STUDIO
BOXING CLEVER: PART TWO This month MARTIN JERRAM continues our series looking at the most popular DAW software packages
with an overview of the latest Cakewalk Sonar X1
about with opening up different views and you soon discover that everything falls logically to hand. Unlike some DAWs Sonar X1
Clean, simple and powerful: Cakewalk Sonar X1
During the next few months we’ll take a good look at some of the most popular DAW software and hopefully help you decide which one is right for you. This month we are looking at Cakewalk Sonar X1 which is the latest version of one of the more established ‘old faithful’ DAWs.
Piece of Cake Although, it probably fair to say that Sonar has tended to be more popular Stateside, it nevertheless enjoys a loyal international following by offering a clean, uncluttered Graphical User Interface and a feature set that is at least as good as any of the competition. Earlier versions have been accused of being a little bit clunky but personally I have always found it a very straightforward to operate, with a comparatively shallow learning curve. The latest X1 version really looks the business, demonstrating Cakewalk’s commitment to ironing out some of the more cumbersome foibles of the program; this is the slickest version yet by some margin. Under the hood Sonar X1 is
pretty much limited only by the processing power of your
computer. The top of the range ‘Producer’ version offers unlimited audio and MIDI tracks, inserts, busses etc with audio recording up to 32 bit/192kHz and internal processing of 64bit. This means that the audio is always pristine even when you are piling on the plug-ins! Plug-ins, by the way, follow the standard VST format although the latest VST3 version would be welcome because it allows more routing options. It is very important to note that Cakewalk Sonar is compatible with Windows XP/VISTA/7 (32 & 64bit). This DAW is not designed to work with Apple Macs, but we’ll cover more Apple-friendly DAWs later in this series.
Dock of the Bay The new interface allows you have different views all on the one screen set by ‘docking’ different things around the screen. Those of us lucky to have two monitors can still undock items and move them around. It can look a bit daunting at fi rst with the track view in the top section, console/mixer view in the bottom half and plug in list on the right, but once you are used to it, it does save a lot of messing
really doesn’t lean towards any particular style of music. However it still feels very professional and its smooth editing means that it is very easy to comp together a performance from multiple takes, cut out unwanted noises or even time-stretch a performance. By the same token MIDI is very fl exible, the Groove Templates are worth mentioning and the ‘Random’ plug-in make programming realistic performances a breeze. When it comes to working with loops etc, Sonar can handle that too but if loops are a major part of how you work it will seem a lot less immediate in operation than say Ableton Live which we will be looking at in a future article, I can’t imagine a DJ building loops in Sonar when working live.
Built-in vocal tuning A couple of features that are worth mentioning are V-Vocal and Audiosnap. V-Vocal is a clip based (IE not a plug-in) vocal tuning software that whilst not being quite as user friendly as a dedicated
loop or indeed use the hit points to create your own custom template!
Plug-ins and effects Sonar X1 includes plenty of useful plug-ins. The latest (although not strictly speaking a plug-in) is the new Pro-Channel (Producer version only) EQ & fi lters along with two types of compressor and even valve saturation emulation. Indeed, if I had to mix a whole project using only Pro-Channel it wouldn’t worry me in the slightest. Other audio plug-ins worthy of note is the fantastic Limiter and multi-band compressor and an expensive sounding Convolution based reverb. When it comes to VSTi’s it’s
probably fair to say that what Sonar isn’t quite as strong. In fairness, a couple of the synths are fi rst class, and the drum software is pretty good too, also it is probably a bit unfair to judge the included sound generators against certain aftermarket programs that cost as much as Sonar does in it’s entirety.
Conclusion Sonar is also available in scaled down ‘Studio’ and ‘Essential’ packages. The whole range has a family feel to it so anyone starting
The latest version of Sonar X1 really looks the business, this is the slickest version yet by some margin…
aftermarket setup like Antares or Melodyne can still tidy up a waywardly pitched vocal. I have used it quite often when I’ve just needed to tart something up a bit and it works fl awlessly. Audiosnap allows you to break up a rhythmical performance based on transients and then move these around or quantize them, taking an OK drum performance and bringing it back in to time to fi t over a pre-recorded
with a lower end DAW will fi nd the learning curve of a future upgrades almost horizontal. Sonar X1 is a strong all round
performer with an elegant interface and a top- notch suite of effect plug-ins that will allow you to produce anything from the simplest demo to the grandest of commercial releases.
Roland UK 01792 702701,
www.roland.co.uk PM
40 pickup
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