Sonar 2 Multitrack recording possibilities

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rytcy Goody
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Rytcy Goody

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Hello,

Because Logic, that I've been using till now, stops on the PC platform after being bought by Apple, I'm in search for another sequencer.
I heard a lot of good things on Sonar 2 XL, but I have some doubts.
I have a Guillemot Isis soundcard with breakout box allowing me to record 8 audio tracks simultanuously.
So occasionally I use my PC as a multitrack recorder. Our live performances last for about 45 minutes, so I record them in one take, without any stops.
Can Sonar do this job as well?
Like to hear your experiences on this.
All comments highly appreciated!

Rytcy
 
I see no reason why it wouldn't (assuming you have the disk space and the cpu horsepower). I use a Delta 1010 with Sonar (8 in/8 out) with no problems. My sessions are not nearly as long as yours, but once you begin recording, I'm not sure what effect the length would have beyond the required storage capacity.

I would, however, suggest checking the Cakewalk web site to see if there are any known problems or compatibility issues with your sound card.
 
I found with my old (weak) 333 mhz/ 128megs, and pa-8, I had a very stable and reliable multy track recorder. However, if I let the single project's file get to large (ie; very long or lots of songs in one) it would take a very long time to see the waveforms come up. After four or five 16 track takes, I would need to reboot to get a fresh start and see the tracks come up at a normal rate. (I found that the waveforms wanted to be rendered befor I did a back-up, or closed.)
I've just upgraded to sonor 2 and a faster pc, so I have not stress tested yet. -Looking forward to that.
Knowing my previous systems limitations, I'm curious if you were doing continuous, multiple-song, multi track on your Logic system with good results. I have a six-hour live session comming up, and I think I'll be more comfortable going with tape.
Wayne
 
continuous, multiple-song, multi track

Mixsit, thanks for your reply.

The times I tried to do that continuous, multiple-song, multi track, it worked. But I'm not saying this is a safe and reliable way to record that kind of sessions.

In fact, I'm not afraid of a sequencer failure, but more for a Windows system crash. I heard from a skilled studio engineer that that is sometimes their problem.
I took my chances and was lucky, but in your case with such a long session coming, I would also go for tape or a hardware multitrack machine.

Anyway, as I understood it's your intention to do a continuous, multiple-song, multi track, try out with Sonar 2.

My turn to be curious how this went...
Good luck!

Rytcy
 
"Anyway, as I understood it's your intention to do a continuous, multiple-song, multi track, try out with Sonar 2.

My turn to be curious how this went...
Good luck!

Rytcy"

At some point I'll get into this, but for now I'm in the middle of projects, transporting them (and learning sonar) from cake-8.
It'll be interesting to see how long it takes to 'save' an hour or so of multi-track, as I assume the data might be a little at risk if something were to go wrong during that interval. (I'm just guessing here.:) I wonder how the stand-alone HDR's do with this?
We'll be in touch...
wayne
 
like dacha said if u have a fast processor lots of ram stable MOBO and a card that supports WDM sonar should eat that 45 minute str8 session for lunch :D

i'm curious to try out other software though cuz i just can't see y anyone WOULDN"T choose Sonar as their platform of choice
 
Hi dachay and teacher,

What cpu power do you suggest?
I have a pentium II 350 Mhz on a Tyan S1857 Trinity 371 motherboard with 384 Ram.

I can upgrade to a pentium III 600 max.

Greetings,

Rytcy
 
I have a pentium II 350 Mhz
Click to expand...
Ouch.

In all honesty, I seem to find recording is less taxing on a system than playback with realtime effects and envelopes, etc. However, a 350 PII?? Well at least your RAM level is decent. What's the speed of your hard drives?

My suggestion is to try it. It might actually cut it, although the 600 MHz PIII has a better shot. If it was working with Logic, I imagine it's got at least a 50-50 shot to work with Sonar. You could try it with the Sonar demo, and it won't cost you anything. You won't be able to save the results, but it should let you know whether it's going to work or not.

FWIW, my system is a 733 MHz PIII with 512 RAM and dual 7200 HDD's. I start to have dropout problems when I get a track count in the 'teens, with realtime effects on them.

Good luck, and let us know how you make out.
 
Hi dachay,

I'll go for a cpu upgrade. I didn 't mention but I have 2 HD IBM 7200 (20 and 40 Gb).

Thanks for your tips.

Rytcy
 
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