SONAR 8 Producer

SONAR 8 Producer Edition sets forth to refine the user experience, inspire creativity, and take productions to new heights with updates to its core application, including new features (instruments, effects and creative content), workflow enhancements (editing, recording, mixing and control) and performance optimizations throughout.

Highlights of SONAR 8 Producer:

• Updated Loop Explorer 2.0 — view provides browse and preview of audio and MIDI groove clips and patterns; quickly drag and drop loops and patterns into the track view; MIDI groove clips and patterns can be previewed with the virtual instrument of your choice.
• Dedicated instrument track (single track optimized for mono/stereo
  virtual synths)
• Send Assign Assistant (wizard)
• numerous audio engine optimizations
• transport, control surface, routing, and editing refinements
• QuickTime 7 Import/Export

New Features

Instruments:

• Beatscape loop performance instrument — the ultimate remixing instrument, allows you to combine audio clips from multiple recording sessions and use up to 16 pads to sequence them live or into a SONAR track
• Dimension Pro 1.2 updated with Digital Sound Factory Volume 2 Classic Keys and Hollywood Edge Effects Library
• TruePianos Amber VSTi Module — provides world-class, playable piano sounds through its combination sampling, modeling, and synthesis sound design

Effects:

• TL-64 Tube Leveler — a line driver/leveling processor that employs advanced analog vacuum-tube circuit modeling algorithms to add the unique qualities of tube color and warmth found in classic recordings to whatever source material it is applied.
• TS-64 Transient Shaper — a powerful tool for sculpting the transient dynamics of any percussive based source material such as drums or guitars
• Channel Tools stereo enhancement plug-in — provides easy and powerful zero-latency channel processing for adjusting L/R channel placement, gain, pan/width, and phase, and host of other functions
• Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 LE — built on the latest award-winning guitar amp modeler from Native Instruments, features 3 amps and cabinets, 11 effects, tuner, metronome, and over 50 presets

Creative Content:

• Updated ACT Presets mappings for popular plug-ins and controllers
• Production-ready Track Templates and Project Templates
• Updated Drum Maps and plug-in presets
• Integrated Step Sequencer drum patterns.

Workflow Enhancements

• Insert Send Assistant — provides a fast and easy way to create effect busses and insert sends to new or existing busses
• Updated ACT Presets mappings for popular plug-ins and controllers on the market
• New production ready Track Templates and Project Templates
• Updated Drum Maps and Plug-in Presets supporting our most popular plug-ins
• New collection of drum pattern presets for the integrated Step Sequencer
• Enhanced Sample Rate Conversion — now employs the same fast convolution engine as the LP-64 series 64-bit mastering plug-ins.
• Vista Audio — WASAPI support, which is compatible with any Vista audio devices, including WaveRT PCI and motherboard audio, USB, and FireWire devices.
• QuickTime 7 Import/Export — support for the latest QuickTime 7 codecs, including H.264 and AAC audio.

Editing Enhancements

• Clip Selection Groups — furthering SONAR's multitrack recording and take management capability, SONAR now automatically groups clips together across tracks after each recording pass — perfect for comping any multitrack ensemble performance -- especially drum takes.
• Aim Assist Cursor — visual guide to assist in lining up multiple tracks for precision editing.
• Split and Mute Tools can now edit multiple clips simultaneously.
• Free Edit Tool for performing edits by clips or by time without the need of a modifier key.

Recording Enhancements

• Live Effects and Soft Synth Recording — play and record effects and soft synths into audio tracks in realtime using SONAR's live bounce feature
• Anytime Recording — while the SONAR transport is running or looping, users can now arm/unarm audio and MIDI tracks, punch in, punch out, and toggle between play and record

Mixing Enhancements

• Exclusive Solo Mode with Solo Override — new solo mode forces soloing to one track/bus at a time and prevents tracks and buses from being muted when other tracks/buses are soloed
• Bus Inputs QuickGroup Command — automatically groups all source tracks feeding a selected bus.
• Mono hardware outputs for easy assigning of tracks and buses to individual hardware outputs in addition to stereo pairs

Control Enhancements

• Transport Updates include: True Rewind, Fast Forward and Pause Buttons; Audition Button, Improved Jog/Shuttle Heuristics, optimized for control surfaces and Scrub performance.
• Control Surface Enhancements: Show/Hide Tracks from Surface can follow either the Track View or Console View, obeying 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

Performance Optimizations

These 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; streamlined communication with VST plug-ins and improved ASIO performance with output latency compensation; User Interface optimizations: smoother display when resizing windows and panes, optimized metering, more responsive zoom and scroll.

Pricing and Availability

SONAR 8 Producer Edition has a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $619 U.S. ($499 street), SONAR 8 Studio (MSRP) is $369 U.S. ($299 street). Registered SONAR 7 Producer Edition customers can pre-order their upgrade to SONAR 8 Producer directly through Cakewalk for $179; SONAR 7 Studio upgrades to SONAR 8 Studio are $99. Other upgrade paths are available, visit Cakewalk.com for details.

International pricing

SONAR 8 Producer Edition and Studio Edition software is available in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian; English, German and French boxed versions come with printed documentation; Spanish and Italian electronic quick start guides are contained in all versions. SONAR 8 is available through Roland and Edirol distribution partners.

Europe's suggested street price for SONAR 8 Producer and SONAR 8 Studio Editions is €499 and €299 RRP inc VAT respectively; U.K. pricing is £349 and £219 RRP inc VAT respectively; and will be available, October 2008. Upgrades are available from select music and sound retailers and directly from Cakewalk.

For localized pricing and availability visit:

• Edirol Europe (United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Austria)
• Roland Brazil
• Roland Canada
• Roland Central Europe (Belgium, France, Netherlands & Luxembourg)
• Roland Eastern Europe
• Roland Switzerland
• Roland Iberia (Portugal, Spain)
• Roland Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Russia, and Iceland)
• Intelliware Australia

SONAR 8 Studio

SONAR 8 Studio offers the best creative tools, and the most power of any digital audio workstation in its price range. Built upon the same core feature set as SONAR 8 Producer, SONAR 8 Studio gives you the edge in your productions—from recording audio and MIDI, composing with virtual instruments, remixing with loops, mixing with professional effects, to delivery of a polished final track—with the recognized best audio quality in the industry.

SONAR 8 Studio contains all of the features of SONAR 8 Producer with the following exceptions: Lexicon Pantheon Reverb (Studio includes Pantheon SE), LP-64 EQ Linear Phase Mastering EQ, LP-64 Multiband Linear Phase Mastering Compressor, TS-64 Transient Shaper, TL-64 Tube Leveler, VC-64 Vintage Channel, Roland V-Vocal 1.5, Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 LE, Sonitus Surround Compressor Dimension Pro 1.2 (Studio includes Dimension LE), DSF Classic Keys Expansion Pack & Hollywood Edge FX for Dimension Pro, TruePianos Amber VSTi, Beatscape Looping Instrument, Z3TA+ Waveshaping Synthesizer, Surround Mixing, and POW-r dithering.