Sonar / Cakewalk

Cakewalk are the first major DAW developer to move to a monthly payment model. And Sonar ‘membership’ provides plenty of goodies.

As well as improving Sonar itself, Cakewalk have brought in some heavy-hitting third-party content. Does X3 have what it takes to tempt buyers away from other recording software?

Cakewalk’s programmers seem to be constantly pedalling the upgrade cycle! We find out what’s new and exciting in the latest Sonar X2...

Can Cakewalk's radical rethink of the DAW user interface tempt users of competing products into the Sonar fold — without alienating existing fans?

Its not touted as version 9, but the list of improvements certainly makes this years upgrade to Cakewalks Sonar DAW a big deal.

As well as creating some excellent new plug-ins and making operational improvements, Cakewalk have been working hard to make Sonar 8 the most CPU-efficient version yet.

Another major upgrade for Cakewalk's DAW software adds powerful new features, and provides hands-on control at a touch.

The new version 5 sees Cakewalk's Sonar becoming a more complete production package than ever, with the addition of new synths, a convolution reverb, 64-bit support and Roland's celebrated Variphrase vocal processing technology.

With Sonar Home Studio, Cakewalk have made the core features of their flagship sequencing application available at a bargain price.

The latest version of Cakewalk's flagship sequencer brings it into the world of surround sound, makes it easy to work with folder tracks and multiple takes, and adds one of the most comprehensive Freeze functions available on any DAW.

The Sonar adventure continues with a new audio engine, a fresh look, new plug-ins and a surprising sampler.

Offering an integrated MIDI + Audio sequencer and hardware controller with motorised faders, StudioMix mimics some of the features of high-end digital audio workstations — but at under £800, how good can it be?