Please recommend Host

[MarkShovel]

I want to update my setup from Cakewalk Pro 8. My natural choice is either Sonar Home Studio 4 at $99 or Sonar 5 Studio at $299. Sonar 5 Producer at $499 seems excessive, especially if I need to buy a second license.

I'm loaded with hardware synths:
Juno-60
JX-3P with PG200
two JX-8Ps with a PG800
Fantom X8 w/ SRX07 Ultimate Keys, SRX09 World

My real goal is to get a VST host application to facilitate running Spectrasonic's Atmosphere. (I'm thinking about a $500 laptop, the Receptor $1600 or Openlabs Neko LE-T $2899.) I eventually need something portable and reliable for live stage use. I realize memory and hard drive speed may be an issue.

The whole license issue is another concern regarding a backup system. I hate the idea of having my licenses tied to a single computer. You then pop in a CD and get some crap like the Rootkit issue. I want to have access to my tools at home, work and on the road.

Steinberg's VST host at $50 looks like another path. And I have seen several free programs like VSTHost.

I'm also thinking about going straight to Sony's Vegas 6 DVD production suite at $499. I'm having great fun with my DVC recorder and might just be willing to sacrifice the midi sequencer enviroment. I hope that Vegas 6 can be my multi-track audio production package. I currently use an Alesis HD24 24 track 48kHz 24 bit hard drive recording system for the live band.

[G-Ro124]

If you have that many synths, then Cubase SX3 is good, as I think that it has the best software/controller integration of any host.

Are you planning to do more audio stuff or MIDI sequencing??

I think that just about any host will run Atmosphere well... The NeKo or Receptor are probably WAY excessive...

For licenses, at least for Cubase, you don't have to have the dongle in ALL the time. I'm not sure about Atmosphere, but you know, I doubt that they will make you have a dongle/challenge response input EVERY time...

You could use Tobybear's MiniHost on a "live" laptop completely devoted to Atmosphere and then buy Cubase SX3 for your home studio DAW, where you will probably keep your synths.

Hope this helped

[Norbert]

Using a $500 laptop as a DAW, is like asking for trouble.