Digital Music Doctor Newsletter
October 5, 2005

Shootout: 7 Music Production Software Products Rated

We have just 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.

 
Sonar 5
Cubase 3
Pro Tools
Acid Pro 5
Version
Producer
Studio
SX
SL
LE 6.9
MP 6.8
Representative Dealer Price
$ 499
$ 299
$ 599
$ 299
$ 449
$ 299
$ 249
 
Rating
Overall Rating
4.4
3.9
4.6
4.0
3.2
3.0
3.0
 
General
4.8
4.8
4.8
4.7
4.2
4.1
2.8
  User Interface
4.8
4.8
4.6
4.6
3.8
3.8
2.8
  Track Management
4.9
4.9
4.9
4.5
4.8
4.8
3.3
  Recording
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
4.9
4.9
2.4
  Operating Environment
4.6
4.6
4.6
4.6
3.2
3.0
2.8
 
Audio
4.3
4.1
4.6
4.0
3.4
3.3
3.9
  Audio Environment
5.0
4.9
4.8
4.6
3.4
3.6
4.1
  Editing & Processing
4.1
4.1
5.0
4.3
3.4
3.3
3.6
  Mixing
5.0
4.4
4.8
4.2
4.0
4.0
4.0
  Audio File Management
2.9
2.9
3.8
2.8
2.7
2.3
3.8
 
MIDI
4.5
4.4
4.9
4.5
2.7
2.7
1.5
  Setup
5.0
5.0
4.9
4.9
2.6
2.6
0.5
  Processing
4.0
3.7
4.9
4.9
2.4
2.4
0.9
  Editors
4.4
4.4
4.8
3.8
3.0
3.0
3.0
 
Special Functions
4.1
2.3
4.1
2.9
2.4
2.0
3.7
  Surround Mixing
4.9
0.0
4.3
0.0
0.0
0.0
3.1
  Video
5.0
3.0
4.8
4.6
3.6
2.6
5.0
  Soft Synths & Rewire
3.3
3.2
3.0
3.0
2.8
2.0
2.3
  Loops & Remix
3.1
3.1
4.1
4.1
3.2
3.2
4.4

The complete analysis is available at our web site:

www.digitalmusicdoctor.com/shootout.htm

The 4 summary categories link to the details that make up the ratings. 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.

Pro Audio Forum Update: September Winners Announced

Our new online community continues to enjoy rapid growth. We now have over 170 forum members.

The winners of the Post & Win contest for September have been announced and the prizes for the October contest have been posted.

If you signed up earlier, but sure to check to see if you are a winner. If you haven't signed up yet, join us today at www.digitalmusicdoctor.com/forum.

Digital Music Doctor
Pro Audio Video Courses for Musicians

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