Ableton Forum

kb420 wrote:I kept Sonar 8 PE on my old PC just in case I wanted to work in a more traditional DAW. I've been thinking about upgrading to X3, but I thought I would try something different this time. I'm just looking for some alternatives. What are you guys using and why?

[Please don't say Bitwig. There's enough Bitwig threads on this forum as it is.]

If you're recording live instruments, then I would certainly upgrade to X3; the new/improved comping feature is worth the upgrade alone. Otherwise, not so much, IMO

Buleriachk wrote:

kb420 wrote:I kept Sonar 8 PE on my old PC just in case I wanted to work in a more traditional DAW. I've been thinking about upgrading to X3, but I thought I would try something different this time. I'm just looking for some alternatives. What are you guys using and why?

[Please don't say Bitwig. There's enough Bitwig threads on this forum as it is.]

If you're recording live instruments, then I would certainly upgrade to X3; the new/improved comping feature is worth the upgrade alone. Otherwise, not so much, IMO

Wow! Do you mean to say that's the case even though I am coming from version 8 PE?

kb420 wrote:

Buleriachk wrote: If you're recording live instruments, then I would certainly upgrade to X3; the new/improved comping feature is worth the upgrade alone. Otherwise, not so much, IMO

Wow! Do you mean to say that's the case even though I am coming from version 8 PE?

It really depends on what you want to do. IMO, Sonar's forte is live music processing and production; other DAW's have other emphases.... Sonar X3 is a HUGE upgrade from 8 in many ways, but if you're just doing audio recording and editing (basically), then 8 was pretty good.

I've been always upgrading, but the comping feature was my main reason for the last - if it hadn't been for that, I was going to let Sonar upgrades slide for awhile....

Pro Tools HD10 here. It's where I mix and do audio post for films.

I use Abobe Audition for mixing and mastering. Live has everything I need otherwise especially considering Max4Live. Ya, I've got a few complaints as far as Live as a DAW, but hopefully they fill in the gaps as we go...

none

currently none.
although i'm thinking about changing that, that's why i ended up in this thread.
recently i seem to spend more time trying to get everything to sync properly than actually making music.
if i can solve that issue i'll gladly stick to live only though.

I dunno; for that I think Ableton Live may be as good as you're going to get..

feindbild wrote:currently none.
although i'm thinking about changing that, that's why i ended up in this thread.
recently i seem to spend more time trying to get everything to sync properly than actually making music.
if i can solve that issue i'll gladly stick to live only though.

I came across this video yesterday on youtube, and I'm starting to think this guy has a point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imfjSHo0nIA

I put so much time in with Live that using another DAW at this point would actually just slow me down. I'm pretty fluent with Live in doing the things that I do. I just got Maschine, and even the learning curve on that is causing me to move slower than I can with Live and Drum Racks. The guy in the video really makes some good points.

NOW he tells me.....

kb420 wrote:I came across this video yesterday on youtube, and I'm starting to think this guy has a point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imfjSHo0nIA

Buleriachk wrote:NOW he tells me.....

kb420 wrote:I came across this video yesterday on youtube, and I'm starting to think this guy has a point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imfjSHo0nIA

I know how you feel, but I really think he's right. Whatever Live doesn't currently have, I'm probably better off just waiting until Ableton adds it rather than switching or adding another DAW to my setup. Before I started using Live, I used Sonar. Since switching over, I hardly ever use it anymore and I haven't updated Sonar since version 8. If I buy another DAW now, I'll probably still use Live 99% of the time. I really would only use the other DAW for a final mix. That probably wouldn't even be worth the time put in to getting to know a new program. I just want to make music.

kb420 wrote:I came across this video yesterday on youtube, and I'm starting to think this guy has a point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imfjSHo0nIA

I put so much time in with Live that using another DAW at this point would actually just slow me down. I'm pretty fluent with Live in doing the things that I do. I just got Maschine, and even the learning curve on that is causing me to move slower than I can with Live and Drum Racks. The guy in the video really makes some good points.

OK right away he tells the viewers to stick to the DAW that was bundled with your interface…. Sorry but that's about as lame a piece of advice as you can give. I get that most people don't need 90% of the features of any DAW, but all this advice is given by someone who seems to think that LIve and Logic are about as good as each other at various tasks, and that Pro Tools is the innovator DAW wise….. I get it in terms of making sure it's not a decision made on a whim because it's "new" ala Bitwig etc. but comparing DAWs to 100K consoles??
Though if it's more like you're hitting a creative block and think a new DAW will unleash it, then yeah.
Mostly I want to work with key commands when editing a song, Live falls drastically short in this regard, you can of course do all the same things with your mouse, but it's not the same. Live's focus is and should be on performance, and initial song ideas, when it comes time to beef it up or record guitar parts etc. I'm generally going to use something else.

Machinesworking wrote:OK right away he tells the viewers to stick to the DAW that was bundled with your interface…. Sorry but that's about as lame a piece of advice as you can give. I get that most people don't need 90% of the features of any DAW, but all this advice is given by someone who seems to think that LIve and Logic are about as good as each other at various tasks, and that Pro Tools is the innovator DAW wise….. I get it in terms of making sure it's not a decision made on a whim because it's "new" ala Bitwig etc. but comparing DAWs to 100K consoles??
Though if it's more like you're hitting a creative block and think a new DAW will unleash it, then yeah.
Mostly I want to work with key commands when editing a song, Live falls drastically short in this regard, you can of course do all the same things with your mouse, but it's not the same. Live's focus is and should be on performance, and initial song ideas, when it comes time to beef it up or record guitar parts etc. I'm generally going to use something else.

Fair enough. In you situation, I would definitely have to agree. Personally, Live does everything that I need it to at the moment. I just wanted something different to mix in, and to be honest, I really don't want to worry about the lack of automation plugin delay compensation when and what's that's doing to my mix. When I took a hard look at what I do, I realized that at the moment it's just not that big of a deal. I'd be better off with some new low latency effects than buying and learning a new DAW. That's just the situation that I'm in. Everyone's situation is different.


By the way, I'm on a pc and I'm using a MOTU Audio Express. The software that comes with that doesn't even run in Windows, and I'm not about to buy Digital Performer.

My opinion, which you can take with a grain of salt(about a micron in size), You really should have a good second Daw handy for tasks that your goto DAW can't do or is limited too. Live lite is really a scratch pad for me as I do most of my work with Studio One. I have a lot of tools at my disposal do to sales for upgrades and only paid full price for one, Adobe Audition 3. I tend to use all of them when the work is beneficial to that DAW's workflow.

There are times that I will pass on upgrades, Sonar being one of them but right now Studio One gets all my attention and it is the most stable of all my DAW's at the moment. Being that my experience would be different then most I find they all have their uses at times.

Demo if you feel like it but when you make a choice try to stick with it enough to get your monies worth.