Following the acquisition of certain assets and the complete set of intellectual property of Cakewalk Inc. from Gibson Brands on 2/23/18, BandLab Technologies announced the relaunch of SONAR as Cakewalk by BandLab - available free-to-download to all BandLab users worldwide.
As of Feb 21st 2018, information elsewhere on this website may no longer be accurate.
San Francisco, CA, AES 2006 (booth 1426), (October 5, 2006) — Cakewalk, the world’s leading developer of powerful and easy to use products for music creation and recording, announces the release of SONAR 6 Producer Edition, the definitive choice for music creation and audio production. At every step of production—from composing with virtual instruments, to recording, mixing, and beyond—SONAR 6 provides total control, track perfection, and superior sound—all in an inspiring canvas that adapts to your style of music creation.
SONAR set new standards for audio quality with the first true 64-bit double precision mix engine, now SONAR 6 propels music production forward. New features include: Active Controller Technology™ (ACT) changing the way you work with instruments forever; AudioSnap™ the v ery best non-destructive audio timing/manipulation toolset available; completely redesigned Track and Console views, offering advanced customization and navigation; and VC-64 Vintage Channel™ offering the sought-after sound of big desk analog channel strips, with the added benefit of pristine 64-bit double precision processing; more.
New features, workflow innovations, and enhancements include:
Total Control
Active Controller Technology (ACT) — dramatically changes the way you work with your MIDI controllers and control surfaces. With ACT you are always in control. As you navigate through SONAR, ACT automatically remaps MIDI controllers and control surfaces to provide complete tactile control over virtual instruments, effects, and SONAR’s mix parameters.
Synth Rack — Redesigned for SONAR 6, the new Synth Rack provides a control center for all of your virtual instruments. The Synth Rack gives you immediate access to controls of all virtual instruments populating the rack—without having to open individual instruments. Browse presets, automate, freeze, or even link together controls from multiple instruments, all from one central location. Additional highlights include: find instruments quickly with customizable synth icons and names displayed in large type; Mute, Solo; Freeze, QuickFreeze; toggle through Next/Previous Preset; Read and Write automation enable buttons; place automation data anywhere via Automation Track Selector.
Console View — SONAR’s console view has always offered complete flexibility for mixing professionals. Its redesigned, fresh look for version 6 is easier to read and to navigate, vastly improving workflow. The new user interface complements a comprehensive bussing architecture, concise automation controls, real-world metering ballistics, integrated per-channel parametric EQ with plot display, and true surround busses and panning. The dynamic console allows you to show or hide any module in the console including I/O settings, EQ plot and controls, effects bin with assignable controls, sends, read/write automation enable, mute, solo, record, interleave, phase, input monitoring, faders, stereo and surround pan controls, and large/small track icons. Show/hide all tracks, buses, or mains with a simple click. Toggle between narrow or wide channel strip views, either globally or per each individual channel. Also, new automation indicators show when a control has automation data linked to it, and updated Quick Groups provide on-the-fly grouping of tracks or busses.
Customizable User Interface — Total control in a customizable workspace: SONAR 6 puts all your favorite features right at your fingertips in an inviting and flexible user-customizable interface. Complete user control with customizable menus for easy organization and grouping of SONAR functions; global toolbars where you can show/hide any button; create your own track view control layouts; track view controls can be reordered with a simple Alt+drag move ; audio hardware port naming; and custom color schemes with saturation, hue, and brightness controls.
Plug-in organization and support - Further adding to SONAR’s unique level of user-customization is an enhanced and fully integrated Plug-in Manager that lets you create, edit, and save custom menu layout files. Organize plug-in menus to make finding the right plug-ins easier. Group them by user-defined type (Compressors, Reverbs, Delays, etc.) or by style (Vintage, Digital, Abstract, etc.). Choose a different layout at any time on the fly.
In addition, VST support is seamlessly integrated into SONAR 6 and no longer requires an external VST to DX adapter. All VST specific operations are now performed completely within SONAR or the Plug-In Manager .
Track Perfection
AudioSnap — provides complete, non-destructive, multi-track control over audio timing, allowing for instantaneous timing correction/manipulation of recorded parts, quantization of an audio track with the rhythm of another, lock multiple tracks into the same groove, instantly change project tempo, quickly convert audio rhythms to MIDI data, slip-stretch clips to a new time or length—even quantize multiple tracks in relation to each other.
AudioSnap gives the user the choice of multiple algorithms to provide the ultimate flexibility and sound quality when working with different audio sources. Algorithms include: Percussion Mode, Groove Clip, and iZotope Radius™, for the finest in high-quality time stretching.
Session Drummer 2 — designed from the ground up to provide SONAR customers with the fastest way to create inspiring, realistic drum tracks.
Session Drummer 2 includes real, multi-sampled drum kits paired with professionally recorded drum patterns. Users can build an accompaniment by simply loading a drum kit and dragging and dropping patterns into their project. Users can also play patterns or individual drums from any MIDI controller to perform their own drum tracks. Session Drummer 2 also provides the flexibility of custom drum kits, which can be built by loading individual components on pads (including the user’s own WAV, AIFF, or OGG format samples) and then adjusting volume, pan, width, and tuning on each drum.
Session Drummer 2’s amazing sound quality is made possible by the included high-quality samples and MIDI patterns from Smart Loops, an industry leader in rhythm content. These samples are rendered using the unrivaled, non-aliasing Expression Engine™, found exclusively in the Cakewalk Instruments Line. Session Drummer 2 expansion packs are in development; more information to be announced in the near future.
Best Sound
SONAR set new standards for superior sound quality with the industry’s first 64-bit double precision floating point mix engine. This true 64-bit end-to-end signal path provides extended dynamic range with spacious headroom and footroom: preserving the subtle details of a performance heard in the complex character of a fine acoustic instrument or the reverb decay of a vast cathedral.
VC-64 Vintage Channel — offers the classic, sought-after sound of big-desk analog channel strips and dynamics processors, all within a superior in the box mixing environment. VC-64 achieves this exceptional sound quality by taking full advantage of SONAR’s internal 64-bit double precision processing combined with Advanced Component Level Modeling (ACLM) developed by Kjaerhus Audio. In addition, Vintage Channel takes the guesswork out of dialing in the perfect sound by providing a comprehensive collection of professionally designed ‘go-to’ presets.
VC-64’s powerful sound-shaping features include: double precision internal processing; multi-stage processing with up to ten selectable interconnection/routings; serial and parallel compression and EQ stages; two VCA/Opto mode compressors ; two 4-band double precision,parametric EQ’s with five high-quality filter types to ensure accurate alteration of any part of the audio spectrum ; Noise Gate with soft knee; wideband de-esser; user-customizable signal flow including internal side chaining; z ero latency for live use while recording; and f ull automation capability.
Additional SONAR defining technologies and tools
SONAR 6 Studio Edition
At last, project studios and musicians on a budget don’t have to sacrifice features for affordability, because SONAR 6 Studio Edition is built upon the same core feature set and pristine 64-bit double precision engine as SONAR 6 Producer Edition. Fast forward your music production today with the unmatched music creation tools and sonic clarity of SONAR 6.
NOTE: Studio Edition contains AudioSnap Audio Quantize that is limited to one track at a time processing. SONAR 6 Studio Edition also does not have the following features found in SONAR 6 Producer Edition: VC-64 Vintage Channel, Session Drummer 2 virtual drum instrument, Roland V-Vocal VariPhrase technology, PSYN II subtractive synth, Pentagon I analog synth, RXP groove instrument, Perfect Space Convolution Reverb, surround mixing, Sonitus Surround Compressor, POW-r Dithering, MPEX-3 Time Stretching.
Pricing and Availability
SONAR 6 Producer Edition has a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $619 U.S., SONAR 6 Studio Edition is $369 U.S. (MSRP), and both are now shipping. Registered SONAR 5 Producer customers can upgrade to SONAR 6 Producer Edition directly through Cakewalk for $179; SONAR 5 Studio to SONAR 6 Studio Edition for $99. Other upgrade paths are available, visit Cakewalk.com for details.
International pricing
SONAR 6 Producer Edition and Studio Edition ship with English, French, and German printed documentation, and Italian and Spanish electronic quick start guides; along with English, French, German, and Spanish software. SONAR 6 is available through Roland and Edirol distribution partners. Europe's recommended retail price for SONAR 6 Producer Edition and SONAR 6 Studio Edition are €569 and €329 RRP inc VAT respectively; U.K. pricing is £369 and £229 RRP inc VAT respectively; and will be available 15, October 2006. For localized pricing and availability visit:
About Cakewalk, Inc.
Cakewalk, Inc. is the world's leading developer of powerful, yet easy to use products for music creation and recording:
Millions of musicians around the world choose Cakewalk products to produce audio for the professional music, film, broadcast, and video game industries. These customers include Grammy® and Emmy®-winning producers, composers, sound designers and engineers. We invite you to learn more about our company and products by visiting www.cakewalk.com.
Cakewalk is a registered trademark and the Cakewalk logo and SONARare trademarks of Cakewalk, Inc. Other trademarks mentioned are held by their respective owners. All specifications and appearances are subject to change without notice.