Why should I use Cubase SX and not Sonar?

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tombuur

tombuur

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One of the local music stores has Cubase SX at a price that beats everything I've seen. It would be like $390 to you (but then add the 25% sales taxes we have in Scandinavia).

The guy responsible for software there has a tremendous sales talent. He has made me buy stuff like Acid for hundreds of dollars before, and then I have ended up using it for 5 hours or so.

Well, this time it seems I will never get a better offer on SX. Sonar 2 looks good to me, easy to use as opposed to Cubase VST which I only looked at a couple of hours and gave up.

I don't mind testing pirated software, because I have spent far too much money on software I ended up never using for real. But if after a while I actually use the software regularly I do pay and get registered. I also know there is a demo of SX which I will have a look at. But with this SX at an unsually low price, the ones they have may be gone before I have finished testing. So have you got any arguments, because I may have to rush into this?
 
Well, I have got the demo, but I can't get a sound out of it. A sample midi file is running, but there is no sound from my speakers. I have chosen the Audigy midi which works with everything else. All other midi programs just start playing right away. Not Cubase.

I remember something like this happening too last time I had a look at a Cubase program. Very frustrating.

Also, where do you change the midi instrument? Why is this not as obvious as with all other midi programs. There is usually a "properties" of the track where you can change that sort of thing.

If thes problems have not been sorted out by the end of this week-end, Cubase is definately not gonna be the heart of the system, I intend to build this Autumn, having a couple of thousand dollars to invest in a midi-audio pc based system.

Just too bad, there is such a bargain on Cubase SX available to me.
 
Cubase is probably not the best program for someone who wants everything they need to be obviously arranged and visible on the screen. The program is much too deep for that. You have to understand that this is a program that has users doing everything from MIDI based techno, to rock bands, to people scoring films and doing post production video work. There is no way that ANY program with as many features and capabilities as Cubase is going to have no learning curve.

That being said....

I moved to Cubase (VST32, but I know have SX)from doing simple recordings on my beloved Fostex 4 track (snif snif...I know she misses being used :p ). The first thing, and most complex to me, was setting up my MIDI situation. It took a bit of reading the manual (oh no!! not the manual! :eek: ) but within the first day I had the midi up and ready to go. By day two I had figured out the digital audio recording and multi recording and was ready to go to work. I have not looked back since then. I have a friend who uses Sonar, and from a first glance perspective, it probably is easier to get started....but my friend is envious of the depth and features of Cubase and he is getting ready to move over when he has saved the $$.
 
On the contrary. I have found earlier versions of cubase to be right down hard. SX however, ROCKS! It's the first recording suite I have ever been able to jump right into and record with ease. Yes it is very deep, but it's just as intuitive! That's a great price! Don't waste time, go get it before it's gone! It's worth the full retail price I think. And that aint cheap!:D
 
Thanks.

I've found out how to change instruments. But I still can't hear them. Midi should go through, because the metronome gives and audible ding-dong-dong-dong. Other sequencers I have used just need to know what midiport to use, then you are up running. Not so with Cubase, clearly.

I don't think a load of features should make the program harder to use. When it comes to MS Word I have used it happily for years, probably only utilizing less than 10% of its potential. Once you have a special problem, you go through "help" or the manual to find out how to do that particular thing.

Up until now I have only done simple rearrangements of midi files to use as backing for my guitar playing and singing. Now I plan on making audio recordings on top of some midi rythm section "composed" by myself. So I might have to learn more about the capabilities of the sequencing program be it Cubase or Sonar. And on the surface Cubase now looks closer to Sonar, but Cubase may be a more pro and more stable program??? Just hope the learning curve is not too steep.
 
I'm tellin ya... I couldn't use cubase vst for anything easily. SX is a whole different program. The interface resembles nuendo and is much easier to figure out.
 
Yes, it looks fine. But no midi sound !!! I can record my guitar and get it to play back. I can even hear the midi notes when touching the keys in the piano roll view, but nothing when I enter notes or play back. Nothing.
 
Hmmm. I haven't tried recording midi yet. Audio is really easy. I've only had it for a week. I'll let you know in a while if I can figure it out.
 
Just redownloaded and installed the SX demo from Steinberg.net Now all midi sound is gone again, except the metronome sound.

It's 1:30 a.m. over here. Going to bed. Do I really have to remove my other midi programs from the computer, just in case one of them interferes ??? Well, maybe tomorrow.
 
I give up. Cubase just lost a potential customer.

PIII 800 Mhz, Win 2K, 256 GB ram, Soundblaster Audigy Platinum. Nothing else running.

That should be enough to test the SX demo, even though I plan on upgrading everything this Autumn. Even tried attaching an external keyboard, but got no sound from that either. The GM file seems to be playing with vu-meters giving signals. But all in silence.

Even the most crappy free or shareware program has not let me down this way. They can all play a simple GM file downloaded from the net, but not Cubase SX. There is not even any help to get on this topic at www.steinberg.net So goodbye SX, we were never meant to be lovers. You just wasted my time.
 
tombuur said:

The guy responsible for software there has a tremendous sales talent. He has made me buy stuff like Acid for hundreds of dollars before, and then I have ended up using it for 5 hours or so.

I don't mind testing pirated software, because I have spent far too much money on software I ended up never using for real. But if after a while I actually use the software regularly I do pay and get registered. I also know there is a demo of SX which I will have a look at. But with this SX at an unsually low price, the ones they have may be gone before I have finished testing. So have you got any arguments, because I may have to rush into this?
Click to expand...

I know what you mean man. I bought my Porshe for a whole lot of money and used it for a week before I put it on jacks. And my Mercedes, what a piece of crap, now they expect me to enter a combination before I can get in it, what crap. And my Beamer, now they want to track where I am all the time and I don't even know where I am half the time.
But hey, all I do now is test drive the imports my buddy Alf has ripped off. Maybe if I decide I like one well enuff I'll find the real owner and send him some money.

Geez, sounds kinda pathetic to me. Did you ever hear of a learning curve? If you can get a legitimate good deal, grab it. It may be a little difficult for you to learn but that's usually because you're dealing with a better product. As software gets better it get's a bit more complicated, live with it, don't turn into a pirate. Software writers need to pay bills too!
 
Years ago (1994) I bought Cakewalk ver. 2. (the most high end “Pro” version) at full price. For the package to cross the Atlantic and go through local customs took eight weeks. During that time ver. 3 came out, and those who had bought ver. 2 within the last 30 days could upgrade for free. I informed Twelvetone, my Cakewalk had been in the mail for 60 days etc. … but so sorry, they counted from the day they had shipped, so I wasn’t eligible for a free upgrade. I used that program for one or two nights and never again.

Bought n-tracks ver. 1 with all the plug-ins and used it to make a cd of old tape recordings of me playing guitar and singing. Having actually used ver. 1 of n-tracks I paid for an upgrade to ver. 2 with 32 bits and all. Never used it at all, though.

So far I have made some crude editing of GM midi files to adjust sound levels etc as backing for my guitar playing and singing. Nothing fancy. I can get along with those lite version of midi editors I get with soundcards and guitar pedals.

Now, expecting to do some semi-serious recording, I want a more advanced program. But I don’t want to throw away money again. Therefore, I want the right program before paying.

Admittedly, there are decent demo programs around now in the music field (full program save disabled). And that is exactly what I am trying to test here (if I could make it run). But in other fields, such as computer programming languages, this is not always the case and there I have spent thousands of dollars for programming aids I never got to use for anything real. So, yes, there are cases where I prefer to wait and pay until I actually use the thing for something productive.

I am sure, if I bought a Mercedes and only drove it from the shop to my house, I could still get a decent price if returning it to the shop again. Can you do that with software?
 
... and learning curves ???

Are you referring to the demo program not working? No one here has been able to help, not the local music dealer either, and I am now waiting for a response from Steinberg.

... or should I respond to "learning curves" with: I am kidney doctor, and I use dialysis equipment from a German manufacturer. I believe Cubase comes from Germany too. And just like our dialysis machines it may be solidly built, reliable, have tremendous cababilities ... But the user interface of both sucks big time, well maybe not the new SX, but the dialysis machines do. Still prefer them, though.
 
Well. I think programmers should get paid too. But I think there is also something to be said for trying it out first on software that is over $100. BUT I could only understand doing that if it's impossible for you to put out $799...
I think if I were an M.D. (or better), and I could get the software 1/2 price... C'Mon Doc. SX is great, you've just got something set up or not set up wrong. It's probably as simple as something like a monitor button.;)
 
Where's that monitor button?

Well, yeah I can afford to waste some money once again ... in spite of socialized medicine and world record in income taxes over here. But as a bare minimum I want the demo to be working.
 
:D Sorry, I guess you don't make the million US docs do.

Well, if it makes you feel anybetter, I just tried, and was successful in producing identical results. It's putting out sound, and midi, but I cant' hear it. It makes all my instruments fire up and the outboard mixer lights bounce, but it just doesn't make it back through the soundcard. Are your results similar?

I have noticed sometimes after closing cubase that I have had to reboot to initialize the sound again. But... I still have windows sounds.

Well, now I have to join your search for the problem. Happy?:rolleyes:

I'm gonna reboot and see what I can figure out.:confused:

I use a tascam us428, midi express xt on xp. If anyone else wants to chime in with possible solutions...
 
That sure is interesting, if they've made a demo with a vital bug like this. I have reinstalled in adition to rebooting. Didn't help.

Audio is doing okay. Just recorded something to try out the VST effects etc.

... an no, and don't make fortunes like American colleagues do. But I also have a reasonable 40-45 hours of work a week, leaving time to play my guitars. So I don't envy them in any way.
 
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