Shootout: 7 Music Production Software Products Rated

October 5, 2005 -- 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.

 
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 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. 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,
www.digitalmusicdoctor.com/shootout.htm

Digital Music Doctor
Pro Audio Video Courses for Musicians

www.digitalmusicdoctor.com