Bostonian boffins Cakewalk have unleashed the latest edition of their flagship DAW right on schedule, but is it right on the money?The days are drawing shorter and the leaves are drifting to a dusty hue, but there's no greater clue that autumn has arrived than the release of the annual update to Cakewalk's Sonar DAW for Windows PC. Indeed, having a Sonar licence has begun to feel a little like membership to some elite club, wherein we're expected to cough up annual dues in the form of upgrade fees just to remain current.
But as any card-carrying member of The Kiss Army will tell you, membership has its privileges. No, you don't get an iron-on patch of the Cakewalk guys in full make-up, or a certificate of membership, but rather a fistful of new additions, enhancements and plug-ins, not to mention the knowledge that your dough goes towards maintenance and the odd bit of tidying up.
Now, let's face it: Sonar 7 was already comprehensive, and we said so in our review last year. Heck, Sonar 5 wasn't exactly shabby. You might be inclined to believe that there weren't a whole lot of things that could be added. You'd be right to think so, and the developers seem to agree. This time round, Cakewalk have chosen to steer clear of sweeping changes and grand gestures in favour of refinement and polish.
That's not to say that there isn't enough here to warrant the pricetag. Some of the improvements (instrument tracks, for example) have been a long time coming, while others (such as those to the audio engine itself) may go unnoticed until you need them.
Keeping up appearances?
Even during the install process, it's obvious that changes are afoot. The installer splash screen makes it clear that Sonar now stands under the Roland umbrella - not surprising, given Roland's long-standing ties with Cakewalk, providing both plug-in synths and the impressive V-Vocal
"Sonar 8's developers have wisely steered clear of sweeping changes in favour of refinement and polish"
processing. Despite this, development is still handled by our old friends from Boston, and their decades of experience are clearly evident. This is the Sonar we know, for better or worse.
Why worse? Well, the interface, which hasn't really changed for years, remains somewhat dreary and prone to crowding. Sure, you can choose the toolbars you want to display and even swap out colours, but you're still stuck with the basic overall look and feel - one that some people love, but others find difficult and unfriendly. Strangely, Cakewalk's Home Studio has been given a whitewash and its GUI looks far cleaner than Sonar's, albeit without the latter's wealth of features. But at least Sonar's GUI means those of you who've mastered previous versions already know where to find your favourite stuff.
Two of Sonar 8's most significant changes are directly tied to the user interface. The first is the new Loop Explorer 2.0, which gives users a browser through which audio and MIDI clips may be located, previewed and dragged into the arrangement. If your music is built around loops, this will be a time saver.
Another (and, to our minds, far more crucial) addition is the Instrument Track. While we've gotten used to needing a pair of tracks Cone for MIDI, one for audio) for each virtual instrument we open, we've wondered why it was necessary. Cubase users got an instrument track some time ago, and we've envied the lack of clutter. Now Sonar users can open an instrument using a similarly dedicated track. Once you've done this, deleting the instrument results in the track being automatically split into separate audio and MIDI tracks, preserving any MIDI data and audio effects along the way. You can also split the Instrument Track manually - a thoughtful touch. Sadly, though, Cakewalk Arpeggiator is out for this sort of track because, despite the audio FX Bin being available to an Instrument Track, you can't use MIDI effects plug-ins with them.
Performance enhancers
Many of the most significant changes in Sonar 8 are not apparent upon first (or even second) glance. Cakewalk have made a concerted effort to optimise the performance of the audio engine and even the graphics - a welcome improvement after we took them to task about some graphics bugs last time around. The annoying 'flickering' that once plagued the DAW's visuals (especially when resizing windows) has been rendered a thing of the past. The graphics are snappier and cleaner, launch time has been reduced, and the metering is now more precise. Vista users in particular will be pleased that Sonar 8 has been optimised for that particular system. Some improvements are particularly noticeable on 64-bit systems. Latencies on X64 machines are no longer substantially higher than on X86 boxes, as was the case in past versions.
Fortunately, these tweaks don't come at the expense of CPU cycles. If anything, this version seems to use less processing power. This translates into better audio performance, lower latencies and fewer drop outs. We'd grown used to Sonar's audio engine periodicallly grinding to a halt, but we encountered no such stalls this time around. That isn't to say the audio is entirely glitch free, however. There are still brief moments of silence while changing loop points on the fly.
Worse still, when we tried to normalise a file while the audio was playing, the resultant clip was ridden with glitches (though fortunately this doesn't occur when normalising offline). Cakewalk are aware of the bug and are working to sort it out.
On a positive note, we were thrilled to discover that changes made to the audio driver settings no longer require a restart to take effect. Though most users will never actually make such changes mid-flight, it was always a drag for those who needed it.
Snagging list
Some of Sonar 8's additions and enhancements finally bring it up to speed with its competitors. We've always wondered, for example, why you couldn't arm recording while the audio was playing or recording, allowing audio to be punched into a track on the fly. It saves disk space and helps keep the creative juices flowing. Tape decks and competing DAWs allow it and now, finally, Sonar does too.
Users of previous Sonars have also levelled complaints at Cakewalk's ASIO implementation. It used to be that ASIO devices were occasionally stopped and restarted upon engaging the transport. Thankfully, now that this problem has been remedied, ASIO devices are always running.
Happily, one of Sonar 7's most irritating issues has been resolved - the fact that the audio metronome would skip the first beat. This was due to the fact that the first ASIO buffer was inaudible, and at long last it's been rectified.
Sonar users looking to integrate their DAW with external hardware will also be pleased to know that Sonar now enables the assignment of audio to mono outputs. This makes it a snap to apply a favourite vintage processor or mix tracks in a hardware mixer for some of that old time analogue mojo.
As if that wasn't enough, Sonar 8's new Clip Selection Groups function enables clips to be grouped together and edited as one. You can group selected clips or you can automatically group together any clips created by any multitrack recording.
When you're busy playing with your new Clip Selection Groups, you'll likely want to make use of the Aim Assist Cursor - a new visual guide for lining things up in the Clips pane. Activate the Aim Assist button in the Track view toolbar and you'll be able to avail yourself of the Aim Assist Line, now visible in the Clips pane.
Conclusions
We've merely scratched the surface here, focusing on the most significant features and enhancements, but there are loads more. When we reviewed Sonar 7 last year, awarding it not just a 10/10 score but all four of our awards, we commented that Cakewalk would have to screw things up pretty badly to get anything less than a nine out of ten and this observation remains true of version eight.
A glance at the feature list and the included plug-ins makes it obvious that Sonar remains the most complete Windows PC DAW on the market. This makes Producer Edition (and indeed, the cutdown Studio Edition) a no-brainer for first-time buyers, assuming they're happy with the somewhat dreary user interface. Given that previous versions have been so complete, however, users of Sonar 7 might not be so willing to pony up the upgrade fee, especially considering that so many of Sonar 8's improvements lie hidden beneath the surface. Those who do decide to hand over the cash though, will find the program they love is now zippier, friendlier and far less demanding. Another good showing from Cakewalk!
Contact: Edirol Europe, 0870 3501515
Web: www.cakewalk.com
Info: Sonar 8 Studio Edition, £219 Upgrade from Sonar 7 PE, $179
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Cakewalk know talent when they hear it, and they've tapped the geniuses at Studio Devil to bring the TL-64 Limiter to Sonar 8 PE users.In TruePianos, included with Sonar PE, the boffins at 4Front Technology have managed to squeeze a realistic grand piano into your PC.
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Guitar-wranglers will be itching to get their hands on the LE version of Native Instruments' killer Guitar Rig 3 that's included with Sonar 8 PEBox frenzy: the included effects
Both Sonar 8 Studio and Producer Editions offer a wealth of high quality processors. All your old favourites are still here, but now the collection has been augmented with some serious axe-slinging firepower. Included in the Producers Edition, a stripped-down 'LE' form of Native Instruments' Guitar Rig 3 offers a vast palette of guitar processing power, with three amps and cabinets, nearly a dozen effects, a built-in tuner and a slightly redundant metronome among the features included.
Additionally, the Producer Edition includes the TL-64 Tube Leveler, a fully automatable dynamics unit designed by Gallo Engineering, who are behind the Studio Devil guitar amp sims that have garnered much acclaim among cm staff.
Cakewalk have utilised the linear-phase technology found in their LP-64 EQ and LP-64 Multiband plug-ins to fuel the new TS-64 Transient Shaper. This seemingly innocuous little delight gives you full control over the transients of the incoming signal. You can change the attack and shape characteristics with a few simple controls.
Finally, both packages include a brace of Channel Tools that provide control over the left/right channel placement, gain and phase. You can use them to decode mid-side recordings or narrow (or widen) the stereo field.
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The highly acclaimed Dimension Pro ROMpler is now included with Sonar Producer Edition≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌
Get your groove on with Beatscape, one of three new instruments included in Sonar 8 PEThe plunder: Sonar 8's new instruments
Cakewalk have delivered some serious new firepower in Sonar 8, though major additions are, predictably, exclusive to the Producer Edition.
We can detect the work of Z3TA+ creator Rene Ceballos in Beatscape, a groovy gubbin that combines loop-slicing and a 4GB collection of loop construction kits into a percussive powerhouse that resembles Akai's MPC grooveboxes. Samples are assigned to any of 16 pads, which can each be edited and have effects applied. Designed to be played live, you can trigger samples from the GUI or your MIDI keyboard.
Also exhibiting Mr Ceballos's deft touch is Cakewalk's Dimension Pro - included here in its entirety. This wavetable powerhouse covers virtually any contingency with 8GB of content, including pads, brass, leads and orchestral sounds. No mere ROMpler, Dimension Pro is a fully kitted-out wavetable synth with flexible modulation and stunning filters. It's a humdinger and no mistake.
Finally, the Producer Edition comes bundled with a version of 4Front Technology's gorgeousTruePianos. This, the 'Amber' model, combines samples and physical modeling to create a stunningly real grand piano with seven variations. It's really something to play and hear.
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System requirements
(PC) Intel Pentium 41.3Ghz or AMD
XP, DVD drive
Test system
(PC) AMD Turion 64,2GHz, 1GB RAM, Windows XP Home, M-Audio Fast Track Pro, M-Audio 02
Alternatively
Steinberg Cubase 4 cm107» 9/10 » £473
A firm favourite cross-platform, but it looks a bit anaemic next to Sonar
Ableton Suite (inc. Live 7) cm121» 9/10 » £539
Complete package, particularly with Ableton's instruments and sounds
Verdict
FOR
- Improvements to the audio engine
- Instrument Tracks, at long last
- TruePianos sounds incredible!
- Really? Dimension Pro in full?
- No restart after changing audio drivers
- Arm recording during playback or record
AGAINST
- Audio not entirely glitch-free
- No MIDI FX plug-ins in Instrument Tracks
Sonar keeps getting better and version 8 is no exception, though some of the main improvements are under the hood
MARK: 9/10
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