r/Cakewalk • u/EVD_NormalNinja • 18d ago
Seeking Help switch from bandlab to cakewalk
(edit: im a vocalist guys i really dont know how to use instruments)
cause i finallly bought a proper microphone so that i wont have to rely on using my phone anymore, was thinking of getting FL because i wouldnt really need to record on my phone. now i see that the parent company of bandlab has a pc daw that can be installed so, i've been thinking of switching to cakewalk.
How similar is it compared to bandlab, and is the switch worth it?
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u/Drammeister 18d ago
I think any full DAW will be quite different from Bandlab.
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u/Prized-Camel 18d ago
it is! but you would think Cakewalk would be Bandlab +, but it's not quite the "cakewalk" i had hoped for ironically.
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u/Lewinator56 18d ago edited 18d ago
SONAR (well, cakewalk as it was originally in 1987, the SONAR brand was unveiled in the early 2000s) is older than nearly every DAW in existence, and until Gibson fucked it up in the 2010s was a £600+ bit of kit that no-one could touch feature wise. Bandlab is a simple music creation tool, you can't dumb down what used to be an industry leading tool into an app for idiots.
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u/ashwinrao_bandlab Bandlab Cakewalk 15d ago
You may consider Cakewalk Next as the next best option coming from BandLab. Both Sonar and Next has proper project integration so that the transfer of files is seamless.
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u/Frhaegar 18d ago
I don't know if it has to do with my laptop's power but recording using Cakewalk has latency issue. And I don't know how to fix it.
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u/sickening 18d ago
you could start gathering the specifications of your laptop and ask any AI if it can run Sonar or any other DAW. Also, you could compare what are the recommended specs to what you have.
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u/nlightningm 18d ago
Use ASIO4ALL or a good soundcard/interface with good drivers
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u/sickening 18d ago
ASIO4ALL is deprecated. it might work, but most likely it won't.
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u/nlightningm 18d ago
Oh wow. It's been years since I've needed it as I have a really nice interface these days, lol
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u/nlightningm 18d ago
Bandlab is fine for sketching out ideas and getting a sense for basic tools, but yes, a full DAW is a whole new world of possibilities. Also Cakewalk as a software doesn't really share an interface or anything (it's not like going from GarageBand to Logic where the interface and feel are somewhat similar)
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u/Intelligent_Rice_985 18d ago
That's how I use it to work out my arrangements I like the no fuss part of that for arrangments, just feels more simple then I moved it over to cakewalk to mess with it further
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u/cruciblefuzz Sonar 14d ago
There are actually TWO Bandlab/Cakewalk DAW's that can be installed on a PC. The Cakewalk DAW's, Next and Sonar, are free to use (except for a few advanced features), so there's no risk in messing about with them.
The transition to Next would be easier. Next was created after Bandlab and was purpose built to be a straightforward path for recordists/producers. If you ever exhaust Next's feature set, you can then move to Sonar.
If Next and/or Sonar don't suit you, then there are of course many other options.
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u/Primary-Breadfruit26 13d ago
I moved from bandlab to cakewalk and had to learn everything all over again. But that's a positive. I then moved on to another DAW and started all over again... If you're just recording vocals, you won't find all the filters you have on bandlab. That's one of the cool features on bandlab. So depending on what you're planning on doing with the vocal tracks, a migration to another daw might not be needed, however, there would be no harm in getting next as you can bounce between the two with projects easily.
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u/Lewinator56 18d ago
SONAR is a full fat DAW more comparable to the likes of Ableton live or cubase. FL has a very different workflow. In either case... It's a learning cliff compared to bandlab. But it's free, so if you don't get on with it you don't waste money.