[COLOR=blue]Hello,

What's the difference between the popular music software: Cubase, Digital Performer, Cool Edit Pro, Pro Tools and Bias Peak?

What is it that they each do or are specialized for? What sets each one apart from the other?

Thank you,

Cubase SX, Digtal performer 4, Pro Tools 6, are what we call DAW:s digtal audio work stations.
( DAW:s kan be hardware as well Roland Korg Yamaha makes such ).

The above mentioned programs handle both digital audio and midi recording editing and other manipulations. Some of them can even print out a music score.

Cool Edit Pro and Bias are only for editing recording digatal audio.

Cheers: Dixiechicken

Do any of them have a better use at a certain stage in music production that another? eg. creation, sequencing, pre/post production?

Know anything about Fruity Loops, GigaSampler and HALion?

Please help.

Thank you.

My guess is that DP4, Cubase & PT are capable enough, to handle just about anything you'd care to with audio & midi, including postproduction.
People tend favour one over the other depending mostly on their own workflow.

Serious music scoring though still requires a program like Finale, Sibelius or something similar.

Dont have and dont know enough about Fruity Loops, Halion & Giga to say anything with certainty.

Cheers: Dixiechicken.

Gigasampler is a software sampler. That is, it is a device for playing back sound (real recorded sounds) via a keyboard or any midi controller. After you buy Giga, you then need to buy libraries to put in Giga (e.g. strings libraries or drum libraris, etc.) Giga is only for PC.

HALion is a softsampler, too, but is like a plug-in. It can just plug- into Cubase. You also need to add sounds to it like Giga.

Fruityloops is a software program that let's you build drum grooves.

Getting into the specifics of each program... here are the approximate differences with a heavy handed editorialization to help.

ProTools - this is often considered the best audio editing program "out there." It's solid. It's a little bit light on midi, but has midi capabilities. ProTools relies on digidesign hardware or you cannot use it.

Cubase/Nuendo - Nuendo is a more advanced versin of Cubase - more advanced audio editing features. This is trying to compete with ProTools and many feel succeeding. It does not rely on any single platform of hardware. You find a lot of techno people using this app. Uses VST mainly for plugins, might use Audio Units but I'm not sure. Has a passionate userbase who both bash every other platform as well as their own.

Logic - Apple owned and so a lot of mac users are considering that this may end up being the pet project. Many feel it has a lousy interface which is overly complex and requires far to many mouse clicks. On the flipside, it is highly regarded as possible the most powerful midi program and very stable and reliable. Lots of "pros" in the industry are using this application and that's it's reputation. uses Audio Units plugs only.

Digital Performer - Always been a mac only product and has been highly regarded - espeicially by film composers - for many years. Uses MAS and will use Audio Units. Unlike the other program, uses many windows - some people like that, some people don't. It has a very pretty look to it which appeals greatly to many mac users.

DP 6, Logic 6, PT 6, and Nuendo 2 - ALL are being criticized for buggy releases - especially DP6 with Nuendo 2 a near second. Logic and ProTools are simply experiencing a couple hicups.

There's also Metro which I know nothing about but is often mentioned in these forums.

As for Virtual instruments (like gigasampler) - there is a huge bunch of excitement about MoTU's "Mach5" sampler coming out which reads all formats, works on all platforms. Gigasampler is no longer the only game in town for hard drive based samplnig (which allows instruments to be very detailed and long tailed).


So - all this depends on what you want to do.

If you want to make technostyle music really quickly - look at Reason 2.5 - pros and amateurs all love this cute little powerful app. it works standalone and with other packages.

ENJOY!

don't spend too long deciding.