Switching to Mac, losing Sonar...Suggestions?

M

Mattman84

New member
I just ordered a new iMac yesterday after my PC died. The only thing I haven't worked out yet with the conversion is which recording software to use. I'm coming from Sonar 5 Producer and felt very comfortable with it. I'm totally up for learning new software, especially if it's more robust.

I've been looking a lot at Logic and Cubase. I'm also up for other suggestions. Does anyone have an opinion on which would be a better transition from Sonar? Or if neither are...which one do you prefer and why?

As far as my needs, I pretty much only used Sonar for recorded audio, applying FX, etc. I do all my MIDI work in Reason through ReWire. If there is a piece of software that will let me do everything in one package, that would be great, but I certainly don't mind continuing to use Reason. I'm rather fond of it.

Also, Logic's live performance options look pretty cool to me.

I know I could run Sonar through Fusion, so if that's stable then it's also an option.

Thanks for any tips!
 
No harm in downloading a copy of Ableton Live and running it in demo mode to try it out. Current version is 6, but version 7 will be out by the end of the year. Since it began, Live has stood ahead of the rest in terms of its features for live performance and DJ'ing. Some of the other applications are playing catchup and trying to copy as much of that functionality as they can. It's still worth checking out the original.

Cheers,

Otto
 
REAPER mac is still pretty beta, but 0.50 adds a LOT of stuff, hope you got to try that...

As for the OP, I always say "pick the software, THEN the OS that it runs best on

If you like sonar, bootcamp your mac. I dont know why youd give up an app you like

That said, I hear from MANY that logic is now a much better app than it used to be in terms of click and key count and general audio useability. Its a great price too.

Of course I am HEAVILY biased to reaper but...

Im setting up a quad boot right now so I can run reaper on the mac...I hope you give it a try too.
 
for the mac Logic 8 is my fave... extremely powerful, intuitive, comes with a fuckload of amazing effects and synths (some just as good as some expensive 3rd party plugs), and now the price is very good.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

Pipeline, it could very well be that I stick with Sonar. I'm just always open to trying new things. I like learning new software so I can be as versatile as possible. I'll probably try out some demos. If I'm not feeling anything else, then I'll definitely stick with Sonar. But I'm certainly not afraid of change either...I kind of thrive on it.

I've been reading reviews of Logic and I must say I'm impressed. I didn't know there was that much packed into it, and only at $500. I've got a friend at an Apple store (he got me a 15% discount on the iMac) and he said he could get me 50% off Apple software. So Logic Studio for $250 could be very tempting.

I'll also definitely try out Reaper to see what all the fuss is about.

Of course, I can't do anything until the computer comes in. I'll be picking it up over Thanksgiving. (Had it shipped to my parents' house for cheaper tax).
 
Reaper isn't even close on the Mac, I'd avoid that if you are serious about getting some work done and need a fully developed feature set.

I've used Digital Performer for many years and it is fantastic. Logic is another program that is very commonly used on Macs.
 
dp: as i read it (keep in mind that i use PTLE) is still better on the audio end then logic.

logic: as i read it, the au plugs are much more cpu efficient then the rtas and they are making big strides into the audio area.
more toys for your dollar.
 
Definetly Logic 8.

I am also formerly a PC user and have Sonar and Cubase - Logic 8 is defintely a step above all other offerings.
 
i've been a pc user since the start,but i switched to mac and protools a few months back (no hate mail please!)

saw a live review of logic 8 last week though,,,and granted,i didn't get a hands on look at it,,but it seemed like it was seriously worth a look,and the price was reasonable too,£350 i think??

comes with a serious amount of plugins/synths,blah blah.

the guy demonstrating was new to logic and only had version 8 a few days,,but he made it look like he'd been using it for years,,,so it's gona be pretty simple to get used to.

anyway,hope that helps :)
 
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