Entered CNET Catalog: 07/21/2001
SKU: 0787537190472
Manufacturer: Cakewalk
Manufacturer description
Now you can create the same music being produced by professional DJs and remix artists - right on your PC. Plasma provides everything you need: easy-to-use looping tools, a multitrack recorder; a joystick-controlled DJ effects mixer; a software synth and beat generator; audio effects; and a complete loop library created by leading dance, techno and hip hop producers. Best of all, you can do it all on the PC you already own - no expensive hardware required. You're the DJ - make original dance tracks or remix your favorite songs. When you're finished, share your music with the world. Just save it as an MP3 or burn it to CD. Create loop-based music and remixes fast! The package includes Plasma FXPad joystick mixer, DreamStation DXi soft synth, Fruityloops Express groove generator, bonus CD - ACID-format audio loop library and Pyro MP3 and CD maker (trial version). Product summary
The good: Powerful MIDI-sequencing features; ability to mix audio and MIDI tracks; good bundled software; solid library of loop and audio samples; excellent technical support.
The bad: Infested with bugs; crashes often; some tools simply don't work; MIDI sometimes stops playing after editing digital audio-console settings.
The bottom line: At $49, Plasma is a drastically reduced version of the company's $300 Sonar program, which is designed for dance music. Unfortunately, the quality is reduced, too. Serious music users, skip Plasma and go straight to Sonar.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 02/26/2002
Cakewalk, a company known for its variety of low-end to intermediate-level music software, introduced Plasma as its latest MIDI and digital audio-production program. The $49 package is essentially a pared-down version of Sonar, a $300 app that broke new ground for Cakewalk products with a sporty new interface, enhanced audio capabilities, and new software synthesizers that emulate analog instruments. Plasma, aimed at the dance/trance music enthusiast, features Sonar's tools and interface but with fewer audio tracks, audio plug-ins, and virtual instruments. Unfortunately, we found Plasma riddled with bugs that made it nearly unusable. This app isn't ready for the big leagues. If you're serious about music software, pay for Sonar instead. Cakewalk, a company known for its variety of low-end to intermediate-level music software, introduced Plasma as its latest MIDI and digital audio-production program. The $49 package is essentially a pared-down version of Sonar, a $300 app that broke new ground for Cakewalk products with a sporty new interface, enhanced audio capabilities, and new software synthesizers that emulate analog instruments. Plasma, aimed at the dance/trance music enthusiast, features Sonar's tools and interface but with fewer audio tracks, audio plug-ins, and virtual instruments. Unfortunately, we found Plasma riddled with bugs that made it nearly unusable. This app isn't ready for the big leagues. If you're serious about music software, pay for Sonar instead.
Hope springs eternal
During our tests, we spent hours with tech support, dealing with a variety of system crashes. To their credit, the folks at Cakewalk tech support are responsive and pleasant. Yet even with their help, Plasma offered only a nerve-racking détente: you must save your music file every minute, knowing that at some point the software will crash and take with it any changes you've made to your hard-won composition. We're disappointed, because Plasma offers promising tools. On top of Sonar's excellent audio and MIDI features, Plasma includes high-quality bundled software, such as the excellent Fruity Loops Express loop generator and a trial version of the Pyro MP3 and CD-audio burning software.
Plasma has exactly the same installation process, interface, and views as Sonar, with a Track view for arranging your MIDI and digital audio data, a Console view for mixing digital audio, and so on. We like this interface because you can expand or shrink any window as you work; for example, you can easily enlarge the MIDI events window when cleaning up parts or reduce it when working in the Mix window.
Two steps forward, three steps back
If you're familiar with MIDI-sequencing programs, such as Cakewalk's earlier Pro Audio 9.0 or Mark of the Unicorn's Digital Performer software, Plasma should prove easy to use. For beginners, though, Plasma has a steep learning curve, since its interface comes from a professional-level product. Like Sonar, Plasma lets you mix MIDI and audio clips in your composition and use the built-in Console view (click the Console icon, or click Windows > Console) to automate mixing digital audio. You can also use tools in the Console view to apply digital audio effects, such as reverb, echo, and compression. Adding audio? No problem--just import your WAV files into the program. Plasma includes a healthy collection of digital audio loops, instruments, and sound effects, so you can quickly piece together a composition. You can add MIDI music tracks either by importing a file or by recording MIDI data using a keyboard and interface.
However, despite Plasma's straightforward tools and simple interface, it's unreliable. After we spent 20 hours putting together a composition, Plasma crashed, and we couldn't open the file. Working with tech support, we tried for two days to salvage the work but eventually gave up and started rebuilding the piece from scratch. That's unacceptable. After that first crash, the bugs came crawling out in droves. For example, adjusting the effects on a single audio clip stopped the playback on our MIDI tracks. Checking the MIDI settings prompted a full-scale crash. When we tried to edit multiple MIDI tracks using the program's Piano view, where you can see all the MIDI events (what note you played, how hard, and so on) as a continuous graph, another crash occurred--and required a hard reboot. Cakewalk technical support was patient and truly helpful, but, ultimately, Plasma has some glitches that can be fixed only in a new version.
Caveat emptor
Plasma carries great potential. With its bounty of high-end features culled from Cakewalk's Sonar program, great product bundles, and low price, it would seem like a great package for beginners. But Plasma clearly has a long way to go. In fact, this app's only saving grace comes from an entirely separate app: the excellent Fruity Loops Express Pro loop generator, a fun, powerful, rock-solid program for making your own rhythm loops. Professional audio users may want to pick up Plasma just for Fruity Loops Express. Everyone else should skip Plasma and go straight to Sonar. Or, for a full, virtual studio experience, try Propellerhead Reason.
Take me back to the roundup!
The Console view in Plasma is where you customize audio mixes within the program. Here, you'll add audio effects, set levels and keep an eye on them, and automate all of the settings.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 User Rating: 3.5 stars
out of 5 user reviews
A very big dealby - November 25, 2003
Pros: This product has two main features; economy and performance. This is basically Cakewalk's Sonar minus a few features, software which costs nearly ten times as much! This is packaged and sold as just a sound editing/looping program, but one look shows thi
Cons: If you've never used music editing software before, beware! Despite lengthy tutorials and help files, there is a LOT to learn. The interface is less intuitive compared to Acid, but Plasma has far more features. Also, the Mp3 record option has to be bou
Review:
User Rating: 2.0 stars
out of 5 user reviews
Very Crashyby - June 18, 2003
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Repeated crashes after trying various computers, sound cards, sound card drivers, etc,. Something is not quite right about this, and the sad thing is that Sonar will probably misbehave in the same manner. However, I have found Cubasis to be far worse. Maybe I'll move back to Windows 95 and Cakewalk Pro Audio 6.0?
User Rating: 3.0 stars
out of 5 user reviews
plasma 1.0by - March 8, 2003
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Review: i really don't know about the first plasma 1.0... but i will say this.. so far.. cakewalk's plasma 2003 is great... only draw back was it took little time for it to load up on my system.. but since a virus was found on my system and i had to redo the whole thing... again... what once took 10 mins to load.. it loads right up now.. i tell ya plasma 2003 is great.. i had one of there first cakewalk software when it was out.. and i think the new one is worth the money!!!
User Rating: 0.5 stars
out of 5 user reviews
This sucks !!!!by - October 9, 2002
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Review: What a waste of money, I could've bought some cd-r's. There are wayyyyyy too many bugs in the software. Tech support takes forever to reach, I was on hold for a long time and I decided to hang up.
User Rating: 4.0 stars
out of 5 user reviews
so much for so litteby - September 24, 2001
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Cons:
Review: Can't believe how much music-making technology you get for less than $50. The FXPad plug-in is a trip too.
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