Pssible Cubase defector seeks advice please

[Well..maybe..]

Hello - I'm using Cubase SX 2 at the moment but there are three things pointing me towards the possibility of Sonar - Producer edition.

Not overly concerned about features - both seem to have enough to make good sounding music, given the inspiration and application.

BUT...I do HATE features that don't work - I'd sooner have fewer features that do. Cubase does annoy me when I spend ages trying to get the perfect way of working only to find that some vital thing throws a fit under certain conditions. So does Sonar bug people in this manner or does it tend to be reliable all day long? Reliablility before over-ambitious features, basically.

Second - I don't like the dongle, because I'm worried that I'll spend ages getting to grips with SX and then somehow I'll break the dongle and I won't be able to get another - even though I'm registered! Paranoia - perhaps not , given the ways the distributors sometimes conduct themselves.
So - is SONAR still "self-reliant" in this way. (No dongle, no challenge - response etc) . I would like to buy the thing and then know it's mine, without ever contacting the company again, if possible.


Third - I'm after a software sampler so Producer Edition would be handy in this respect - any opinions about the sampler included would be appreciated. I'll dig into some reviews but any user opinon would be good . Acceptable formats etc.
Thanks very much.

 

[zekthedeadcow]

SONAR has no dongle...

You have to type in an OEM number to the software... and when downloading upgrades the cakewalk website asks for the OEM number too.

I use SONAR 2.2XL and I've crashed it a few times...at the end of laying down a track but for me the save function was still able to work (and the audio is kept anyway). All of the features work in the way they are supposed to and some are abused... like the midi timing can be used to make drum triggers.

 

[moskus]

I use SONAR 2.2XL and I've crashed it a few times...

Could I recommend to upgrade to Sonar 3?

It's rock stable! (To me, anyway)

 

[Erik713]

I second that, Moskus. 3.1.1 has never given me a problem.

 

[minofifa]

ya i don't push sonar to the limits but for me, i have had very few problems (most of which were due to my own ignorance). As far as buing sonar just for vsampler i would say no though, it is ok but i find it very hard to use. I'm not much of a pro in sampling but there must be something more intuitive out there. I would like to give gigasampler a try or maybe kontakt.

 

[James Argo]

Cakewalk realy respect you as customer. And you don't have to contact 'em, just visit this BBS often, you'll get every help you need

 

[Toddskins]

Cakewalk Sonar

I love my S3 Producer ed.

I have only had it for 3 weeks, but i keep getting more and more tickled with it. I'm already deep into my own recording project and everything I have yet put my mouse to works! And I have barely scratched the surface of all the extras, plug-ins, effects, etc.

Also, in the past 3 weeks I have asked a number of questions on the Cakewalk forum website, and get answers within hours, usually one. Lots of great support from other users.

Here's one I happened to read yesterday, so because you asked, it seems on the money, called Sonar and Samplers:


http://www.cakewalk.com/forum/tm.asp?m=199746

Todd

 

[Sklathill]

Completely agree with pretty much all of what's been said above. As a former Cubase user, I can tell you that there's a huge difference between Cubase and Sonar's community support. The Cakewalk forums are excellent. Period. And ordering from Cakewalk direct is no problem...that's how I got my S2XL to S3P upgrade...0 problems, really fast.