• Musicians' Resource Page 

    This page was designed to provide the ultimate resource on Windows Vista and the benefits it provides to the audio community. You will find links to hardware and software products that natively support Windows Vista, information on how to choose the right version of Vista for you. And relevant news stories that concern Vista and it's applications for music creation and audio production.

     


    Cakewalk Products Available for Windows Vista


    What Version of Vista Should You Get?

    That all depends on what features you want and your PC hardware configuration. All versions of Vista support multi-core chips and all versions of Vista ship with both 32 & 64 bit versions. Where the primary differences lie are in multi-processor support and access to RAM. We've prepared a handy chart below to help you compare the differences.

     
    Home Basic
    Home Premium
    Business
    Ultimate
    32- & 64-Bit Versions
    Yes
    Yes
    Yes
    Yes
    Multicore Support
    Yes
    Yes
    Yes
    Yes
    Multi-processor Support
    No
    No
    Yes
    Yes
    Physical RAM Access*
    4/8GB
    4/16 GB
    4/128+GB
    4/128+GB

    * RAM access higher than 4 GB requires 64-bit version of Vista installed on x64 capable PC.

    There are plenty of other features spread accross Vista that do not have much to do with music creation but that may influence your decision. Please see this Vista feature comparison chart from Microsoft for more information.


    Audio & MIDI Hardware With Windows Vista Drivers

    Probably the most important thing for you to make sure of before you upgrade to Vista, is that your audio hardware manufacturer has released Windows Vista drivers. Most major audio hardware companies have released Vista drivers. We've compiled the list below for your convenience:


    Third Party Software with Windows Vista support

    Bias Sound Soap Pro

    While most third party plug-ins will work in Windows Vista, some applications and technologies may not run glitch free or take advantage of the enhancements provided by the Windows Vista OS. Below you will find a list of third party software applications with native Windows Vista versions or updates.


    Windows Vista—Key Benefits for Musicians

    Well, aside from a gorgeous UI that will leave even the biggest Mac zealot speechless, here are some of the benefits you may experience when running SONAR 6.2 on Vista:

    WaveRT driver support will provide for enhanced CPU performance at low latency audio playback settings. That means you may be able to keep your latency slider at lower levels longer before you hit the limit of your CPU processing at that latency setting.

    MMCSS (Multimedia Class Scheduler Service) support will give important SONAR processes such as the audio engine, prioritized access to CPU resources. This may result in more glitch resistant audio playback

    Offloading of processing from CPU to GPU: Windows Vista will take more advantage of the GPU on your video card, which leaves more CPU cycles available to processing your audio.

    System Stability - Vista has numerous enhancements that may provide more system stability.


    Windows Vista 64-Bit Benefits for Musicians

    Each version of Windows Vista (except Starter Edition) ships with a 32- and 64-bit version on the same disc. Windows XP x64 Edition combined with 64-bit capable Intel or AMD processor-based workstations provide significant advantages to musicians when running native 64-bit music applications like Cakewalk's SONAR 6.

    • Native x64 applications experience a significant processing performance increase which varies from application to application.
    • The increase in processing performance can result in more simultaneous tracks, realtime effects, and virtual instruments, along with closer to real-time latency for mixing and performance.
    • The x64 platform allows for access to up to 128 GB of RAM, an exponential increase from the 4 GB of RAM afforded by yesterday’s 32-bit computing platform.
    • The increase in system memory can result in the loading of larger, higher-quality sample content into RAM, increasing the amount of content capable of being used in any given project, while also reducing the latency introduced by disc streaming.
    • For more information on the benefits of 64-bit processing, visit Cakewalk's x64 Resource page which includes videos, white papers, links to news articles, and more.

    Windows Vista News

    MSDN Channel 9 interviews Noel Borthwick & Carl Jacobson
    Check out this video interview with Cakewalk's CTO Noel Borthwick and Marketing Director Carl Jacobson. In the discussion they talk about Cakewalk's experiences porting to Vista, our company history, and the future of music technology.

    Sound on Sound: Vista for Musicians Pt 1 | Pt 2
    Is it time for musicians to upgrade to the new Microsoft OS? Sound on Sound investigates. The discussion features the benefits of Vista and also what musicians should be wary of, coverage on audio hardware and software that is available, and in part 2, a discussion with developers from leading audio hardware and software companies including Cakewalk CTO Noel Borthwick.

    CEntrance Combines USB, 1394 Audio Devices with Windows Vista
    CEntrance recently announced that its USB and 1394 audio drivers, which aggregate hardware devices, are now available for Windows Vista. With this new release, CEntrance enables consumers to connect 1394 and USB audio interfaces at the same time and use them together, offering an unprecedented level of signal routing flexibility. The new CEntrance aggregating drivers are already compatible with the majority of 1394 and USB chips on the market

    PC Audio Labs offers Dual Boot XP/Vista systems with SONAR
    PC Audio Labs is now offering custom DAWs pre-loaded with SONAR and other Cakewalk software with a dual boot Windows XP and Vista configuration. With a Dual-Boot Vista DAW, you’ll still have access to the files stored on other hard drives from either version of Windows. Plus you also have the flexibility to use other older applications and hardware that may not yet be Vista compatible.

    MusicTech: Vista for Musicians
    With the release of Microsoft's new operating system comes a raft of issues pertinent to the recording musician. There is much that is newsworthy for musicians going on beneath the new Aero Glass interface, and there are some important things you should know about how Vista will impact on your music-making endeavours. Hollin Jones lifts the lid on the new OS.

    Keyboard: The Vista from Here
    What benefits does Microsoft's new operating system offer for music creation and pro audio, and how ready is it for these tasks in the real world? Keyboard talked to several developers of popular music hardware and software, including Cakewalk's Noel Borthwick, then tried Vista for themselves.

    GearWire: Talking Vista With Cakewalk's Brandon Ryan Video
    Gearwire's Joe Wallace speaks with Cakewalk's Brandon Ryan regarding the ins and outs of moving on to Windows Vista. Brandon shares his suggestions on making it an as painless as possible journey.

    Vista for Music + Pro Audio: Under the Hood with Cakewalk CTO
    Create Digital Music grills Noel Borthwick, the senior technical expert and CTO for Cakewalk on the guts of the new Windows and what it really means for audio production.

    Cakewalknet interview with Noel Borthwick, Cakewalk CTO
    The independent Cakewalk user site, Cakewalknet.com recently interviewed Cakewalk CTO

    Crossfader.com Why Vista?
    Cakewalk's Carl Jacobson presents reasons why Vista will matter to musicians in this Crossfader.com blog.

    SonicState: SONAR 6.2 Video from NAMM
    Watch this video filmed at Winter NAMM 2007 in Anaheim, CA to see Cakewalk's Brandon Ryan discuss the benefits of running SONAR 6.2 on Windows Vista.

    Sound on Sound Windows Vista - Should You Upgrade or Wait?
    After a long wait, the new Windows Vista OS is actually on the horizon - so should we all be rushing to upgrade? Find out in this Sound on Sound article.

    Vista "Content Protection" DRM Won't Impact Music Production
    Some pundits have been so anxious to blast Windows Vista that they’ve started to spread information that is inaccurate or exaggerated. Create Digital Music dispells the "Sky-is-Falling" gloom-and-doom accusations of content protection in Vista in this informative blog.

    EWeek Why Vista Matters to Developers
    EWeek article that features various software developers, including Cakewalk's Noel Borthwick on the benefits that Windows Vista provides.

    Native Instruments Supports Vista (32-bit only)
    In general, Native Instruments has seen good results in its compatibility testing with Windows Vista 32-bit. Windows Vista 64-bit is currently not recommended by Native Instruments. Read more

    Propellerheads Software Supports Vista
    Propellerhead Software has performed compatibility testing of its applications on Microsoft's new platform, Windows Vista. Reason 3.0.4, ReCycle 2.1, and Reload 1.01 all comply to Microsoft's Works with Windows Vista guidelines, there is also a free update to update ReWire for use on Windows Vista so can use ReWire applications in conjunction with a ReWire host such as SONAR 6.2. Read more


    Cakewalk Tech Support Articles on Windows Vista


    Other Resource Pages on Windows Vista

    Creative Vista FAQ
    In this informative and exhaustive article, Creative address questions and concerns raised by customers regarding compatibility of Creative audio products with Windows Vista.

    Rain Recording Vista Watch
    DAW manufacturer Rain Recording has been doing compatibility testing with Windows Vista and a variety of hardware and software applications.