The Score Magazine - Archive February 2009 issue! | Page 37

audio Tel : [phone] / 9 Email : [email protected] Website : www.audiomedia.in Cakewalk’s Sonar A well known hollywood compos- er told me he uses Sonar exclu- sively for almost all his produc- tions. It is definitely a good DAW for someone on a Windows PC based system. Pros: ·Similar to Logic Studio, has an incred- ible amount of plug-ins and software instruments. ·Can run on 64 bit versions of windows. ·Has a dedicated step sequencer, not many DAWs have this. Cons: ·Runs on Microsoft Windows based PCs only. ·Not all plug-ins can be auto- mated. Ableton’s Live I find this to be the most interest- ing DAW currently in the market. It is ideal for live performances when you don’t want to just playback your music but edit it or make changes on the fly and im- provise with your arrangements. Pros: Excellent tempo stretching and com- pressing features. Make changes or add effects to your tracks on the fly. Supports VST and AU plug-ins. Cons: Most programs do have small bugs here and there but besides that with Ableton Live, I really can’t think of any significant cons to talk about. Apple’s Garageband I introduce this DAW to my students who are new to the idea of digital music production. It can be considered as a stripped down version of Apple’s Logic Pro. Great for understanding the ba- sics of digital audio workstations. You can do a full production on this application. Pros: ·Integrates any AU plug-ins installed on your computer. ·Reasonable amount of apple loops and many more if you buy the Garageband Jam Packs. ·Well integrated with other applications of the Apple iLife bundle. Cons: ·Can only run on the MAC oper- ating system. ·Does not support VST protocol for plug-ins. ·Not many advanced audio and MIDI editing features.