First two weeks with Cakewalk - what a joyride....

[LarsF]

Recording stuff so intuitive

- everything names properly - if doing recording/stop/recording/stop - it's name Recording 1, Recording 2

- If it's takes with many recordings, it's Recording 1 Take 1, Recording 1 Take 2, Recording 2 Take 1 etc.

- all takes  remains with latest on top - even the one considered the active one.

 

In StudioOne I felt like fighting a windmill with these simple things, so you feel in control and organized in Cakewalk.

Some inconsistent Layer and take naming, and activating one take - it's removed from list and swapped around so you have no clue after a while what was last takes.

 

And Cakewalk has proper track templates - used in a flash, big timesaver

Audio on all outs from VST instruments - how it should be - and very good help doing automation later, not looking at just midi something.

Video has thumbnails.

Markers has this clever approach each marker can be anchored in time or MBT. - really good use of just one marker bar and doing video.

FX bay in track view - not needing inspector or console to see what is there.

MFX bay for midi tracks(wish for also allow VST midi plugins please vote or comment here 

Grouping controls is in another universe, and freedom beyond both StudioOne and Cubase - any control can be part of a group - a fader can run a knob if you want.

You have full sysex support both with manager or embedded as recorded.

All midi recorded and kept as is - and only by own conversion do you get automation from it(StudioOne is useless here, you cannot record live midi CC).

 

And this was just from the top of my head....thanks Bandlab for keeping this fine daw in progress....

[GreenLight]

Very inspiring to hear all the things you like!

Any other interesting comparisons to Studio One? I've heard a lot of good things about it, and I'm genuinely curious about the pros and cons compared to Cakewalk.

[tutumlg]

After several generations of engineers' efforts and efforts, Cakewalk has become a very mature product in DAW. Thank them for bringing us a great experience! !! !!

[Starise]

I agree it is difficult to see effects in Studio One. I don't use it as much. Decided to use it recently and can't find a way to see my effects. The little side bump out for the tracks vanished.

Edited February 24, 2020 by Starise

[LarsF]

On 2/24/2020 at 2:13 PM, GreenLight said:

Very inspiring to hear all the things you like!

Any other interesting comparisons to Studio One? I've heard a lot of good things about it, and I'm genuinely curious about the pros and cons compared to Cakewalk.

StudioOne is a good daw, stable too the 15 months I ran it.

I like the style of automation you can do with VCA faders - overload automation of x number of tracks - and get nice dual visuals what totals do as well as the relative(or offset in Cakewalk). And when you feel like it you merge/freeze that into it all.

 

A somewhat bizarr suggestions comparison in Cakewalk manual says to route those tracks to Aux track and automate that track Aux track.  This is pretty much as doing it on a bus and then dry/wet relationship will change unless you route effect return possibly there to the same bus.

Best way I found to apply relative automation a bunch of tracks was to

- quick group them with automation lane visible.

- drag on one automation lane automation up/down(upper part) and they all follow as they are.

you could also do automation overwrite by arm for write automation(quick grouped is enough)

- and do playback and move one tracks fader

- press stop and this freeze into what you did on all tracks

 

if you have offset mode the above becomes relative existing automation.

 

I just find the VCA approach is more user friendly and when you feel you are done, you finalize it with a merge. which could be much later in mixing process. And when can do nested as well - it really shines above how to do it in Cakewalk.

Cakewalk approach you need to finalize it all in one go, while able to do Undo if not all satisfied. In this way I feel Cakewalk control how you work more - than just assist in what you want to do.

 

To expand on the sillyness of StudioOne recording on midi CC always become automation.

Example

- you start recording midi

- you start moving various CC controllers like leslie on/off into the clip where you feel like doing this

- stop recording

Now StudioOne created an automation of leslie that start beginning of clip, not where you actually started using it.

And first value recorded is obviously leslie on - so that is what you get - from start of clip.

So running playback on this - leslie goes on from start of clip, not as you recorded it some bars into clip.

Expand this to other things like into a midi recording you do move synth controller knobs like attack, decay and other things on envelopes.

This was the very deal breaker for me with StudioOne complely useless. Doing drawbar movements and stuff - not doable. They did not think this through. I get the feeling StudioOne target more people doing music all by programming - not recording live so much.

 

And other things is implications for midi cc as automation in StudioOne is once there you cannot remove it, there is always an initial value of that controller. I had to move clip to Sonar to remove it and then back into StudioOne. When playing my mod wheel moved by vibrations while playing - so accidentally got CC1 into clip - I could not remove. And no even list view at all to fix this.

 

Cakewalk do this right - all midi is kept as is unless you choose to convert to automation. You could even select a series of clips and have that done in one go - if you prefer that.

 

And one thing not mentioned - looks - Cakewalk really is easy on they eyes and clarity and easy to spot anything what is selected and stuff. You cannot in StudioOne see what track is selected, just about, if you have chosen a color for a track. Cakewalk always have this caption bar to have it's own color, which you can choose both active and non-active - so eyes easily spot what is selected and not. And also having theme editor you can dive in more if you want recoloring more.

Have to look into project saves. It really feels heavy saving every time - had one freeze running transport and doing something that saved - and freeze. I have 2 dump files, will see if to report.

StudioOne feels lighter on resources, and never had that heavy feel. I have a later version of same project in StudioOne, and nothing too it. Just imported some later takes on some midi into Cakewalk.

 

In StudioOne you more freely size different modules in console view. Cakewalk force sizes from bottom of screen and up depending on number of plugins and sends.

StudioOne also allow to drag copy/move sends easily, I miss that a bit in Cakewalk.

 

A few more comparisons....

Edited February 26, 2020 by LarsF