I have owned both so dont flame me).

Pts has easy integration with any studio I have worked in or with and most sessions are Ptools ready, as opposed to all the others.

If you go for a DAW, it would have to be my choice, the downside is its cost and honestly its midi isnt as good as logic, but for all audio editing, its a dream.

I dont work for Digi, perhaps they may employ me for the crap I just wrote.

Good luck hunting, peace if I offended any loyal users, this is only my opinion.

AJ

AJ: I actually messed with a couple of different Pro Tools rigs, and I have to say, I found SONAR's interface a lot more intuitive right-off-the-bat for achieving specific sounds and effects that I wanted.

But hey, that's just me.

Originally posted by by:
yeah hey what about RADAR!? I've heard that it's the only program some of the very top engineers would even consider touching.

Radar is fabulous... however you should be aware that Radar is a piece of hardware, with it's own O/S and software... it isn't exactly a program per se...

To use Radar in conjunction with DAW software is awesome indeed. It's also the perfect piece to replace those 2" 24 trackers...

Another program I'm surprised to receive lack of mention is "Sequoia". If you like the editing in Pro-Tools you would be blown away...

ok then...

Brock

I actually messed with a couple of different Pro Tools rigs, and I have to say, I found SONAR's interface a lot more intuitive right-off-the-bat for achieving specific sounds and effects that I wanted.

Yeah right... :roll:

I actually messed with a couple of different Pro Tools rigs, and I have to say, I found SONAR's interface a lot more intuitive right-off-the-bat for achieving specific sounds and effects that I wanted.

Actually, I've heard from several folks, on this board and others, that many of the other DAWs(Cubase, Nuendo, Sonar, etc.) are a lot more intuitive than Pro Tools. I haven't been behind the wheel of a PT rig, but I run Sonar and have had the opportunity to work with Nuendo. I also own a copy of Cubase VST. I found them all to be very intuitive(some better at things than others). IMHO :D

Originally posted by Aziel:

I actually messed with a couple of different Pro Tools rigs, and I have to say, I found SONAR's interface a lot more intuitive right-off-the-bat for achieving specific sounds and effects that I wanted.

Yeah right... ;)

You're entitled to your opinion. I'm entitled to mine. Leave it be that way, m'kay? All isn't lost just because someone doesn't agree with you.

Sorry about that... :p:

I use both, Protools and SX, and in my perception, just mine maybe not yours, SX is more powerfull in a whole package...better midi, rewire (new PT 6 have it too) more tracks(i`m talking about LE), a lot of plugins...is the best deal for the bucks...but, to be honest, the only reason why i stay in Protools is because the editing power and the FAST learnig curve...maybe (because of my really bad english) i misunderstood the term "intuitive" but i just have the experience of learn way fast the Protools software...is just my opinion, how i said again, sorry about that and Peace :p:

About Sonar, is really good too, maybe the best MIDI in the PC world, someone could say Logic is better, but man, Logic is very, very, very hard to learn!!! :D i use to work with Sonar, great plugins too, a lot of DX...but in my preference SX and Protools are above...i dont want to start a duel, i just telling my experience...and believe me, in computers...im a dummie... :D

Roger that. Just a difference in opinion - no slight was intended in any way.

I never really liked the SONAR default plugs - the reverb and EQ sounds harsh, and the delay/flanger/chorus effects don't have much flexibility or "feel" to them. They DO get some jobs done, though.

Originally posted by BrockStapper:

Another program I'm surprised to receive lack of mention is "Sequoia". If you like the editing in Pro-Tools you would be blown away...

ok then...

Brock

I've been a user of Sequoia pretty much since Day 1 (I did some beta testing prior to the initial release). IMO, there is nothing on the market that has the kind of flexability that Sequoia has... Editing that is perfect for the minutia of classical music, full mastering capabilities, MIDI (like Samplitude, probably still needs some work), film-post sync capabilities, multi-track production, etc...

--Ben