Old DAWs - nostalgia thread

[Monsum]

I know that at this point I'll look like a Cakewalk fanboy or worse...so be it.

Sonar 2.0 released in 2002 features among others Rewire, drum editor, Cyclone instrument accepting rex files.
The XL version adds Timeworks compressor and equalizer, and Fxpansion DR-008 drum sampler (able to import NI Battery and LM-4 kits).
A free 2.2 update adds ASIO compatibility.

[Jonas78]

[kritikon]

I still remember Cubase 1 as being a better midi sequencer than any of its more recent incarnations, though there's no way I'd go back to using an Atari. You could make a cuppa, roll a spliff, drink 1 and smoke 2 before it had loaded up.

[enroe]

I still remember Cubase 1 as being a better midi sequencer
than any of its more recent incarnations, ...

Hayeah, as far as I remember in the late 80's the best midi-
sequencers were "Steinberg Cubase" and "C-Lab Creator".

And these two were already really good back then and
offered features that even today many "big DAWs" don't
even have, e.g.:

-- groove templates
-- sophisticated quantization modes
-- easy graphical controller lanes etc.

I almost have the feeling that the development has not
progressed that well today.

[auricle]

I remember Creator being pattern based, even! You could write the whole song in a single pattern, or you could split the song into multiple patterns and put them together into a final song. It's similar to how Digital Performer does Chunks and Songs (although DP is more flexible).

download/file.php?mode=view&id=31441

[enroe]

I remember Creator being pattern based, even! You could write the whole song in a single pattern, or you could split the song into multiple patterns and put them together into a final song. ...

c-lab creator SOS_87_11 02.jpg

This was 1987! Gerhard Lengeling - a medical doctor (!) - released his "Creator".
Sound on Sound-Infos here!

Quoted from SoS - 1987:

Creator is undeniably a tool for the studio tunesmith, designed to quickly hone musical ideas into a commercial shape, without any unnecessary graphics or trimmings - and it did not crash, despite some very determined efforts! If you are swung by specs then the high timing resolution should interest you, and the multi-tasking can speed things up quite nicely.

[Element9]

This is where all my music making started:



Sound Studio Gold

I could program drums and keyboards and record guitars. It was so powerful! Joking aside, I could make demos of my songs all by myself - it was great.

[Monsum]

Another great DAW from the past - Cubase SX3/SL3.
This one was released in 2004.
I like the colour scheme, it's very cheerful.
Very easy to get your head around the interface with logical layout.
Anyone used these?

[cleverr1]

I still remember Cubase 1 as being a better midi sequencer
than any of its more recent incarnations, ...

Hayeah, as far as I remember in the late 80's the best midi-
sequencers were "Steinberg Cubase" and "C-Lab Creator".

Going OT here as these weren't DAWs, but it takes me back - I ran Cubase using a C-Lab Unitor for SMPTE with a Fostex R8.
Just out of interest to have a play with Cubase v2 again I dug my old STE out of my parents garage recently. I cleaned it up and added a Gotek USB floppy emulator, an interface to connect an optical mouse, and today I received an Atari to VGA adapter as the old SM124 wasn't working. It works like charm with Cubase displaying solidly on a HP 23" monitor.

I used to do sessions at a studio that ran Notator. Whilst I learned how to use it I massively preferred Cubase because of the arrange window.

[enroe]

Going OT here as these weren't DAWs, but it takes me back - I ran Cubase using a C-Lab Unitor for SMPTE with a Fostex R8.
Just out of interest to have a play with Cubase v2 again I dug my old STE out of my parents garage recently. I cleaned it up and added a Gotek USB floppy emulator, an interface to connect an optical mouse, and today I received an Atari to VGA adapter as the old SM124 wasn't working. It works like charm with Cubase displaying solidly on a HP 23" monitor.

I used to do sessions at a studio that ran Notator. Whilst I learned how to use it I massively preferred Cubase because of the arrange window.

Ohyeah, nice to hear. And really, I am glad that you could revive the
old ATARI and still use Cubase. And, frankly, I envy you a little bit.
Because those "old parts" Cubase or Notator - already worked fantastic
back then.

The MIDI part of most DAWs today is hardly better than the old
sequencers Cubase and Creator/Notator.

[cleverr1]

The MIDI part of most DAWs today is hardly better than the old
sequencers Cubase and Creator/Notator.

In terms of functionality I agree and in some ways less since Steinberg dropped their Interactive Phrase Synth with the release of Cubase SX. Not that I or anyone I knew understood it

[mchoffmann]

This was my first music software. It's a software sequencer rather than a DAW. Ran under DOS. Must see if it'll run on a modern PC. I had it on an 286 PC.

https://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/pris ... encer/7246

Here, me too.... Prism was pretty advanced at the time i think, Windows based before MS had Windows going...... Unfortunately never was developed further so i went over to Passport Trax which was not better in all aspects.
Cheers
Marc

[Watchful]

I started here. I'd argue this isn't even what most of us would consider a DAW. Back then, it was just "sequencing."

Voyetra Sequencer Plus Mk III

[revvy]

First time I used Logic was an old Logic Silver version on PC. Loved it.

Later switched to Live 2 on a Mac. Loved that too.

[Corsica_S]

This was a wonderful program before Adobe turned it into Audition

20200801_185411.jpg