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Post by guitfiddler on Aug 2, 2015 11:18:35 GMT -6
I used to play drums on a project 4 years ago, and the guitar player came over yesterday with a midi file that was a .cwp file. He and another guitar player are doing a 2 man acoustic show with backing tracks. They want me to join again, but they also want me to put the midi drum tracks with their existing midi backing tracks. The problem is I cannot open his Sonar midi files and I have Protools 11. I told him to export his midi files to a standard midi file so I can open it. I am not proficient in Cakewalk Sonar, so we are both looking to get the same DAW now. We don't want Protools because of the inevitable monthly fee, and he would have to purchase it, and tbh I'm not sure it is a good fit for a midi live performance on a laptop. Decisions, decisions...we need a DAW that we can both use for recording backing tracks that is strong in midi that comes with the VI's everything in one package. The contenders:
Logic X
Studio One 3
Cubase 8
We are really looking at these three DAWs. The kicker, He has a pc laptop and I have a Mac. These 3 seem like very strong features that are great for bringing all the features.
I believe that Logic X is Mac only, and I am not sure about efficiency.
Studio One seems to have the best efficiency of any DAW I have seen and it comes with a lot of extra VI's plugs, and seems to have a strong midi implementation.
Cubase 8 - Still researching, seems to have all the strong midi implementation and a very popular DAW for studios, but not sure about VI's and efficiency.
Is there really any perfect DAW? I am a Protools guy and I have messed with Studio One 2, and Logic 8.
I am thinking first something that runs great on PC or Mac. PC laptops are cheaper and to make this happen I would rather not buy anything more, but I might have to get another DAW and a laptop...ugh
I am hoping that someone can close the gap, but I am thinking about making a switch to Cubase or Studio One 3.
Btw, we are using Superior Drummer for the midi drum VI. I have a UA Apollo interface and the guitar player has an older usb us-144MKII Tascam 2 channel interface. It sounds surprisingly good.
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Post by swurveman on Aug 2, 2015 11:32:54 GMT -6
I think if I was not using a lot of VST's I'd use Pro Tools. For me PT 11 has run flawlessly once I got the hang of it. If I used a lot of VST's it would either be Logic or Cubase. I don't know much about Studio One though. Cubase has always been strong for me regarding midi, both for apps like SD 2 and VST synths like Sylenth and NI's Komplete. That being said, Cubase 8 has been buggy imo compared to other versions released by Steinberg, but they usually get things sorted out.
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Post by M57 on Aug 2, 2015 12:35:15 GMT -6
I'm pretty sure Logic is not an option on a PC.
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Post by drbill on Aug 2, 2015 12:40:54 GMT -6
you don't have to pay a monthly fee with PT. That's an OPTION, but not a necessity. I just upgraded to 12, and am paying no monthly fee.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2015 12:47:21 GMT -6
Logic is Mac only.
For PC, Sonar already has the best offer for on-board VI's and plugins, it is really very complete, IMHO. Therefore i use it as a "creativity" DAW...
On a budget, i would look into Reaper as a DAW and add a good synth and sampler engine to the cost. Which ones depends on the type of music. Maybe something like U-He Zebra as top notch synth and NI Kontakt and some nice Sample lib depending on the music style you make.
AFAIK it's both, PC and Mac.
Can't comment on StudioOne or the actual Cubase....
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 2, 2015 13:14:29 GMT -6
you don't have to pay a monthly fee with PT. That's an OPTION, but not a necessity. I just upgraded to 12, and am paying no monthly fee. You just pay $199 per year for Native or $599 per year for HD...so, technically, you're right...no monthly fee. |
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Post by Randge on Aug 2, 2015 13:20:00 GMT -6
Zero bugs on Cubase 8 for me, so its probably something in your setup I would guess. I have had some bugs in the past with earlier versions of Cubase, but this one is the most solid and stable platform I have ever had. Add the VCA's and its the clear winner.
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Aug 2, 2015 13:39:33 GMT -6
you don't have to pay a monthly fee with PT. That's an OPTION, but not a necessity. I just upgraded to 12, and am paying no monthly fee. You just pay $199 per year for Native or $599 per year for HD...so, technically, you're right...no monthly fee. That is the subscription you can still by PT 12 outright for fixed fee with or without interface! You are eligible and will retain all updated up to 13! |
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Post by guitfiddler on Aug 2, 2015 14:49:31 GMT -6
Thanks, it will more than likely be PC, but he has some money to spend on a complete system. He said he wanted to upgrade, so I want to make sure he is on the same page as me. In fact, if we both have the same software it will be so much easier to work on this project.
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 2, 2015 14:57:19 GMT -6
You just pay $199 per year for Native or $599 per year for HD...so, technically, you're right...no monthly fee. That is the subscription you can still by PT 12 outright for fixed fee with or without interface! You are eligible and will retain all updated up to 13! Well, yeah...for $899, right? |
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Post by Guitar on Aug 2, 2015 15:01:11 GMT -6
Another very satisfied Cubase 8 user here. High-five, Randge.
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Aug 2, 2015 15:07:31 GMT -6
That is the subscription you can still by PT 12 outright for fixed fee with or without interface! You are eligible and will retain all updated up to 13! Well, yeah...for $899, right? I paid $350 with a fasttrack interface that's nothing special but fine for doing quick fixes without using the console. |
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 2, 2015 16:06:04 GMT -6
Well, I guess I could pay the $199 for PT 12 and stop, but then if it lapsed, I'd have to pay the whole 899
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Post by junior on Aug 2, 2015 16:07:22 GMT -6
Reaper...
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Post by drbill on Aug 2, 2015 17:24:09 GMT -6
Well, I guess I could pay the $199 for PT 12 and stop, but then if it lapsed, I'd have to pay the whole 899 The reality is the subscription plan is NOT necessary. "On Paper" it might look like a high upgrade fee, but if you're like me, and skip a generation or two, it's much cheaper just to buy it outright again like the old days. Of course AVID is a lot greedier than in the old days, but you can do it just the same way. There's NO WAY I'm paying 199/599 a year. Much cheaper just to buy it again from my perspective. And if you get it on sale or from a good dealer (let me know if you want DEEEEEEEP discounts on any AVID hardware or Software and I'll turn you on to a guy...) it's not that much more than it used to be, but significantly less than subscription rates. ($200-250 a major upgrade is what it used to be) |
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Aug 2, 2015 17:59:22 GMT -6
Well, I guess I could pay the $199 for PT 12 and stop, but then if it lapsed, I'd have to pay the whole 899 The reality is the subscription plan is NOT necessary. "On Paper" it might look like a high upgrade fee, but if you're like me, and skip a generation or two, it's much cheaper just to buy it outright again like the old days. Of course AVID is a lot greedier than in the old days, but you can do it just the same way. There's NO WAY I'm paying 199/599 a year. Much cheaper just to buy it again from my perspective. And if you get it on sale or from a good dealer (let me know if you want DEEEEEEEP discounts on any AVID hardware or Software and I'll turn you on to a guy...) it's not that much more than it used to be, but significantly less than subscription rates. ($200-250 a major upgrade is what it used to be) And if you don't want a year of support the right dealer can cut a better dealer. |
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Post by Ward on Aug 2, 2015 20:37:45 GMT -6
I used to play drums on a project 4 years ago, and the guitar player came over yesterday with a midi file that was a .cwp file. Isn't that a cakewalk pro file format? |
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Post by guitfiddler on Aug 2, 2015 20:55:28 GMT -6
I used to play drums on a project 4 years ago, and the guitar player came over yesterday with a midi file that was a .cwp file. Isn't that a cakewalk pro file format? Yes, and I am absolutely not looking forward to learning another DAW, but I know sooner or later I will have to anyway. I might just go Cubase, and upgrade my Studio One 2 to 3. They use a Presonus Live console for the board, so I would think that Studio One would be the way to go, but I have always been drawn to Cubase, but I didn't like the way it looked either. I really wish we could setup the DAW cosmetically however we want. Just drag the windows and buttons and design our own Screen. They are getting closer. Imagine making your DAW look like Protools, but it's a different DAW. That would be cool. We can all dream I guess... |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2015 9:47:34 GMT -6
If it is Sonar 3 Pro or earlier, i could export the midi data or guide your friend how to do it. Not sure about the new Platinum version downward compatibility.
Yes, it's a cakewalk project file, and not even a bundled file (.cwb), so it is pretty much useless even for another Sonar user unless you have the project folder as well....
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Post by guitfiddler on Aug 3, 2015 10:10:04 GMT -6
If it is Sonar 3 Pro or earlier, i could export the midi data or guide your friend how to do it. Not sure about the new Platinum version downward compatibility. Yes, it's a cakewalk project file, and not even a bundled file (.cwb), so it is pretty much useless even for another Sonar user unless you have the project folder as well.... I'm not sure what version he even has...I will find out because he is ready to do this upgrade or change to something different very soon. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2015 10:32:50 GMT -6
If it is Sonar 3 Pro or earlier, i could export the midi data or guide your friend how to do it. Not sure about the new Platinum version downward compatibility. Yes, it's a cakewalk project file, and not even a bundled file (.cwb), so it is pretty much useless even for another Sonar user unless you have the project folder as well.... I'm not sure what version he even has...I will find out because he is ready to do this upgrade or change to something different very soon. Sorry, of course i meant X3 Pro. Sonar 3 might be 15 yrs. old or so. LOL. |
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Post by drew571 on Aug 3, 2015 16:39:59 GMT -6
another happy cubase 8 user.
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Post by guitfiddler on Aug 3, 2015 17:38:54 GMT -6
If it is Sonar 3 Pro or earlier, i could export the midi data or guide your friend how to do it. Not sure about the new Platinum version downward compatibility. Yes, it's a cakewalk project file, and not even a bundled file (.cwb), so it is pretty much useless even for another Sonar user unless you have the project folder as well.... I'm not sure what version he even has...I will find out because he is ready to do this upgrade or change to something different very soon. I talked to the guitar player for about an hour and he was first saying he was using Sonar 7 and thinking about upgrading to 9. He has hundreds of songs in that computer with midi files, and he wants to be able to transfer what he has into another daw. Then he said he wanted to check out Cubase, then he mentioned Studio One. Now I'm even confused, but I am actually focusing on another DAW myself and thinking about going Cubase. I just hope we can both decide on the same DAW. I am leaning towards Cubase and Studio One right now on PC. I will also need a new interface, what interface is good for PC? I did notice that Cbase has a lot of VI's included now, and so does Studio One. I just don't know yet. I do know for sure that I will need some good plugs that are usable within these DAWs. Which DAWS have the strongest set of plugs and VI's included. Doing more research....Studio One has great efficiency, and seems to be loaded with many VI's. Cubase seems to have a great set of included stuff also. I think it is almost down to the wire between Cubase and Studio One, I am also checking into Sonar....ugh |
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Post by Guitar on Aug 3, 2015 17:40:58 GMT -6
I'm not sure what version he even has...I will find out because he is ready to do this upgrade or change to something different very soon. I talked to the guitar player for about an hour and he was first saying he was using Sonar 7 and thinking about upgrading to 9. He has hundreds of songs in that computer with midi files, and he wants to be able to transfer what he has into another daw. Then he said he wanted to check out Cubase, then he mentioned Studio One. Now Im even confused, but I am actually focusing on another DAW myself and thinking about going Cubase. I just hope we can both decide on the same DAW. I am leaning towards Cubase and Studio One right now on PC. I will also need a new interface, what interface is good for PC? What's your budget and how many channels do you need? |
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Post by guitfiddler on Aug 3, 2015 17:44:12 GMT -6
We only need 2 channels for the interface, and budget is as cheap as I can get.
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