CAKEWALK?

[Zuben]

Normally, I will get a DAT or CD and use my TASCAM to lay my tracks down and mail it back to the next person on the list or whomever I am working with.

 

In the last few weeks, I have been in a studio working on an album (session) I have spent a lot of time in studios and have seen massive multi million $ studios and home studios. I have no plans to get in the studio business but with the programs for computers improving daily, I have been thinking of doing some of my own compositions and being able to create DEMO class CDs.

 

I have a Windoze based computer that has dual processors, a HUGE hard Drive, dual CD/DVD player, recorders. If I go through with this, I will put the most capable sound card I can get in it.

 

I have been reading reviews of Cakewalk and several version sound like what I am looking for.

 

Does anyone have experience in using a PC as a Studio. mixer, demo burner? What program do you use and why and if it is Cakewalk what version?

 

Thanks

Peace

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

I use Sequoia, which si the big brother to Samplitude. I also occasionally use SAWStudio. Since I don't use MIDI much at all, these programs are perfect for me. Sequoia has not only its own effects and CD/DVD burner, but it works with MP3s, creates DDP for dupe houses, works with three and four point editing, and is an all-round serious product. Both of these programs excel in audio, started their lives as audio programs, and that is their focus. Many of the offerings that you see today started out as something else. Cakewalk and Cubase were MIDI sequencers, for example.

 

Though I do not use it, I am a big fan of Cakewalks' Sonar. It is sort of a do it all program, and mostly it does it all pretty well. My good friend and fellow prorec writer Garry Simmons has used Cakewalk as his main application in his studio for years now. In fact, when I took my band to his place, he recorded us in Cakewalk, though i took the finished files to my studio for mixdown and final mastering.

 

Here is the deal with audio software... look at what you need to do and what your main focus might be, then look at the available softwares that have the featureset that you want, and try them out. I have said this before.... audio software is a lot like running shoes... you like reboks, I like New Balance, the next guy likes Nike, and we all manage to get down the road. But we each like the look and feel of the shoes that we wear.

 

There are other ways to go.... I've always been a fan of Band In A Box, though I do not use it. It does far more than most people realise. Their new ads mention a large collection of real drumkits, and this has piqued my interest, so I think that I am going to check it out. Having given up the studio, I can no longer rely on live drums, so I need a workable alternative.

 

Bill

[A String]

I've been using Cakewalk for as long as it's been around. I am currently using Cakewalk Sonar 6.

 

For me, it was just the right fit. I tried a few others, but just didn't get into them. (I have never successfully gotten Cubase to run. There is always a one second latency, when I add a second track, even on a fast computer. I'm assuming it's because of my cheap sound card. It says something about Cakewalk though. The fact that I can run over 8 tracks with cakewalk, but can't run two with Cubase...)

 

I also occasionally use "Sound Forge" for tidying up.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

As a former member of the beta test teams for both Cakewalk (since Cakewalk 3.01) and Sound Forge (from 3, prior to 'public' betas) I can say that both products are good choices. What pulled me towards Sequoia/Samplitude was that it was a one-stop shopping product.... I could do everything from record to burn within the single application. Of course, I've since been blown away by the depth of the program, but that is how I started. I was tired of recording in one program (SAW or Vegas), doing MIDI in another (Cakewalk, SEQ+, or DOP), loops in another (Acid), taking it all into Sound Forge or Wavelab for final editing/mastering and then going to CD Architect for burning. That is just insane.

 

Both Magix and Cakewalk offer various offerings at different price points that are very affordable. But in te long run, you'll likely want one of the flagship products.

 

 

Bill

[strangedogs]

On my Mac I'm using LOGIC Express (slimmer version than the full Logic) a lot - I also use Ableton's LIVE 5 some... I was noticing when I looked up Sequoia how similar to Logic it looks. It works just great - I can do 4 guitars, add some drumkit and a Bassline (do em myself in Guitar Rig 2 with an Octaver) and it just works beautifully! Long Live APPLE!

[blueross]

I started with Cakewalk and Guitar Studio. Kept upgrading and I now use Sonar 6. If I actually knew what I was doing, I'm sure it would be a really powerful tool, but I'm really a novice. You can hear the results on my web pages as it's the only thing we use for recording the band.

[miroslav]

Like Bill...I'm a Samplitude user.

 

While I do own Cakewalk Sonar (I just haven't upgrade in awhile)...and I checked out Cubase and Nuendo, and use to own SAWPlus (my first DAW)...and even messed with NTrack Studio for bit (a nice inexpensive starter-DAW)

..Samplitude is just the best fit for pure audio recording, editing and mixing. You can't beat it's Object-based editing!

Also...the Samplitude/Sequoia audio engine is defiantly one of the best sounding...and that's something that a lot of people have confirmed...even PT users.

I don't bother much with MIDI or looping or soft-synth stuff.

 

But like Bill said...you have to examine how YOU like to record...then compare apps...and then find a computer rig that will work best for your apps.

 

 

[Trucks]

I have used the Samplitude demo, I really liked it. Seemed pretty user friendly for a recording noob like myself.

 

Also, since I installed the demo, I get to use the Samplitude demo plugins in Reaper, as if they were full versions. Not sure how that worked, but it made me happy :-)

[desertbluesman]

I use Sonar Producer Edition 6.2.1 with a P4 3.2 gig with 2 gigs RAM, Win XP Pro SP1 I use an Echo Layla 24/96 sound card and a Yamaha SW 1000 XG for synth only. I do everything right inside of Sonar, including mastering. I could dither it in Sonar but I choose to use Sound Forge 9 for dithering and editing/fades etc.

 

I have the Waves 5.2 Diamond bundle and the IR 1 reverb, as well as several versions of Kontakt for sample playing and DR008 with DKFH 1 for drum samples. And a myriad of other software stuff.

 

Go to my soundclick page (URL in sig) and the songs on the top of the list (except for Android) are Sonar recorded, mixed and mastered.