Should I spend my $$ On Sonar X3 Or Logic X

[trimph1]

Some good advice here, Thanks for all the input.

I guess at the end of the day all DAW'S do the same job.
I think I'll stick with what I know for now and demo X3 and hopefully stability has improved.

I will admit to being a sufferer of "Gear Lust" as mentioned by goldenanalog.
I bet I'm not the only one but I think it does get in the way of the whole point which is making music ;o)

If your current version is unreliable as you say, demo the new version carefully before buying... being nervous about crashes is not conducive to playing music freely and enjoyably!

This. In fact, try to crash it. Read some of the ways, or remember the way you have done it yourself. If it comes out of the testing with flying colors then buy the darn thing.

[yessongs]

most crashes are the fault of the user for not having a dedicated DAW with out an Internet connection hooked up and therefore no need for any antivirus software.

I would definitely get 2 computers. You can tune a PC to a higher level of performance if you never surf on the net or fill it full of software that you do not absolutely need. My current laptop is going to be my business computer and I will add a DAW in a desktop format.

[trimph1]

most crashes are the fault of the user for not having a dedicated DAW with out an Internet connection hooked up and therefore no need for any antivirus software.

I would definitely get 2 computers. You can tune a PC to a higher level of performance if you never surf on the net or fill it full of software that you do not absolutely need. My current laptop is going to be my business computer and I will add a DAW in a desktop format.

Funny. I got Studio 1 running on this internet connected laptop and I've yet to see a crash here. Same with FL10.

[mondaydave]

Is there any chance the OP would consider Cubase as an option? the only 2 reasons i could think of why they wouldn't is that they are wanting something with the single screen/docked paradigm ala logic/Sonar/S1 and/or they don't want a dongle.

It's just so much more expensive to get on the Cubase ladder than to upgrade or just buy Logic.

As far as I know they don't offer a crossgrade option like some companies do.
It does have the advantage though of being able to demo extensively before buying.

[whyterabbyt]

most crashes are the fault of the user for not having a dedicated DAW with out an Internet connection hooked up and therefore no need for any antivirus software.

This is completely incorrect.

I would definitely get 2 computers.

Its nice that you can afford that, but as a mooted solution to a problem which is not what you say it is, its ludicrously bad advice.

You can tune a PC to a higher level of performance if you never surf on the net or fill it full of software that you do not absolutely need.

There is zero correlation between system performance and network connectivity or the number of installed applications.

[fmr]

Is there any chance the OP would consider Cubase as an option? the only 2 reasons i could think of why they wouldn't is that they are wanting something with the single screen/docked paradigm ala logic/Sonar/S1 and/or they don't want a dongle.

It's just so much more expensive to get on the Cubase ladder than to upgrade or just buy Logic.

Yes, it may be more expensive, but IMO it is way more safe bet in the long run than Logic.

[nIGhT-SoN]

After 2 years of using Studio One, I had to use Logic 9 and Logic X in a studio. All I can say it's that for me it was a real nightmare. It was illogical in some areas. If you want to select a clip and move it sometimes you find yourself moving other clips too, also when you try to move something on the grid, you have to zoom really closely so you can do that, it's really over my hand, in Studio one all works as you would expect. My experience with logic is really really bad, I would never ever use it in this form.

As for Sonar, if I remember right, I've tried version 8. It was okeish, but not my cup of tea. Too many features under one "button". The interface is too clumsy and loaded for me. What would I like, beside Studio One, is Ableton Live, it's closer to my taste, but Studio One fits it perfect. I have all I need in it to produce and record music. I'm curios with what will they come up in version 3.

[chk071]

As for Sonar, if I remember right, I've tried version 8. It was okeish, but not my cup of tea. Too many features under one "button". The interface is too clumsy and loaded for me.

FWIW, you can pretty much arrange the GUI the way you want it to be. Deactivate side panels, move them to the other side, resolve them etc. I also found the GUI to be a bit cluttered, especially when you have stuff which serves the same purpose than other stuff.

[satYatunes]

There is zero correlation between system performance and network connectivity or the number of installed applications.

The latency goes down and remains steady if I switch off the wireless network. I have tested this multiple times with Latency monitor and other tools. The tool shows that my network driver is the culprit. It's the latest driver am using. This could be specific to my system and drivers. But my point is there is a possibility that wireless network may interfere with system performance. I have read other people also had similar problems. When you switch off the network certain background services also stops, it helps improve system performance. I am not sure if this is the case for wired network.

Installed applications doesn't impact system performance but there are some applications that runs updater in the background for example, Java, Adobe, Google, etc. It's advisable to switch these off in order to gain a bit of CPU and RAM. Secondly, registry gets bloated if you install lots of apps but that impacts the boot time.

[whyterabbyt]

There is zero correlation between system performance and network connectivity or the number of installed applications.

The latency goes down and remains steady if I switch off the wireless network. I have tested this multiple times with Latency monitor and other tools. The tool shows that my network driver is the culprit. It's the latest driver am using. This could be specific to my system and drivers. But my point is there is a possibility that wireless network may interfere with system performance. I have read other people also had similar problems. When you switch off the network certain background services also stops, it helps improve system performance. I am not sure if this is the case for wired network.[/quote

Its not necessarily the case for all wireless networking, although it often is, but it certainly isnt always the case for wired networks.
And whilst latency might fall under the larger category of 'system performance', the original assertion was too generalised. The majority of any other measurable aspects of performance are not affected significantly enough. Plenty of factors unrelated to networking could cause more signifcant issues (for example hard drive access speeds, or poor audio drivers)

Installed applications doesn't impact system performance but there are some applications that runs updater in the background for example, Java, Adobe, Google, etc. It's advisable to switch these off in order to gain a bit of CPU and RAM.

Absolutely, but the post I was replying to was already taking about 'tuning', which would intrinsically involve switching these things off.

Secondly, registry gets bloated if you install lots of apps but that impacts the boot time.

The registry is a structured, heirarchic database. The notion that a it accrues 'bloat' in some manner which consistently has significant impact on system performance is largely down to misunderstanding how databases work, borders on superstition.

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[satYatunes]

Secondly, registry gets bloated if you install lots of apps but that impacts the boot time.

The registry is a structured, heirarchic database. The notion that a it accrues 'bloat' in some manner which consistently has significant impact on system performance is largely down to misunderstanding how databases work, borders on superstition.

May be you should read the articles before provide a link in your post. Here is an excerpt from the article you linked above:

In fact, most or all of the registry is read into memory each time the system boots, so accessing the registry is nearly instant.

I didn't remove the relevant part of my post that you quoted in your response. I specifically said it impacts the boot time. Now do the math, 100 entries in registry and 10000 entries in another registry, which one will load first into the memory. If you are implying that I have a misunderstanding how databases work, then you are highly mistaken. I was an IT architect and have designed database systems in Oracle and DB2400. So, I have a very good idea how they work.

[satYatunes]

I get that mate, but you could legally buy a cubase artists education for well under $200, as steinberg doesn't require academic proof, and if you decide to stick with it, and are making money with it commercially, you can upgrade to a "full license".

Are you sure they don't ask for any proof?

This is what I found on their website:

HOW TO OBTAIN AN EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT
There are two ways to purchase Steinberg EDU products:
1. Take your EDU status proof to your local Steinberg Dealer and your local dealer can provide you with a full range of Steinberg EDU products.
2. Online: If you belong to one of the groups mentioned above then please e-mail your scanned or photographed proof to eduproof(sb)steinberg.net. If you act as a teacher for an institution you may also use this PDF form.

Or did you mean some specific dealer?

[donato]

Read this and know i mean it : If you decide to test studio one and like THAT, stay on WINDOWS. The performance on mac is HORRIBLE. CUbase 7 and Logic X perform sometimes even up to 5 times as efficiently as studio one on mac.. studio one is great on windows...

Why do you keep saying this? Maybe Logic is more efficient than S1 on a Mac (which wouldn't be surprising at all), but I use S1 on an old Core2Duo Macbook and am completely happy with it. Using only VST's. Cubase was 30% less efficient for me on Mac than S1 is. If anything, recommend not using Cubase with a Mac.