I thank everyone for their help.
If I may open a can of worms here.

System is relative:
4 Powercore DSP's (PCI)
MD3 (plug version of the TC Electronic System 6000 mastering system)
VSS3 TC Electronic Reverb
Sony Oxford Bundle
Sonar 5. 0 Producer (I have had Cakewalk 8.0 thru Sonar 5.0)

Issues:
Although the plugs I mentioned are excellent quality it seems the powercore DSP's have been very flaky in quantity, but I manage to get them to work because I underestand the work arounds...
Example:
I am not able to close any VSS3 or Sonar will crash when save is pressed.
-Do not save with a VSS3 open, but leave it open and pull to side of page.
I am not able to open a project with a MD3 and VSS3 or sync error message occurs.
-Open MD3 after loading project.
-Note: Other than the work around issues, I have been extremely happy with the MD3 and VSS3 for mastering.
Not one issue with the Sony Sony Oxford Bundle plugs, except they must be ran in stereo. Mono is not available in the Sony Plugs used in Sonar.

Note: I have issues submitted to TC Electronic, Sony and Cakewalk. No solutions to repeated requests yet.

Sonar does not have the capability to master a CD in Redbook. So here I am looking for another solution.

I have many choices:
Sony CD Architect
Wave Lab
Samplitude
Sequoia

Possible paths:
1. Deal with the issues within Sonar and get Sony CD Architect.
2. Deal with the issues within Sonar and get Wave Lab because it is a significant improvement over Sony CD Architect. Slightly more $$
Is it worth it?????
3. Learn a new tracking system Samplitude because the powercore plugs and all else runs smooth throught this program improving my efficiency and making my dream happy again...
Is Samplitude the smooth operator?
4. Learn a new tracking system Sequoia because it offer significant improvement over Samplitude and powercore plugs.
Curious what the differences are from Sequoia to Samplitude

Extremely important decision... Sometimes the frugal path is best and sometimes accepting loss spending more, and completely changing paths is warranted...Hmmmm....
Help me figure it out???

Greg Alcorn
Alcorn Studios

Greg, you already know my opionon on this, but just to be clear, Samplitude is essentially a slightly less powerful version of Sequoia. The differences are slight, and you can always upgrade at any time with no compatiblity issues. (They both save and read the same VIP and WAV files.) And, Samplitude V8 is a lot less expensive than Sequoia V8. If you learn Samplitude, you'll have no trouble whatsoever with Sequoia further down the road.

Do NOT be intimidated into thinking Samplitude is a lesser product sonically or for 99% of the features common to both.

The list of differences between the two are on the Magix website, and you may find the difference isn't worth the cost of Sequoia. I've used Samplitude for years and years making totally professional masters - for either private clients or mass-produced commercial CDs with zero problems. If you're making pre-glass master CDs for mass replication, Samplitude will get you there as well as Sequoia.

There are a few high end plug ins that run on Sequoia but not Samplitude (reNOVAtor is one of them - if you want to use it with Samplitude, you must purchase the standalone version which is VERY pricey) and there are some additional file handling features for networking and broadcast facilities with Sequoia. Also (AFAIK) the four-point editing system is avialable only with Sequoia, but again, you may not need that right now.

What's great about either product is the ablitiy to do it all under one roof. Fewer crashes, too; V8.2 is extremely stable; the only crashes I ever experience now are from outside sources - 3rd party plugs, HD problems, etc.

Here's the bottom line for me: Time is money, and the sheer amount of post production we do here makes it critical to work with a high end product like Samp/Sequoia that is ultra reliable and versatile enough to handle anything I throw at it. I know I sound like a commerical, but once I got up and running with this product, (Red Roaster originally before Samplitude) it became clear that it's the only way to go for us here. I've kept an open mind over the years in terms of other products and watched what others were up to, but eventually I stopped considering using anything else for high end professional CD mastering work. After nearly 10 years of working with each revision of this product, I can tell you there's really little else you'll need for what you're looking to do.

Sorry, I'm shilling again, I guess! :roll:

Joe,

Thank you much for the help.

I really wish I had started with Samplitude or Sequia up front. If I added the individual software and DSP components to get to my present level, I could have purchased Sequia twice.

I am presently downloading CD Architect and Samplitude DEMO.
Burning the midnight oil to learn. I have two clients each with full CD's to be completed by the first week of August. I may have to purchase the CD Architect just to get these clients completed, and get paid.
Then I could spend more time on the Samplitude and have the cash to pay for it.
...Hmmm.....
Off to work on the final mixes.

Peace!
Greg Alcorn
Alcorn Studios

I was on Ebay and found Samplitude 8 Pro crossgrade for $399.
I could not resist such a good deal, so I purchased it.

Thank you for the help!

Peace!
Greg Alcorn
Alcorn Studios

Sounds great, Greg!

You may want to join the Samplitude users group at the Magix website, and feel free to pick our brains here....lots of Samp/Sequoia users lurking around. 8-)

I became a Samplitude user through their crossgrade offer as well.

If all is as it should be with your purchase, you will be eligable for the upgrade to v9 coming out (hopefully) within a few months.

The cost is higher than a Sonar update, but I believe it is something to be looked forward to.

I became a Samplitude user through their crossgrade offer as well.

If all is as it should be with your purchase, you will be eligable for the upgrade to v9 coming out (hopefully) within a few months.

The cost is higher than a Sonar update, but I believe it is something to be looked forward to.

I just saw that Sequoia V 8.3 is coming out (Probably the same for Samplitude V 8.3).

As for any V9; I'd be highly skeptical until it's really out. V8 took more than a year from planned release date to the real thing, at least in the USA. Lots of reasons for the delay, but once it was finally out, it was indeed worth the wait. Personally, I'm in no rush for a V9, but who knows...maybe more good surprises in store.