Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 Producer - Audio Production Software (Educational Institution Discount - 5 Station Lab Pack)

• 7-stage processor designed specifically for shaping drum and percussion sounds
• Like the VX-64 Vocal Strip, the PX-64 Percussion Strip employs Cakewalk's exclusive tube saturation algorithms with unique filtering and auto-leveling circuitry technologies
• Combines transient shaping, compression, expansion, equalization, delay, and tube saturation in one convenient plug-in, and includes 70 go-to presets along with click and drag reordering of processing stage routing

Processing stages include:

1. Input - the Input/Gain stage simulates a tube pre amp
2. Transient Shaper - shape the audio signal's attack phase independently of the decay/sustain phase
3. Compressor - balance the overall signal level and limit the dynamic range
4. Expander - control dynamic range by reducing levels that fall beneath a specified threshold
5. Contour EQ - 4-band EQ optimized for drums and percussion
6. Delay - adds space and rhythm to the signal with option to tempo sync to host
7. Output - output gain stage and specialized saturation control with a built in soft-clipping filter

• Simple and flexible cell-based, non-linear audio and MIDI arranging and live triggering tool
• Sync to SONAR Transport/Track View
• One-step capture of Matrix "performances" to Track View for more precise editing and mixing
• Drag-drop any audio (multiple files at once) and MIDI content from the Track View or the Media Browser into the Matrix
• 4 triggering modes with measure, beat, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64 note resolutions
• Global and Per-Cell modes plat styles for looping and latching (set cells to trigger from the beginning, or offset from SONAR Now Time)
• Flexible Routing - each row routes to a track, multiple rows can be routed to the same track, per row mute and exclusive solo
• Completely MIDI controllable

• AudioSnap Palette presents all commands and options in one easy-to-read toolbar
• Simplified transient marker appearance reduces visual clutter and enhances focus on relevant information
• Transient Tool allows for dragging or snapping of transients without having to worry about inadvertently moving an audio clip - lasso selection allows for grouped transient edits
• The Merge and Lock transients command is great for editing, stretching, and quantizing multi-track drums while keeping audio in phase
• Grouped proportional stretching allows for the easy correction of fluctuations in the tempo of a performance without losing feel
• Tab to Transients available from the Track and Piano Roll Views, follows Audio, Groove, Step Sequencer, and MIDI Groove Clips
• Tempo detection, tempo mapping, and tempo syncing audio. New tempo detection algorithm auto-detects the tempo of all audio in SONAR and the Clip Tempo Map feature allows for easy manual tempo mapping of non-rhythmic, non-constant, or atypical audio
• Enhanced fidelity with Radius Mix Advanced Mode: new Radius Mix settings improve "pitch coherence," which preserves the naturalness of timbre in human speech, vocals, reed and brass instruments

• Add Flam to any step by simply double clicking it (then use the flam time knob to adjust timing)
• Easily load/save patterns from the Options button or drag and drop patterns from the Media Browser
• New Auto-populate feature provides shortcuts to fill a lanes every 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 steps
• Redesigned Controller Pane for per row articulations and controls, including Volume, Pan, Pitch Bend, Mod Wheel, Portamento
• Per step parameter controls for Velocity, Time Offset, Probability, Lane-based MIDI articulations, Filter Cut and Filter Res
• Parameter values are now displayed as bars underneath 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 a step will be triggered. Use it to create automatic variations (make some steps only play occasionally) to keep repetitive patterns sounding fresh
• All this is combined with the functionality from Step Sequencer 1.0 including: Step Recording, the Velocity Multiplier, Fit to Quarters capabilities, and more

• Each MIDI and Instrument track has a built-in Arpeggiator which allows you to turn even the simplest chord progression into exciting new sound textures
• Perfect tool for adding variety to any Instrument or MIDI track that repeats a number of times in a song, or for creating complimentary parts using other instrument sounds that follow your chord progression
• Includes hundreds of presets, patterns, and classic algorithms, and provides not only powerful controls over the rate, octave range, latch, swing, flam, velocity, duration, and pitch offset of the arpeggiation, but also control over mix, channel input, and shape

• Based on Roland VariPhrase technology that allows you to control the tempo and pitch of audio phrases in real time with virtually no degradation in sound quality
• Powerful vocal processing - automatic pitch correction, vibrato, and more
• Adjust the phrasing or timing of vocals
• Control the dynamics of vocals
• Create harmonies by copying vocal clips, then applying V-Vocal pitch shifting to copied audio
• Pitch to MIDI conversion allows you to create new synthesizer parts based on monophonic audio
• Completely non-destructive processing

• Audio interfaces, MIDI interfaces and control surfaces can now be disconnected and reconnected again or "hotswapped" while SONAR is running without the need to restart SONAR
• This is particularly useful for plugging in a new MIDI controller while inspired to lay down a new part, or in the event an audio interface needs to be power-cycled
• SONAR 8.5 also includes optimizations and stability improvements for recording audio, and while looping

Open Support

• Cakewalk is a proponent of open standards in software and hardware with SONAR 8.5 bringing a variety of compatibility improvements for VST plug-ins, as well as for Cakewalk's BitBridge technology, which allows for access to classic 32-bit "x86" VST plug-ins in a 64-bit "x64" environment
• BitBridge XR automatically provides up to 32 BitBridge servers, each capable of using up to 4GB of RAM, for a total of 128GB of RAM access for 32-bit plug-ins
• SONAR also now provides native REX loop support, via the Track View, updated Media Browser, and new Matrix View

Windows 7

• Cakewalk recommends Windows 7 as a platform for SONAR 8.5
• Additionally, SONAR 8.5 was evaluated at an independent Microsoft application compatibility laboratory and officially passed the rigorous Win7 compatibility testing

• Convenient Freeze and Archive buttons on each track
• Updated Insert Send Assistant, with matching track gain/pan while creating sends
• Solo Button on all effects plug-in windows, to quickly solo and focus on the track being processed
• Track View grid lines options to present grid lines behind or in front of clips
• Option to automatically lock scrolling during playback when initiating an edit
• The Now Time cursor can be dragged to a new position during playback
• DC Offset meter in the Cakewalk Analyst plug-in
• FX-SONAR 8.5 now includes the Project5 "Half-Rack" Tempo-Sync'd Effects, including the Alias Factor Bit Decimator, Classic Phaser, Compressor/Gate, HF Exciter, Mod Filter, Chorus/Flanger, Para-Q, StudioVerb II and Tempo Delay
• Installation has been simplified with an easy one-click install option that accepts all default settings and locations and installs the entire SONAR application, as well as plug-ins and content data