Bandlab Cakewak vs Cubase

[Steve Bolivar]

https://tapeop.com/reviews/gear/131/cubase-pro-10/
The AT parts are written by a longtime former Cakewalk user and he points out some differences. Maybe some good info there.

[kritikon]

So how do things currently stand now in 2019 versus Cubase 10. Is the current version of Cakewalk by BandLab much more stable?

Features & Enhancements

"The global Timing tool has been renamed to Stretch tool"
https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php? ... se-201905/



_____

They must have something like 10 years worth of bugs to fix in Cakewalk Sonar...

I had nothing but pain and misery with this old and clunky DAW, that I had uninstalled it after a week... going back to Studio One was a huge relief...I'm sure that there was many Cubase users that tried it, who felt much the same.

I'm researching the new Cubase, coming back into music from a few years absence, and I d/l'ed Cakewalk as something to tide me over until I buy a decent one (last DAW was Cubase SX2...would still use it but my old PC setup died). Bought a shiny new laptop etc, good specs, dazzled by how quick the new stuff is (only takes 3 seconds to boot from cold...wow things have moved on ). Anyway, I do like some of the Cakewalk stuff but it does still seem clunky. It does quite a lot of everything, but some of the real simple stuff seems fiddly...just copying midi parts is way more complicated than it should be...have to go back into settings if you want to edit copied parts without changing all parts. ..stuff that even real old Cubase used to do easily. Freezing seems incredibly unintuitive to me - finding it difficult to freeze then edit audio and keep the originals. As with any DAW, it's probably my own user error, but it isn't quick....editing tools seem to do all the wrong things at the wrong time.
I'm sure I'll end up with the latest Cubase (I'm just used to its workflow for so many years, even though I last did anything serious probably 6-7 years ago with it). Cakewalk is great for a freebie, but I can't see using it it properly in anger. It seems to be "almost there" in that it's got all the elements that its coders saw in other DAWs but somehow just didn't know how to put into the Cakewalk workflow. It does almost everything I could do with the top Cubase version years ago (and being kind, some of the audio stuff is better if I knew how it worked), but it takes me 4 times longer to do it. For example the controller lanes are great...most of the time, then all of a sudden I can't access a VSTi filter without losing all of the other controller stuff I put in so easily. Infuriating.

[Gonga]

I'm sorry, thanks for correcting me. My memory isn't what it used to be. And my first version was only Pro Audio 7 I think.

Yes, Steve, that must be what I am half-remembering. I remember reading reviews back in the day stating that it excelled over other DAWs regarding audio recording, though I surely do not remember why!

I have a 32-bit distortion dll that is just better than anything else I've tried, so I keep using it because it sounds good! I have used it for all my "guitar" sounds for years. If support for 32-bit plugs ever goes away, I will cry. Here are examples of that sound from the now defunct Acmebargig Metal C-15 dll:

https://soundcloud.com/dan-ling/time-out
https://soundcloud.com/dan-ling/acid-eats-metal
https://soundcloud.com/dan-ling/pink-jam
https://soundcloud.com/dan-ling/ryan

Those are some cool distortion sounds on those tracks. Were they all from Acme Bar Gig? I used to have that, and I see you can still download it here: http://www.grebz.com/simulator_freeamp_ ... p#metalc15

Steve

Thank you Steve, sorry it's taken me so long to respond. Yes, all my "guitar" tracks use the Metal C-15. Somebody on KVR once told me that amp sims all sound "fizzy." I asked him what that meant, but after a few months went by I figured it out myself. They all seem to have a high-end fizz sound, especially when you are sustaining a note and/or playing chords. This one does too, but much less so. And it has a sort-of mid-range power - mid-range "balls" if you will. It has a clear, throaty sound. The sounds you hear in these samples I cannot get with other amp sims I've tried.

[Gonga]

I'm sorry, thanks for correcting me. My memory isn't what it used to be. And my first version was only Pro Audio 7 I think.

Yes, Steve, that must be what I am half-remembering. I remember reading reviews back in the day stating that it excelled over other DAWs regarding audio recording, though I surely do not remember why!

I have a 32-bit distortion dll that is just better than anything else I've tried, so I keep using it because it sounds good! I have used it for all my "guitar" sounds for years. If support for 32-bit plugs ever goes away, I will cry. Here are examples of that sound from the now defunct Acmebargig Metal C-15 dll:

https://soundcloud.com/dan-ling/time-out
https://soundcloud.com/dan-ling/acid-eats-metal
https://soundcloud.com/dan-ling/pink-jam
https://soundcloud.com/dan-ling/ryan

Those are some very cool jams!

And thanks again!

I switched to Cubase a few years ago, and have now switched back to Cakewalk. Imagine that! I just love the workflow. Cubase has too many windows to switch between for simpletons like me. With Cake, you never have to switch windows at all until you move from tracking to mixing, mixing to mastering, etc.

[jonljacobi]

I finally tried Sonar again after more than 10 years, maybe 20 years since it was my main DAW. It didn't crash, it has Melodyne, and it's free. No slam on any other DAW, and I still prefer Live, but geez Louise. I will be taking it for a spin with at least one song. I'm impressed with all the work that Bandlab has done. Looks nicer as well though still visually busy, busy, busy...

Edit: I mean CbB

[jonljacobi]

Amending that last, I just discovered that you can collapse and hide a lot of stuff so forget the busy comment.

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

When it comes to recording of live instruments,applying fx and mixing with vst prefer cakewalk,some stuff like pro channel are just awesome :)Use both actually

[Danny999]

So any improvements of Cakewalk since the last comments? Have the bugs and clunkiness been resolved? I am to decide whether to change from Cubase AI10. I find the work flow a bit counterintuitive or perhaps uninspiring: I like structure and have it mapped out in front of me like some guide. Well I only have a few years of experience with it but it feels like you really need to know where the stuff is located before you can use it. SO I use it for only what I need but really never make use of a lot of the effects etc. I need to have something which makes sense, regarding the working flow. I get it that some used Cubase for many years and got accustomed to that DAW. I play the piano, a Yamaha DGX670. Yamaha owns Steinberg so in that sense it might be an advantage to stick with CUbase.

[Saffran]

It gets regular updates. No decrease as some thought.
New things is the arranger, articulations, advanced export and right now they're beta testing nested folders.

[Examigan]

Looks nicer as well though still visually busy, busy, busy...

Edit: I mean CbB

It can seem a little confusing at first, but you can edit what is visible on the screen. That way you can clean it up and just show the basics if you want. I did that myself and have it saved as a simple blank project so I can load it up that way each time. The Track template feature is also useful.

[kperry]

Looks nicer as well though still visually busy, busy, busy...

Edit: I mean CbB

It can seem a little confusing at first, but you can edit what is visible on the screen. That way you can clean it up and just show the basics if you want. I did that myself and have it saved as a simple blank project so I can load it up that way each time. The Track template feature is also useful.

As are Workspaces, where you have some control over what views and menus are available (to allow declutter).

[Examigan]

That sounds a bit like Screensets in CbB. I forgot to mention that earlier.

[Danny999]

Ha ha, the thread continues after several years as if no time had passed. Txs

[Danny999]

LIke good old friends meeting. HOw do I delete a posted commentary? Not possible? Can one only edit? Wanted to adjoin the last remark to the first commentary, instead of two commentaries.

[Musical Gym]

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