SONAR 8 Producer Competitive Upgrade Review

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(More customer reviews)Sonar has been the best available Windows-based digital audio workstation software for a long time now - to the point where a fair number of producers and studios have migrated to Sonar from Pro Tools, not to mention a steadily increasing string of software and industry awards. (See Cakewalk's site for names, if interested.) And, of course, with Boot Camp, you can run Sonar native under Windows if you have a recent Intel-based Mac - running a Mac doesn't force you into Pro Tools for software at this level. Pro Tools is still the pro industry standard, of course, but while a few years ago you HAD to submit material in Pro Tools format, virtually all studios and mastering facilities will now accept Sonar-based material as well. Cakewalk's continuous investment in Sonar is second to none, and I expect to see it surpass Pro Tools in the next few years. In my opinion, it is already better softare.
Sonar Producer comes with a terrific package of high-quality effects plug-ins (actually the original reason I jumped into Sonar Producer). I've also found Cakewalk to have good customer service - one of the very, very few, in fact, where the response on customer service calls is as good as on sales calls. Cakewalk continues to improve the user interface with Sonar 8. Particularly welcome are edit changes, including multiple-clip edits, and optimizations targeted at running high track counts. Several instruments are included, and I'm particularly happy to see Dimension Pro, which includes Garritan Orchestral sounds, and TruePianos Amber. Your interests and activities will differ, of course (mini are Midi-heavy), and you should really look through the complete list of enhancements on Cakewalk's site. Enhancements for this version runs several pages long. This is a major upgrade from Sonar 7.
In addition to the software, buy a Sonar book or two, take the tutorials, hit one or two of Cakewalk's roadshows, and join a forum or two. There is a fairly steep learning curve with Sonar, as with any other pro-level audio suite, the good news being there is a ton of support out there due to the market's embrace of Sonar.

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Cakewalk Sonar Home Studio 4.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)Great software at a great price! It is as functional as Cakewalk Pro Audio 7 was (I used to use that). The 64 audio track limit is not a problem, I have never even got close to that many audio tracks. There are a lot of free MIDI effects and VST effects and instruments available for free online if you need anything this program doesn't offer....
If you can't get sound look under OPTIONS->AUDIO->ADVANCED and try a different driver (ASIO, MME, etc...). ASIO is best (update soundcard drivers or look for ASIO4ALL). Also don't forget to pick MIDI devices (OPTIONS->MIDI DEVICES) or you'll get no MIDI playback either.....

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Bring the professional power of SONAR to your home PC with new SONAR Home Studio Version 4. There is no better software for musicians taking the first step into digital recording. The newest member of the SONAR family comes with a comprehensive feature set that turns your computer into a multitrack recording studio, giving you everything you need to take your music from inspiration to finished CD. SONAR Home Studio is built with the same core features as Cakewalk SONAR 4. Its intuitive tools make it easy to record, edit, mix, and arrange professional-quality music. It includes powerful tools; built-in instruments and effects; support for DirectX, VST, ReWire, and MFX instruments and effects; support for ACID format loops; and much more.Add sounds from additional DXi and VSTi soft synthsNever miss a take again with Confidence RecordingKeep perfect time with a built-in audio metronomeUse included ACID-format library to create backing tracksArrange & Edit Powerful editing -multi-clip edits, loop-rolling, fade drawing, moreFrequently used controls are right at your fingertipsPrecise waveform display for detailed editingUnlimited undo/redo with edit historyNavigator Pane to get a bird's eye view of your entire projectTweak pitch, pan, and gain of slices in anyACID-format loop to make them your ownPaint MIDI drum tracks with rhythmic pattern brushEdit and print music notationMix & Share Responsive mixing with a 32-bit floating point audio engineAll the effects you need -15 audio effects, and 9 MIDI MFXAdd VST and DirectX effects with full plug-in delay compensationCustomizable Track Icons for easy organizing and mixing of projectsControl surface supportExport your mix -WAV, ACID-format WAV, AVI, MIDI, MP3*, Real Audio G2, Windows Media Audio (WMA), and Windows Media Video (WMV)Burn your mixes to CD with included Pyro Express CD maker (

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Sonar 8.5 Producer Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've been a Cakewalk user for years, starting with their Pro Audio software and dating to when the company was known as 12-Tone Systems. Their software has only become better and better as the years have gone by. Sonar has been the best available Windows-based digital audio workstation software for a long time now - to the point where a fair number of producers and studios have migrated to Sonar from Pro Tools, not to mention a steadily increasing string of software and industry awards. (See Cakewalk's site for names, if interested.) And, of course, with Boot Camp, you can run Sonar native under Windows if you have a recent Intel-based Mac - running a Mac doesn't force you into Pro Tools for software at this level.
Be warned - if you are not heavily into audio, audio for video, MIDI, recording, sequencing, effects, looping, mastering, mixing, etc. - and possess the audio domain knowledge that all that entails, as well as a good understanding of the complexities of running full-on audio software from a technical standpoint - you can find yourself overwhelmed by this software, and you will be MUCH better off with Cakewalk's Home Studio version of Sonar. Sonar (particularly Producer) can be enormously complex, but that's not due to any design issues - quite the contrary! Rather, that's because it covers a vast array of audio activities, options, and capabilities. It is possible to use it simplistically, but I'd direct anyone with only those types of needs to simpler software suites.
On the other hand, if you do have the audio and technical knowledge, you'll find Sonar Producer is flexible, powerful, configurable, and responsive. It is also very stable and has been so for many versions now. Be aware that this type of software by its nature (high processing loads, need to control latency, timing control and issues among multiple devices and interfaces, etc.) can be compromised by PC setups optimized for multipurpose use.
The software comes with a terrific package of high-quality effects plug-ins. I've also found Cakewalk to have good customer service - one of the very, very few, in fact, where the response on customer service calls is as good as on sales calls. Cakewalk continues to improve the user interface with Sonar 8. Particularly welcome are edit changes, including multiple-clip edits, and optimizations targeted at running high track counts. Several instruments are included, and I'm particularly happy to see Dimension Pro, which includes Garritan Orchestral sounds, and TruePianos Amber. Your interests and activities will differ, of course (mini are Midi-heavy), and you should really look through the complete list of enhancements on Cakewalk's site. Enhancements for this version runs several pages long. This is a major upgrade from Sonar 7.
I do have one issue with Cakewalk, though I'm not knocking down the rating because of it as the software itself is too good. The problem is that Cakewalk hits their user base pretty hard on upgrade fees. You can pretty much count on having to spend a few hundred dollars per year to keep the software up to date if you take every version and keep your plug-ins up-to-date. I've always felt that companies should upgrade customers from the most recent versions for little or nothing if they have paid for a recent upgrade, at least for a download. There is some price tiering depending on what version you're running, but it's insufficient, in my opinion. At one point I unknowingly purchased an upgrade weeks before a new release - but Cakewalk still charged me the full upgrade price for the new version. That kind of pricing policy doesn't encourage customer loyalty. I understand that this is a minor issue for a pro or a studio, but Cakewalk also has a large installed base for Sonar Producer among non-pros.
My preference would be for Cakewalk to adjust their release approach to one of more incremental releases between major versions. It's far more disruptive to install a new version, taking on the setup and learning issues than it is to install incremental upgrades (Cakewalk does release some patches.). You do get what you pay for, however.
In addition to the software, buy a Sonar book or two, take the tutorials, hit one or two of Cakewalk's roadshows, and join a forum or two. There is a fairly steep learning curve with Sonar as with any other pro-level audio suite, the good news being there is a lot of support out there due to the market's embrace of Sonar.

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