What's the dif between Sonar 1 and 2 ?

[synthmonster]

Hi there!
Can anyone tell me what Sonar 2 has that I don't have on my Sonar 1 ?
Am I missing out on something?
Thanks,

[Teacher]

A New File Managing system

If u've hated the rc8xyvesa.wav naming system of audio files for ya projects its a MUST!

Rewire 2.0 support

U can now use things such as Reason and Rebirth wit sonar

and their are updated DXI called DXI2

XL has 2 Sonic Time work plugs, a good compressor and real good eq with a real good drum machine DXI2

[Lord Wan]

Ecerpt from Sonar 2 help file ( you can download the file from cakewalk site i believe ):

SONAR 2 has several new features. The following is a listing of each new feature, a brief description and where to learn more about it.

Drum Maps and Drum Editor

DX and ReWire Instrument Enhancements

New Support for External Control Surfaces

Improved File Management

Export to ACIDized Wave Files

[synthmonster]

Thanks Teacher,

and thanks Lord Wan,

This will help me decide to upgrade.

I would like to know from either of you if you were doing just fine

with Sonar 1, even before Sonar 2 came out, or did you find it

too limited, lacking these items as you described? ie ..the Rewire

support; the new compressor; drum machine; Improved File

Management ; Export to ACIDized Wave Files etc. and such
??

appreciate your sage advice, Reb the Monk

[Lord Wan]

Well, i don't know Sonar 1 since Sonar 2 is my first Cakewalk product. I've been using other software til now...

But let me speak about what's supposed to be new features :

Cool !

That's the first word that comes in mind when you think of the drum editor. ( I known, if you are a normal person, the first word that comes in mind is 'drum' )

Let me point a few items that make the difference :

You have a special "piano roll" view when you edit a midi track set to a drum map : you don't see piano keyboard on the left, but drum instruments names. The notes are not shown as squares but as arrows, with a tiny level meter on top for velocity.

If you don't want the full 96 notes drum kit with standard GM latin percussions, you can create you own kits. In a kit, for EACH note, you can :
- select the trigger note ( from external midi device )
- select the triggered note ( on the target device )
- give a name
- select the PORT and CHANNEL : yes, one kit can call sounds on differant devices ! There is additional table to select bank and patch for each distinct port-channel pair
- select the velocity range and the velocity offset to adjust min and max level.

One other thing that's breathtaking in Sonar 2 XL is the DR-008 DXi synth. It's like creating a drum kit where you can choose beetween five samplers and ten synth models FOR EACH NOTE ! This thing alone is worth the price of Sonar, you can tweak synth parameters on each note for automation. This is great for electro/jungle music.

Well...ciao ! i go back to it !

[synthmonster]

OK, that tells me there are some good additions on Sonar 2 XL, that 1 doesn't have, but Sonar 1 is great also.......thanks
and happy synthmonstering!
- Reb da monk

[Teacher]

Originally posted by synthmonster
Thanks Teacher,

and thanks Lord Wan,

This will help me decide to upgrade.

I would like to know from either of you if you were doing just fine

with Sonar 1, even before Sonar 2 came out, or did you find it

too limited, lacking these items as you described? ie ..the Rewire

support; the new compressor; drum machine; Improved File

Management ; Export to ACIDized Wave Files etc. and such
??

appreciate your sage advice, Reb the Monk

Sonar 1 is still a great program, but if u use a lot of midi when composing an instrumental Rewire 2.0 will serve wonders for u. gives u the ability to use programs like Reason within sonar as if it were a Sound Module...if u haven't heard about reason, great softsynth program with realistic sounds(prolly the best that i've heard from software) its also expensive though...

[synthmonster]

Thanks Teacher,
I'll look into REWIRE right now! My external modules do as much as software modules do but it's always the space we need and wires we're trying to reduce, and midi is my midi middle name.
so thanks again !
reb