So.. what's the veredict on Sonar 3?

[Rod S]

It seems there was one (or more) thread(s) when it was released, but I haven't seen it being talked about much since.

 

So, for the guys who upgraded, was it worth it? I saw there's a 3.1.1 patch in the website, are most bugs taken care of?

 

I'm currently using 2.2. I'm currently in the 'if it ain't broken, don't fix' mode, but I'm curious neverthless.

 

Thanks.

[doug osborne]

I agree: if it ain't broke...but...

 

S3 is a huge leap forward for Cakewalk.

 

Pro features like machine control, support for all sampling rates from your hardware, and slip editing will let it work in music, post and broadcast where it was limited before.

 

MIDI features bring it nearly to the flexibility for a composer of Logic, far surpassing ProTools for creative support, for example.

[Anderton]

<>

 

That's because the thing just plain works. We're all getting work done instead of talking about it

 

S3's console view is far, far better than S2. Not that I use it that much, though, because the Inspector makes Track view really fly. If you get the Producer edition (you should) you get integrated EQ and the Sonitus effects, as well as easier parameter control for effects and VSampler (not as good as Kontakt or MachFive, but if you don't have a soft sampler, it will do the job for you). And the busing structure totally rocks, way better than S2.

 

I did the upgrade and feel that, as Doug says, S3 is a major step forward. I reallize "if it ain't broke don't fix it" - S2 wasn't broke for me, either. But S3 isn't broke, and it does a lot more .

[YourMotherShouldKnow]

Sonar 3 is excellent.

[jlampson]

There is not a huge learning curve from Sonar 2.2 to Sonar 3.x.x. The multitude of features available and the improved stability are two reasons to upgrade.

 

My workflow with Sonar 3 is very streamlined. I do keep an eye on other DAW packages and, although Pro Tools and Nuendo are solid entries, Sonar 3 is a simple to use and powerful package for a lower investment. That is tough to beat.

 

My verdict? Get it. Get the Producer Edition. Learn the new features inside and out. Give us some tunes to listen to.

 

John

[Rod S]

Thanks for the reply guys. I guess the improved stability will be a plus for me as I'm starting to do songs with more tracks, plus the individual eqs will be nice.

 

I have no plans to go to other DAW packages for the time being.. been using CW/SONAR since I purchased HomeStudio 8 a few years back. Been happy since.

 

I'm assuming there's no problems running both in parallel? (2.2 and 3)

[Gus Lozada]

Oi Rod!

 

I got SONAR 3, PE, it totally rocks!

Since you mention -and we all know that- you´ve been a CakeWalk user for a long time, you can not go wrong with the update to Sonar 3.

 

My veredict?

I love it.

[jlampson]

I think that for the most part, people stick with what they originally learned on. I've used Cakewalk since Pro Audio 8 and have loved it ever since, even with the occasional bugs thrown in for good measure.

 

You can easily run 2.2 and 3 in parallel. I did that for a while until I was certain that 3 was going to work fine for what I needed. That took about 2 weeks.

 

John

[philbo_Tangent]

The only thing that might hold you back is that S3 won't run on any flavor of Win 9x or ME. It requires Win2K or WinXP.

[Dylan]

Originally posted by philbo_Tangent:

The only thing that might hold you back is that S3 won't run on any flavor of Win 9x or ME. It requires Win2K or WinXP.

This is a good thing, my friend . XP has been nothing but good to me. Ive used Cakewalk since Pro Audio 4! Sonar 3 PE is really an excellent set of tools and Id highly recommend it. Its been rock solid on my homebrew P4 with 1GB of RAM.

[Gus Lozada]

Originally posted by Dylan PDX:

Originally posted by philbo_Tangent:

The only thing that might hold you back is that S3 won't run on any flavor of Win 9x or ME. It requires Win2K or WinXP.

This is a good thing, my friend . XP has been nothing but good to me. Ive used Cakewalk since Pro Audio 4! Sonar 3 PE is really an excellent set of tools and Id highly recommend it. Its been rock solid on my homebrew P4 with 1GB of RAM.

Hey Dylan!

[WFTurner]

Sonar 3 gets in my book.

[Rod S]

Originally posted by philbo_Tangent:

The only thing that might hold you back is that S3 won't run on any flavor of Win 9x or ME. It requires Win2K or WinXP.

No problem here. My current machine is running WinXP (512 MB). My laptop (which I don't use THAT often for music) is running ME, but I am planing to make a 2000 machine, anyhow.

[Rod S]

Originally posted by jlampson:

I think that for the most part, people stick with what they originally learned on. I've used Cakewalk since Pro Audio 8 and have loved it ever since, even with the occasional bugs thrown in for good measure.

I had Homestudio and Cubasis at the same time when I started. I fell in love with CW's layout from the start. Cubase/Cubasis felt kludgy and non-intuitive. Plus, the bugs have never really bothered me, I've always waited to update.

 

You can easily run 2.2 and 3 in parallel. I did that for a while until I was certain that 3 was going to work fine for what I needed. That took about 2 weeks.

 

Thanks - I'm finishing a project in 2.2, so I'd rather keep that running till the end of May, at least. I upgraded from ProAudio9 to Sonar 2, and it took me about 2 weeks also to get into it completely.