2.0 XL upgrade

  • Thread starter Thread starter Middleman
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Middleman

Middleman

Professional Amateur
This is the last few days for the $99 upgrade from Sonar 2.0 to 2.0XL. Just wondered if the drum machine and effects have been all that useful for others. I am thinking about buying the upgrade just for the Drum machine.

Thoughts?
 
I think DR-008 is GREAT! Really usefull for my work! :)


Just my $0.02
 
You can dowload a demo of DR-008 from www.fxpansion.com

I really don't know if it is worth getting XL (have got it). What you get extra looks like "lite" versions of some plug-ins. And as to drums I have converted to using loops instead. I still add some single shots here and there using midi and DR-008, but this could be done with wav files directly in a track too ... well, almost.

Session drummer is nice too, I actually bought the extra patterns from Drumtrax for it. Still, it doesn't sound as good as loops.
 
tombuur said:
Session drummer is nice too, I actually bought the extra patterns from Drumtrax for it. Still, it doesn't sound as good as loops. [/B]
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Well, that's just how you program it, isn't it? IMHO, I'm getting better beats and flexibility with DR-008 and soundfonts than I do with loops. But that's just me.... ;)
 
Haven't heard any midi drums that could compete with the loop collections I now have. And I am not talking about me programming, but the best midi stuff I have downloaded. But a few have very good drums.

Flexibility, yes. You get that with midi.

... and just to make one thing straight, I guess we are talking about the sound of acoustic drum kits, not techno drums where you deliberately want a more machine-like drum pattern.
 
Yeah, I'm looking for realistic acoustic drums. Just wanted to know if the DR-008 is as flexible as an external unit.

What about those 64 bit plugins in XL. Are they getting a lot of use? I am wondering if they sound all that great.
 
tombuur said:
I guess we are talking about the sound of acoustic drum kits, not techno drums where you deliberately want a more machine-like drum pattern.
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Yes, of course! Acoustic drums it is...


What about those 64 bit plugins in XL. Are they getting a lot of use? I am wondering if they sound all that great.
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I haven't really used them that much. The reviews say they're great....
 
I chose not to upgrade because as good as this eq and compressor are they're still not a total package,for $49 more you could get Ozone wich is a complete mastering package.

But like the XL upgrade it's only available at this price till the 31st.

Also you have to wonder what Cakewalk will include when version3 comes out.Revalver was part of XL1 but came with the standard edition of Sonar2.
 
acidrock said:
I chose not to upgrade because as good as this eq and compressor are they're still not a total package,for $49 more you could get Ozone wich is a complete mastering package.

But like the XL upgrade it's only available at this price till the 31st.

Also you have to wonder what Cakewalk will include when version3 comes out.Revalver was part of XL1 but came with the standard edition of Sonar2.
Click to expand...

I guarantee u Ozones eq isn't as Smooth sounding as the TImeworks one...thats the only one i choose to use (besides the 2 band on the psp vintage warmer) and i have ren EQ as well as TC EQ. the Compressor X i don't use as much because i have psp vintage warmer but it is definitly one of the better plug-in compressors, its very smooth if its not pushed extremely hard like thresholds over 20

i think if your interested in your final product sounding good these 2 plugs will be a welcomed addition and well worth the 99 bucks considering each cost OVER 99 bucks
 
Tell you what, I compared a kick drum sample played through DR-008, NI Battery and SBLive connected via SPDIF to Audiophile. Battery was the closest to the original and DR-008 was the worst of them all. I can upload the files as a proof if need be.
 
i have 2.0 xl, mainly cause i'm a sucker for any vendor's higher priced versions and here's what i like:

i love the eq! it's very smooth and about 10000 times better than the standard Sonar eq imo.

i like the compressor. again it's much better than the compressor that comes with Sonar basic.

dr008 didn't impress me, and it really pissed me off that i had to pay extra to stay on the release upgrade path! but....now that i know you can use it with soundfonts i'll compare it with kontakt which i am currently using for drum sampling.

i'm not sure if all of the soundfont content comes with both versions but the sonic implants drum soundfonts are pretty sweet imo. so if i got that for the extra price maybe it's worth it?
 
I upgraded from PA9 to XL and I don`t know anything. I use drum loops as well but, the midi editing you can do with the dr008 is pretty good, mainly cause you have a discreet view to do all the percussion editing, away from the Sonar track view. I think it actually serves as a better window for navigation than anything else.
 
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