SONAR issues...deal breaker?
-
- KVRian
- 876 posts since 9 May, 2005
The OP should checkout the demo of Sonar Platinum.
Sonar Platinum (for me) has been quite stable.
Sonar Platinum (for me) has been quite stable.
-
- KVRist
- 101 posts since 21 Oct, 2004
The best way to counteract the negativity on KVR in Sonar threads like this one is to give examples of the phenomenal music productions created using Sonar.
About two weeks ago a guy posted in the Cakewalk forums about the same negativity he encountered after one of his songs received a really glowing review in Recording Magazine as a Spotlight Artist of the month. In that thread he posted links to both the review and the song. After listening to his production, take a listen to my production created in a bedroom - recording guitars live and midi driving softsynths, and then tell me how can a buggy and crash fest computer music application as portrayed in these Sonar threads is going to create music like this.
Here's the Cakewalk forum thread:
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Tired-of-feel ... 68247.aspx
Here's a link to my song:
https://soundcloud.com/derek_browne/roots-vibration
About two weeks ago a guy posted in the Cakewalk forums about the same negativity he encountered after one of his songs received a really glowing review in Recording Magazine as a Spotlight Artist of the month. In that thread he posted links to both the review and the song. After listening to his production, take a listen to my production created in a bedroom - recording guitars live and midi driving softsynths, and then tell me how can a buggy and crash fest computer music application as portrayed in these Sonar threads is going to create music like this.
Here's the Cakewalk forum thread:
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Tired-of-feel ... 68247.aspx
Here's a link to my song:
https://soundcloud.com/derek_browne/roots-vibration
Last edited by DeBro on Tue Mar 14, 2017 3:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
DB
-
- KVRian
- 888 posts since 31 May, 2008 from Australia
SONAR has had a long standing reputation, and it's not a good one, it's buggy, flakey, quirky nature, plus Cakewalks apparent attitude towards bugs, bugs of the long standing type (yes they do fix bugs, but anyone who has used it for any length of time knows what I am talking about), the long running support issues that are still ongoing, it's around 1 year since the latest round of support issues started. Cakewalk all to often come out with some good ideas/features, only to take them so far and then for all intents and purposes just drop them, leaving them in a half baked, underdeveloped state, the list is long, you start with notation and staff view, take it on to the drum replacer, with many others in between, and on and on it goes. Notation and Staff view has been long complained about, loudly, requests have been made for years, and only silence (ok they will tell you that there have been a couple of updates in 'recent' times, which there has, but all the amount to is the equivalent of nothing much, just a token gesture perhaps with the hope it will quiet the masses. There is a reason for Cakewalks/SONAR's reputation, and it is deserved.
Reputations are sometimes not deserved, but for the most part most things do get the reputation they deserve, and Cakewalk/SONAR fall into that group imo.
Like with the lifetime updates, how long will it be before people starting talking about the latest pricing changes as a 'cash grab' trying to get those who have not updated in years to update to the latest version with the threat of no longer being able to get a discount for upgrading after May 1.
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Cakewalk-Anno ... 73984.aspx
They have finally just made a comment with news (no news really) with regards to the non show of the Mac Alpha, basically only saying there would be news in April, whether that news is that SONAR for the Mac has been canned or what is not known.
http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3572769
Perhaps they need another cash grab to keep things rolling? News on the Mac version in April, no more upgrades from older versions from May 1, trying to get all those who have not upgraded for years to upgrade by way of a no more discount threat, thus hopefully bringing in the cash? Who knows,
Things just don't smell right at Cakewalk, Long running support issues, SONAR Mac version failure to launch, and complete and utter silence until recently, which said nothing, staff leaving on the quiet, little to no communication on anything despite constant and loud cries?.
Like my mum use to say, if it doesn't look right, and doesn't smell right . . . . . . . I'm not eating it!!!
Reputations are sometimes not deserved, but for the most part most things do get the reputation they deserve, and Cakewalk/SONAR fall into that group imo.
Like with the lifetime updates, how long will it be before people starting talking about the latest pricing changes as a 'cash grab' trying to get those who have not updated in years to update to the latest version with the threat of no longer being able to get a discount for upgrading after May 1.
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Cakewalk-Anno ... 73984.aspx
They have finally just made a comment with news (no news really) with regards to the non show of the Mac Alpha, basically only saying there would be news in April, whether that news is that SONAR for the Mac has been canned or what is not known.
http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3572769
Perhaps they need another cash grab to keep things rolling? News on the Mac version in April, no more upgrades from older versions from May 1, trying to get all those who have not upgraded for years to upgrade by way of a no more discount threat, thus hopefully bringing in the cash? Who knows,
Things just don't smell right at Cakewalk, Long running support issues, SONAR Mac version failure to launch, and complete and utter silence until recently, which said nothing, staff leaving on the quiet, little to no communication on anything despite constant and loud cries?.
Like my mum use to say, if it doesn't look right, and doesn't smell right . . . . . . . I'm not eating it!!!
Say 'NO' to Clap
-
- KVRian
- 876 posts since 9 May, 2005
Good.incubus wrote:Jim!!!!!!
How goes?
We've done this circle before haven't we?
Did you keep the JP15? Any new IR's?
(thought I'd keep things on the positive)
Hope all is well.
Kept the JP15... at least for the moment.
Got a Surh Modern Pro. Really like the Gotoh 510 trem.
Got a R-121 and Friedman 4x12 for the next cab library.
-
- KVRian
- 876 posts since 9 May, 2005
The OP can visit the Cakewalk forums and download and experience Sonar Platinum first hand.
I'm sure he can then come to his own conclusion.
I'm sure he can then come to his own conclusion.
-
- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 1586 posts since 7 Jun, 2007
Hi guys, thanks again for the input. I (the OP) have already downloaded the demo and decided I like it a lot. Now I'm just trying to understand the bad rep Sonar has before making a decision I may regret later.
@jintsoh, seems most of the issues have to do with notation. Fortunately that won't bother me. What workarounds are composers having to make? Using another package for notation?
From what I gather Sonar is quite popular with film composers, but how can this be if the notation is a disaster?
@jintsoh, seems most of the issues have to do with notation. Fortunately that won't bother me. What workarounds are composers having to make? Using another package for notation?
From what I gather Sonar is quite popular with film composers, but how can this be if the notation is a disaster?
-
- KVRAF
- 2357 posts since 24 Nov, 2012
I almost bought Sonar during the recent sale - wish I had in some ways, but decided to get FL as it meant I could keep Reaper as a traditional daw and have something that was quite different, whereas Sonar overlapped with Reaper quite a bit. But is seemed great after a fairly extensive demo and I also thought the forum very good.
-
- KVRian
- 909 posts since 26 Nov, 2005
I would be curious to know how many people who go around trashing Sonar have actually used it. I suspect there are people who just like to troll and gang up on whatever the subject is at hand.
Sonar, in its varying incarnations, has been my DAW of choice for the last 10 years. I have had a few problems over the years, but since X3, it has been completely solid for me. It's workflow works with my workflow. It's layout matches how I tend to think of recording. When I installed in on my current computer, I thought through how I wanted it to work for me and set the appropriate parameters.
Now, here's the caveat. I am not a power user. I have Sonar Artist, and I don't use 80% of the functionality. I wouldn't know what to do with the Professional version. For me, it is a VST host, MIDI/Audio recorder/editor, mixer and that's about it. I am old enough to have started on mag tape. I really haven't changed my process very much since then. My projects tend to be very linear. They are also very small, typically 5-10 tracks recorded from my MIDI keyboard. I do minimal editing. Rudimentary mixdown with a few plugins, and I am done.
For someone whose career has always revolved around technology, when it comes to music, I am a bit of a Luddite. When I am composing and recording, I don't want to fight my technology. My focus is music creation and I don't care if Sonar can do x, y and z. None of that matters when I am creating. I can see for people with a different process, the tools could be used creatively as a part of the process. For me, though, I have been playing and recording for 40+ years. I have the song in my head. I just need Sonar to capture it. That doesn't take much.
Whether Sonar will work for you or not depends, I guess, on how you intend to use it. I suspect if you load it up with 200 tracks and scores of plugins all fighting for processor time, then problems are more likely to occur. I suspect though that this is true of most programs, DAW and otherwise.
Sonar, in its varying incarnations, has been my DAW of choice for the last 10 years. I have had a few problems over the years, but since X3, it has been completely solid for me. It's workflow works with my workflow. It's layout matches how I tend to think of recording. When I installed in on my current computer, I thought through how I wanted it to work for me and set the appropriate parameters.
Now, here's the caveat. I am not a power user. I have Sonar Artist, and I don't use 80% of the functionality. I wouldn't know what to do with the Professional version. For me, it is a VST host, MIDI/Audio recorder/editor, mixer and that's about it. I am old enough to have started on mag tape. I really haven't changed my process very much since then. My projects tend to be very linear. They are also very small, typically 5-10 tracks recorded from my MIDI keyboard. I do minimal editing. Rudimentary mixdown with a few plugins, and I am done.
For someone whose career has always revolved around technology, when it comes to music, I am a bit of a Luddite. When I am composing and recording, I don't want to fight my technology. My focus is music creation and I don't care if Sonar can do x, y and z. None of that matters when I am creating. I can see for people with a different process, the tools could be used creatively as a part of the process. For me, though, I have been playing and recording for 40+ years. I have the song in my head. I just need Sonar to capture it. That doesn't take much.
Whether Sonar will work for you or not depends, I guess, on how you intend to use it. I suspect if you load it up with 200 tracks and scores of plugins all fighting for processor time, then problems are more likely to occur. I suspect though that this is true of most programs, DAW and otherwise.
This space has been unintentionally left blank.
-
- KVRAF
- 2312 posts since 9 Jun, 2002 from East of Santa Monica
I can't answer your question, but if you decide to go forward and purchase Sonar, I suggest getting Artist or Producer and giving it a good workout. If for some reason you decide it's not for you, the sting won't be as bad as if you paid for Platinum.xalama qo wrote:Hi guys, thanks again for the input. I (the OP) have already downloaded the demo and decided I like it a lot. Now I'm just trying to understand the bad rep Sonar has before making a decision I may regret later.
... From what I gather Sonar is quite popular with film composers, but how can this be if the notation is a disaster?
FYI, there's an upgrade price structure change going into effect May 1. In any case, if you upgrade to Platinum later, the most you will pay is the difference in price between your version and the one you're upgrading to.
-
- KVRian
- 1343 posts since 13 Mar, 2004 from here
best advice so far - demo demo demo, and visit the forums to get a feel for the communityJim Roseberry wrote:The OP can visit the Cakewalk forums and download and experience Sonar Platinum first hand.
-
- KVRAF
- 7540 posts since 7 Aug, 2003 from San Francisco Bay Area
Maybe I'm the exception, but I think I've only had to turn to "the community" two or three times for specific questions, all of which were quickly and politely answered. Otherwise, I don't feel the urge to hang out in a specific DAW-centric forum.pwal wrote:best advice so far - demo demo demo, and visit the forums to get a feel for the communityJim Roseberry wrote:The OP can visit the Cakewalk forums and download and experience Sonar Platinum first hand.
Incomplete list of my gear: 1/8" audio input jack.
-
- KVRian
- 1343 posts since 13 Mar, 2004 from here
wasn't really about hanging out, more for trouble shooting and helpdeastman wrote:Maybe I'm the exception, but I think I've only had to turn to "the community" two or three times for specific questions, all of which were quickly and politely answered. Otherwise, I don't feel the urge to hang out in a specific DAW-centric forum.pwal wrote:best advice so far - demo demo demo, and visit the forums to get a feel for the communityJim Roseberry wrote:The OP can visit the Cakewalk forums and download and experience Sonar Platinum first hand.