I'm as far from a pro as you can get, but I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Sonar. I'm afraid that the whole switch to BandLab and then back to Sonar really hurt the product's user base numbers.

Studio One (whatever the latest version is) is pretty much my "go to" DAW and I am just starting to mess with Cubase. I also really want to like Reason and I force myself to use it sometimes.

Sadly even though I mess with these programs and play my guitar nearly every day I have never written a song in my life. So I'm kind of just spinning my wheels until I check out. I'm 48 so that may be a little ways off...or maybe it's not. I just hope that when that day comes I will be able to say that I have written a complete song and maybe...just maybe Sonar will be the software that I did it on.

I love you all...all of you goddamn it! I love you!

 

Hi,
DAW are just tools that help us bring our ideas to life and achieve what we have in mind.
In my opinion, they're all pretty much the same. It's the user who notices the differences and makes a choice.
I believe the main thing is to keep working and reach your goals.

After many years, I decided to move on from Cubase to another DAW, but as I see it, Cubase is complete for me, even though it's not optimized or suitable for mixing with a high number of tracks.
This version 14 that just came out is still not stable, it crashes and has bugs.

In general, work with whatever software you’re comfortable with.
If you rely too much on other people’s opinions, you might never be able to choose because everyone gives their opinion based on their experience, needs, and personal taste.
Obviously, these opinions can mislead you.

Test them out yourself and see what works best for you.
By the way, what’s your music style?

 

funny how i had just read a forum post about Reaper lack of bass

simple fact is different DAWs have different audio engines and i have A/B'ed sonar with cubase and Reaper and Samplitude and others and there were differences to my ears, which is why ive stuck with Sonar all these years
the differnces are often most apparent with sampled pianos, but not limited to that

they have always promoted their 64-bit Double Precision Engine, not sure if thats a real thing

all i am spreading is my experiences, which is what forums are for
good luck

 

Last edited: Dec 19, 2024 at 6:54 AM

Is there Saw Studio among those others?

Have you ever heard about digital audio workstation written in assembly language?
Yeah, that’s [SAW Studio] .
32-bit version can be launched even in “obsolete” Windows XP.
64-bit version released in 2019 is Windows 7 compatible.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS:

coded by [Bob Lentini] [ONE MAN PROJECT]
written entirely in assembler
lightning fast performance [anything faster than Pentium III with 1Gb of RAM will do the job]
audio engine bypasses windows’ kernel completely
executable program file is less than 2 megabytes in size
unmatched reliability

To learn more of Saw: https://trackerninja.codeberg.page/post/saw-studio-daw-written-in-assembler/


I've been eyeing this DAW for a long time...but can't bring myself to try it out - its GUI is scary,
and my main DAW is Sonar

 

So, what does the fact that one person posted their delusion in a forum tell you?
There are plenty of people, like yourself, who are deluded into thinking they hear what does not exist, or who fail to hear what does.
So a simple fact that they have different "audio engines" AND you think you hear a difference, proves what again?
I say delusion, because that is exactly what it is.
There is nothing that you are hearing that is different, but there is something you are THINKING that makes it SEEM different.

The 64-bit Double Precision Engine is a fine marketing term, i suppose, but all it means is that they are making sure to NOT SOUND DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER DAW.
There are certain instances in which those differences might BECOME audible but I'm pretty sure YOU or any other normal user would NEVER encounter those instances.

ALL THE DIFFERENCES IN "SOUND ENGINES" ARE WELL BEYOND THE LIMITS OF HUMAN HEARING....
... but obviously NOT beyond the limits of human imagination.

Just READ a few explanations with an open mind:
https://www.google.com/search?num=10&newwindow=1&sca_esv=d4e3f7087fe6a6a7&rlz=1C1ONGR_enPH1141PH1141&sxsrf=ADLYWILb5PQDXlBken-fDEggejyFeszWDA:1734663637531&q=do+DAWs+sound+different?&udm=14&fbs=AEQNm0Aa4sjWe7Rqy32pFwRj0UkWwAFG7ranuZ26H8lR7pf_8AzBs6lnFFuPH6eU3OV27QKh6ftn9lc4yAcaBgSvqjbS6kccF3XVJdIjIEa2n5gpt6Hsj9hff2oaoBbkoO-dk6vYYHzAoJa3Cx40X8flI4iWgtnfP5WqYFvNAoZhgLza71Q4qqBCZAHSqZFHTnwuYUAM-N3HYp0gxC00GmF7R_MRCY3-Mw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj4ya3PrbWKAxWIgFYBHbASH4gQs6gLegQIExAB&biw=1122&bih=854&dpr=1

 

The best way to find if differences exist or not: blind test as done with sound cards back in 2009

 

I started cakewalk from cakewalk 3 until someone X3 when they changed everything and I couldn’t relearn a program I’ve used for years so I moved to Studio one.

 

lol
some of your own search results seemingly contradict your preachy, unnecessarily hyperbolic all-caps dramalogue

use of terms like 'delusion' and demands for proofs (this is not a court of law) are seemingly contrary to basic etiquette and general politeness
i have done my research and A/B comparisons and have reached my own conclusions over the last decade, it wouldnt hurt anyone else to do the same (not for a decade of course)

i feel like there are quite a number of technical factors that can affect the output beyond basic audio engine comparisons... i freely admit user error could play a part here

i must say some of those forum threads were quite entertaining, so thanks for that...cheers!

a favourite:
'I don't care to prove anything. If all DAWs sounds the same to you and all that claims that, that's great to you.

But to answer the OP: Yes, in a real life and in real mix situation my ears tells me very clear that different DAWs I use gives different sound regarding phase, depth, width, energy and transients. In the stage of produce a song, go with your taste of tools, workflow and compatibility with friends.' - gearslutz