Why Sonar or Why Cubase? I don't get it?!

J

jpfour23

New member
I'm about to purchase one of the programs... I've done a lot of research on them, but it's amazing how some people are for sonar, other's for cubase. What's the deal?

Is it just preference? Just "look and feel"? Wish Cubase had a "demo" version like Sonar... I've played around with Sonar and like it... but I want to give Cubase a shot since I have many friends that highly recommend it.

Does anyone have any simple answers to this? Is there something I'm missing? Is one easier to learn?

I'm just doing straight audio recording... nothing too special. I am going to buy a few plugs like the UAD-1, Autotune, and possibly some mastering software like t-racks or something... What do you all thing regarding the choice between the two?
 
Wish it were that easy for me! I feel like I'm not giving Cubase a chance by not being able to test it. Stupid Steinburg... why on earth don't they have a demo version?!?
 
Most decent music stores have kiosks where you can play around with the sequencer/plugin/audio app of your choice.

I personally moved from Cubase to Sonar 2 back in the day...but that was back in the day. :) SX is a pretty far cry from the old 5.1 days...
 
Either one, make your purchase, move along. Your real challenge will be AD/DA, monitors and room treatment.
 
Actually, this is my real challenge... lol. I've treated my room and use Mackie HR824's as monitors... been thinking about switching to Dynaudios though.. I'm planning to get the FireFace 800 as of right now..
 
jpfour23 said:
Wish it were that easy for me! I feel like I'm not giving Cubase a chance by not being able to test it. Stupid Steinburg... why on earth don't they have a demo version?!?
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Uh, you didn't look hard enough.

On www.hitsquad.com there are links to time-limited demo versions of CubaseSX and Sonar. That's how I chose between them....
 
TimOBrien said:
Uh, you didn't look hard enough.

On www.hitsquad.com there are links to time-limited demo versions of CubaseSX and Sonar. That's how I chose between them....
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why would cubase submit a demo to a non-related 3rd party website like this but not have one on their own (or one easy to find on theirs...) ... sketchy.

Anyways, that's pretty much why i chose cakewalk. they have better support, IMO. good forums, lots of info on their website and good customer support. The demo was usable and they also offer academic pricing. Cubase may as well but i couldn't find it.
 
minofifa said:
why would cubase submit a demo to a non-related 3rd party website like this but not have one on their own (or one easy to find on theirs...) ... sketchy.
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Yeah, they don't make it obvious.
 
jpfour23 said:
I'm about to purchase one of the programs... I've done a lot of research on them, but it's amazing how some people are for sonar, other's for cubase. What's the deal?
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You mean you don't even own either? What the hell are you doing recommending software you've never even used??
:rolleyes:


what ARE you basing this on???? :rolleyes:

jpfour23 said:
Cubase SX3 or Sonar 4 are excellent choices for getting into computer based recording. The features available in both these applications are far better than ProTools LE. You might spend a little more depending on what control surface you want to use... but then again, you might not even want one?
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jpfour23 said:
PT LE does not come near the power of Sonar/Cubase. For starters, the CPU usage on PT LE is through the roof... LE is also limited to 32 tracks... and at that, my friend constantly complains of issues when using a couple of plugs while tracking 12-14 tracks at once. Of course it does depend on the computer you use... being that LE uses the computers processing power completely, unlike TDM. But his computer is solid and tweaked for audio. And if you're doing a lot of editing with PT LE you can forget about it... doesn't matter how powerful your computer is...

Fact is.. it isn't really fair to compare the two. They aren't really on the same level. PT LE is an entry level system. I'm not saying you can't get great sounds from it... it's just "entry" level... whereas PT|HD is "pro" level. IMO, Digi doesn't have a "mid-level" system... whereas IMO, cubase/sonar is "mid to pro level".
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I vote for flipping a coin between the two software programs.

Actually, my real vote is to dump the Mackie's and get the Dynaudio's, even the BM6's. You'll never regret it:D
 
reshp1 said:
You mean you don't even own either? What the hell are you doing recommending software you've never even used??
:rolleyes:


what ARE you basing this on???? :rolleyes:
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haha busted. nice detective work resh.
 
resh is just pissed cause I talked bad about his PT LE setup. LOL

You don't have to "own" the software to read reviews, comparison charts, or statistics and determine from these what software to choose. Geeze..
 
I have used both Sonar and Cubase...I chose Cubase in the end.
Mainly due to two reasons...
Cubase (IMEHO) seemed more computer friendly (Sonar seemd pc picky in comparison...)
Also, Cubase was a little easier to read and understand....but hey...opinions are like assholes....we all have em....

....that's my two cents....
 
Something to consider if buying Sonar

I use Home Studio (which I think is a repackaging of Sonar 2). It's great, and I haven't compared it with Cubase. But I use it on a laptop -- connected to an EDIROL UA-1000 via USB 2.0 for recording during band practice, then take it home and playback and mix (for "instruction") on the PC's internal sound card. Switching between the ASIO driver (USB) and the default driver (PC sound) requires restarting Home Studio *twice*. It's a moderate hassle, and all things being equal, I would have picked something else if. But here I am, with the devil I know. Who knows what hassles lurk in Cubase?
 
I agree with dumping the Mackies. I would recommend the Event Precision 8s over the Dynaudios however. You can hear reverbs and delays better and the stereo field is more accurate on the Events.

Make sure you compare both before you make a move.
 
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