Any tips on switching from Cubase SX3 to Sonar 5PE?

[superddman]

hehe, less electronic, less pattern based, less static, you know?

Hmmm. I dont do acoustic styles then. Almost entirely electronic, often pattern and loop based, sometimes quite static, or at least droneish. (In fact I did a track called Static).

This can only mean one thing, we are different hehe

[whyterabbyt]

This can only mean one thing, we are different hehe

Indeed.

[superddman]

whyterabbyt: just thought I would also ask, do you like having separate midi and VSTi(Audio Out) tracks? that's another thing that really gets on my nerves.

[whyterabbyt]

whyterabbyt: just thought I would also ask, do you like having separate midi and VSTi(Audio Out) tracks? that's another thing that really gets on my nerves.

I find it more suited to the way I expect things to be, yes.

[kp]

And I'll agree with whyterabbyt again (we're not the same person as far as I know :-)): I can't see how having the tracks combined would make things easier, especially with multi-out synths. Even with single outs, trying to manage MFX (which affect MIDI data) and VST/DX (which affect audio) on one track on screen would be messy.

Given how (say) Cubase users say how much they like Cubase mimicking a hardware studio, where you'd integrate a hardware MIDI module with, er, one MIDI track and one audio track, I always find it quite bizarre that they *want* to treat soft-synths differently and break their own paradigm :-)

[advaya]

Given how (say) Cubase users say how much they like Cubase mimicking a hardware studio, where you'd integrate a hardware MIDI module with, er, one MIDI track and one audio track, I always find it quite bizarre that they *want* to treat soft-synths differently and break their own paradigm

Well said. That is exactly the reason I prefer Sonar's method of dealing with software synths. Having worked with external sound generators before, it feels like the familiar/logical approach.

[advaya]

just thought I would also ask, do you like having separate midi and VSTi(Audio Out) tracks? that's another thing that really gets on my nerves.

I think you've got it a little wrong mate. The audio channel associated with the VSTi is an 'audio-in' track. It's signal can then be routed within the host however one sees fit (eg. aux bus or main outs).

[Rev. Jem]

And I certainly think that monkeymanx is totally wrong when he says Sonar has a 'lack of midi clips'. Sonar's MIDI Groove Clips is one of the best implementations around.

Totally agree, whyterabbit. I think monkeymanx should bite the bullet & persevere & upgrade to Sonar 5.

Years ago, I grabbed demos of Cakewalk PA, Cubase & Logic at a time when the only music software I'd used was Rebirth & Goldwave.

I fired them all up & just gave em a go. I was up & running with CWPA almost immediately but I couldn't make head nor tail of how Logic or Cubase worked.

Bottom line: we're all different & some things fit us better than others.

[monkeymanx]

I already have 5PE, I switched from SX3... So I'm used to the way SX3 flows and stuff... I'm gonna see if I can get some time to give Sonar a shot here. It does feel awkward though working in it... I'm just used to drawing out a blank midi clip of how many bars I need and going to town on it... Not opening up the whole song in a piano roll and editing a small portion which is what 5PE has me doing.

Also Drumkit from hell superior is rough in 5PE. I have to either use rewire or set it up all odd when I use it as a VSTi. It seems like it has been a problem in the past couple versions of sonar too. DFHS seems like a widely used item so I'm not sure why Cakewalk wouldn't have addressed this already.

[fandango]

I have to admit, after using Sonar for a bit you do get into the swing of the 2-tracks-per-VST thing and don't tend to notice it too much. Even though it's possible to stick them into a folder track or hide the audio part, I find myself leaving everything as it is (except for multi-timbral multi-out plugins like GPO etc. where I put the MIDI and Audio into seperate Folders) as Sonar makes it quite easy to navigate very large projects.

Only problem is sometimes opening the Piano Roll for the Audio track by mistake, but I tend to use the in-line piano roll more and more which makes this less of an issue.