Cakewalk 10 CWSP8 00 Sonar 8 Producer Edition Windows
Cakewalk 10 CWSP8 00 Sonar 8 Producer Edition Windows
Sonar 8 Producer gives you what you need for recording, composing, editing, mixing, and mastering. Get innovations that matter, from exclusive features to ignite creativity and perfect your tracks, to groundbreaking technologies that always keep you in control, all backed by the industry’s leading 64-bit audio quality. And Sonar 8 Producer delivers the go-to production tools you want with the best collection of virtual instruments, mixing, and mastering effects found in any DAW. Get hands on control of your mix, instruments, and effects with Active Controller Technology The best audio quality in the industry - end-to-end 64-bit audio, tracks, effects, busses, and export Amazing virtual instruments - Dimension Pro, Z3TA+, Rapture LE, True Pianos Amber, Beatscape Loop Performance instrument, 14 included instruments Awesome effects - VC-64 Vintage Channel, Guitar Rig LE, TL-64 Tube Leveler, TS-64 Transient Shaper, Lexicon Pantheon and PerfectSpace Convolution Reverbs, 42 effects in all Delivers your final master - LP-64 Linear Phase EQ, LP-64 Linear Phase Multiband, Boost 11 Peak Limiter, flexible export and delivery options Collaborate with studios who use other DAWs including Pro Tools, Logic Studio, Cubase, and others LP-64 Linear Phase Equalizer for mastering LP-64 Linear Phase Multiband Compressor for mastering TL-64 Tube Leveler VC-64 Vintage Channel with sidechaining capabilities V-Vocal 1.5 with Pitch to MIDI conversion Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 LE Perfect Space Convolution Reverb Lexicon Pantheon Reverb Sonitus Surround Compressor Dimension Pro 1.2 virtual synthesizer with Classic Keys Expansion Pack TruePianos Amber VSTi Beatscape looping instrument Hollywood Edge Sound FX library for Dimension Pro Surround mixing in over 30 formats SurroundBridge technology to use stereo FX in surround
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star Do not purchase from this retailer
I received Sonar 8 Producer today from J&R Music and Computer World only to find out after I installed it that the serial numbers for Sonar and the included products Dimension Pro and Guitar Rig 3 LE were already registered.
Also, the box was not shrink wrapped and had scratches and signs of wear. The included manual and DVD box also had scratches and signs of wear on them. I suspect that J&R sent me a used copy of the software, which is completely useless for software that requires product registration. The license is what I paid $450 for; without it, the product is worthless.
I don’t know if somebody tampered with the product, or if J&R is trying to rip us off, but someone should look into this.
I contacted Cakewalk and Native Instruments about the registered serial numbers, hopefully I will be able to sort this out.
5 Stars Pre-Eminent Windows-Based DAW Software
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.
Filed under: Cakewalk