n-track or cool edit pro?

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shackrock

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alright - lets say both these items are the same price...yes, the same price.

would you DEFINATELY get CEP? i mean, what all does it do that n-track couldnt do? i know, i have to be missing something here bewcasue CEP is like 400 bucks, while N-Track is maybe 50? lol

right now i'm using n-track...just wondering what could be improved with better software.
 
Multitrack Software I OWN:

Cool Edit Pro
Vegas
Sonar
N-Track

Multitrack Software I USE:

N-Track


H2H
 
ive never used n-track... but CEP is basically s-o-l-i-d. And theres a rumor that the new version is coming soon.. which looks to almost have all the features of n-track!:)

xxoox
 
I use N-track and have never found the need for anything else. Don't let price fool you, I think N-track is way under priced, which is a good thing. A lot of people don't take it seriously. I don't know if I helped with your question, but i am one satisfied user,
Ian
 
I throw my vote in with N-Track; that's what I use and love it.

But sequencer choice (like so much software) depends on you and the way you work. Simple answer= download demos of both products and try them for a few days each. You'll learn which is right for YOU.
 
hmmm?

ok - so why is CEP 400 bucks, and n-track 1/6 or 1/7 of that price! - that is, if n-track really is better?
 
Cep was made with turning a profit in mind.. and N-track was made by some good people who's place in heaven is assured?

xoox
 
OK, I got the n-track demo... and here's my initial (VERY INITIAL) impressions... be advised Im a long time CEP user.

a) On the first boot up, Ntracks went unresponsive.

b) There is MIDI. I hate midi. I dont want any resources wasted on MIDI. WE CEP peeps love the fact that there isnt midi in cep.

C) There are real time effect! Thats nice. CEP 2.0 is supposed to have that... but who knows if it will REALLY come out next month... we've been waiting for years for another edition.

d) I hate the cutesy interface.. and this silly "mixer"window that doesnt fit in anywhere.... we cep type like our "just the facts" interface... reminds us of tape. And we think all the fading track backgrounds are a waste of code lines.

e) No 32-float? why not? Im sick of programs that dont read everything. CEP reads everything.


f) I REALLY hate the cutesy interface... but at least its not as bad as Vegas'. Why do I need to WAIT for the track volume to -pop-out- and look cool? I want function first, looks second

g) The wheel zoom is sideways as opposed to up and down in CEP.

h) shit... she crashed when I hit "master channel aux effect" Thats the big plus for this prog, too. Im sure it works, though.

whoa! not only that.. but it gave me a blue screen and freaked out my desktop for some reason... why does an audio prog have so much to do with graphics??

ok. thats it for now. a lot of shit talk.. but Im biased.

xoox
 
I've never used anything but N-Track,so I can't make a comparison.However,I've found it to be very stable,even on my modest system(celeron 533,Abit be-6 mobo,196 mb sdram,30gb hd,ensoniq 16 bit sound card).My most recent project yielded 16 tracks,with a few blueline plugins.No crashes!An up to date system(Athlon,1ghz+)would probably way out perform my little system!
So far,I only have dealt with wav.files,no midi really to speak of!The few times I've tried to create midi in N-track,I've had MAJOR
problems!Things just seem to freeze up.I don't know if this is a probllem w/N-Track,or a hardware problem,but in any event,the midi implementation seems inferior to that of Cakewalk(of which I only have the very basic "Cakewalk Express"!Which has the wonderful "staff view"editing!Very user friendly)In the future,I'd like to do some stuff w/midi,I will find an interface other than N-track to do it with!
Like I said,I don't know what CEP is like,but with the exception of midi implementation,I don't think there's a better software for recording digital audio(at least for the price)!I can't Imagine what the other brands give you to justify their pricetags!
 
Cool Edit:

1 Looks much nicer than any other UI I've seen.

2 Is really stable.

3 Is sensible and intuitive and does a lot of things very well, thank you.

Cool Edit:

1 Needs a compressor that works.

2 Needs realtime processing in a big way.


Cool Edit 2.0 is coming out in the next few months ('early next year' says the boss), but it has MIDI, and like Camn I resent having to have midi. Why pay for a great big feature you don't need?

It's enough to make you buy a synth.
 
n-track it is then

camn - try downloading the 2.7 version - for my computer its A LOT more stable, and its not as "cutsey"...haha

also:
"The wheel zoom is sideways as opposed to up and down in CEP. " - that can be changed by right clicking.
"and this silly "mixer"window that doesnt fit in anywhere" - It can - just slide it do the side or top or bottom of the screen, and it "snaps" into place. Then, you can ajust the size from there, AND how much detail you want on it (right clicking).


Also - I use the midi stuff a lot, i have a SBLive Value, so it works out great for me. Not to mention N-Track will convert your MIDI's to wavs in a pretty easy manor.

so i guess i got my decision...n-track. lol
 
Get CEP if you don't want features. Then you can brag about how all your CEP friends don't like features :)

n-Track has its bad moments for sure. In the long run though, you will find it a much more powerful tool. Unless you don't like to do anything. In which case you can brag about how you don't like doing things. Like super alternative man.

...just kiddin Camn, I couldn't resist :) Ok I'll try a fair response:

"a) On the first boot up, Ntracks went unresponsive. "

Yep, n-Track (not ntracks) can be fishy to get running, that's for sure. Its biggest weakness is instability. HOWEVER, it has always been possible to solve these problems in my experience. You can email Flavio, the author of n-Track, directly and he WILL respond. If you find a legitamate bug, he will fix it!

"b) There is MIDI. I hate midi. I dont want any resources wasted on MIDI. WE CEP peeps love the fact that there isnt midi in cep. "

If you're not doing MIDI, then you're not wasting any resources on MIDI. n-Track has MIDI support as an afterthought, and it sure comes in handy if you want to use VST Instruments. But then, CEP users don't want anything out of the ordinary. "Talk to the hand!" :)

"C) There are real time effect! Thats nice. CEP 2.0 is supposed to have that... but who knows if it will REALLY come out next month... we've been waiting for years for another edition. "

Real time effect is "nice"? Dude, welcome to 2001. If your software doesn't support realtime DX and VST, including DXi and VSTi, then you're in the stone ages.

"d) I hate the cutesy interface.. and this silly "mixer"window that doesnt fit in anywhere.... we cep type like our "just the facts" interface... reminds us of tape. And we think all the fading track backgrounds are a waste of code lines. "

I agree about the new interface. The fading track backgrounds and all eye candy can be turned off. The mixer is only handy for aux bussing. I used to use it a lot though.

"e) No 32-float? why not? Im sick of programs that dont read everything. CEP reads everything. "

Because 32bit float is CEP's gimic, that's why. All multitrackers work with 32bit floats. There are no sonic advantages to saving files in 32bit format. The only benefit is the lack of a conversion from 24bit to 32bit internally...but it's not such a big deal. 32bit files cost 2MB more per minute mono.

"f) I REALLY hate the cutesy interface... but at least its not as bad as Vegas'. Why do I need to WAIT for the track volume to -pop-out- and look cool? I want function first, looks second "

You'll understand the function once you're up to 24 tracks. It's the same interface as Vegas Pro, and is very nice.

"g) The wheel zoom is sideways as opposed to up and down in CEP. "

That's because you scan left & right more than you do up & down man.

"h) shit... she crashed when I hit "master channel aux effect" Thats the big plus for this prog, too. Im sure it works, though. "

Yep, stability stability. You're not running Win95 are you? Being a CEP user I'm guessing that you're running Windows 95, because you just want "the facts", and no features. Anyways, I agree that n-Track can be difficult at first, and there are some people that can never get it running! It runs 100 times more stable on NT (NT4 or 2K).

Slackmaster 2000
 
hrrmph. Please. Im using 98.

OK, just for you, I will do one whole song on n-tracks before I decide anything aboot it. Just like I did on Vegas..(which I liked... though I havent tried the new version yet).


And just for discussions sake..

-------------
"""e) No 32-float? why not? Im sick of programs that dont read everything. CEP reads everything. "

Because 32bit float is CEP's gimic, that's why. All multitrackers work with 32bit floats. There are no sonic advantages to saving files in 32bit format. The only benefit is the lack of a conversion from 24bit to 32bit internally...but it's not such a big deal. 32bit files cost 2MB more per minute mono.

---------------

This is very similar to my feelings about MIDI and all the other features that I dont use. They are just gimics to me, and are a waste of source code, If I dont use them. But you are very right, Im the kind of guy that resists change, and does "custom" installs on most programs do minimize the feature-set. But I still wonder.. why NOT be able to read 32-bit? ... ? Luckily, CEP can save in any format.. including those compatable with more feature-rich progs ;)

HOWEVER.. I would like to point out that someone suggested I use and OLDER, less feature- packed version of n-tracks.. and that I might get a little more stability out of it. This, of course, is the root of all the problems with software in general. Take the feature-rich RealPlayer for example...and compare it with.. watamiusingagain... Winamp2.1?

btw, you guys rule.

xoxo
 
I used N-track for a bit but I found it unstable and it lost sync alot. Its just not a soild program to use. Some versions may work but most do not, they should of never been released.

I find CEP great, it works good, its solid feeling, really good UI, Easy to reconfigure quick keys. With 2.0 coming out soon it will have everything I could ever use. Slow development == good software. Too many companys rush their software out the door too quickly(cough microsoft) and they don't work out every little bug. The long wait for 2.0 shows us that once it is out it will be a great program and will have very few bugs if any at all. A quality Product.

Features only slow programs done when they are rushed into production. Midi isn't a gimick its a handy tool. Realtime effects are important because you need to know how its going to sit in the mix, and you can't tell me that you can wait do and undo each setting for an effect untill it fits in the mix, that takes forever you might as well go work at a gas bar untill you can pay for a 24 track analog setup with an ssl or neve desk.

The compressor is the best I have used so far, it has a very steep learning curve. But once I figured it out, it rocks, its a limiter, mulitband compressor and noise gate all built into one.
 
I've been running n-Track in Windows 95 on a Pentium 150 with 32 MB of RAM - modest or what? - for about two years with few problems. Can't agree that the program isn't solid. Though it does do strange things now and again. It's a good program, no getting round it. The FASoft compressor - the one you pay extra for - is very good too.
 
ughh, we do live in a world of looks over performance...cutesy interface LOL. I can't really say much for NTrack's performance since I haven't sit down for a few hours with it or anything (I'm still waiting on my soundcard actually). It froze on me once when I 1st started but after that it was fine. As far as Ntrack's interface, works well for me and I can find my way around on it. Cutesy interface was actually what went through my head when I saw Windows XP the 1st time.
 
Basslord1124 said:
ughh, we do live in a world of looks over performance...cutesy interface LOL. I can't really say much for NTrack's performance since I haven't sit down for a few hours with it or anything (I'm still waiting on my soundcard actually). It froze on me once when I 1st started but after that it was fine. As far as Ntrack's interface, works well for me and I can find my way around on it. Cutesy interface was actually what went through my head when I saw Windows XP the 1st time.
Click to expand...


Ok, I'm not sure what you're trying to say. :( Are you praising or bashing N-Tracks interface? Just wanted to make sure before I give my rebuttal? :)
 
nah, just making a comment to what camn said. I personally think NTrack's interface is fine the way it is...I'm not too big on basing opinions on the interface (unless I really really really really feel a need to comment...for example Windows XP). Most often I won't say much for most interfaces, if I can navigate around the program decently then that's all that matters.
 
Arguing over which is better between Cool Edit & N-Track is equvilent to the yahoos around here in the 4x4's who have that little sticker of a boy pissing on a Chevy on the window of his Ford truck, or the little sticker of the boy pissing on a Ford on the window of his Chevy truck.

They both work fine, me says...
 
Village Idiot said:
Arguing over which is better between Cool Edit & N-Track is equvilent to the yahoos around here in the 4x4's who have that little sticker of a boy pissing on a Chevy on the window of his Ford truck, or the little sticker of the boy pissing on a Ford on the window of his Chevy truck.

They both work fine, me says...
Click to expand...

*applause*

You know what I have been looking for... ?

A benchmark of all the tracking software out there. Like a spreadsheet, but I cant find anything like it.
 
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