Cakewalk product experience

Ed Heins · Post by **Ed Heins** » 20 Aug 2014 7:43 am

After getting back into home recording after a long absence I am having to learn a lot about the various products. I started on the cheap with Music Creator 6 since back in the day I was using my Tascam portastudio, and even the most basic of the digital products seemed equal to or better than what I had used previous. I normally cut about three or four live instruments, a couple of vocal tracks and then some virtual instruments as the mood strikes me. I've found Music Creator somewhat geared to making "beats" as opposed to the kind of things I'm doing. Now having cut a couple songs with Music Creator I get offers to upgrade to the Sonar X3 product for not much money. I'm wondering if anyone has any opinions about that upgrade or other products that are preferable? Or it might just be that I'm stuck in the 80s. What's your preferences?

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 20 Aug 2014 8:34 am

I use Sonar in my home recording studio. I have the Sonar X3 Producer (64 bit) Version. What "DAW" software to use can be very subjective with all the options available, such as ProTools, Studio One, Reaper, Cubase, etc.

Whatever computer based software you eventually end up with, you will need a recording interface unit. The PC sound card makes a poor device for recording. A USB type recording interface unit is probably the best option. You can get a two channel unit for under $200, if you want more channels then obviously the price increases. I use a Roland Octa-Capture which has 8 analog inputs. Avoid the Firewire interface units, unless you have a Texas Instrument Firewire chip interface in your computer.

When I first moved from a hard drive recorder (a Fostex VF160) to computer based, I bought an Alesis IO26 recording interface unit and it came with Cubase 3 (LE version). I didn't like Cubase but got a "comptetive" offer for Sonar 7 at a deep discount price. I bought it and liked it. I have a copy of ProTools MP9 but don't like that (although it is very popular).

I think there is a free trial version of Sonar available. Get that and try it and see if you like it before buying. Sonar X3 Producer version even includes the popular "Melodyne" pitch correction add-on.

Cakewalk is now owned by Gibson. The Gibson owner, as has been posted, uses Sonar (and probably why he bought the company). Also music electronics guru Craig Anderton is a Sonar user and also works for Gibson and is active on the Sonar Forums.

http://www.cakewalk.com/

Timothy Foster · Post by **Timothy Foster** » 20 Aug 2014 8:42 am

Unfortunately I don't have any experience with Sonar... but I too started with cassette-based four-tracks. I was always into recording, and followed the typical trajectory of the time -- moved from a cassette four track into reel-to-reels, then ADATs, then outboard hard disk units and eventually landed "in the box" using Cakewalk (which was later rebranded as Sonar.)

Nowadays I'm getting along well with Presonus Studio One. It's weaker in the MIDI/"beat making" realm then some, but has some great/unique audio tools and an excellent workflow. I moved to it from Cubase, and prefer it to ProTools, for whatever that's worth. Has different versions for different budgets...

All the major DAW platforms are pretty darn good and reasonably comparable feature-wise these days, so a good degree of it may very well be what you're used to. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them for your needs. But for me, Studio One gives me just enough MIDI functionally for the occasional VSTi foray along with great audio manipulation features -- auto transient detect to literally quantized live drums, Melodyne pitch correction integrated right into the editor, good tracking workflow... etc...

***AND apologies for the quick slew of posts in the recording section. New member, overanxious to post... And unfortunately a pretty marginal lap steel player, so not much to contribute there

Ed Heins · Post by **Ed Heins** » 20 Aug 2014 4:07 pm

Thanks guys. I am using a focusrite interface and it seems to work quite well. It has a nice set of effects although my stuff being in a folk country vein really uses only a bit of compression reverb and maybe some phase shift occasionally most of which I add prior to the DAW so I don't go heavy on the effects loop. I'll download the demo as you suggest and see how that works.

Rick Schacter · Post by **Rick Schacter** » 20 Aug 2014 10:05 pm

Ed Heins wrote:Thanks guys. I am using a focusrite interface and it seems to work quite well. It has a nice set of effects although my stuff being in a folk country vein really uses only a bit of compression reverb and maybe some phase shift occasionally most of which I add prior to the DAW so I don't go heavy on the effects loop. I'll download the demo as you suggest and see how that works.

Your Focusrite interface should be plenty good enough for whatever DAW you decide to go with.

I was using Sonar and switched over to Studio One.
Not because I didn't think Sonar was a good DAW, it's just that I liked the work flow in Studio One.

If you want to work with lots of midi tracks, then Sonar is probably a better choice than Studio One. Although I do use a few virtual instruments with Studio One and it's fine for what I do.
My advice would be to try the demo versions of the different DAWs and see which one works best for you.

Rick