Cakewalk Home Studio 2002

One area where Cakewalk and other "linear" sequencers create difficulty is when comparing to audio based programs like Acid. It doesn't get much easier than Acid....until you want control that enables you to add your own sounds while playing in which case you'll need the Pro version which while more capable is still not meant for using with midi in any significant way.

Home Studio 2002 is an outstanding bargain. You get a couple of direct x synthesizers aka DXi. They are simple but effective enough to get the user started in software synthesis. Partiuclarly Dreamstation is useful for analog style timbres and the Virtual Sound Canvas is acceptable for traditonal sounds that will play standard midi files.

The audio system is dead simple and requires about an hour to get help through the Cakewalk bulletin board or several other music related sites. Cakewalk's manuals are drab but have the information necessary to get you started. Third party books are common for software. They cut to the chase and do not have to spend the laborious time explaining the entire program. They get you going and then you continue learning with a decent knowledge of the application you are using.

Feature wise you get 80% of the much more expensive Sonar program which adds a beat slicing and sequencing DXi, Rewire capability (for programs that can be synchronized in sample perfect time, some include Reason, ReBirth and Abelton LIVE) and several direct x effects. It's ability to use Acid loops and to save loops to the format makes it especially good for remixers and for those projects that needed a bit more instrumentation but survive as audio tracks. In terms of value for money this is an incredible deal.

There are a couple of contenders but they are nowhere near the capability of Cakewalk Home Studio 2002 which is good enough to create professional tracks.

Considering the professional quality plugins available for instruments and sound/effects processing nothing at this price point is close. Maybe the price of so much flexibility is a little extra work but that becomes a question of whether you need to work immediately or can take a day or two to master the most important aspects of the program so you can lay down tracks and midi takes.

Pass on Cakewalk Home Studio if you are looking for instant gratification. Buy it if you want a taste of the pro-studio at a fraction of the cost.

Home Studio XL in Windows 2000 gives annoying little problems that force you to stop your flow (in some cases for as long as 5 minutes when it crashes and you let windows 2000 sort everything out on its own). Every problem in the full review pertains to working in windows 2000.

However, on windows 98, its smooth sailing. I never had a problem with it while working in Windows 98.