Best Sequencer?

[Ballaw de Quincewold]

What is currently the best sequencer overall? Also, which of it's upgrades has the most possibilities? I'm looking at Cakewalk right now and I was wondering what the most advanced version of it was or if there was a better sequencer out there.

[MidiWorld]

The best MIDI sequencer is Cakewalk Professional 3.01, released in 1994 and never updated (shame on Cakewalk). I've been using it for 13 years, simply cannot find anything better. After version 3.01 Cakewalk decided that no MIDI sequencer should ever be produced without audio. I paid for several "upgrades", both Pro Audio and Sonar, but it's a waste of money as far as MIDI sequencing goes.
I actually use Sonar once all the MIDI tracks are completed and I want to work with soft synths and samplers to improve the sounds. I just can't get used to the impossible MIDI sequencer interface, still prefer the neat and simple Track View in Pro 3.01. All the audio stuff is in the way, I don't want any of it when creating or editing MIDI files.

[MaestroX]

There are loads of sequencers out there its all just a matter of preference.

I use Cubase SX 3 to get most of my audio work done and Sibelius 3 + 4 for the midi and score side. Generally if you're just wanting to sequence midi its most likely you'll want to produce a good score. Sibelius and Finale are the top contenders for this (Apologies I've not used Cakewalk before so I do not know its capabilities). For the audio side you'll be looking at a DAW like Cubase, Sonar, Fruity Looks etc.

I would recommend have a good look at all the available options before making a firm decision

Hope this helps

[chckn8r]

I don't think there's any "best" sequencer out there - they all do generally the same thing and record MIDI and audio the same, but there are a number of different flavours to suit different people's tastes. I like and use Sonar PE 6.x on a daily basis. I've used CuBase briefly (because Pro Audio crashed with more than a couple of plug-ins), but came back to Cakewalk when Sonar hit 3.x because I liked the interface better.

If you're producing scores, as Maestro states, you'll want to add on a notation application.

All the DAWs have free downloads to try out - take them for a spin and see what you like.

D

[chckn8r]

Originally Posted by MidiWorld

The best MIDI sequencer is Cakewalk Professional 3.01, released in 1994 and never updated (shame on Cakewalk). I've been using it for 13 years, simply cannot find anything better. After version 3.01 Cakewalk decided that no MIDI sequencer should ever be produced without audio. I paid for several "upgrades", both Pro Audio and Sonar, but it's a waste of money as far as MIDI sequencing goes.
I actually use Sonar once all the MIDI tracks are completed and I want to work with soft synths and samplers to improve the sounds. I just can't get used to the impossible MIDI sequencer interface, still prefer the neat and simple Track View in Pro 3.01. All the audio stuff is in the way, I don't want any of it when creating or editing MIDI files.

wow... I remember that version of Cakewalk back in college when they were starting to implement MIDI labs.

I can't really imagine any "sequencer" coming out these days without an audio component. There's only so far you can go with General MIDI or Soundfonts if you're producing professional-sounding music - unless your composing for toys or cell phones - but even then it's hard to find those without inexpensive storage and playback for audio files.

I know that your sites deal with sharing and distributing MIDI files - I'm interested, what do you see as the future of using MIDI as a "final" medium for distributing music?

Cheers, D

[MidiWorld]

MIDI sequencing can be a great hobby, at least it is for me and many of the people who contribute their files to my websites. Some of those files are excellent quality, others could use improvement (and with the MIDI format it is possible). My main interest is classical music. I don't want to produce printable scores, usually that's what I start with. I like the power of being the conductor and the performer and all, without having to hire "real" musicians. MIDI (unlike audio) is an unfinished format, you can always make it better or different, and it works well for collaborations as well.
When I started my websites in 1995, MIDI was also the most accessible for the average dial-up connections, small in size and once you download it you can change it any way you like, replace the GM sounds with your own, etc.
I like the old Cakewalk Pro sequencer because it's clean and simple. Sequencing classical music starts with the input of a large number of notes, a MIDI sequencer is better suited for that. GM sound work fine in this stage, any kind of violin sound will do it doesn't have to be a Stradivarius, you're listening to find errors, bad notes, etc.
The next stage is where you deal with dynamics, accents and other details to make it sound special. All these can be done in the MIDI sequencer using a GM module. This is the point when I transfer the file to Sonar and add the final touches. I replace the GM sounds with EWSQL or other samples, adjust the mix and record it to audio. Sonar or Cubase are fine for this, but I much prefer to do most of the sequencing in the no-audio Cakewalk Pro. I just like the interface and the ease of use, that's all.
As for the future of music distribution, it's all about connection speed and storage space. At this point we have to settle with MP3, soon it will be CD quality audio.
MIDI will always have its place for creative people who don't just listen to music but also like to get involved in making it.

[chckn8r]

Originally Posted by MidiWorld

The next stage is where you deal with dynamics, accents and other details to make it sound special. All these can be done in the MIDI sequencer using a GM module. This is the point when I transfer the file to Sonar and add the final touches. I replace the GM sounds with EWSQL or other samples, adjust the mix and record it to audio.

Doesn't EWSQL react to different controllers than a general MIDI sound set or do you use a MIDI filter to map dynamic controllers and such?

Originally Posted by MidiWorld

MIDI will always have its place for creative people who don't just listen to music but also like to get involved in making it.

Cool, so it's like the mash-up community, but using MIDI instead of audio!



Thanks MIDIworld - great insight.

D

[andreasvanharen]

what about GarageBand and Logic Express on the mac? Those are pretty nice programs to work with?

[Newport]

I currently use Reaper for mainly MIDI work. I used to regard Sonar very highly, but in its recent versions I found it was getting too bloated with audio features which I did not want. I gave up with Sonar 7 when the latency doubled compared to earlier versions. I find Reaper much leaner but not as intuitive.