best fits sonar

[monstertruck]

hello all, I'm nearly at the point to make the plunge into buying the whole DAW setup and am caught between sonar and cubase or
maybe even protools. but i was wandering if sonar had any advantages over cubase

also if once i bought sonar 2 xl would i need to buy any other side progams,sequencers or other odds and ends to make it fully functional

[Teacher]

Sonar supports ACID files and it can acidize the files as well.

[brzilian]

IMO Sonar's UI is also better laid out. I was able to figure it out in no time and record without reading manuals or help files first.

That was not the case when I sat down with Cubase.

[Paul881]

I demo'd both a long time ago and decided I liked Sonar's interface ergonomics better. A decision I have never regretted. Sonar is the leader of the pack imho.

[acidrock]

If you can live with two inputs get HS2000.
If you need more get Sonar,make sure to get a decent soundcard though.

[Paul881]

also if once i bought sonar 2 xl would i need to buy any other side progams,sequencers or other odds and ends to make it fully functional

Whatever program you buy, there are endless programs, plugins and hardware boxes to lovingly covet and lust over
But Sonar or HS2002 is enough, with a decent soundcard (s/blasters don't count as decent) to get you started recording straight away.

If you go with HS2002 as Acidrock suggested, this is a cut down version of Sonar so if you want to upgrade later, you can do so, it also works out cheaper doing it this way cos of Cakewalks upgrade policy. It also means you will be familiar with Sonar's look and feel by then so its an easier path to tread.

[djc]

Sonar is the bomb!

[monstertruck]

how much does HS2000 cost? and is there a site i can get info on it.
By the way thanks for all your guy's help and to me sonar looks like the best choice
i was wandering if HS2000 and Sonar xl cam with some midi controlled synths or virtual sound modules and drum sequecers/machines because i will be mostly recording rock and metal but would like to add in a bunch of effects and sounds and would need to produce my whole drum pattern on the computer hopefully with sonar or HS2000
and one more thing i need to have EXTREME BASS from guitars and drums do these programs offer it and does the soundcard make a difference in doing this? (i know i need like a mia, or a delta or something but is there one for EXTREME BASS or does it matter?)


thanks again

[laptoppop]

Originally posted by monstertruck

and one more thing i need to have EXTREME BASS from guitars and drums do these programs offer it and does the soundcard make a difference in doing this? (i know i need like a mia, or a delta or something but is there one for EXTREME BASS or does it matter?)

What I think you mean by "Extreme bass" is a function of many different things in the signal chain. Yes, the soundcard makes a big difference, but so do the amplifiers and speakers used to reproduce the sound, and the microphones or MIDI gear used to produce the sound, and especially the processing you do after recording.

I believe the sound that you are looking for is an extra loud loud loud sound. (personally I prefer something with more dynamic range) To get such a sound you probably want to compress the signal to a high degree, then boost the level as high as you can without clipping. Remember to boost not just the lowest bass levels, but also the lower midrange levels -- the lowest levels gives us the bass we "feel", the lower midrange often gives us the bass we "hear", especially on systems with smaller speakers. In any case, you can do this kind of processing in either Sonar or Cubase. Both are solid programs.

-lee-

[Paul881]

Check out Sonar's web pages (actually, its Cakewalk, owned by 12 tones inc., developers of Sonar and HS2002)
http://www.cakewalk.com/
You will also see a comparison chart between Sonar and HS2002.
And yes, they ship with synths. Again check out the web site for dtails.