Why I got rid of sonar...

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PH68

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I have been trying for ages to use Sonar to record audio on my HP laptop running WinXP.
I have a good soundcard (Edirol UA-5).

Everytime I recorded audio, I got crackles, jumps, etc..


I looked on this & other forums. I did all the tweaks to Sonar & XP, fine tuning, adjusting latency etc. etc. (the list of things to fine tune and adjust is stupidly long - but I still did them all). It was still not good enough for my, or anyone elses, ears.

If the recorded sound was OK, but it may need more oomph then I can cope with all the fine tuning with effects, EQ, etc. But the recorded sound was not enough good (I don't expect an expensive piece of software to record with crackles - even after all the tweaks).



I tried 2 basic audio tracks. So I recorded them using my Korg Triton audio outputs & burned them to a CD. The CD is now a beer mat.

What I have done is bought a BOSS BR1180. I recorded the same tracks from my Triton & burned a CD. My friends now want copies of the CD.

The difference in quality is unbelievable, and haven't even fine tuned it yet with effects or mastering tools.



Did I have to "tweak & fine-tune" the BOSS before I recorded any audio? No.
Did I get "crackles & jumps" on my recording? No.
Did I get dropouts after 2 audio tracks were recorded? No.
Did I have any problems after recording 8 audio tracks, with lots of virtual tracks & lots of virtual Master tracks? ....No.



My point is... Sonar is a good piece of Software there is lots it can do the the BOSS cannot (I would list them but it'll take too long).
However in terms of pure audio quality I'll use the BOSS, and at the end of the day folks that makes a big difference.

I am keeping Sonar & wait soit I can use it on a reasonable priced reliable PC... But with loads of HDRs on the market now that are a lot cheaper than buying Sonar + PC set up for audio.... I'll buy a HDR.

The choice comes down to two simple options
MIDI > buy Sonar
Audio > buy a HDR.
 
Buddy,you're doing something wrong and you just can't figure it out.It may be drivers,buffers,latency settings,programs runnning in the background,etc.....
Don't say the grapes ares sour.I have a VS880 and I must say it's a great machine,but if I had given up on Cakewalk it would have been a huge mistake.

Just take a deep breath a try again.
 
I see the UA-5 is a usb sound card.
Do you have another soundcard installed?
If so you should make up another hardware profile that has it disabled.
 
Again... the responses on this (and any other) forum are the same.

Try this, try that, tweak this, tweak that.


I've tried them all.
So much so that I am thinking of running in the International Sonar Tweaking Championships.


Why can't I just install Sonar and go????
 
Why can't I just install Sonar and go????
Click to expand...
If that's what you want,then the Boss is your ticket.I must admit setting up a rig can be very frustrating due to the nature of PC's.
When I get my next rig,I'm going to have it built by a company who specialises in audio computers.I'll have it pre-configured and hit the ground running.

If you minds made up,why are you grumbling here?Should'nt you be posting in the Boss forum?
 
My mind is not made up...

I'm more than prepared to give any new technology a chance. Future shock is not something I ever suffer from.



As I said earlier, Sonar is very powerful and can do lots more than the Boss. It's just Sonar is not yet right for all PC's.
I am keeping Sonar hoping that it will eventually work on a PC.
I had thought of having a PC built purely for audio stuff, but cost is a factor we all have to consider.

I didn't think I was grumbling! It's just at the moment the audio quailty is seems better on a HDR than a PC at the same price.

I will keep checking this forum though hoping someone points me in the right direction of the perfect PC to run Sonar... at a reasonable cost.



I don't need to go to any Boss forum. I've pretty much worked out everything it can do.
 
Sonar is fine for any PC that has come out in the last 3 years... I built mine myself taking care to use only good stuff, came out costing less that $700 (not counting the card)
Its that piece of shit USB soundcard that is giving you nightmares...
I can honestly say that setting up sonar with the Delta 1010 was the easiest thing ever, I get no crackles, no audible latency, and I can get well over 50 tracks with plugs going at the same time without a problem... all this without much more than installing the right drivers and no tweaking, really, at all... Its your setup, not Sonar, probably that soundcard driver more than likely.
I;ve used that boss before and my rig destroys it.
 
You know, for the $750 that the Boss costs, you could easily build the rig I have (a year old now so the same stuff is cheaper) for around $550 and get a smaller Delta card, and be in the same ballpark, pricewise, as the Boss and just as stable and way more versatile with Sonar.
Are you using Sonar 2.2?
 
from personal experience sonar isn't an extremely well written program in terms of stability....it can do alot of shit...and is very user friendly IMO
 
You have
"FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHATEVER YOU CHOSE TO CHOOSE..." ;)

But, ACKUS !!! :D

All
Cool
Kids
Use
SONAR
!!!

Seriously, I'm using SONAR because it has more challange & I have alot of things to learn rather than standalone DAW. The satisfaction when I acomplisehd it is unmeasured !!! :cool:


...Look mama, I've mastered "using SONAR with SB Live! card class"... now, gimme the Delta... :D :D :D
 
You say that they need to make Sonar work on all pc's. Well I don't believe they are at fault. You picked a laptop. They cannot do a lot of things. For gaming, they suck. Unless you have a Mac, most laptops cannot do video editing very well(saying that you keep your price below $1800 or so.) You also have to rely on USB which was stated earlier.

What this all means is don't use a laptop for this kind of stuff.

Of course I could be completely wrong, but that is my two cents.
 
Why do I need a laptop.

Quite simple it's portable.


Yes I do a lot of recording in one room using Keyboards & guitars etc..
But...
I do play & record REAL instruments (woodwinds, acoustic guitars, mandolins, bodhrans,... even vocals!) and as anyone who records/hears these will tell you it's down to location location location!


Do I want to dismantle my standalone PC with monitor, mouse, keyboard, and take it to somewhere else and reset it up... er no!
I would rather take my laptop & USB soundcard.

Well now I can just take my HDR. Easy.



As I keep saying if I should keep Sonar (and I do want to) I know I would need a better PC. But it MUST be portable.
At the moment a portable HDR seems cheaper than a laptop.


So don't tell me I need a standalone PC. I know that would be better & cheaper. I need something portable.




So... come on then folks. Who out there uses a reasonable priced laptop (i.e. comparable to a HDR) with Sonar to record mostly audio & is it really any good (be honest please).
 
So... come on then folks. Who out there uses a reasonable priced laptop (i.e. comparable to a HDR) with Sonar to record mostly audio & is it really any good (be honest please).
Click to expand...
Ahhh,now we're getting somewhere.Actually it sounds like you could use both the computer and HDR.
You may have a better chance for responses in the "computer recording and soundcards" forum for the laptop questions.
 
I have been in a similar situation. Tried to set up a DAW with Cakewalk and just got frustrated as #$$%@^%$&*. Lots of tweaks and do this, do that. Plus, my "studio" (aka spare bedroom) is not near the piano. So, I got an AW4416 and put it on a really nice rolling stand. In time, I figured out that it was the soundcard and once I got a new one.... voila. I have Sonar 2.2 and love it. I have ADATs on both machines (the AW and the PC) and can fly 8 tracks at once in either direction. I use the AW as a mixer as well, for the hardware synths in my studio. Soooo, you have one foot in the best of all possible worlds.... you have the portability and reliability issue done. A bit more work and you may be able to get into the editing, effects and softsynth world. It took me quite a while, but I'm very happy with my set up.

Take Care
 
You haven't told us how powerful your laptop is.

Maybe its just too weak for current recording software.

Have you tried other sequencing and recording programs on it? And do they work? If not, then the problem isn't Sonar, its your machine and/or your soundcard.

I believe laptops are only just coming of age regarding hard disk recording. And you've got a USB soundcard. Without knowing much more about the specs of your machine, its impossible to say whether its suitable for recording duties. But you can't just presume that it is, with ANY machine.

The previous point was valid, that its very cheap now to build a dedicated PC for audio that will eat 48+ tracks for breakfast.

But a laptop is a different story. I wouldn't trust one unless I bought it specially made up from an audio-specialist retailer. And that costs $$$. Unfortunately you can't tweak the insides of a laptop and replace parts with impunity, the way you can with a desktop.
 
Hi I'm a computer engineer and wannabe musician

The highly likely reason you are getting pops etc with your USB device is that if you check your operating system IRQ table you will most likely find the USB is sharing an IRQ with another device, what happens is the other device (example graphics card) polls the IRQ while recording effecting a pause in USB communication and creating these pops.

A possible resolution
1 check the PC BIOS for a manual IRQ setting for USB (or conflicting device)

2 Swap any cards you have in pci slots (if any), PnP works by assigning an IRQ depending on device and PCI slot the card is inserted into.

3. Shut off LPT port (printer) in BIOS if not used, along with any COM ports currently using an IRQ.

I understand how you feel about trying loads of things and just being able to install and go, but unfortunately unless you go to a computer supplier that has in depth knowledge of your requirements (ie audio recording) you will mostly end up with the wrong tool/PC configuration for the job.
There exists an endless combination of hardware components, The PC is a very versatile thing, made for many different functions.
 
Welcome to the board, J69... :)

Nice info you bring :) Stick around... :cool:
 
PH68 said:
Why do I need a laptop.

Quite simple it's portable.


Yes I do a lot of recording in one room using Keyboards & guitars etc..
But...
I do play & record REAL instruments (woodwinds, acoustic guitars, mandolins, bodhrans,... even vocals!) and as anyone who records/hears these will tell you it's down to location location location!


Do I want to dismantle my standalone PC with monitor, mouse, keyboard, and take it to somewhere else and reset it up... er no!
I would rather take my laptop & USB soundcard.

Well now I can just take my HDR. Easy.



As I keep saying if I should keep Sonar (and I do want to) I know I would need a better PC. But it MUST be portable.
At the moment a portable HDR seems cheaper than a laptop.


So don't tell me I need a standalone PC. I know that would be better & cheaper. I need something portable.




So... come on then folks. Who out there uses a reasonable priced laptop (i.e. comparable to a HDR) with Sonar to record mostly audio & is it really any good (be honest please).
Click to expand...


The solution is quite simple, don't use USB. You're better off buying a PC-Card interface from Echo Audio or a Firewire interface if your laptop has a Firewire port.

USB sucks for audio, period.
 
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