Bandlab Cakewak vs Cubase

[dellboy]

I doubt if it will be strong team dedicated to Cakewalk now, which will be able to deal with complicated issues and significantly improve it.

What is it that needs "significant improvement" ?

Its already very mature software and does just about everything that is needed to make a song.

As long as it keeps working on the latest windows software it will do everything I need. And since I downloaded and installed the latest update its been pretty stable. My main feature request would be to finish off the Matrix view so that it can record loops in the same way that Live does. Currently it just plays back loops.

[ruslan.st]

What is it that needs "significant improvement" ?

Check feature requests on any DAW developer forum. Surprisingly there are many requests to improve or even completely rework some features. Developers do that if they want to stay competitive. Bugfixing is also important to overall user experience.

For example, IMO Cakewalk's loop browser could be reworked to catch competition. It could be organized better, sometimes it has problems with midi loops unaligned to bar end. I find loop browsers in Studio One and Reaper more convenient and they deal with problematic midis better. Of course we can argue that everything is ok, or it's user error, or it's "insignificant" area of improvement. But there are already few DAWs which have that function implemented better way.
Then I haven't notice any big improvements in notation section since I remember Sonar from 2000's.

If Bandlab has a lot of money it doesn't mean they are going to spend 10 lifetimes fortune to support development of Cakewalk. Would be really nice if they do and hire team of very talented, motivated programmers and UX specialists to continue Cakewalk development. But IMO chances for that scenario are low. One reason is the price. It was difficult for Sonar to be competitive when it cost $500 and paying users requests could not be simply ignored. Now when it is free nobody has the right to expect and require anything from it.

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

Not a programmer,still can hear relatively good with one ear hahahha and i don't think Cubase is audible better than Bandlab Cakewalk,don't know about coding,but what is important for us the users is sound and functionality and to me right now Bandlab Cakewalk is almost perfect,definitely way BETTER than Cubase LE i used,may Cubase PRO to have some advantages in mixing or mastering long term ,but for semipro hobbyist like me Bandlab offers a lot - if you play real instrument it's natural choice,i don't see Cubase to offer anything better as fx or functions,for example importing midi directly in the instrumental track is something Cubase may add in next updates(you have to pay) or may not(i guess again recoding issue) as many other small things they need to add and from my point of indie producer Bandlab Cakewalk is more friendly for small studios than Cubase as features/functions.
I mean it becomes a subjective question - if you believe Cubase is better ok,if not look for something else.
I feel comfortable with my LE edition but what will be 5 years from now using Bandlab Cakewalk?
Thanks to Bandlab for this amazing gift,already in the Freedom club,now have to learn it better :)Cheerz

[Zexila]

if you play real instrument it's natural choice

Can you expand on that, what's actual features/workflow/solutions that ensures that?

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

Right away - yesterday put previously recorded short instrumental track,just to see how intuitive it is and for 10-15 min working with few random fx the sound become something completely addictive i couldn't recognize it if it wasn't mine.
I don't know entire arsenal just want to check what fx are included and how good prochannel is - that's it ,it's super easy editing of recorded instruments with build in fx.
I just start to explore it,but m already impressed how easy workflow is and mostly how quality some fx are - some of them i find are not appropriate for common use like console emulated distortion i expect to did better work,but it didn't work well all the time,but i'm not mixing engineers who can say what is what - just like or not what i discover working one way or another.
It will be interesting if some more advanced users share opinion or give advice.

[Zexila]

You didn't answered my question at all about your statement, what makes Cakewalk/Sonar natural choice for folks who play "real" instruments in your opinion?

[Jim Roseberry]

While I'm not arguing VELLTONE's point, I can see a couple of reasons.

Sonar is pretty easy to use for basic recording/editing.
Sonar is well featured on the audio side.
(Though lacking more esoteric MIDI features geared toward Vi's - like "note-expression" in Cubase)
If you're using hardware synths, Sonar (CbB) has Instrument Definitions.
If you're just starting out with DAWs, CbB is free... and has most of what you need to complete a project.

Each DAW has strengths/weaknesses, then there's the aesthetic side (of which there's no absolute)
CbB is certainly worth the download/install... even if it doesn't become your primary DAW.
If you don't like it, you can always uninstall...

[Zexila]

While I'm not arguing VELLTONE's point, I can see a couple of reasons.

Sonar is pretty easy to use for basic recording/editing.
Sonar is well featured on the audio side.
(Though lacking more esoteric MIDI features geared toward Vi's - like "note-expression" in Cubase)
If you're using hardware synths, Sonar (CbB) has Instrument Definitions.
If you're just starting out with DAWs, CbB is free... and has most of what you need to complete a project.

Each DAW has strengths/weaknesses, then there's the aesthetic side (of which there's no absolute)
CbB is certainly worth the download/install... even if it doesn't become your primary DAW.
If you don't like it, you can always uninstall...

Still don't know what is there more appropriate or easier than Cubase, price is not an feature, so let's skip that.

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

You didn't answered my question at all about your statement, what makes Cakewalk/Sonar natural choice for folks who play "real" instruments in your opinion?

I did it actually - lots of quality fx and easy intuitive workflow to achieve better sound with...especially fx section is so visible,even absolute begginer will find and use it immediately ...ok same question in return - what is Cubase advantage for instrument players recording single channel in home studio?

[Zexila]

You didn't answered my question at all about your statement, what makes Cakewalk/Sonar natural choice for folks who play "real" instruments in your opinion?

I did it actually - lots of quality fx and easy intuitive workflow to achieve better sound with...especially fx section is so visible,even absolute begginer will find and use it immediately ...

No you didn't, effect plugins are not advantage for players, but maybe for mixing engineers, again tell me what solutions, you keep throwing bold statements like that, tell me what are those intuitive solutions for "real instrument players"?

ok same question in return - what is Cubase advantage for instrument players recording single channel in home studio?

You tell me what are disadvantages even over Cakewalk, again, stock fx's aren't it...

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

Unless you have 20 years of experience in professional studio as mixing or mastering engineer i assume we are just 2 hobbyists which share opinion aren't we?
Not sure what arguments i suppose to give but will try to argue subjectively as hobbyist,which could be totally opposite to real state of things
If you play guitar or bass and decide to record an idea and to try to develop it further at some point you need fx - if you don't know anything about vst and so on, you gonna count on integrated fx aren't you?
Cubase le has nothing even close to what i find in Bandlab Cakewalk as fx,chain options so on and this is just for a week !!!
Do you believe that extraterrestrials exist?
I do.
Despite among hundreds of thousands videos related ,there is no single one to show real alien or little green man and you can assume that whole idea is fake,
but my logic tells me that no way among countless galaxies with billions of starts and planets not to have a single civilization...
in fact there must be thousands of them if we think logically despite we never seen one of them ...
on the question,my subjective opinion is that it is important how many fx applicable to real instrument any DAW have and that's the only argument i can point right now cuz my statement was based on it,if something else pop up will inform the universe
May the force be with you :):)

[J4R1O]

You didn't answered my question at all about your statement, what makes Cakewalk/Sonar natural choice for folks who play "real" instruments in your opinion?

I did it actually - lots of quality fx and easy intuitive workflow to achieve better sound with...especially fx section is so visible,even absolute begginer will find and use it immediately ...ok same question in return - what is Cubase advantage for instrument players recording single channel in home studio?

Well, first of all Cubase (Pro 9.5 here) is very reliable. Also it feels more "Pro", really. For me that means better and faster workflow (my main instrument is guitar, but I also play bass, keyboards, play/program drums and sing). Also Cubase's (Pro) VST instruments and plugins are in a different league (even I mainly use 3rd party VST instruments/plugins). So I guess I can say that I am "Fitter, happier, more productive..."

Sonar was my main DAW for over 10 years so I know what I'm talkin' about. It was a-ok (I got used to it eventually), but it sure had some strange issues. Lots of weird bugs and crashes, worst VST plugin manager ever that crashed way too many times, old crap plugins/VST instruments (and a lot of 3rd party LE versions that made Sonar a one big bloatware), etc. But my main issue was with the company (Cakewalk) and it's utterly stupid and self-destructive marketing tactics. Not to mention that non-existent support (well, they replied me after three MONTHS). I hope Bandlab has some vision how to make things work right.

[dellboy]

Still don't know what is there more appropriate or easier than Cubase, price is not an feature, so let's skip that.

Its all subjective.

One person likes peanut butter,another hates it. The argument of whether Sonar is better than Cubase is silly. Both will do the job, it all depends on preference. My impression is that Bandlab are appealing to hobbyists and not to professionals. So at the zero price point its bound to be a feature, as when the desire to make music fades you can delete it at no financial penalty. For someone like yourself who takes music making seriously, you can fork out and buy Cubase or whatever. Having said that,many pro level songs have been produced on Sonar over the years.

[Zexila]

Unless you have 20 years of experience in professional studio as mixing or mastering engineer i assume we are just 2 hobbyists which share opinion aren't we?
Not sure what arguments i suppose to give but will try to argue subjectively as hobbyist,which could be totally opposite to real state of things
If you play guitar or bass and decide to record an idea and to try to develop it further at some point you need fx - if you don't know anything about vst and so on, you gonna count on integrated fx aren't you?
Cubase le has nothing even close to what i find in Bandlab Cakewalk as fx,chain options so on and this is just for a week !!!
Do you believe that extraterrestrials exist?
I do.
Despite among hundreds of thousands videos related ,there is no single one to show real alien or little green man and you can assume that whole idea is fake,
but my logic tells me that no way among countless galaxies with billions of starts and planets not to have a single civilization...
in fact there must be thousands of them if we think logically despite we never seen one of them ...
on the question,my subjective opinion is that it is important how many fx applicable to real instrument any DAW have and that's the only argument i can point right now cuz my statement was based on it,if something else pop up will inform the universe
May the force be with you :):)

What are you on about, so in nutshell, that big real instrument player workflow enchantments is some effect plugins, gotcha.

[Zexila]

Still don't know what is there more appropriate or easier than Cubase, price is not an feature, so let's skip that.

Its all subjective.

One person likes peanut butter,another hates it. The argument of whether Sonar is better than Cubase is silly.

Agree, I was really picking on statement how Sonar is better for real instrument players, turns out is just an bold statement.