Cakewalk SONAR 8.5 Producer Academic  

Note: SONAR 8.5 Producer Academic Edition is the regular version of SONAR 8.5 Producer at a special price for educators and students. Proof of status is required to get this price break.

SONAR 8.5 Producer gives you the software you need for recording, composing, editing, mixing, and mastering. From exclusive features to ignite creativity and perfect your tracks, to groundbreaking technologies that always keep you in control—it's all backed by 64-bit audio quality. And SONAR 8.5 Producer delivers the go-to music production tools you want with a great collection of virtual instruments, and mixing and mastering effects for your DAW.

With unlimited tracks, amazing creative tools, incredible virtual instruments, the freedom to work with any audio interface or control surface, and the a complete delivery capability for collaboration with users of other DAWS, SONAR 8.5 Producer is an excellent choice for your main digital audio workstation.

Create and Record

•Start producing quickly with track templates that instantly load your favorite sounds
•Make beats and synth lines with a dedicated Step Sequencer
•Get inspired with a suite of critically acclaimed virtual instruments, now easier to use with new Instrument Tracks
•Plug-in direct to access fresh and versatile tones using Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 LE and 41 other effects
•Build audio and MIDI tracks fast using Groove Clips and the redesigned Loop Explorer

Record
•Capture all of your ideas with unlimited tracks of audio and MIDI
•Record at virtually any bit depth/sample rate up to 24-bit/384kHz
•Record an entire performance at once with support for multichannel audio interfaces
•New responsive Transport for on-the-fly recording
•Experience high track counts with low latency performance
•Get more out of your PC with industry-pioneering multi-core/multi-processor support

Edit

•Perfect your vocal tracks with Roland V-Vocal VariPhrase processor
•Manipulate the timing and feel of audio, just like MIDI, with AudioSnap
•Assemble the perfect take from Track Layers using powerful comping and editing tools
•Quickly edit MIDI with state-of-the-art Smart MIDI Tools

•Streamline your workflow and project organization with Track Folders
•Edit multiple tracks at once with group editing
•Freeze audio and instrument tracks for optimal performance

Mix
•Retain every nuance of your mix with the 64-bit audio engine
•Get hands on control of your mix, instruments, and effects with Active Controller Technology
•Mix with a versatile Console view that looks and acts just like hardware
•Get sophisticated mixes with flexible routing options, unlimited submixes and sends, internal sidechaining, and over 30 surround configurations
•Find and correct mix problems as they occur with Bus Waveform Preview

•Integrate DX & VST effects and external hardware with Automatic Delay Compensation

Mastering
•End-to-end 64-bit audio path: tracks, busses, effect inserts, file export provides pristine environment for mastering
•Put a professional sheen on your final mix with the LP-64 Linear Phase EQ
•Get dynamic mixes using the LP-64 Linear Phase Multiband Compressor
•Add maximum punch with the Boost 11 Peak Limiter
•Ensure superior quality when creating 16-bit audio for CD or MP3 from 24-bit master with POW-r Dithering

Collaborate and Deliver
•Collaborate with studios who use other DAWs including Pro Tools, Logic Studio, and others

Save time with flexible export options and faster than realtime rendering
•Import/export AIF, Broadcast WAV, FLAC, SD2 (Sound Designer II), QuickTime, and many other audio & video file formats
•Upload music directly from SONAR to the web using Cakewalk Publisher to create online streaming flash players
•Rip and burn CDs right from within SONAR 8.5

New features, optimizations, and enhancements include:
Loop Explorer 2.0 gives you a view that provides browse and preview of audio and MIDI groove clips and patterns; quickly drag-and-drop loops and patterns into the track view; and MIDI groove clips and patterns can be previewed with the virtual instrument of your choice.

Dedicated Instrument Track is a single track optimized for mono or stereo virtual synths which simplifies the process of working with virtual instruments. In the pursuit of offering you options of how you want to work, the multitrack method of using virtual instruments employed by previous versions of SONAR is still supported. In addition, you can split and combine instrument tracks to/from discrete audio/MIDI tracks.

SONAR 8.5 performance optimizations focus on functionality, including improved performance at high track counts and low latencies, faster launch time, and the ability to change audio devices without restarting. Cakewalk has also streamlined communication with VST plug-ins and improved ASIO performance with output latency compensation.

User Interface optimizations include smoother display when resizing windows and panes, optimized metering, more responsive zoom and scroll.

Clip Selection Groups further SONAR 8.5 Producer's multitrack recording and take management capability. Now SONAR 8.5 automatically groups clips together across tracks after each recording pass. This is perfect for comping any multitrack ensemble performance, especially drum takes.

The Aim Assist Cursor gives you a visual guide to assist in lining up tracks for precision editing.

Split and Mute Tools can now edit multiple clips simultaneously.

The free Edit Tool lets you perform edits by clips or by time without the need of a modifier key.

Live Effects and Soft Synth Recording make it so you can play and record effect and soft synth output into audio tracks in realtime using SONAR's live bounce feature.

The Anytime Recording features means that while the SONAR 8.5 transport is running or looping, you can now arm/unarm audio and MIDI tracks, punch in, punch out, and toggle between play and record.

Exclusive Solo Mode with Solo Override is a new solo mode that forces soloing to one track/bus at a time and prevents tracks and buses from being muted when other tracks/buses are soloed.

The Bus Inputs QuickGroup Command automatically groups all source tracks feeding a selected bus.

Mono hardware outputs makes it easy to assign tracks and buses to individual hardware outputs in addition to stereo pairs.

Transport Updates include True Rewind, Fast Forward and Pause buttons; Audition button; improved Jog/Shuttle Heuristics; and optimizations for control surfaces and scrub performance.

With the Control Surface Enhancements you can now Show/Hide Tracks, Surface can follow either the Track View or Console View, obey visible/hidden tracks, control surfaces MIDI port assignments retained/stored in SONAR, real-world VST parameter values are now displayed.

Track View and Console View Sync now automatically syncs visible/hidden tracks between the Track View and Console View channels.

Enhanced Sample Rate Conversion now employs the same fast convolution engine as the LP-64 series 64-bit mastering plug-ins.

SONAR 8.5 now includes Vista Audio/WASAPI support, which is compatible with any Vista audio device, including WaveRT PCI and motherboard audio, USB, and FireWire devices. It also has QuickTime 7 Import/Export support for the latest QuickTime 7 codecs, including H.264 and AAC audio.

The Insert Send Assistant provides a fast and easy way to create effect buses and insert sends to new or existing buses.

Updated ACT Presets now have mappings for popular plug-ins and controllers.

Over 400 new production-ready Track Templates and Project Templates.

Updated Drum Maps and Plug-in Presets enhancing the most popular SONAR plug-ins. New collection of drum pattern presets for the integrated Step Sequencer.