The Digital Music Doctor has released a new analysis which compares seven of the most popular music production 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. Steinberg Cubase SX 3 achieves the highest rating followed
closely by Cakewalk Sonar 5 Producer Edition.
PRODUCT (RATING)
Cubase SX 3 (4.6)
Sonar 5 Producer Edition (4.4)
Cubase SL 3 (4.0)
Sonar 5 Studio Edition (3.9)
Pro Tools LE 6.9 (3.2)
Pro Tools M-Powered 6.8 (3.0)
Acid Pro 5 (3.0)
The 130 individual functions are summarized into four main categories, each with several subcategories which provide overall ratings for such functions as mixing, MIDI editors, recording,
and track management:
CATEGORY: SUBCATEGORIES
-General: User Interface, Track Management, Recording, Operating Environment
-Audio: Audio Environment, Editing & Processing, Mixing, Audio File Management
-MIDI: Setup, Processing, Editors
-Special Functions: Surround Mixing, Video, Soft Synths & Rewire, Loops & Remix
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 training materials used in the interactive video courses produced by Digital Music Doctor, Pro Tools LE-MP-Know It All!, Sonar 5-Know It All!, Cubase SX 3-Know
It All!, and Acid Pro 5-Know It All! The complete analysis is available at the Digital Music Doctor web site, http://www.digitalmusicdoctor.com/shootout.htm.