is cakewalk a good daw?
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- KVRAF
- 2989 posts since 5 Nov, 2014
Yes, it's excellent DAW and have enough features to cater to all your needs, being that strictly recording, mixing, composing, beat making and everything in between.
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- Banned
- 4558 posts since 21 Mar, 2020
Give it a try - you have nothing to lose. I use it myself but that's partly because I am poor. Make sure you download the optional instruments; they are really good. You can work with piano roll, step sequencer or score. Is there anything in particular you are looking for in a DAW?
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- KVRAF
- 1525 posts since 29 Oct, 2015 from Jupiter 8
Well it has had some of the features for which many want to deflect to Logic for ages.
Namely: a step sequencer (no individual lengths per lane, no ping pong, etc. and also no transposable via MIDI) and the clip launcher, which it of course borrowed from Live (after they first implemented this into their long defunct Project 5 DAW)
I only have an ancient version from 2008, so can't say if they improved on it, but at least back then the automation process wasn't as nicely and smooth as it is now in Reaper for instance (sorry, don't know any more modern DAWs first hand) and Reaper is much more stable.
For free, it's awesome.
Oh and it's controls are fully customizable, from mouse behaviour to keyboard shortcuts.
Namely: a step sequencer (no individual lengths per lane, no ping pong, etc. and also no transposable via MIDI) and the clip launcher, which it of course borrowed from Live (after they first implemented this into their long defunct Project 5 DAW)
I only have an ancient version from 2008, so can't say if they improved on it, but at least back then the automation process wasn't as nicely and smooth as it is now in Reaper for instance (sorry, don't know any more modern DAWs first hand) and Reaper is much more stable.
For free, it's awesome.
Oh and it's controls are fully customizable, from mouse behaviour to keyboard shortcuts.
The GAS is always greener on the other side!
- Banned
- 559 posts since 9 Sep, 2019
Cakewalk is one of the big guys in the DAW market. Actually is one of the oldest as well. Nowadays it is free.
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- KVRAF
- 3983 posts since 20 Feb, 2004
When I last used it, it was kludgy, klunky, and crashy. I left it a while back, when it was called Sonar 7 PE. In the interim others reported that many of the issues weren't really resolved, but I haven't used the latest version so it's possible things got better.
Since it's free, you really have nothing to lose by trying it. Just bear in mind that if you experience stability, etc. issues, you might be better served with something else.
Since it's free, you really have nothing to lose by trying it. Just bear in mind that if you experience stability, etc. issues, you might be better served with something else.
A well-behaved signature.
- KVRian
- 963 posts since 20 Oct, 2018
It is a very good and professional daw and keeps getting updated with bugfixes and new functions.
Regarding "stable" that keeps popping up when people comment on daws it usually have to do with that delicate balance of the daw and the os and hardware it runs on. It goes for all software, sometimes it seems to be allergic to just your devices.
For me it's the third party plugins that have caused problems sometimes.
For example of stability i used the new softsynth plugin Odin 2, which is beta, the other night. I tweaked tons of settings to find nice presets and did so for approx 8 hours without so much as a twitch from Cakewalk. The plugin itself had a little bug but nothing major and could be solved by open and close the plugin gui.
Facts to know: It's windows 10 only but seems to run ok on win7 and 8.1 for now.
It's a bit clunky to install online thru the Bandlab assistant.
It needs to be authorized online once every six month.
Good support and the forum is here: https://discuss.cakewalk.com/
Regarding "stable" that keeps popping up when people comment on daws it usually have to do with that delicate balance of the daw and the os and hardware it runs on. It goes for all software, sometimes it seems to be allergic to just your devices.
For me it's the third party plugins that have caused problems sometimes.
For example of stability i used the new softsynth plugin Odin 2, which is beta, the other night. I tweaked tons of settings to find nice presets and did so for approx 8 hours without so much as a twitch from Cakewalk. The plugin itself had a little bug but nothing major and could be solved by open and close the plugin gui.
Facts to know: It's windows 10 only but seems to run ok on win7 and 8.1 for now.
It's a bit clunky to install online thru the Bandlab assistant.
It needs to be authorized online once every six month.
Good support and the forum is here: https://discuss.cakewalk.com/
- KVRAF
- 5510 posts since 2 Sep, 2019
Cakewalk is a top notch DAW. Especially for being free. It was the most popular DAW on Windows for a time, and that was when people were paying money for it. With Cakewalk bring free now, I don't see any point to REAPER still existing. And Cakewalk looks great, too.
The big drawback to Cakewalk is it is Windows only.
If you don't ever use a Mac or need cross-platform compatibility for collaborations, then Cakewalk is definitely worth a serious look.
The big drawback to Cakewalk is it is Windows only.
If you don't ever use a Mac or need cross-platform compatibility for collaborations, then Cakewalk is definitely worth a serious look.
THIS MUSIC HAS BEEN MIXED TO BE PLAYED LOUD SO TURN IT UP
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- KVRAF
- 1525 posts since 29 Oct, 2015 from Jupiter 8
I see a point in Reaper existing, as i'm happily using it now, but Sonar/Cakewalk is still a very capable and fully featured DAW that does everything (and more) one needs to make awesome music.
The GAS is always greener on the other side!
- KVRist
- 189 posts since 3 Jun, 2005 from Cydonia on the 4th Planet
I guess you can't complain about it since it's free now, but I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. I don't appreciate what happened with Gibson. I had just paid to renew my yearly subscription when it was cancelled. I still have the older Cakewalk version on my computer, but I never use it or any of the other synths/plugins from Cakewalk anymore. They're dead to me. I didn't come back for the Bandlab resurrection.
- KVRian
- 589 posts since 19 Jan, 2008 from Bethlehem, PA USA
i use it everyday
my newest sounds:
https://soundcloud.com/the-das-kaput
Cakewalk by BandLab, Komplete 13, Maschine 2 (MKI & Jam), Fathom Synth, Guitars, Jam Origin MIDI Guitar, EXH Superego+ etc
https://soundcloud.com/the-das-kaput
Cakewalk by BandLab, Komplete 13, Maschine 2 (MKI & Jam), Fathom Synth, Guitars, Jam Origin MIDI Guitar, EXH Superego+ etc
- KVRian
- 571 posts since 14 Nov, 2005 from León, Spain
Sonar 7 PE was launched 14 years ago. Your opinions seem to be a little beyond their shelf date.JerGoertz wrote: ↑Sun May 17, 2020 10:11 pm When I last used it, it was kludgy, klunky, and crashy. I left it a while back, when it was called Sonar 7 PE. In the interim others reported that many of the issues weren't really resolved, but I haven't used the latest version so it's possible things got better.
Since it's free, you really have nothing to lose by trying it. Just bear in mind that if you experience stability, etc. issues, you might be better served with something else.
- KVRian
- 571 posts since 14 Nov, 2005 from León, Spain
2008, man, really? Imagine someone comparing a modern DAW with Reaper 2.FapFilter wrote: ↑Sun May 17, 2020 8:43 pm
I only have an ancient version from 2008, so can't say if they improved on it, but at least back then the automation process wasn't as nicely and smooth as it is now in Reaper for instance (sorry, don't know any more modern DAWs first hand) and Reaper is much more stable.
For free, it's awesome.
Oh and it's controls are fully customizable, from mouse behaviour to keyboard shortcuts.
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- Banned
- 97 posts since 15 May, 2020
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- KVRAF
- 35436 posts since 11 Apr, 2010 from Germany
I wonder how stable and usable it really is these days. I mean... disregarding the gift horse thing.
IMO, what has a big influence on stability as well is the amount of users. More users discover more bugs, and bugs need to be reported to be fixed. Sonar used to be pretty buggy in former versions, so, Cakewalk has a lot to make up.
IMO, what has a big influence on stability as well is the amount of users. More users discover more bugs, and bugs need to be reported to be fixed. Sonar used to be pretty buggy in former versions, so, Cakewalk has a lot to make up.