EQ Magazine - January 2009 - (Page 56)

GEAR HEAD CAKEWALK SONAR HOME STUDIO 7 XL ($209) The non-XL version costs $139, but XL is a more complete solution: It includes Cakewalk Studio Instruments collection (drums, bass, electric piano, and strings, along with pre-recorded patterns), Studio Devil guitar amp sim, Boost 11 loudness maximizer, a “lite” version of the Dimension sample-based instruments plus the Garritan Pocket Orchestra sound library, and a step sequencer. If you don’t need these, the regular version saves $70. This compares to $369 for Sonar 8 Studio or $619 for Sonar 8 Producer (S8P), which folds in more instruments, effects, and content compared to Sonar 8 Studio. Cakewalk has worked hard to give Home Studio its own identity. Despite the shared Sonar code base, the GUI is quite different (and very clean), and the recording process is more streamlined. Still, you can do serious work with it; this is a “prosumer,” not “consumer,” program. What you don’t get: There’s no Windows Vista 64-bit version, nor S8P’s extensive menu and toolbar customization options. Although MIDI tracks are unlimited, audio maxes out at 64 tracks. Home Studio doesn’t use S8P’s 64-bit audio engine, but with resolution up to 24bit/192kHz, few will complain. And while there’s a good selection of effects (e.g., the Sonitus:fx and some others), you don’t get the rich assortment in S8P such as advanced reverbs, Guitar Rig LE, Linear Phase mastering EQ and multiband compression, Vintage Channel strip, VST sidechaining, POW-r dithering, etc. However, there’s built-in 6-band EQ for each mixer channel. And aside from Dimension LE, you don’t get the cool S8P instruments like Rapture LE, Psyn II, Pentagon (with vocoder), Beatscape, TruePianos Amber, z3ta+, and Session Drummer 2. Other limitations include no surround, less sophisticated loop recording (no track layering), no iZotope algorithms for pitch stretching, and no AudioSnap for lining up audio to a grid or other audio, OMF import/export, or the V-Vocal Editor for pitch correction/pitch-to-MIDI. What you get that you didn’t expect: Home Studio supports Intel Macs running Boot Camp, as well as ReWire slaves. But one of the biggest surprises is the Home Studio has a clean, inviting look that reflects its identity as a more “prosumer”-oriented application compared to Sonar. The Studio Instruments module is in the lower right, and the step sequencer (both are exclusive to the XL version) in the upper right. wealth of assistant tools, templates, and content (over 2GB) intended to simplify workflow (the non-XL version of Home Studio has over 1GB). It even includes S8P’s new loop explorer that allows browsing audio loops (and MIDI loops through soft synths), along with loop construction/editing facilities. You’ll also find the Synth Rack, which allows consolidating crucial instrument controls in one place for simplified tweaking and automation, and REX file support via the included DropZone sample/REX player (other included instruments include GrooveSynth, TTS-1 General MIDI synth, and a simple analog emulation synth). There’s video support (including QuickTime export), notation, Cakewalk’s ACT technology for simplified hardware control, the Cakewalk Publisher module that provides uploadable players for websites, track freeze, audio CD creation, track folders, and more. The bottom line: Home Studio XL is extremely costeffective—but so is S8P. Adding all those instruments and effects to Home Studio XL would cost far more than the $410 price difference. But S8P is also a deeper program with a steeper learning curve; XL offers more hand-holding and a simpler workflow, with tons of functionality— arguably, more than most people need. Given S8P’s extras, if you’re into serious production and don’t already have a lot of plug-ins, it’s probably worth scraping together the extra bucks. But if you’re on a tight budget, Home Studio XL offers exceptional bang for the buck and has few “deliberate” limitations—this program easily exceeds expectations. www.cakewalk.com STEINBERG WAVELAB 6 STUDIO ($399.95) AND WAVELAB ESSENTIAL 6 ($130.99) Steinberg’s Wavelab 6 digital audio editor ($699.95) has spawned not one, but two different lite versions. Of the two, Studio is still relatively costly, but incorporates pretty much all the important elements of Wavelab 6. Essential has a considerably stripped-down feature set, but as the name implies, delivers the essentials of audio editing at a very good price. What you don’t get: Compared to the full version, (CONTINUED) 56 EQ JANUARY 2009 www.eqmag.com http://www.cakewalk.com http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - January 2009

EQ Magazine - January 2009 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Punch In Bob Dylan The Killers Guitar Trax Bass Management Key Issues Drum Heads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Microsoft Windows Vista Apple Mac OS X "Lite" Software Roundup "Lite" Software Gadgets & Goodies Sounds Room With a Vu

EQ Magazine - January 2009

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