Sonar 6 or Cubase 4?

[Grendel]

I have the opportunity to purchase one of these from a friend. My choice. I a newby to recording and have no idea which one to use. My interface is Presonus Firestudio and CPU is P4. I'll eventually upgrade my CPU.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

 

[thedonutman]

I don't think anybody out there likes Cubase apart from me. So perhaps you should consider Sonar.

I don't understand why everyone hates it so much really.

 

[F1Filter]

Well Sonar 6 did have some nice new features (Audiosnap, ACT, Session Drummer 2, etc). But some of these weren't available unless you got the Producer Edition. So you might want to do a search online for the differences between the 2 versions (Studio -vs- Producer).

I'm fairly sure that Cakewalk has a "no resell" policy on any of their licenses. Even if it's a legacy product or not. So if the license number has already been registered. You're out of luck for getting any of the service packs and tech support. You'll also be ineligible for a discount on their upgrades. Can I resell my copy of Sonar 7 Pro

Hardware wise. You should be OK.

I myself have been using SONAR on and off since version 4. For whatever reason I always tend to go back to it. Even when I tried to go exclusively Pro Tools in my workplace. At that time, SONAR just got a 64-bit audio engine and it just smoked the Pro Tools rig I had back then for mixes and tracking.

BTW. Sonar 8 is rumored to be announced next month.

 

[rahul_mukerji]

I would go with Sonar. I found it more intutive and easier to work with. I was using Sony Acid earlier and I gave both these monster DAWs a shot.

While researching, I found a lot of people had complains against the MIDI capability of Cubase. Not sure if that was true or not. I never got that far with it before I switched to Sonar.

Perfectly happy with Sonar.

 

[Grendel]

Thanks for the advice. F1 has a good point. I just assumed I could install the software and did not consider the licensing limitations. So, if I have to purchase the software for retail, this becomes an even more critical decision since these DAW's are so expensive. It's just that the limitations of Cubase LE annoy me.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I've been using Cubase for Sequencing for years, and started using Acid for recording last year for more than just loops.

I just recently got a copy of Sonor 6 & BFD with the Deluxe addition, but I haven't had a chance to really get to know it yet.

 

[KholdStare]

I've been using Cubase SX3 for 1.5 years now, and I love it, it's perfect for everything
I do, except maybe the routing isn't very versatile. Not sure if that has changed in Cubase 4
If money is an obstacle, and you're just trying stuff out, try Reaper, it's pretty much
free, and many users here love it. I tried it, and it seemed great, but I already had
all my projects in Cubase and was just used to it- so I stuck with SX3.

EDIT: As a response to a previous post, the Midi capabilities of Cubase are excellent.
Probably it's strongest point in fact!

 

[friendforafoe]

I'd go with Nuendo personally ... BUT since that wasn't an option, go with Cubase 4. In the long run it's worth it for the features and price. +1 on the midi capabilities. The fact that if you're editing keys and whatnot you can actually have it automatically transposed into musical notations. It's pretty bitchin

 

[KaLeVaLA]

Cubase 4 is absolutely amazing !
I use that myself, and the only thing i would switch over to from that would probably be Nuendo...but i think those two have alot of the same features..so...yeah!

Even though it can be alittle tricky to get into in the beginning, just search the net (especially youtube) for tutorials. You will learn the basics in no time..and after that you will discover new cool things to do with it everytime you open it up

 

[bulletbass man]

Sonar is amazing really. I absolutely hate cubase. The eq on cubase is extremely annoying. It only allows you to adjust four frequencies. So I always have to run plugins with eqs along with the cubase eq to get a great sound.

Also cubase's click track is very very annoying and rather limiting.

 

[KholdStare]

The eq on cubase is extremely annoying. It only allows you to adjust four frequencies.

I have to agree with you there... I always use plugins for my eq-ing.

 

[KaLeVaLA]

nono, there are EQs in cubase that lets you EQ about 30 different areas on the EQ scale.

BUT...its not that hard to find good EQs anyways..and it doesnt have to cost so much either

 

[The Dark Wolf]

I'd go with Sonar of the two.

But I'd honestly go with Reaper over them all.

 

[Coryd]

Cubase 4 is what i use. It's awesome.
It took a bit to learn it, but I guess you could say that with either choices.
I'd go with C4 IMO