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Cakewalk Sonar X3 / X2
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    X2a includes the following:

    • Multi-touch support for Windows 8
    • General Windows 8 compatibility updates
    • Direct2D support
    • Accessibility enhancements
    • Playlist View Enhancements
    • Updated Piano Roll view and Staff view Track pane UI
    • Over 50 UI enhancements
    • Around 250 bug fixes

    Via: http://blog.cakewalk.com/a-deeper-look-at-sonar-x2a-native-windows-8-and-touch-support/

  • 19 Replies sorted by
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Create music in any style with cutting-edge instruments, effects, and creative tools. Thanks to the award-winning Skylight user interface, SONAR X3 lets you move seamlessly in your production workspace, instantly going from recording to editing to mixing and back again. Produce flawless tracks with the 64-Bit Double Precision audio engine and upload polished mixes directly to YouTube and SoundCloud. Plus, SONAR X3 lets you do it all without limiting the number of tracks and plugins; all while supporting the latest technologies like VST3, multi-touch, and Gobbler cloud save.

    SONAR X3 Studio

    Advanced Music Creation Software – SONAR X3 Studio raises the bar with industry leading editing tools like AudioSnap and new Melodyne Essential for the very best vocal editing available. Mixing is now effortless and intuitive thanks to the critically-acclaimed ProChannel console strip – now with the QuadCurve EQ and Softube Saturation Knob included. In addition, the new Studio Mixing Suite introduces 18 vintage, studio-quality FX from the Nomad Factory Blue Tubes Bundle. You also get more instruments like Z3TA+ Classic, Rapture LE, Dimension LE, and more.

    SONAR X3 Producer

    Professional Recording, Mixing, and Mastering – SONAR X3 Producer leaves other DAWs in the dust with industry leading features. Edit and correct vocals like a pro with Melodyne Essential. Create the most realistic and authentic drums sounds with the full version of XLN Audio Addictive Drums. Get that epic, pro-sound that has defined the last 25 years of recording with the ProChannel – now with the QuadCurve EQ Zoom and analyzer for the ultimate precision. Get that vintage analog sound with the new ProChannel Tape Emulator and the Console Emulator. And it doesn?t stop there with a new mixing suite powered by the Nomad Factory Blue Tubes FX and BlueVerb, Tone2 BiFilter 2, AAS Lounge Lizard Session, AAS Strum Acoustic Session, Dimension Pro, Rapture, and more.

    More info - http://www.cakewalk.com/products/sonar/versions.aspx

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Sonar X3 is available at stream - http://store.steampowered.com/app/241070/

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    New update

    http://www.cakewalk.com/products/SONAR/Whats-New

  • alcomposeralcomposer

    New update:

    Cakewalk (all products) End of life. This happened a few weeks ago now. But sad news for the ecosystem in general. :-(

    Cakewalk forum: http://forum.cakewalk.com/SONAR-DEAD-Are-these-my-options-m3688063.aspx

    Even more disturbing is that currently there is no talk about it being sold to another company- or even... possibly... open... sourced... :-O

    This sort of thing is what keeps me up at night. Relying on closed software, which needs daily server verification is scary stuff.

    Never before has it been clearer that we (as users) don't own software, even if we pay, and no matter what we pay is not enough money anyway.

    I know this can apply to hard-ware as well- but at least our cameras can't be bricked as easily?

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @alcomposer

    It is strange coincident but I have post with good explanation

    https://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/18349/mergers-gibson-brands-or-branding-2#Item_1

    also posted separate topic now

    https://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/18354/cakewalk-is-down-tascam-can-follow-soon#Item_3

  • alcomposeralcomposer

    I think there may be good reason why at the present point cakewalk isn't being re-sold:

    Currently audio software relies heavily on propietry 3rd party libraries. For example Zplane is prevalent in pretty much every professional audio software- and is one of the best elastic audio libraries:

    https://www.zplane.de

    What this means is that less and less software uses unique libraries - and that most of the software that makes up your fraviurite DAW is basically UI code.

    At one point Abelton Live had their own elastic audio library- and even they replaced it with Zplane.

    I suppose the same thing is happening with Sony sensors in our cameras.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @alcomposer

    I do not think you are right. While parts can be using universal code, it is still huge products with lot of unique code.

    About reselling. Problem is - it is dangerous for Gibson managers, as it require to collect lot of real performance data, real money flows, as well as put price tag basing on all this. By killing division it can be few guys who try to hide that they reached they level of incompetence long time ago.

  • alcomposeralcomposer

    It's a pity that "cakewalk" (and most probably other future software) will be deleted.

    My main point was not that these projects are small- quite the opposite, but that without many libraries that are not technically part of / developed by cakewalk, logic, live, protools etc. loose substantial functionality.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    My main point was not that these projects are small- quite the opposite, but that without many libraries that are not technically part of / developed by cakewalk, logic, live, protools etc. loose substantial functionality.

    Without work of tens of thousand of outside people any product (not software only) is not possible.

  • robertGLrobertGL

    I think somebody will pick up cakewalk, maybe for a penny on the dollar. A skeleton crew from the existing cakewalk personnel can maintain the existing code and authentication server, while the parent company can spam cross-grade offers in daily email digests

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Some FAQ

    http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/Knowledge-Base/2016000087/Gibson-Cakewalk-Announcement-FAQ

  • alcomposeralcomposer

    My main point re: propriety libraries such as z-plane:

    Without a parent company paying substantial licensing fees for usage of these libraries many of the features of Cakewalk- (and also other DAWs) don't work anymore.

    Problem is that DAWs are not only for audio editing anymore. This is a 90's concept of what a daw is.

    Currently every DAW has a melodyne style interface (also- licensed from melodyne). So simply "buying software for a song" will still mean that substantial licensing fees will need to be paid to many companies (as @vitaliy_kiselev pointed out thousands of people).

    So - even if a company purchases Cakewalk- they will also have to maintain a huge list of library licensing costs.

    This isn't a bad - or good thing. It's just the way it is currently. Gone are the days of a developer making software with their copyright logo on the bottom.

    So apart from a really nice UI, (which in itself is super complex and probably about 200K LOC, without these support libraries users would rebel.

    Also- changing over to other library solutions would not be a trivial process.

    Technical debt may also have played a part in the EOL decision.

  • robertGLrobertGL

    The existing licenses can just carry over, with future updates being at the discretion of the new owners. They can set whatever terms they want for a purchase, and any third-party vendors should be negotiable, as it provides opportunities for future sales. The suitor can just maintain the existing version for the next five years, continue to sell it, wait and see what happens, and make a new version if there is demand.

    Creditors would accept 1/500th the book value rather than zero, I would assume.

    I don't think cakewalk offers anything revolutionary for any DAW company. There is the historical sentiment factor and the userbase, however.

  • alcomposeralcomposer

    I think I am not as optimistic. Audio and video is a microbial stake in the software world, which is already shrinking due to all the iStuff, An-drones, etc...

    Here is a great talk that is about developing a DAW from Paul Davis the developer of Jack & Ardour. Regardless of the platform, license, Ardour is still developed in much the same way- with C/C++, and uses many external libraries to achieve features.

    http://libremusicproduction.com/news/20170520-paul-davis-ardour-and-jack-creatordeveloper-talks-linux-audio-conference-2017

    (At least he says it how it is- without exciting theme music, low key lighting, and glowing computer screens in dark rooms)

    Similar to the "total perspective vortex" sometimes it's good to get an idea of how small our sector is.

    Which is why - even as a non-Cakewalk user I am worried (and sad) about these developments. As it is all part of the ecosystem.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @alcomposer

    I think I am not as optimistic. Audio and video is a microbial stake in the software world, which is already shrinking due to all the iStuff, An-drones, etc...

    In am actually optimistic, as thing that you see is capitalism regress. As to keep living it needs more and more people to be dumbed down. Creation of something and any scientific view on life are enemies of the system. Problem is, inside people have innate feeling of progress, love to make proper models of reality, interest for science. So whole system will collapse, and quite soon.

    For now this sector is in bad shape as monopolization trend is very strong, so less and less clients can actually pay normally.

    @robertGL

    Usually Magix pick such things up, But I guess even they had questions considering 5th audio DAW lineup in addition to existing 4.

  • robertGLrobertGL

    @Vitaliy_Kiselev heh, they might as well. They can port over all the native plugins and instruments to their other lines.

    @alcomposer Capitalism at work as VK points out. produce in times of plenty, abandon it to some virtually padlocked legal morass when the money runs out. There are, now, literally thousands of applications that are abandonware. It's tragic in a way, since it's essentially millions of high skilled man-hours thrown down the drain.. Thank goodness for piracy, which can at the very least archive it for posterity.

  • alcomposeralcomposer

    @roberGL I wouldn't call it abandonware, as this term is normally used for open source free projects are left to rot on GitHub/ SourceForge etc...

    I would call it a much more negative term: Deleteware.

    These projects will basically never see the light of day again, and all those hours of human time will be lost forever- not even be able to be used as a teaching or research aid.

    At very least abandonware projects online tend to stay online- broken, but anyone can check them out and learn what they were up to. Possibly even learn from their mistakes.

    For anyone interested Apple (just to prove I'm not drinking the Cool-Aid) has a long history of deleteware, to name the last 3 big ones:

    • Shake
    • FCP7
    • Aperture

    I was most disappointed about Apperture- as it was actually very fast. Shake was also a very sad EOL experience, while personally I never thought FCP7 was that good to start with. It couldn't even show waveforms of audio without slowing to a crawl.

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