Sonar Home Studio vs. Tracktion
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Posted on Nov 11, 2005 12:48 pm
ChinmayL
Member Since: Nov 04, 2005
Hello,
I've been looking to buy a relatively inexpensive music production software package. Tracktion seems to be very appealing (well reviewed and lots of plugins). How is Sonar Home Studio in comparison? I do mostly MIDI recording with VST instruments. How do the included plugins compare? Is there a demo of Home Studio available?
Thanks for the help!
Chinmay
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Nov 11, 2005 12:53 pm I am unsure about the demo of HomeStudio, but I would presume there is one somewhere.
I would lean toward Home Studio myself. Both will get you great recordings, I like Cakewalk's MIDI features better than most any other app I have ever looked at. Also, Tracktion is very much an island unto itself. It's a great app, lots of extras, sounds great, but, the one downside is knowledge transference. When in Home Studio, if you upgrade to Sonar, or any other tracking app, it works so similar to everything else you'll be able to get working in the new app (especially Sonar) easily, with Tracktion, it's got such a unique interface and workflow, you'll be lost if ever you move to a different application.
That said, you may never upgrade, but that is one of the downsides of Tracktion that I foresee. Plus my biggest issue with Tracktion is it's single window interface...sometimes I just need a few...sometimes I want all my plugs visible so I can tweak them rather than bouncing back and forth from plug to plug.
Nov 11, 2005 01:27 pm Are the plug-ins that come with Home Studio pretty good, specifically the instruments? Tracktion seems to come with the SampleTank instruments and also this Final Mix mastering plug-in. Does Home Studio have something similar? Sorry, I'm not very familiar with the plug-ins and what they all do.
Thanks.
TallChapAnswer:On a good day, lipstick.Member
Since: Jun 24, 2004
Nov 11, 2005 01:28 pm I totally agree with dB-Wan. Traction is quite a fabulous app. Very nice, great sound, much flexibility, good price. But not at all intuitive.
Whereas the majority of apps use GUI's that are basically a graphic version of a physical recording studio - mixer, rack effects, "tape" transport etc., Tracktion is completely new.
If you're familiar with the way a studio works (hardware...), the Sonar will be very intuitive (but read the manual...).
Nov 11, 2005 01:35 pm ah ah ah now TallChap, I never said Tracktion wasn't intuitive, I feel completely the opposite...it's very intuitive, the rub is that it's pretty intuitive if you are not already stuck in a mindset of how apps should run. For a new, clean mind it's great. My beef is that it doesn't work like others so knowledge and theory won't apply as much to other apps.
Nov 11, 2005 02:08 pm dB, I had a question about Tracktion: does it support dual monitors?
Nov 11, 2005 02:11 pm Ummmm, it's a single window interface...so it'd be one window stretched across the two, and yes, it does...but it's not really helpful.
Nov 11, 2005 02:15 pm yeah... so other programs with multiple windows would probably take advantage of the dual monitors better.... thanks!
Nov 11, 2005 02:18 pm Yeah, very much so. That's only one small reason I dislike single window apps. That said, for newbies to the hobby single window is likely a lot less confusing...which is why Tracktion is the way it is, that is their target audience.
TallChapAnswer:On a good day, lipstick.Member
Since: Jun 24, 2004
Nov 11, 2005 02:19 pm Sorry db-Wan.
Ok, granted. You're right. I should have worded it a little differently. For those of us (the fossils) who grew up around mighty tape machines, huge mixing consoles, racks of outboard gear, and cheap sofas (oh yes..), the apps that have a GUI that is similar to that stuff is more intuitive, because we've been used to looking at things in a certain way.
Tracktion is quite intuitive in itself as an app. You get a good sense of where to drag one thing, or another to get the result you need. But, it doesn't look anything like a recording studio. For me, that's less intuitive. Because it looks so different to what I'm used to seeing.
I guess I just look for the channel strips, and the graphic plug in stuff for comfort!
Forgive me, dB-wan. I didn't mean to imply anything.
I'd like to apologise to the team, and to Donovan McNabb, and to my mother, and to her friends, and to CNN, and to the entire population of Georgia, and to all KMart employees, and to..........Where did I put that Sharpie...?
Nov 11, 2005 02:22 pm Quote:
I\'d like to apologise to the team, and to Donovan McNabb, and to my mother, and to her friends, and to CNN, and to the entire population of Georgia, and to all KMart employees, and to..........Where did I put that Sharpie...?
Bahahahaha
Yeah, you are right, it's what you are used to. If you really dig that old school feel, have you ever checked out MultitrackStudio? It's about as oldschool as you can get, but is a very easy to use and sounds great, the new version was very impressive.
For that matter, ChinmayL should really check that out as well.
www.multitrackstudio.com
for the price, it's an awesome app...just aren't the marketing machines that Mackie and Cakewalk are.
Nov 11, 2005 02:29 pm Hmm Multitrack seems interesting, but doesn't come with any extras/plugins. Since I'm just using a keyboard right now, I really am interested in virtual instruments/loops. The more the better! Plus that green interface will drive me crazy :)
I think Tracktion seems to have a better extras package and for a newbie, seems to be very simple to use (a la GarageBand).
Nov 11, 2005 02:36 pm MTS has his it's own plugins, and they are awesome...I keep telling him to make them DirectX or VST so I can buy them separately but they won't...grrrrr.
You are right, big names like Mackie or Cakewalk can con companies into bundling stuff with them for publicity. Little guys like MTS can't do that.
Tracktion or Home Studio, either way is a winner, here go buy them:
Tracktion: service.bfast.com/bfast/c...mp;bfmtype=gear
Cakewalk Home Studio: service.bfast.com/bfast/c...mp;bfmtype=gear
:-D
HuePinnipedal Czar (: 3= Member
Since: Apr 11, 2004
Nov 11, 2005 02:55 pm If you go with the Cakewalk product now, and decide to upgrade later, they let you do so at a considerably lower price... which is way cool of them .*
Nov 11, 2005 02:58 pm That's a VERY good point, their upgrade offers are considerable...very generous sometimes.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Nov 11, 2005 07:18 pm Quote:
You are right, big names like Mackie or Cakewalk can con companies into bundling stuff with them for publicity. Little guys like MTS can't do that
Or in Cakewalks case they just buy the other company, or in the case of RGC Audio they give them tons of money to design powerfull software just for them to use, or sell.
