Submitted by Cameron Hadley on Mon, 10/24/2011 - 17:06

I have been playing around laying down tracks for about 5 years so I have a pretty good basic knowledge of mixing. We are just getting our new home recording studio going, so we are still buying and no doubt getting rid of some gear we jumped on early on. We have an Apple G5 and have just purchased pro-tools 8 because this apple operating system is not Intel, so we had to go with version 8, but i was wondering which is better pro-tools, or Cubase? I would like to hear on any of the other as well. We are only looking at this system for mastering, not mixing. Below is a picture of our newly built recording console that host a Tascam SX1-LE. It's not finished yet, still have hardware to install a long with gear.

 

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Comments

Nice!

Samplitude Pro X or Sequoia 12 are my picks for mastering. If you are using Apple, there is a bridge that makes this possible. Next year they will be releasing the Mac version so a bridge will not be necessary then. These two programs are the professional choice for good reason. Sequoia has everything you need in one package.

There is a free 30 day trial download for Samplitude Pro X

ALL DAWS have their own FLAWS. ALL of them. It is just a matter of what "does not bother" you to much.
Quick example. Cubase has channel EQs built in. PT does not. Cubase has pitch correction on every track. PT does not. PT handles groups better than any other DAWs. Cubase sucks at it.
The list is endless.

It really depends on your needs. Sadly, I think that both of these DAWs are not made for mastering (they can do it of course). But I hear that samplitude, Sequoia and Wavelab are better at it.

Considering software only:

Not only does Sequoia sound pristine it also includes all the mastering software including DDP (http://recording.org/mastering-engineers-forum/50421-ddp-mastering-explained.html ). There is no need to buy third party, its all there. I don't even need hardware, its that good.
Pro Tools however, is pay per play meaning, you need to buy mastering plugins on top of the core software plus the engine isn't as good either (excluding HDX we're told) .
I don't know one professional mastering engineer who uses PT for mastering. Sequoia is the Cadillac. Samplitude Pro X Suite has most of Sequoia I believe if you are looking for less cost. But if you are really serious and want the best, all others are inferior. Once you use Sequoia, you'd know what I mean. It sheds light on a lot of mystery.

I live in Nashville and went to the NAMM show and got sold on Studio One - it's quickly emerging. Was used in mastering a song for Michael Jackson's last album. It's main thing is it's built on recent programming standards unlike most other DAWs built on 20 yr old standards, at least according to Studio One. Big benefit: Much simpler to use yet 64 bit technology and other things make it pro- strength.

Studio One is great at it all. If you have bought a Presonus Interface, you are best to stick with Studio One and upgrade to Pro so you can still add third party plug-ins if you like.

Outside of that. get REAPER 4! It a great and stable DAW. With Reaper you can buy your own personalized third party plug-ins. Its a breeze to use and learn.

I am sure ProTools fits any bill but its aggravating.