Shootout: 7 Pro Audio Software Products Rated

Digital Music Doctor has announced the release a new analysis which compares seven of the most popular digital audio workstation software products from DigiDesign, Steinberg, Cakewalk, and Sony. The analysis evaluates 130 different factors on a scale of 0-5 (5 being best) which are combined to arrive at an overall rating. This analysis is an update of a previous study and incorporates the recently released Cakewalk Sonar 6 and Steinberg Cubase 4.

Cubase 4 remains the leader by a small margin over Sonar 6 Producer Edition. Sonar 6 has improved its functionality by adding audio groove mapping, improved control surface support, and spectrum analysis. Cubase added combined midi/synthesizer tracks and improved media management with its SoundFrame/MediaBay architecture. Pro Tools and Acid Pro remain the same since there have been no major releases since the previous study.

This analysis also incorporates a new metric, the Value Ratio, which is the ratio of the overall rating to the representative dealer price. Based on this measure Sonar 6 Studio Edition provides the most value for the money, whereas Cubase 4 ranks lowest.

This study examines 130 individual functions which are summarized into four main categories. Each main category has several subcategories which provide overall ratings for such functions as mixing, MIDI editors, recording, and track management. The analysis also includes an explanation for each rating as well as a description of what a particular function is and why it is important.

This study is based on the materials used in the video training courses produced by Digital Music Doctor for Digidesign Pro Tools, Cakewalk Sonar, Steinberg Cubase, and Sony Acid. The complete analysis is available at the Digital Music Doctor web site, http://www.digitalmusicdoctor.com/shootout/shootout_summary.htm

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Back 16.11.2006