It’s no secret, Sonar has always been on top of any respectable producer’s list. With it’s 64bit “Windows 7 Ready” processing power, a wonderful set of plugins, and complex editing features it’s no wonder a lot of people use it daily as their DAW of choice.
There’s a lot to be said about this new version, but I’m only only going to mention the most notable features and improvements. So…
The most notable feature (in my opinion at least!) is “Skylight“, as Cakewalk named it – this comprises Sonar’s UI enhancements – the new window, the new MultiDock that can be set to show any of Sonar’s views (including the console, arrange view, piano-roll and some synth and effects interfaces).
The new Main Window can be either collapsed or expanded, and it’s designed in such way that it minimizes the need to switch between multiple windows when working. From what I’ve read so far, Cakewalk says that this new feature is ideal for people who work with 2 or more monitors, as the new MultiDock can be moved to a separare monitor so that functions you frequently use always stay visible.
The new Inspector Panel that displays clip / track / channel data will now show you (when highlighted) the full channel strip with sends/inserts, and also that channel’s output bus.
The new SmartTool is a context-sensitive tool which aims to reduce the amount of “tool-changing”, by implementing it on your mouse, depending on where this points to. This means you can cut / select / move items withouth switching tools. If you really need to switch your tool, you can use the new Tool HUD (head-up display). This floating window allows you to select any tool you like, including the SmartTool. You can also drag this window anywhere you like, or hide/show it with one keystroke. This is guaranteed to speed up your workflow!
The keyboard shortcuts have also been “touched”, and are now grouped around the new AlphaKey, a key around which all shortcuts for similay keys are based.
There’s also the new Pro Channel. It’s a chain containing a compressor, a eq, and a valve saturation simulator and you can use it on any channel or bus. You can choose from 2 compressor types and when this ProChannel thingy is switched on for a channel, the default compressor will be PC76 (classic FET levelling amplifier emulation). When on a bus however, the default compressor is Cakewalk’s PC4K-S. The compressor can be switched between those 2 types at any given time. The eq on Pro Channel features Gloss EQ, a 6 band parametric eq which works in 3 ways: Pure, Vintage and Modern. The bands are configured like this: Two shelf/bell bands, four bell/notch bands, and two fully parametric filters (one high-pass and one low-pass).
The Valve Saturation Emulation can be switched off/on and features 2 drive algorithms. The accompanying Drive control, however, ranges from “simple drive to full saturation”. You can use these 3 components in any order you want – there are no rules. And that’s a good thing for creativity purposes.
As you’ve probably noticed by now, Cakewalk’s thoughts on this were to make Sonar more “user friendly”, and to speed up the workflow. Even though I still think that working in Ableton Live is the fastest way to do anything, I personally think that Cakewalk is going a great job on this. They’ve done amazing things with each update and this is no exception at all. There’s only one thing i can say, and that is congratulations! You’ve come a long way since the 1st time i saw Sonar. Keep up the good work!
Pricing & Availability
Cakewalk Sonar X1 is availabile in 3 different versions. Sonar X1 Producer ($399 and includes all the goodies), Sonar X1 Studio $199 and Sonar X1, $199 too. Feature comparison chart is available here.
If you buy Sonar 8.5 you get X1 FREE. It’s not cheap, but you get a lot for that money!
A promotional video is available on Youtube. Click here to watch it! For more details, you can visit Cakewalk’s homepage. (cakewalk.com)
