MichaelTheCrow Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I'm thinking about upgrading from Cakewalk Music Creator 4 to Sonar 8. The problem is I have no idea if I should go for studio or Producer edition. Music Creator 4 has a lot to offer and is a really good DAW for it's low price. But I'm looking for more power, flexibility and features. I understand that Producer is way more expensive but has more features and plug-ins included. Maybe I'm better off just getting Studio Edition and then upgrade a few months after. But I understand that Producer comes with the 3 better plug-ins and I'm keen on having Dimension Pro, not to mention GPO in it. Or is there a better alternative? I'm getting more serious with my music so and suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnappleMan Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Only differences I see are the packaged plugins and support for surround sound. Get studio. That is, ofcourse, if you have a decent set of plugins ready to import into it, specifically EQ and compression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelTheCrow Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Well most of my plugins are free ones I've found all over, or cheap commercial ones. At the moment I'm relying on rgc:audio's sfz+ Soundfont player and a ton of Soundfonts. As for the drums/percussion I'm using Kore Player's Sky drumkit. If I purchase Studio Edition and Dimension Pro separately it'll cost about the same as getting Producer Edition with that and several more features. I have no interest in surround sound features or some of the exclusive fx plugins but 2 of the 3 VSTi's that come with it I really want, but do I really need them? The hefty price increase probably isn't worth it at this stage just for a few extra plugins. Which means I need to find an alternative for a full high quality sound library which should definitely erase all means of needing soundfonts. I have a bit of a budget for now, unless it's better to get Sonar now and worry about VSTi a few weeks later when I have more money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmony Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I bought Studio 6 and although I'm happy with it, I think I'll be buying Producer edition from now on. I don't really care about the Synths, but I REALLY want v-vocal and the -64 mastering plugins. The ability to work with video sounds like it may come in handy too. But a little off topic, don't discount the power of soundfonts. It's still a great format that's really easy to customize, and they're highly portable. Oh, and although that Sky kit sounds really great, I can point you towards some SFZ drums kits that are absolutely fantastic. long live SF2 and SFZ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelTheCrow Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Oh I see, well I guess in that case I'd be better off going for Sonar 8 Studio edition. But even Sonar 6 seems very good. I just got an e-mail from cakewalk and if I upgrade to Sonar Home Studio 7 by the 26th of Feb I'll save $20. It's not much but also the fact I'm a Cakewalk user I'll only have to pay $59 instead of $79, also the fact that for a new customer it costs $129 it's a pretty good deal. I saw Sonar 7 Home Studio XL, not sure if you get $20 off that one but since I'm a cakewalk user it costs $129 instead of $209 and it has a small handful of extras I'll find useful, not to mention Dimension Pro LE . I guess I shouldn't underestimate the good old soundfonts, sfz+ does let you do more and alter the sound and much more than just play them as they are. So now the question is, would I be better off upgrading to Home Studio 7 instead of Sonar 8 for now? Oh I forgot to mention, I'm from Australia but the prices I've mentioned are in USD to make it easier for you guys . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnappleMan Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 If you're a student you can probably get it for half price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelTheCrow Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Well I am no longer a student as I have finished school half way through last year, now just working. I've been putting aside a small amount each week for a few months for something just like this. Any upgrade is an improvement from Cakewalk Music Creator 4. But a little off topic, don't discount the power of soundfonts. It's still a great format that's really easy to customize, and they're highly portable. Oh, and although that Sky kit sounds really great, I can point you towards some SFZ drums kits that are absolutely fantastic. Oh really? Well there is problem with the Sky kit, the snare is not loud enough and it takes forever to load up, each and every time I select it or load a project that uses it. Which kits are you referring to? I might have some or might not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cloud187 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Well I am no longer a student as I have finished school half way through last year, now just working. I've been putting aside a small amount each week for a few months for something just like this. Any upgrade is an improvement from Cakewalk Music Creator 4.Oh really? Well there is problem with the Sky kit, the snare is not loud enough and it takes forever to load up, each and every time I select it or load a project that uses it. Which kits are you referring to? I might have some or might not. or u can download it for free.... lol ? wtf why would u pay its on torrents like 10 different trackers probably Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 or u can download it for free.... lol ? wtf why would u pay its on torrents like 10 different trackers probably Why are you here? Please leave and take your bad grammar with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halt Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 or u can download it for free.... lol ? wtf why would u pay its on torrents like 10 different trackers probably Zeph is right. Why are you here? OC ReMix doesn't support warez. Most of the people around here buy the software to own the music they make with it, otherwise, its property of Image-Line, or whoever you pirated from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelTheCrow Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 Zeph is right. Why are you here? OC ReMix doesn't support warez. Most of the people around here buy the software to own the music they make with it, otherwise, its property of Image-Line, or whoever you pirated from. That's right, and not to mention it's not legal, in comparison to the outside world it's like owning counterfeit money. Also your lack of spelling, punctuation and grammar questions your age and/or intelligence. I have no time for such insignificance, never would I scoop that low. Well I hope to make a purchase either this week or early next week, at the moment I've decided on Home Studio 7 XL, any further suggestions/recommendations on this? I know Sonar 8 Producer can wait awhile, but there are several factors I need to take into consideration before a final decision is made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Probably just a lonely troll in a lonely world... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmony Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Oh really? Well there is problem with the Sky kit, the snare is not loud enough and it takes forever to load up, each and every time I select it or load a project that uses it. Which kits are you referring to? I might have some or might not. Try the GSCW drums. They sound great,they are highly playable right out of the box, they're free, and someone has been kind enough to convert them to SFZ format. With SFZ its just a matter of editing an easy-to-read text file for any modifications that you want to make. They are big though. Loading them up in sfz uses 210MB of RAM for me. KVR thread: http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=103752&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 Place to download samples+SFZ files (DrumKit-2 is much better than DrumKit-1): http://www.drealm.info/sfz/GIRO/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelTheCrow Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 Well just by listening to the three mp3 samples included all I can say is I'm darn impressed. Usually the kick or the snare doesn't stand out enough with free kits but this isn't the case. I don't have to worry about getting any more drums for a long time now, if this guy's commercial one that he's making is even better I might get it too. Thanks so much for showing me this. But how do I load it up in SFZ+? It only loads .sf2 files and it wont read the sfz ones. (EDIT: I've just discovered that SFZ+ does not support the .sfz format, I find it rather stupid considering I paid for it and it was stripped from that feature, guess I'll have to use the free sfz one instead.) Anyway I've decided to get Sonar Home Studio 7 XL, I've realised having both free and commercial fx and instruments will give me a lot to play around with. I know for a fact some free stuff beat commercial in some cases, or can sound almost as good when used to full potential. Thanks anyway, and if anyone felt Sonar 8 is a better choice/option I'm just taking it a small step at a time, if I find this one great and want to go bigger and more powerful it's only another upgrade away . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmony Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I've just discovered that SFZ+ does not support the .sfz format, I find it rather stupid considering I paid for it and it was stripped from that feature, guess I'll have to use the free sfz one instead. Yeah, it works in sfz for me. That's odd that the upgrade is a downgrade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelTheCrow Posted February 21, 2009 Author Share Posted February 21, 2009 Yeah, it works in sfz for me. That's odd that the upgrade is a downgrade Well it's more flexible with soundfonts with all these different effects and what not, a lot has been added for the sacrifice of losing few. It allows a lot of tweaking, but the free one supports sfz. But having sfz and sfz+ both running has not caused any problems. Combining the high quality free stuff with the nice commercial ones coming with home studio 7 xl i'll have everything i need to start remixing . Should be arriving soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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