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Logic Audio v. Cubase v. Pro Tools. v. Digital Performer


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Guest Anonymous

OK, I'm going to be purchasing one of the four listed above soon. I need to know the advantages to each and the disadvantages. I won't be using MIDI a lot but I do need something that will give me the best options for editing and number of tracks and plugins...etc. Any info is good info.

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Guest Anonymous

Well one issue confuses things- hardware. ProTools is either free, or for the better version (more audio channels, blah blah blah) you have to purchase their Digi 001 PCI/breakout box interface which includes the LE software. If you don't want an interface, then try free protools and see how you like it and then maybe buy it if you really want it. If you go with one of the others, you can pick your hardware, and I'd go with the MOTU 828 Firewire interface, or if > 4 simultaneous audio channels coming in isn't an issue for you, look at the Event EZ bus, which also doubles as a mixer and triples as a control surface. I hate USB though, and it is USB.

 

 

Regarding just the software, in a nutshell:

 

Digital Performer is the easiest to use, and good with audio and midi. If I could start over, I'd use it, but it is too late for me.

 

Cubase is the most popular, and has the most plug-ins available (Steinberg developed the VST protocol, and lots of developers adopted it. ProTools and DP use RTAS plug-ins, which are plentiful also, but not as much as VST.). Cubase started as a sequencer and thus has very flexible midi implementation. But audio files can get very messy on Cubase. I use it- on the whole it is very powerful and I have great fun building audio/midi songs on it. But the learning curve of the advanced features is steep (it isn't difficult, but it isn't intuitive, you have to look up every damn thing in the manual- DP is the opposite). Cubase VST/32 v5.0 has improved things a lot, cutting out many redundant windows and cheesy looking "racks". Steinberg's support it good, but you're on hold forever before you talk to them.

 

ProTools is pretty weak on MIDI, but very good with audio (it started as multi-track recording software). Many people hate Digidesign. I don't know why, maybe thier support blows.

 

Logic is a pain in the ass to use by most reports (though I'm sure Logic-heads will chime in and claim otherwise). I've never used it, it's just what I've heard. A friend had it, and then bought Cubase.

 

There are demos available of all of these which you can download.

 

 

Good luck,

Dave

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Guest Anonymous

You can also buy Pro-Tools LE with the Audio Media III card for about $500, definately a bargain. Logic is o.k. too I suppose, but it's all personal preference. Digi's interface is very easy, but not necessarily intuitive, fast as hell once you get used to it though.

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Guest Anonymous

I too am looking into purchasing a new sequencer/audio program. I think I've settled on either Digital Performer or Emagic Logic. I downloaded a demo of Cubase 5, and it's interface is really tweaky, and, loading a standard midi file, it failed to send the patch changes. I couldn't figure out how to do it either.

 

I'm still looking for a Logic Demo, or Digital Performer demo.................

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logic is the highest power, i need to be a logic head right now, but none of the other programs have the power logic does. getting up and recording isnt to big of a deal, the deep {censored} though that the others dont even do, might take a while to grasp..

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Originally posted by snaggle:

logic is the highest power, i need to be a logic head right now, but none of the other programs have the power logic does. getting up and recording isnt to big of a deal, the deep {censored} though that the others dont even do, might take a while to grasp..

 

 

Snaggle is 100% correct. It will take a while to grasp. Even longer if your deterred by chatting, and photoshop and who knows what else.

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Guest Anonymous

 

Originally posted by T.J.Hooker:

Snaggle is 100% correct. It will take a while to grasp. Even longer if your deterred by chatting, and photoshop and who knows what else.

 

 

i was just giving my two cents, not flaming anyone. i like logic and it runs on a mac. woohoo.

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im not that familiar with d.p. but can it run a light show, automate all your outboard gear for chorous/verse changes, switch screen shots on the fly without key commands, does it have programmable key commands to do anything you could possibly think of a recording package can do, groove quantization, can it create specific enviroments for every piece of midi ready gear you own? only asking.. dont know d.p. well enough to know.. thanks for your answer.

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It can do groove quantization. If by "create specific enviroments for every piece of midi ready gear you own" you mean mean patch editing/librarian, you can do that via it's integrated "Unisyn" librarian. As for the rest of the stuff, I'm not sure to be honest. It's been a couple years since I've used DP and I was using version 2.3 at the time...

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Guest Anonymous
Originally posted by dave999z:

Well one issue confuses things- hardware. ProTools is either free, or for the better version (more audio channels, blah blah blah) you have to purchase their Digi 001 PCI/breakout box interface which includes the LE software. If you don't want an interface, then try free protools and see how you like it and then maybe buy it if you really want it. If you go with one of the others, you can pick your hardware, and I'd go with the MOTU 828 Firewire interface, or if > 4 simultaneous audio channels coming in isn't an issue for you, look at the Event EZ bus, which also doubles as a mixer and triples as a control surface. I hate USB though, and it is USB.

 

 

Regarding just the software, in a nutshell:

 

Digital Performer is the easiest to use, and good with audio and midi. If I could start over, I'd use it, but it is too late for me.

 

Cubase is the most popular, and has the most plug-ins available (Steinberg developed the VST protocol, and lots of developers adopted it. ProTools and DP use RTAS plug-ins, which are plentiful also, but not as much as VST.). Cubase started as a sequencer and thus has very flexible midi implementation. But audio files can get very messy on Cubase. I use it- on the whole it is very powerful and I have great fun building audio/midi songs on it. But the learning curve of the advanced features is steep (it isn't difficult, but it isn't intuitive, you have to look up every damn thing in the manual- DP is the opposite). Cubase VST/32 v5.0 has improved things a lot, cutting out many redundant windows and cheesy looking "racks". Steinberg's support it good, but you're on hold forever before you talk to them.

 

ProTools is pretty weak on MIDI, but very good with audio (it started as multi-track recording software). Many people hate Digidesign. I don't know why, maybe thier support blows.

 

Logic is a pain in the ass to use by most reports (though I'm sure Logic-heads will chime in and claim otherwise). I've never used it, it's just what I've heard. A friend had it, and then bought Cubase.

 

There are demos available of all of these which you can download.

 

 

Good luck,

Dave

 

HI!!!, i have this problem hope you can help me, i have a g4 400, and 320mb ram!!, i read you use Cubase32vst 5.0 and i want to make you a question about it!!, the point is that when im using it with 20 audio chanels and 15 plug ins(real time), my computer resources starts freaking and performance goes up to 80 till audio stops!!, i already checked my computer and i didnt find any problems, everything showed me it was a computer resourse problem, but i think my computer ok with resources!!, then i find out that my computer not only was readind the plug ins that were turned on, but all the 200 plug ins in the plug ins folder in the cubase folder!!, when i made a folder with plug ins in the desktop with the 200 hundred plug ins i have, and i drag the ones i used in a song to the plug ins folder in cubase folded works all right!!!, of course this is a {censored}ed up thing to do everytime you want to open a song, i mean every time i have to open a song i have to drag the plug ins of each song from the desktop plug ins folder to the cubase plug ins folder!!!

is this normal, because the only conclution i got is that cubase is not made for mac

Thanks in advance!!

Alex

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you cant go wrong with any of these. ive used them all (cubase on a PC!) they all perform well. cubase is great for dance music and mostly strong on midi. the vst plugs that come with the program and the one you can download are very average. logic is hard to set up but is the most powerfull again midi is its thing. protools le and dp3 are much easier to use and audio on these are super with great stock plugs. good luck you cant go wrong

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For me it's a toss up between Cubase VST and Logic.

 

-Both support the VST effects plug-in architecture.

-Cubase was the first to support VST virtual instruments.

-Virtual instruments are FANTASTIC. Great sound with no corruption.

-Both are Altivec optimized for G4 machines.

-Both allow scads of tracks and midi tracks too.

-Some VST effects rival hardware units, some don't.

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Guest Anonymous

Just throwing in my 2 cents. Get the one that has the interface YOU like the most. I loaded up a demo of Cubase. Cool but somehow me and the program were just never, like, one with each other, y'know? Wow. Then I saw Logic. That's what I ended us going with. The interface made a lot more sense to me but do check 'em all out. You can download demos or most music stores have demo discs, no charge. You do want something that supports VST.

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Guest Anonymous

For the record, DP does not use RTAS plug-ins. It supports MAS plug-ins, of which there are not as many as VST. That said, I have spent thousands of dollars on MAS plug-ins from Waves, Arboretum, Bomb Factory, TC Works (you can even get hardware acceleration for their best ones) and others.

 

I also own TC Works Spark XL, which includes an MAS version of their FX Machine, which allows you to build complex networks of plug-ins for things like multiband compression. FX Machine supports VST plug-ins, so I use it as a "wrapper" to host VST in Digital Performer. There are also other VST wrappers like Pluggo.

 

I have no experience with Logic -- there are people who love it and hate it. I have been using Digital Performer for a few years, and as of version 2.7.2 I was very happy with the stability, functionality and ease of use. I just got DP3, and have just started poking around. The new 800 page manual is pretty good. I'm impressed with the interface improvements, and I think their lovely new surround support will be expensive for me: more amps, monitors and stands....

 

Favorite new obscure feature: DP3 provides tools for drawing regular waves in the continuous controller grid, synced to the beat. This is great fun with analog style MIDI synths (including softsynths), and it's a riot if you happen to have an Ensoniq keyboard that supports "Transwaves."

 

My only disappointment so far is that they still have poor support for the jog/shuttle wheels you can buy, and they don't support context menus (control-clicking). I have several control surfaces and they all work great except for the wheels. Grr.

 

In any case, DP is a reliable and excellent creative and production tool.

 

--Mike Jennings

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Guest Anonymous

Logic Platinum on a Mac G4 is by far the most flexible and powerful music production application available. Period. I've worked in computer-based music production for 14 years and own all of them (including a full-blown Pro Tools system). Here's the deal though-If you are just looking to record some audio tracks and simple MIDI, none of them will really disappoint you. They are all more powerful and feature-filled than you will probably ever need. Personally, I am a mad scientist type and absolutley require the customization and complete feature set that Logic and Sound Diver provide. I would also suggest getting a DSP card or 2 to work with it. A Korg OASYS coupled with a Pulsar II makes a pretty bad ass combination.

 

Btw-All of the above means nothing if you're starting a commercial studio in which case, you MUST own a Pro Tools TDM system. This is due to compatibility with the rest of the commercial world and not because of any kind of "superiority"in features, quality or power. In fact, the only way in which Pro Tools surpasses a Logic/ G4 /DSP Card system is in the amount of cash that the calculating SOBs over at Digidesign milk you for. They are truly the Microsoft of audio.

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Guest Anonymous

Yo dude,

 

WEll here is my advice. It depends how much you wanna spend and what you wanna do. If audio is what you are after then pro tools is definatly the way to go, Way more powerfull then anything i have seen and definatly the leaders in the digital market, What is interesting is that on the same Mac you can also have LOgic Running (PLatinum V7 i suggest) So when you need that Extra MIDI options they are there. I have this sort of system at my studio and it works beautifully. If i am doing an audio only oproject its pro tools V5. OTherwise its Logic. Same Hardware, just running two different pieces of software according to my needs

 

Ciao

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Guest Anonymous

I've used (worked with, sung praises too, cursed at) all four of the apps mentioned here.

 

I use Logic Audio Platinum 4.7 at this time, but agree with the many other folks here who have suggested that your overall needs are a mighty factor here.

 

Regarding Logic, since day one with the app I've had a few very strong impressions of it that have remained true throughout my experience without. 1) Of all of these programs, I feel Logic has the absolutely most elegant, powerful interface. 2) Logic is one of finest pieces of software engineering I've ever seen of any kind of software. I mean about as close to Space Shuttle quality software as I've ever seen in commercial stuff. 3) Logic is so wide and deep that it absolutely may confound you.

 

I love this program and I suspect it's about as intuitive as something this powerful can be is such a package, but it can be both confusing and overwhealming simply by way of it's breadth and depth. If you are interested in potentially spending a considerable amount of time learning this app, you will probably be spoiled for others by it. It's not hard for me to imagine why some dislike it and others glow over it so strongly.

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Hello, I'll be brief. I've used only Cubase and Logic, and prefer Logic. Everyone says Logic is the most powerful, but is the hardest to learn, but.... You only have to learn everything once. Once you learn Logic, it should be other, less powerful, programs that are harder to use. If you're "serious", in other words you're going to weather the storms until you're making strong music, I think it's worth it. Just my opinion.

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Let me ask: for a guy like myself, who just wants to straight-record guitar, vocals, bass and drums, which is the best program? I'm new to the world of digital recording, but am buying a new Mac soon and I'm wondering which program to seriously look into.

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