Version Notes

Windows version 8.5

MAC version no

Software Introduction

Sonar, short for Cakewalk Sonar, is a music production workstation-class software and Cakewalk's flagship product. Powerful and professional, Sonar music production software can be used to edit, compose, and debug MIDI music. Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 has been fully cracked and features a fully Chinese interface.

cakewalk?It is a music software designed specifically for musicians, composers, arrangers, audio and production engineers, multimedia and game developers and recording engineers.

With the rapid development of computer technology, the performance of computers has become stronger and stronger, and they play an increasingly important role in the music production industry. Sonar has grown and developed according to this historical trend. From the earliest Sonar1.0 version to the latest Sonar8.5 version in 2007, it has developed into an all-round music production workstation software and has become one of the must-know software for professional musicians.

The future development direction of music workstations is the integrated production of MIDI, audio, and sound sources (synthesizers). The first to implement this method was the famous Cubase software. Cakewalk caught up and developed a new generation of music workstations, Sonar. Sonar has two models, the fully functional one is called Sonar XL, and the simplified one is called Sonar. Sonar's self-developed DXi platform allows third-party software synthesizers to be used as plug-ins in Sonar. In the future, friends can make music independently in Sonar without the need for traditional synthesizers. Sonar also has a powerful loop function and can be used for practical dance music production.

A new generation of music workstation - cakewalk sonar!

CakeWalk SONAR is a digital audio workstation (DAW) that offers countless possibilities for anyone looking to make music on a PC. For amateur and professional musicians, the continued development of computer software provides exciting opportunities for experimentation and development.

Cakewalk, the world's leading developer of powerful yet easy-to-use music creation and recording products, announced a feature upgrade for SONAR Producer, the leading choice for digital audio workstations, and SONAR Studio, the most powerful digital audio workstation in its price range. SONAR 8.5 continues the innovation with new features including enhanced beat creation and arrangement tools, a new drum instrument loaded with stellar kits and patterns, an enhanced audio timing toolset, new multi-stage effects plug-ins for drum and percussion sounds and vocal tracks, engine optimizations and stability improvements, and numerous other workflow and technical advancements, notably Windows 7 compatibility.

New features and workflow enhancements

• Matrix View — Simple and flexible cell-based non-linear audio and MIDI arrangement with real-time triggering.
• Step Sequencer 2.0 — The most powerful step sequencing capabilities of any DAW.
• Integrated arpeggiator — Trigger arpeggios on MIDI or instrument tracks and have deep control over all arp parameters. Hundreds of presets included.
• Session Drummer 3 — The latest version of Cakewalk’s virtual instrument makes creating drum tracks fast and easy with a new UI, best-in-class sound kits, and modes for top sound designers and drummers.
• AudioSnap 2.0 — Updated audio quantization and time-shifting technology, a new look and optimizations for all core controls, significant workflow improvements, and improved offline rendering.
• Media Browser — A new hub for accessing content in SONAR; supports multiple formats to preview and import all loops, grooves, and MIDI patterns; features presets for quickly grabbing content from your favorite locations.
• PX-64 Percussion Bar—Seven-stage processor designed specifically for drums and percussion.
• VX-64 Vocal Belt — Seven-stage processor optimized for shaping and sculpting tracks.
• Windows 7 support — Tested, ready to go, recommended.
• Engine Optimizationand stability improvements for recording audio and looping playback.
• "Hot-plugging" audio and MIDI devices, including control surfaces, without having to restart the sonar.
• VST plug-in compatibility improvements.
• Native REX loop supportAvailable in Tracks view, Media Browser, and Matrix view.
• BitBridge XR — When running 32-bit plug-ins in a 64-bit environment, memory access is now extended to 128 GB of RAM.
• etc.

Matrix View—With simple and flexible cell-based non-linear audio and MIDI arrangement and triggering, Matrix offers new ways to experiment with arrangements or create remixes of existing songs, or quickly lay down tracks for new songs in any genre. Matrix is also the perfect tool for beat juggling and live triggering of one-shots and backing tracks.

Matrix view is easy to use; simply drag and drop any type of audio or MIDI clip/file/pattern from Track view, the Media Browser, or the desktop into an empty cell, then click a cell or column of cells to toggle playback on and off. With four trigger modes, multiple playback styles, and advanced MIDI control, Matrix provides a comfortable looping environment for any trigger. Click the Capture button to simultaneously record your Matrix performance in SONAR's Track view as an arrangement of audio and MIDI tracks.

feature:

• Cell-based view provides non-linear arrangement and real-time triggering.
• Sync to SONAR transfer/tracking view.
• Capture matrix "performances" to tracking view in one step for more precise editing and mixing.
• Drag and drop any audio (multiple files at a time) and MIDI content from Tracks view or the Media Browser into the Matrix.
• Four trigger modes with Measure, Beat, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64 note resolution.
• Playback Style: Global and per-cell modes for looping and latching (set the cell to trigger from the beginning, or offset from SONAR Now time).
• Flexible routing: each row is routed to one track, multiple rows can be routed to the same track, each row can be muted and soloed.
• Fully MIDI controllable.

Step Sequencer 2.0 — SONARStep SequencerStep Sequencer 2.0 is renowned for being the most advanced and comprehensive view available in any DAW today. It takes this functionality to the next level, increasing the depth of control over your sequences. Step Sequencer 2.0 was built with three goals in mind: simplifying the interface for an elegant and musical workflow, designing a set of useful and powerful per-channel controls, and providing more granular control over each step adjustment.

New Features in Step Sequencer 2.0

• Enhanced SONAR integration: Every virtual instrument loaded in SONAR now includes a step sequencer button, making it easy to create patterns and sequences to use that instrument.
• Add a Flam to any step by simply double-clicking it (then adjust the timing with the Flam Time knob).
• Easily load/save patterns from the Options button, or drag and drop patterns from the Media Browser.
• The new AutoFill feature provides a quick way to fill a lane every 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 steps.
• Redesigned controller pane for articulation and controls for each row, including volume, pan, pitch bend, mod wheel, portamento.
• Per-step parameter control of velocity, time offset, probability, channel-based MIDI articulation, filter cutoff, and filter resolution.
• Parameter values are now displayed as bars below the steps in the controller pane, making editing per-step parameters such as velocity, step offset, probability, and other MIDI articulations quick and easy.
• Exclusive Per-Step Probability provides control over the probability of how often steps are triggered. Use this to create automatic variations (so that certain steps only play occasionally) to keep repetitive patterns sounding fresh.
• All of this is combined with the features of Step Sequencer 1.0 including: step recording, tempo multiplier, fit-in-quarter function and more.

Session Drummer 3Session Drummer has always been a SONAR mainstay for creating realistic drum tracks quickly and easily. Now, Session Drummer 3 takes the stage with a fresh new look, featuring sleek, realistic 3D drum kits, routing improvements, 12 new kits, and over 700 new patterns for additional high-quality drum sounds and grooves.

feature:

• Realistic drum kit page for loading kits, programs, patterns, and adjusting mappings.
• Dedicated mixer page for fine-tuning the kit (12 channels each), with access to volume, pan, width and tuning controls.
• Mix and match kit components: All kit parts are broken down into separate components for flexible drum sound creation. Over 200 different drum sounds are available in 20+ kits.
• Drag-and-Drop Drum Kits: Build kits by dragging any WAV or OGG file from your desktop onto the pads.
• A comprehensive collection of presets and MIDI-based loops to give your drum tracks a creative jump-start.
• Flexible MIDI mode playback.
• 12 pads/12 outputs.

content:

• 10 high-quality kits from renowned content provider Sonic Reality, playable in any track, plus a coupon for a free download of an Ocean Way Drums kit.
• 2 polished kits from Steven Slate Drums, fine-tuned and tweaked to sound great in any mix.
• Genre-defining original samples of classic Roland TR-707, TR-727, TR-808, and TR-909 drum synths, plus kits from Sequential Circuits Drumtraks and Linn Electronics LinnDrum.
• 2 organic kits from smart cycles.
• Over 700 new MIDI patterns from Steven Slate Drums, Groove Monkee, and Smart Loops.
• That's over 2.5 GB of drum sample content in total.

AudioSnap 2.0 — The original AudioSnap AudioSnap 2.0 offers powerful, non-destructive, multi-track control over audio timing. It features a refreshing new look and refinements to its core controls, significantly improving workflow. New features include a streamlined UI, dedicated transient tools, a scale stretch mode, and multi-track audio stretching and quantization that maintains precise phase relationships. Scale stretching can be used to correct unwanted timing fluctuations or provide gradual timing adjustments across multiple transient ranges. Furthermore, rendered audio fidelity has been dramatically improved with the new Radius Blend Advance mode.

New features in AudioSnap 2:

• The AudioSnap Palette displays all commands and options in an easy-to-read toolbar.
• The simplified appearance of transient markers reduces visual clutter and increases focus on relevant information.
• The transient tool allows dragging or snapping transients without worrying about inadvertently moving audio clips; lasso selection allows grouped transient editing.
• The Merge and Lock Transients command is ideal for editing, stretching, and quantizing multitrack drums while maintaining the audio’s phase.
• Grouped proportional stretching makes it easy to correct for fluctuations in performance tempo without losing feel.
• Follow audio, groove, step sequencer and MIDI groove clips from the transient tabs available in track and piano roll views.
• Tempo Detection, Tempo Mapping, and Tempo-Synced Audio. A new tempo detection algorithm automatically detects the tempo of all audio in SONAR, and the Clip Tempo Mapping feature allows for easy manual mapping of non-rhythmic, non-constant, or atypical audio.
• Enhanced Fidelity with Radius Mix Advanced Mode: New Radius Mix settings improve Pitch Coherence, preserving the natural timbre of human speech, vocals, reeds, and brass instruments.

VX-64 Vocal BeltThe VX-64 is a seven-stage processor designed for sculpting incredible tracks. Each stage of the VX-64 has been fine-tuned for vocals, allowing you to work without loading up your entire vocal processor chain. Featuring new Cakewalk technology, the VX-64 employs phase-coherent, multi-band saturation to avoid unwanted distortion; unique filtering to avoid artifacts in extreme high and low frequencies; and an auto-leveling circuit to prevent tube saturation from sounding harsh when processing high-gain transients. The VX-64 also features a new de-biasing algorithm designed with Cakewalk's LP-64 linear phase-effect filtering technology to eliminate sibilance without introducing any frequency smearing.

The VX-64 includes 64 go-to presets along with click-and-drag reordering for processing stage routing, making it quick and easy to achieve high-quality vocals in seconds.

The processing stages include:

• Input — Simulated tube preamplifier.
• De-ess — Removes sibilance without adding smearing.
• Compander — A vocal compressor with an expander to reduce unwanted background noise.
• Tube EQ — Use to add character, from subtle warmth to intense heat.
• Multiplier — Advanced multiplier effect that delivers realistic re-tracking quality.
• Delay — Preset delays, suitable for tempo-synced vocal tracks.
• Output — Provides saturation control via a built-in soft clipping filter.

PX-64 Percussion BarThe PX-64 Percussion Ribbon is a seven-stage processor designed specifically for shaping drum and percussion sounds. Like the VX-64 Vocal Ribbon, the PX-64 Percussion Ribbon utilizes Cakewalk's proprietary tube saturation algorithm, along with unique filtering and auto-leveling circuitry. The PX-64 Percussion Ribbon combines transient shaping, compression, expansion, EQ, delay, and tube saturation in a single, convenient plug-in. It includes 70 preferred presets and click-and-drag reordering of processing stage routing, making it quick and easy to enhance any drum or percussion track in seconds.

The processing stages include:

• INPUT — Input/gain stage emulating a tube preamplifier.
• Transient Shaper — Shapes the attack stage of the audio signal independently of the decay/sustain stage.
• Compressor — Balances the overall signal level and limits the dynamic range.
• Expander — Controls the dynamic range by reducing levels below a specified threshold.
• Contour EQ — 4-band EQ optimized for drums and percussion.
• Delay — Adds space and rhythm to your signal, with the option to sync tempo to your host.
• OUTPUT — Dedicated saturation control for the output gain stage and built-in soft clipping filter.

Integrated ArpeggioArpeggiator — Every MIDI and instrument track in SONAR now has a built-in arpeggiator, allowing you to transform the simplest chord progressions into exciting new sonic textures. SONAR Arpeggiator is the perfect tool for adding variety to any instrument or MIDI track that repeats multiple times in a song, or for creating complimentary parts using other instrument sounds that follow a chord progression. SONAR Arpeggiator includes hundreds of presets, patterns, and classic algorithms, and provides powerful control over not only the arpeggio's rate, octave range, latch, swing, blaze, speed, duration, and pitch offset, but also control over mix, channel input, and shape.

Media Browser SONAR's Loop Browser view has been updated and expanded. The new Media Browser is now the content hub of SONAR. Audio groove clips, step sequencer patterns, REX loops, and Project5 MIDI PTN files can all be previewed in the Media Browser and easily dragged to any track. Similarly, video files can be viewed in the Media Browser and easily dragged to the video thumbnail track. Users' content folders can be stored and recalled as convenient Media Browser presets. SONAR 8.5 ships with out-of-the-box presets that target Beatscape REX loops, Session Drummer 3 MIDI drum loops, step sequencer patterns, RXP REX loops, PTN MIDI patterns, and MIDI groove clips.

Engine optimizations, leading technology innovations, and other workflow enhancements

• Engine Optimization Audio interfaces, MIDI interfaces, and control surfaces can now be disconnected and reconnected, or "hot-swapped," while SONAR is running, without having to restart SONAR. This is particularly useful for plugging in a new MIDI controller while you're inspired to lay down a new part, or when your audio interface needs to be repowered. SONAR 8.5 also includes optimizations and stability improvements when recording audio and looping.

• Open support — Cakewalk has always been and continues to be a supporter of open standards in both software and hardware. SONAR 8.5 brings various compatibility improvements for VST plug-ins, as well as Cakewalk's BitBridge technology, which allows classic 32-bit "x86" VST plug-ins to be accessed in a 64-bit "x64" environment. SONAR Producer customers can take advantage of the new BitBridge XR, which automatically provides up to 32 BitBridge servers, each capable of using up to 4GB of RAM, for a total of 128GB of RAM access from 32-bit plug-ins! SONAR also now offers native REX loop support through Track view, an updated Media Browser, and a new Matrix view.

• Windows 7 Ready - Cakewalk is Microsoft's 2009Partner of the YearAs you would expect from the industry-leading Windows DAW, SONAR 8.5 was designed from the ground up forWindows 7Cakewalk has been testing SONAR on Windows 7 since the early beta versions through the latest release candidate, and we are pleased to recommend Windows 7 as the platform for SONAR 8.5. Furthermore, SONAR 8.5 was evaluated in the independent Microsoft Application Compatibility Lab and officially passed rigorous Windows 7 compatibility testing.

• Freeze and Archive buttons are now conveniently located on each track.
• Updated Insert Send Assistant to have matching track gain/pan when creating sends.
• Solo buttons on all effect plug-in windows allow you to quickly solo and focus on the track you are processing.
• New Track View Grid Lines option to show grid lines behind or in front of clips.
• New option to automatically lock scrolling during playback when starting an edit.
• During playback, you can drag the Now Time cursor to a new position.
• New Effects: SONAR 8.5 now includes the Project5 effects suite, including Alias Factor Bit Extractor, Classic Phaser (Tempo Sync), Compressor/Gate, HF Exciter, Modular Filter (Tempo Sync), Chorus/Flanger (Tempo Sync), Para-Q, StudioVerb II, and Tempo Delay.
• A DC offset table has been added to the Cakewalk Analyst plugin.
• Installation is simplified with a simple one-click installation option that accepts all default settings and locations and installs the entire SONAR application along with plug-ins and content data.

Other key features of Sonar 8.5 Maker

• Original 64-bit mixing engine; the first true 64-bit end-to-end signal path
• Customizable user interface: Put your favorite features at your fingertips
• Active Controller Technology (ACT): Dynamically map effects, mixing, and instrument parameters to any MIDI controller or hardware control surface, automatically remapping parameters to whichever view has focus
• Roland V-Vocal VariPhrase technology enables perfect tracking with exceptional audio stretching; pitch correction; dynamics control, phrasing, vibrato; and pitch-to-MIDI conversion
• Smart MIDI Tools
• World-class instruments: Z3TA+ 1.5 waveform synthesizer, Dimension Pro, Rapture LE, DropZone drag-and-drop sampler and REX loop editor, over 1,000 instrument sounds.
• World-class effects: Perfect Space Convolution Reverb, TS-64 Transient Shaper, TL-64 Tube Leveler, VC-64 Vintage Channel, Native Instrument Guitar Rig 3 LE, Boost 11 Peak Limiter
• Linear Phase Mastering Effects: LP-64 Multiband and LP-64 EQ
• Surround Bridge – Easily use stereo effects in a surround sound environment
• POW-r Jitter and MPEX 3 Time Scaling
• Bus and synth waveform previews
• Clip-based effects and editing
• Crash recovery protects projects from malfunctioning plugins and other sources of crashes
• Integrated CD ripping and burning
• CakeTrail Publisher 2.0

Sonar 8.5 Studio

SONAR 8.5 Studio offers the best creative tools and the most powerful features of any digital audio workstation in its price range. Built on the same core feature set as SONAR 8 Producer, SONAR 8.5 Studio gives you the edge in your productions, from recording audio and MIDI, composing with virtual instruments, remixing with loops, mixing with professional effects, to delivering polished final tracks with the industry's recognized best audio quality.

SONAR 8.5 Studio includes all the features of SONAR 8 Producer, minus the following Producer Exclusives: Matrix View, Lexicon Pantheon Reverb (Studio includes Pantheon SE), LP-64 EQ, LP-64 Multiband, TS-64 Transient Shaper, TL-64 Tube Leveler, VC-64 Vintage Channel, Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 LE, Sonitus Surround Compressor, Dimension Pro 1.2 (Studio includes Dimension LE), DSF Classic Keys Expansion Pack and Hollywood Edge FX for Dimension Pro, TruePianos Amber VSTi, Beatscape Looping Instrument, Z3TA+ Waveshaping Synth, Surround Mixer, and POW-r Dither.