Cubase or Sonar?

paw1

New member
Gonna get myself a new DAW. After looking at different ones I've decided to go with either Sonar X2 Producer or Cubase 7. I come from ProTools LE 7.3.

I am a student, so I can get Cubase for about half the price, so that's nice. But I've heard that it has a really steep learning curve, and can be a bit frustrating to work with if you don't know it well. Also, the plugins that come with it isn't as good as the ones in Sonar, supposedly. I think that Sonar comes with more instrument plugins as well, which is nice!

What do you think? Why do you like one over the other? Would you agree with the things statements above?

Hope some Cubase fans will pop in here as well so I can get a balanced view:)


Best regards,

-paw
 
Don't know anything about Cubase 7 but I have one of the lower lines of Cubase and honestly, I can't stand it. I have a hard time understanding it and have NO luck getting it to work. I use Producer 7 and amd used to it so Sonar gets MY vote.
 
I was in your situation back in 2007, agonising over whether to buy for my first DAW, either Cubase or Sonar
After a lot of internet browsing I settled on Sonar, and I'm glad I did
What really tipped my decision was the forums - the Cakewalk forum is full of helpful, knowledgeable people
The Cubase forum on the other hand seems to be a closed shop for closed minds
Just telling it like it is......
 
Sonar has a steep learning curve too, partly because there are so many editing and FX functions available.

If you are on a budget you might want to look into Reaper. SonarX2 is pretty spendy for the full "Producer" version if you are a first time Cakewalk customer. It has extensive functionality without any of the add-on stuff like compressors or concrete limiters, but the add-ons sound great too.

But yeah, you are posting in the Sonar Forum so people are gonna say "buy Sonar".

I can say in my experience Sonar plays very well with other VST's as long as you put them where Sonar can find them.

I would also suggest watching the tutorial videos at the CW site. They are pretty short but cover a lot of the functionality and how to access different features.
 
I was in your situation back in 2007, agonising over whether to buy for my first DAW, either Cubase or Sonar
After a lot of internet browsing I settled on Sonar, and I'm glad I did
What really tipped my decision was the forums - the Cakewalk forum is full of helpful, knowledgeable people
The Cubase forum on the other hand seems to be a closed shop for closed minds
Just telling it like it is......

Telling it like it is from your perspective. You are entitled to your opinion.

I however, have found more support in forums for Cubase, than any other DAW. Well, Reaper users seem to be the most helpful actually, but it was the Cubase forums support that made it work for me. What Cubase forum are you referring to? The users of Cubase here, are very friendly. Even the steinberg site is full of immediate information from dedicated users. I don't see where you got the 'closed shop' feeling. Did you ask a stupid question that the manual would have answered, and got your feelings hurt by someones comment?

Sorry man, but 'telling it like it is' is just your opinion, and not a good form of advice to someone that is new to this stuff. Just because you have had a bad experience, is not enough reason to give such a judgment. 'Telling it like it felt for me' would be more appropriate, though it sounds quite soft that way.

I will bow out of this forum now with one point; Give advice based on your actual knowledge, not your personal feelings. The OP was asking for insight from those who actually use the software, not those who did not get it. Software is a very personal thing. Some just work better with one over another. Most all of the top software's do the same thing. It is just how an individual is able to work with it, that makes it work for them individually.

@ paw1, download demo version of Cubase and find out for yourself, if it seems workable for you. Nobody can tell you what you like. Every DAW has a steep learning curve. They damn well better, or the software would be worthless. There is no 'easy' button for anything. Whether Reaper, Protools, Cubase, Sonar, Studio One, Garageband....... it is you that will decide what works best for your brain.
 
Thank you for your replies! Jimmy, the problem with Cubase is that you have to buy a key even to try out the demo.

I have a problem..been set on different DAWs a few times, but always end up over thinking something and changing my mind. For a time I was set on getting Reaper. What "worries" me, is if it's not extensive enough (although I doubt that), and I would have to learn another DAW all over again, which is a hassle. I'm not too worried about the economic part of it. I just want to get something that's good, and settle with it.

I know the answer here. It goes something like this: Just get a F-ing DAW, you'll be fine! But which? :facepalm:
 
I have been a rabid fan of Sonar. I recently switched to Studio One Pro. Since the switch I am more than happy. I can't explain it but the overall clarity of my mixes are way more pristine. In all honesty I wish I would of tried something else out earlier. Try some free demos, see which ones you like the best.
 
Never used Cubebase. I use Sonar X1. It has more features than I know how to use. I don't think it really matters what daw you use, they all have excellent sound quality, and so it's a personal decision.
 
Never used Cubebase. I use Sonar X1. It has more features than I know how to use. I don't think it really matters what daw you use, they all have excellent sound quality, and so it's a personal decision.

^^^This^^^

It's a personal decision. I've been using Cubase since v3. Just upgraded (like literally tonight) to v7. I can say I love it, but I can't say it's the best. I happen to love it, because it's what I know. It's what I started on, it's what I've grown up with. I've got tons of VST instruments and plugins, and while I'm sure I could make them work with another DAW, I already know HOW to make them work with Cubase--so I stick with what I know, and get on with making music.

Having said that, I'll also say this: I've jumped into editing sessions in studios that had ProTools--took me about 5 minutes to figure out what was what. Not a problem. I needed to do some recording at work on a PC in the field--so I went cheap and got Reaper for that one. I was blown away by how full featured it was, and again, after already knowing Cubase, the learning curve for Reaper was about 5 minutes.

In other words, the concepts are the same. All the major DAWs try their best to emulate a physical/analog studio environment with a console, inserts, racks, etc. The execution varies, so the workflows are a bit different. For me, that's the most important part--the workflow. What allows me to get the most done in the least time? Since I already know it, that's Cubase for me.

But if I were just starting out (or starting over), I would download and try as many trial versions as I could. I'd dig into 'em and record a few tunes. Whatever felt best, fit me the best, is what I'd go with. The results can be achieved with any number of DAWs--it's what you do with it. So slow down, take a couple/few weeks, and play with some demos.
 
One piece of advise I will give, what ever you decide to use, stick with it and learn it. Try to use all of the features, learn the key board short cuts.
 
I know nothing about Sonar. Cubase can be complicated because it does so much. Cubase 7 is really cool but it can be a bunny hole for time, but then anything fun is.
 
I am an active Cubase 6 user. I do not have any experience on Cubase 7 but have viewed the demos and am considering purchasing it. The GUI is different than 6 or 6.5. I have recorded on Pro Tools and actively use Cubase. Most of the DAWS I have seen do basically the same functions - they record, edit, mix, midi (some better than others) and light mastering. What is different is the work flow. I have downloaded the demo for Sonar before and did not like it because the work flow was different from Cubase. When I first learned Cubase I began with Cubase LE. Then went to Cubase 5. When I went to 5 I watched the DVD on how to use it, watched it again and took notes, then studied my notes while actually using Cubase to help with the learning curve. Most all of the DAWS I have actually used (or was recorded on with an engineer) have a learning curve. I like Cubase 6 (and 5) because I am familiar with the work flow of the DAW and it makes sense to me. I have made recordings from my home studio which were "radio ready" and have gotten play on the radio and XM. Remember that DAWS are tools that you have to learn to be comfortable with. Cubase 6 can clog a CPU if you put too many effects on separate channels. You need to use an FX group channel. Cubase 6 takes MIDI fairly well. I usually record drums on midi with a trigger and then edit to fit my song. Editing MIDI is fairly straight forward. You can convert audio files to MIDI. This is great for editing or changing note values. You can print scores with music notation, although this does require a bit more studying on how to make it user friendly with the end product. I primarily use the stock drum sounds for midi and then spend several hours "tweeking" the drum tracks to make them sound real. You can dissolve the midi drum tracks to edit each drum part on a separate "lane" or track.

I have heard that some DAWS have better algorithms for making their DAW sound more real on audio recordings. I honestly can't tell any difference. But, I am not spending hours A/B'ing tracks from different DAWS just to find the answer to that. My suggestion is to look at the work flow of Sonar and Cubase and figure out which one makes sense to you. Buy it, then get all the training DVD's you can (youtube is filled with this stuff) and go to school to learn your DAW.
 
I agree with a couple of the comments emphasizing how much of a personal choice it is to determine which DAW works best for you. Part of the decision could be influenced by what type of equipment you will be using with it. For example, with keyboards\synths, you might want to check to see if either or both options have the instrument definitions to help them integrate smoothly and intuitively together. The next thing would be to determine how far up you need to scale (version\price point) to get the features that you want now, or will need in the future. I think the cheapest versions of both Sonar and Cubase are fairly limited if you intend to do complex projects involving a high number of midi\audio tracks. So budget for what you can afford, but if you're just gonna be recording a synth, live guitar, and add a couple of vocal tracks per song, you might not need Sonar's\Cubase's most expensive flagship edition. MANY years ago, I started using Cubase (PC) as my step up from "Tiger Cub" software on an Atari 1040ST. Back then, there was also a fairly intimidating learning curve (as there weren't so many online communities to socialize on). I came to love Cubase, but I guess a year or two later, I got turned on to Cakewalk Pro Audio (today, known as Sonar), and I just liked the GUI and all better. I think a the time, Cakewalk was also (in my opinion) a much better working product for ME. I stayed with Sonar (newer versions) from maybe 93\94 until 09 - and I stopped doing music (life, kids, work, etc)! Now, just putting my home studio back together (with all new equipment), I tried the free version of Cubase that came with my new Montage (upgraded to Elements for $49), but also wanted to give my old familiar Sonar a shot as well. As I re-traced and tried to fast track my learning curve, I honestly found them both fairly straightforward at a basic level. I do think I have to give Sonar the edge (still), as the interface essentials don't seem to have changed all that much. What may also be important is to determine if you have friends\colleagues who also do music and want to do any collaborations at some point. If you're new and haven't formed any preferences yet, then go with the one that "more" of your friends are using. That'll make it easier to hook up and do "stuff" together later... One thing that I do love about Sonar (not even sure if Cubase can also do this), is that you can export your mix-down straight to SoundCloud, where I have some of my music posted. One FYI about Sonar is that you will need to purchase a separate $10 MP3 Encoder license (at least with the latest version of Sonar Pro that I purchased) before you can dump your mix to an MP3 file. That shouldn't be a big deal for most, but just so you don't have to waste a half hour going online to buy\download\install in the middle of your session before you can create the MP3... :-)

Hope I didn't ramble on too much with this! :listeningmusic:
 
Back
Top