SONAR 8.5 Studio Edition Advanced DAW Music Software

SONAR 8.5 Studio Edition: The definitive audio production environment for Windows. Take a fresh look at your evolving music creation and production needs, and turn to SONAR 8 Studio Edition, the technology leading digital audio workstation. SONAR offers a remarkable experience that excels at every step of your production -from its inspiring, open and customizable environment, to intuitive music creation and editing tools, to polished mixing, editing and delivery - with the recognized best audio quality in the industry.

For really detailed information on Sonar 8 Studio Edition, take a look at the Sonar 8 Studio Page

NEW Creative features

• Innovative Step Sequencer view provides the best step sequencer feature set available in any DAW today
• Smart MIDI Tools, intuitively use one tool for multiple editing tasks; Completely user-configurable
• Multilane controller editing in Piano Roll view
• MIDI display features including MIDI Magnifier, MIDI Colorizer, and MIDI Meters
• Enhanced MIDI editing with functions for splitting, gluing, muting and quantizing notes
• More ACT (Active Controller Technology) presets for popular hardware
• New instruments: Z3TA+ waveshaping synthesizer Dimension LE (featuring Garritan Pocket Orchestra), Rapture LE, and DropZone
• Roland V-Vocal ? 1.5, now with Pitch to MIDI conversion
• Original SMPTE time stamps now stored with clips with easy revert to original time stamp
• Right-click at cursor to Import audio/MIDI data
• Record large scale projects with 2GB+ w/ Wave-64 files
• High bandwidth multi-track recording optimizations

NEW Polish & Delivery features

• LP-64 Multiband linear phase mastering compressor/limiter with Auto-Q functionality
• LP-64 EQ linear phase mastering EQ
• Internal sidechaining for Sonitus:fx Compressor, Sonitus:fx Gate, VC-64 Vintage Channel, and 3rd party VST plug-ins with sidechain (multi-input) capability
• Insert and mix with external hardware effects and instruments with automatic plug-in delay compensation
• Maximize tracks with Boost 11 Peak Limiter
• Dim Solo keeps tracks in context, by reducing volume of unsoloed tracks by 6, 12, of 18 dB instead of muting
• Shortcuts for assigning a series of audio inputs, and routing selected tracks/busses to the same input/output/main
• Drag & drop EQ settings across channels in the console view
• New file format import/export options including Sony Wave-64, AIF, CAF, FLAC, Sound Designer II
• Integrated Audio CD ripping and burning
• Cakewalk Publisher 2.0 for uploading and presenting music online

Step Sequencer View

• Control velocity offset and scale values in an entire row all at once
• 16 steps per beat with 64 beats per pattern; mono/poly toggle switch; swing control; articulation.
• Advanced Drum Mapping and MIDI
  routing provides the ultimate in flexibility for triggering different sounds from different instruments, simultaneously from the same step sequencer.
• Fit Pattern to Quarters control fits a
  pattern into a length of any number of quarter notes. Great for polyrhythmic parts.

Smart MIDI Tools

• Revolutionizes SONAR's MIDI editing workflow by providing users with an innovative and powerful user customization feature.
• Up to three flexible user-configurable MIDI tools sets
• Up to 20 different mouse actions that can be performed per tool
• Configure multiple tools for specific operations with control over specific edit behavior: change the way draw and erase works,
• Custom Smart MIDI Tool assignments can be saved as presets and apply to both the PRV & Inline PianoRoll.

More MIDI Enhancements

Multiple controller lanes

In Piano Roll View (PRV) multiple MIDI parameters
can be displayed simultaneously via a multi-lane format, making it easier than ever to edit MIDI data such as velocity, modulation, pitch bend and CCs. Additionally, controller data can be moved and copied across lanes.

• MIDI magnifier
  zoom and edit midi inplace
• MIDI colorizer
  new color options for visual feedback
• MIDI meters
• Auto-select controllers with notes
• Draw controller data at snap settings
• New editing functions: split, glue, mute

Real-time Drag-Quantize

allows selected notes and events to be quickly aligned with snap settings. Simply move the mouse up and notes move closer to snap settings, move the mouse down and the selected notes move away - all in real-time.

New Goto Instruments

• Z3TA+ - phat Virtual Analog sound
• Dropzone - Drag and Drop sample player/synth
• Rapture LE - modern electronic sounds
• Dimension LE w/ Garritan Pocket Orchestra - Realistic Instruments

LP-64 EQ linear phase mastering EQ

• Equalizer to put that professional sheen on a final mix with superior-quality, linear-phase output.
• Two modes of operation (parametric with graphical control points) for the ultimate flexibility in the creation of deep notches, resonant peaks and steep roll offs.
• Graphical curve editing mode; Up to 20 control points can be added to EQ graph.
• HUD- heads-up display provides constant and detailed control point information.
• +/- 24 dB gain change range per control point.
• 64-bit double precision signal processing, up to 192 kHz resolution.
• Low CPU intensive optimization.

LP-64 Multiband linear phase mastering compressor/limiter

Provides transparent peak limiting and volume maximization.

• Two modes of operation: User selectable or PDR (Program Dependent Release) that automatically minimizes pumping
• Auto-Q automatically adjusts the linear-phase filters to maintain ideal overlap - whether dialing in broad, subtle crossovers, or tight notches and boosts
• +/- 18 dB gain change range per control point
• 64-bit double-precision processing, up to 192 kHz resolution
• Mono and stereo operation
• Low CPU intensive optimization

Internal Plug-in Sidechaining

Sonitus:fx compressor, Sonitus:fx gate and VC-64 Vintage Channel support internal sidechaining (multi-input plug-in support) providing users with more flexibility and control over mix processes.

• Leverages SONAR's Universal Bus Architecture framework.
• Opens up creative options e.g., via key-triggered sound effects.
• Support for all sidechain complaint (multi-input) VST processors plug-ins.

More Plug-in Power

• External Insert Plug-in w/ PDC (processors and instruments)
• V-vocal 1.5 pitch to midi
• Boost 11 Peak Limiter

Cakewalk Publisher 2.0

Cakewalk Publisher integrated in SONAR, presents an innovative new tool to publish and present music online.

Cakewalk Publisher provides a fast and easy way to create a customized, online, streaming music player with playlists that can then be directly uploaded from SONAR to band websites, MySpace pages, and other Internet sites.

• Simply drag files into Publisher to quickly create playlists
• Build custom Flash-based Audio Players with choice of colors, size, layout, etc., to match
  your web design
• Support for Album Art: Choose an image and URL for each song in your playlist
• Upload music and players to your website
• Generates XML to embed customized players on many websites (Myspace, etc.)

Additional Enhancements

• More ACT (Active Controller Technology) presets for popular hardware
• Original SMPTE time stamps now stored with clips with easy revert to original time stamp
• Right-click at cursor to Import audio/MIDI data
• Record large scale projects with 2GB+ wave files
• High bandwidth multi-track recording optimizations
• Dim Solo keeps tracks in context, by reducing volume of unsoloed tracks by 6, 12, of 18 dB instead of muting
• Shortcuts for assigning a series of audio inputs, and routing selected tracks/busses to the same input/output/main
• Drag & drop EQ settings across channels in the console view
• New file format import/export options including Sony Wave-64, AIF, CAF, FLAC, Sound Designer II
• Integrated Audio CD ripping and burning

System Requirements - Minimum

Operating System: Windows XP
Processor Speed: Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+ Or higher
RAM: 256 MB
Graphics (resolution, color depth): 1024x768, 16-bit color
Hard Disk Space: 100 MB for full program installation
Hard Disk Type: Any
MIDI Interface**: Windows-compatible
Audio Interface***: Windows-compatible
Media Drive*****: DVD-ROM, DVD+/-R, or DVD+/- RW Drive

System Requirements - Recommended

Operating System: Windows XP/Vista (32 and 64-bit), can be run on Mac OS X with Boot Camp
Processor Speed: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz [EM64T] or AMD Athlon 64 2800+ Or higher
RAM: 1 GB or higher
Graphics (resolution, color depth): 1280x960, 24-bit color or higher
Hard Disk Space: 6 GB
Hard Disk Type: EIDE/Ultra DMA (7200 RPM) or SATA
MIDI Interface**: Windows-compatible
Audio Interface***: WDM- or ASIO-compatible****
Media Drive*****: DVD-ROM, DVD+/-R, or DVD+/- RW Drive

* SONAR does not officially support Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000 or XP x64
** Required to connect external MIDI devices
***Required for audio playback
**** See www.cakewalk.com/PCResource for a complete list of recommended audio devices
***** SONAR is presented on DVD media. DVD-ROM, DVD+/-R, or DVD+/- RW Drive required for installation.

Registration is required for continued use of the product, and may be done by Internet or telephone. Instructions and Cakewalk's privacy policy will be detailed to you during launch of the product.