Shootout: 7 Pro Audio Software Products Rated
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December 19, 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 7		Acid Pro 5
Version		Producer	Studio	SX	SL	LE	MP
Representative Dealer Price		$ 499	$ 299	$ 599	$ 299	$ 449	$ 299	$ 249
		Rating
Overall Rating		4.3	3.8	4.6	4.0	3.2	3.0	2.9
General		4.6	4.6	4.7	4.5	3.9	3.8	2.8
	User Interface	4.8	4.8	4.3	4.3	3.7	3.7	2.8
	Track Management	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.4	4.8	4.8	3.3
	Recording	4.4	4.4	5.0	4.4	4.3	4.3	2.1
	Operating Environment	4.3	4.3	4.8	4.8	2.8	2.5	2.8
Audio		4.1	4.0	4.6	3.9	3.3	3.2	3.6
	Audio Environment	5.0	4.9	4.7	4.7	3.2	3.3	3.9
	Editing & Processing	4.1	4.1	5.0	4.3	3.4	3.3	3.6
	Mixing	4.3	3.9	4.9	3.7	3.6	3.6	2.9
	Audio File Management	3.1	3.1	3.8	3.0	2.8	2.4	3.8
MIDI		4.5	4.4	4.9	4.5	2.8	2.8	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	2.7	2.7	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	3.0	2.7	2.3	3.6
	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	4.6	3.6	5.0
	Soft Synths & Rewire	3.3	3.2	3.0	3.0	2.8	2.0	2.3
	Loops & Remix	3.0	3.0	4.2	4.2	3.5	3.5	4.1

This analysis is an update of a previous study and incorporates Pro Tools 7 as well as changes based on comments from several manufacturers whose products are represented in the analysis. 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 for Digidesign Pro Tools, Cakewalk Sonar, Steinberg Cubase, and Sony Acid. The complete analysis is available at the Digital Music Doctor web site, www.digitalmusicdoctor.com/shootout/shootout_summary.htm