🚀 go-pugleaf

Since I am using a SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 X-Gamer and wishing to get
people's opinions on certain products in conjunction with it, I have posted
this here. I hope it's in the right place. I apologize if it is not.

I hear a lot about Cubase and I must humbly admit I know very little about
it.

For those who have used both Cakewalk (or Sonar) and Cubase (particularly
the ones who have used Cakewalk first and migrated to Cubase or vice-versa),
which do you consider is better and why? How easy is the transition from
Cakewalk to Cubase. Would there be any benefit to both products together?
What situations would benefit from Cubase over Cakewalk and vice-versa?

As I noted once before, I am currently using a Creative SoundBlaster Live!
5.1 X-Gamer (hence why I picked this group out of my limited choices) but
that is by far not the final configuration I intend to have.

Now thanks to Soeren (from another post), I have gotten back into heavily
modifying the instruments real-time. This is something I will most likely
continue to do. How well does Cubase handle this? With a calculator and
spare time, I set up a simple panel for this in Cakewalk. Can I do this in
Cubase with the same or comparable features of a Cakewalk panel? (linked
controls etc)

I do CAL scripting (which I suspect will soon include the NRPNs) and though
it is useful, there are certain aspects of the WRK file that I cannot figure
out how to manipulate with CAL while other aspects are difficult (though not
impossible) -- comparisons between multiple regions and such. CAL reminds me
of LISP. Does Cubase have scripting capabilities and to what extent? What is
the basis for the language? Can one record actions to build a script (to be
later modified) in Cubase?

I do a lot of linking non-concurrent clips in different tracks and channels
(and later unlinking them to be tweaked individually as necessary) in
Cakewalk. Does Cubase allow this?

I use the A and B synths of the Live! as well as the Microsoft S/W Synth
(Windows 2000 Pro -- it's a machine at work) all concurrently. I hope that
Cubase can do such as well, but also I have to shift the synths to
accommodate for Microsoft's inability to synchronize perfectly with Cakewalk
(and who know what else). Does Cubase allow manual timing adjustments for a
synth and/or individual tracks?

Is there an option to handle drumkits differently? For example, some
instruments in certain drum kits will cut when a note is turned off.
Sometimes that is desired while other times it is preferred that the note
continues to play. Cakewalk defaults to a 32nd note, but the length can be
over-ridden (though it will still show a small diamond rather than the
length of the note). Sometimes it is just easier to not have sections of the
drum kit receive a note-off event. I have not seen such a feature in
Cakewalk. Does Cubase do this?

Most importantly, I make recordings to burn on CD convert to MP3 or highly
compressed wav. So far, it is a two-step process for me using a recording
program and Cakewalk. In my perfect little world, the sequencer would handle
the simple recording of a piece (with perhaps stops, starts and allowances
for note cuts or periods of silence for further editing within other
programs or perhaps retracking into another file). Can Cubase do this?

I have not gotten into this part yet, but I would like to get into
synchronization (SMPTE or Windows Media or MME etc). Also I've heard of this
DirectMusic thing. How well does Cubase work with these? How well does it
automate working with these?

I've seen the info on it which is all great in theory, but I am interested
in opinions from practical situations in terms of Cakewalk.

Just so I can put to rest this curiosity one way or another...
Eric