SONAR 5 Already?

[Brian2112]

Maybe I'm just getting old and time is flying...
64bit and a convolution box - among other stuff...
I was waiting on pins and needles for Sonar 4.4...
Well...

And shipping THIS month!
Those Cakewalk dudes don't mess around!:D

http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/default.asp

...2112 :D

[SteveHanlon]

many times i think Sonar and Logic are secret partners. the feature set is so darn similar.

[Tweedbox]

One of the few things I miss about Windows was using Sonar. I really enjoyed that app. It's great to see it growing how it is. Couldn't help but notice the new covo reverb too! *Very* cool.

I am now on SX, but had Logic Pro for awhile and enjoyed Space Designer for the time I had it. Here's to hoping that Steinberg gets on the "convo included" bandwagon!

Anyways, back to Sonar... :)


Best, Tweed

[wes37]

Zoinks!

I'm there!

[ohernie]

Yeah, I hear you. I just upgraded to 4 from 2 a couple of months ago....

I'll probably wait till 6 is out in December ;) .

Ernie

[Liam]

Gotta like the midi editing in track view...I always look forward to their upgrades, it's never just a "couple things here and there" it's always huge overhaul for the better.

[Bela D Media]

After using PT for 10 years, I now use Sonar and Vegas. I guess that's a small real world example of how the PT user feels/felt?!

[Liam]

I wonder how long before products like Sonar 5 start giving PT a serious run for the money. When you think about it, Digidesign has boxed themselves into a weird position. They have to keep their native software crippled, and track restricted so they can sell their vastly more expensive HD hardware. Digidesign also needs to keep their GUI somewhat crippled so that their expensive (and highly profitable) control surfaces are a necessity.

Lee Blaske

I completely agree, I think they're already hurting protools, mostly because of what you said. Many pros are switching to Sonar. It's become just so feature rich, and most of all, you can use whatever hardware YOU want to use.

A good example of where it's going is Sonar 4 Producer just won "Best Recording Software" award at the 2005 MIPA awards (Musikmesse Awards)

Protools is marketed very well and owned by the HUGE Avid company, but as you said they are becoming quite limited in comparison to programs like Sonar and Logic.

[StrangeCat]

man I never upgraded to sonar 4 and now 5 LOL...when I get the email I checked out the upgrade price and it's the same. Guess sometime I'll have to go to five.
still using Sonar Producer 3
Crazy 64 bit coming...

[Theodor]

GREAT! I hope Kontakt 64 comes out soon as well :)

[SteveHanlon]

It even has a very similar look.

I like the way it displays multiple takes on the same track, and the fact that you can click open hierarchical folders in the same window. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Logic adds that stuff in the next upgrade (along with a lot of the other stuff in Soundtrack Pro that's rumored to be on the way).

Lee Blaske


Lee, you just spoke my heart. When i saw that feature of multiple takes on one track in PT many years ago I couldn't believe that Logic didn't have it. Then Sonar implemented! Good for them for staying on the convenience wagon. Great feature. And Yes, Logic needs it too!!

And by golly when Logic implemented the Arrange channel strip then Sonar 1 or 2 had it too, Then I suspected these guys were copying each other a little. And yes, the look is similar in some resepcts. Now Sonar with Convo Reverb and more synth instr..

But when you think about it, Logic AND Sonar are really the leaders of the pack when it comes to composing with midi. So I always think if on a PC do Sonar if on a MAc do Logic. Composers can't go wrong with either.

Audio handling...well, that's a different story but both do it well enough.

[CallMeZoot]

Well, we're still using the MIDI language to communicate between our sequencers, our controllers, and our software synths. So even in the absence of MIDI cables and interfaces, MIDI is still around. You're probably right, the language of MIDI will probably expand now that the hardware is improving. Although one of the great things about MIDI is that it has always left a whole lot of headroom, so the language probably won't HAVE to expand for a while.

I upgrade SONAR every year (it's almost always Septemberish), simply because the upgrades are always very, very good. The bundled synths alone are usually worth the upgrade price or more. I know Pentagon is amazing, and this Roland Variphrase thing sounds pretty great. Project 5 v2 has the "Track Templates," which are a really great helper for workflow.

Cakewalk has an uncanny knack for saving me hundreds of dollars. A few months ago I was trying to figure out how to come up with $400 for Ableton, and then P5v2 came out with the "Groove Matrix." P5v2 still doesn't have all the functionality of Ableton, but the groove matrix is pretty much all I needed. So instead of dropping 400 for another huge piece of software I didn't really need, I upgraded for $79 and got all I wanted. (Incidentally, I originally bought P5v1 because there was a deal where you could get Kantos with it--another piece of software I had been considering buying).

Every SONAR upgrade has been like this for me--either bundling a synth that I really wanted (VSampler, for example), or adding some major functionality that I have been looking for in a separate package. For example, this Roland Variphrase thing looks like it will save me the money of buying Melodyne (which I really don't need enough to justify buying a new piece of software).

chris.

[belbin]

I upgraded in the last year. This happens too fast!! It's nice to hear you guys talking about it giving PT arun for the money, cuz everywhere I go the "Pros" (local chumps) turn up their noses and tell me to get on the PT bandwagon.

Screw them. Sonar Rules.

Belbin

[SteveHanlon]

I upgraded in the last year. This happens too fast!! It's nice to hear you guys talking about it giving PT arun for the money, cuz everywhere I go the "Pros" (local chumps) turn up their noses and tell me to get on the PT bandwagon.

Screw them. Sonar Rules.

Belbin


Also I think a lot of people who suggest such a thing aren't really thinking it thru. If you're a composer, PT ain't what you need. If you're an audio engineer you probably won't go to Sonar or Logic since PT and Nuendo have so much to offer a person working exclusively with audio (and I know they do midi too but...).

I know an engineer here who tells me those exact words. Composer? Use SX or Logic or Sonar.

Now incidentally I have heard engineers shun Sonar because they think it doesn't sound as good...maybe maybe not...Sometimes I think their opinions are still stuck in the days of Cakewalk 9. Sonar has come a long way.

[tgfoo]

A lot of good looking new features there. But I for one will not be upgrading. Mainly cause I switched over to Mac/Logic combo earlier this year and hardly use my PC anymore. But even if Sonar was still my main sequencer, there really isn't much hear that I need or would really take advantage of (if I had a 64 bit system, that might be a little different). But still, I like the direction that Sonar is heading. I just hope it starts getting more of the respect that it deserves music community.

[Daryl]

Also I think a lot of people who suggest such a thing aren't really thinking it thru. If you're a composer, PT ain't what you need. If you're an audio engineer you probably won't go to Sonar or Logic since PT and Nuendo have so much to offer a person working exclusively with audio (and I know they do midi too but...).




Of course PT doesn't really do MIDI, it's more of a bolt-on. However Nuendo (and Cubase) are top notch MIDI apps as well as audio ones.

D

[T. S.]

Sonar-5?? No-way! :(

CW hasn't even fixed all the "bugs" and problems associated with Sonar-4 yet. :mad: :mad: :(

[howardv]

I understand from the Cakewalk forums that they're about to release a v4.0.4 update to address a new bug their last update caused on some machines. But I'm probably going to go for v5 anyway. If only to get "Pure Spaces" which I assume is Ernest Cholakis' work.

Howard

[tgfoo]

I wonder if they will have finally fixed the 16 channel rewire limitation. It was one of the things I was sure they'd fix in the 4 upgrade. So you'd think they'd fix it in 5, I mean, enough people have been complaining about it on the cakewalk forums.

[SteveHanlon]

Sonar-5?? No-way! :(

CW hasn't even fixed all the "bugs" and problems associated with Sonar-4 yet. :mad: :mad: :(


Yeah, this seems the story of all software these days (including OSs..). Companies should give paying customers what they've already paid for. But they always bundle the fixes (or last minue fixes) with new features so paying customers can pay again.

Hampster wheel.

[drmathprog]

I understand from the Cakewalk forums that they're about to release a v4.0.4 update to address a new bug their last update caused on some machines. But I'm probably going to go for v5 anyway. If only to get "Pure Spaces" which I assume is Ernest Cholakis' work.

Howard

I've heard that it's the former Voxengo Pristine Space Light.

[belbin]

So apparently it's a 64-bit app. Also apparently there's such thing as Windows 64 (news to me). You can already get 64 bit machines.

Does this mean I can go ahead and get all of these things, and the last (most important) step will be a 64 version of my sampler of choice (Giga)??

Belbin

[T. S.]

What I'm really concerned about is just exactly what the fixes in 4.0.4 are going to be. There are more than a couple of serious issues that need to be addressed and according to one of Ron Kuper's comments (Cakewalk Administrator), it's not going to be all that encompassing.

Regardless of some of the ranting on the Sonar forum about how Sonar-4 works great for some and not so great for others, I'm starting to think there are more problems with S4 than most people realize, including me.

I know I can't afford to upgrade to Sonar-5 anytime soon and I need a good working program because I make my living with it which is why ( :D :D ) I can't afford to upgrade anytime soon.

T.S.

[Liam]

You don't have to be concerned about whether certain programs are 64 bit or not. They will all still work in Sonar 5 because of this feature. From the Cakewalk site:

"BitBridge™ enables 32-bit VST effects and instruments in SONAR’s 64-bit environment"

I'm sure they knew not every app is ready for 64 bit yet so they came up with that feature...great idea.

Also if you look at the system requirements, you can run Sonar 5 on regular Win XP, it just won't be utilizing the 64 bit environment until you switch to Win 64, but you don't HAVE to have anything in 64 bit if you don't want or are not ready to. Here are the System Requrements (http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/sonar/Upgrade/system.asp)