It Feels GOOD!

[Steev]

I have to say I honestly really despised SONAR X1 when it was first released back in 2011 boasting it's new "Skylight" GUI. It was so radically different from Pro Audio 8.5 that it was like starting from scratch to learn how to use my favorite and most familiar DAW that I was so FURIOUS that I was inclined to protest and actually thought rather deep thought about asking for my upgrade money back. But I didn't, and simply kept using Pro Audio 8.5 as my main whip and gradually and painfully would spark up SONAR X1 every once in a while, to try get used to and learn how to use it as time allowed. And as typical with installing any new DAW's, it proved to be a bit unstable running on Win. 2K Pro. As did SONAR x2 which I was becoming a bit more familiar with over time, but having bit the bullet and finally upgraded my OS from Win 2K - Win XP running on an aging Intel P4 machine, I really couldn't be certain if my stability issues came from SONAR x2, Win XP, or my aging hardware.

 So by the time SONAR x3 Producer was released, I completed a new computer build based on AMD'S Phenom CPU and got a SHOCKINLY JAW DROPPING, EARTH MOVING boost of computer speed and horsepower. 🤯 And I went from despising SONAR to kinda liking it because it clearly handled recording audio better, but not nearly as much as Pro Audio 8.5, which contrary to it's name, was great at MIDI SEQUENCING, wasn't exactly very good at handling the tasks of recording audio. But it synced well with my G4 Power Mac running Pro Tools and NO DAW'S running on Windows computers could compete with that.

And then SONAR x4 Producer came to age, and THAT was the GAME CHANGER that literally changed EVERYTHING! And that's when I started ignoring my Mac/ProTools rig, not completely though, but by that time, Apple SHOT THEMSELVES in the FOOT transitioning from OS-9 to OS-X with their introduction of brand new, built from the ground up CORE AUDIO sound drivers clashed & burned both ProTools & my MOTU 8 PCI audio interface to the ground. It set ProTools back about a year to recover, but as far as the MOTU was concerned, it was a rather pricy paperweight as far as Apple concerned because MOTU couldn't or wouldn't update the audio drivers for CORE AUDIO, but their Windows ASIO DRIVERS ROCKED SONAR x4 Producer to BLISS! And that turned my G4 Power Mac into an unsightly very expensive paperweight that was NEVER booted up again, and SONAR winner of ALL KINDS of AWARDS that led up to MIPA AWARDS was LARGELY and continuously arguably considered the WORLD'S BEST DAW! 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆.

And sooo... Although Cakewalk continued to stay and remain ahead of DAW innovation, nothing really earth shattering happened in the world of DAW's until a stable x64 version of Windows 7 was born. But that wasn't REALLY a big deal for SONAR, because SONAR's x64 Double Precision Sound Engine ran perfectly fine, stable, and natively on a, x32 bit OS, as in Window 2K and UP! So nothing really earth shattering or mind blowing happened to SONAR until BANDLAB bought it, took over, rebranded it, and started GIVING IT AWAY FOR FREE! 🤯

And not only did Bandlab keep up maintaining excellent support and higher level(s) of innovation, but they have also actually made considerable improvements to not only the ease of workflow, but to the POWER & STABILITY of SONAR's x64 Double Precision Sound Engine as well.

And for the relative price we used to pay for SONAR upgrades, is the same as it costs for Bandlab Membership.. The new & improved Cakewalk Sonar lives again.

 

And it SOUNDS GREAT, Looks better and MORE POWERFUL...  It Feels GOOD

 

 

 

 

 

[Mark Morgon-Shaw]

I felt the same about X1 and stayed on 8.5 until CbB was realeased. I think it was 9 years and it never let me down.

Feel like I am in the same boat again - Lots of nice improvements but no killer "must have " feature for my own workflow in the new Sonar. But the GUI is messy and harder to work with to my eyes, I find it slows me down so I prefer to stick with CbB.  I hope they improve it though. 

[steve@baselines.com]

The stability is really very good now.  Very few crashes.  I still see small anomalies (trying to add gain to two tracks at once removes the audio is one), but it's no big deal.  It's still a great DAW and I see no reason to use anything else.