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Cakewalk at NAMM 2012 – Roland Arena (booth #7400)

If you’re heading to Southern California for NAMM this year be sure to stop by the Cakewalk booth, where we have many exciting presentations planned featuring some very special guest artists. And if you can’t make it in person, don’t worry, we’ll have something for you too.

Demonstrations will take place at the Cakewalk booth starting at the bottom of each hour (10:30 AM and so on). A number of these will feature Cakewalk staff displaying the full power of SONAR X1 as the tool for modern music creation and production. You’ll see music develop from blank slate to fully produced using SONAR’s cutting edge features and blisteringly fast workflow. We’ll create and produce tracks showing the wide-range of features available in SONAR X1 Production Suite including Z3TA+ 2 and all the latest ProChannel modules.

Continue reading “Cakewalk at NAMM 2012 – Roland Arena (booth #7400)”

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New ProChannel Concrete Limiter coming NAMM 2012

Back in October 2011, we released SONAR X1 Producer Expanded which introduced ProChannel modularity. This included the ability to add new modules to the ProChannel. Since that time we have released two Cakewalk branded ProChannel modules, the PC4K S-Type Expander/Gate and the PC4K S-Type Channel Compressor. In addition, Softube has released the Softube Mix Bundle which includes VST and ProChannel versions of the popular Softube Mix Bundle.

So what’s next for the ProChannel? Well we received many requests for a limiter so we set out to create a great brick wall limiter that felt right at home on a channel or bus – perfect for mixing or mastering. Here’s a sneak peek at the new ProChannel Concrete Limiter. And you won’t have to wait long to buy it as it will be available for sale as a download at the Cakewalk Store in time for the start of NAMM 2012.

More information and sound examples will be released at NAMM 2012.

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Cakewalk's 11 big product releases of 2011

2011 was a big year for Cakewalk and featured some major product releases. Here’s a quick recap of some of the most popular product releases of 2011 with links to each, in case you missed it. We’d love to hear your feedback on which was your favorite by voting in our Facebook poll.

SONAR X1  Free Trial: For those of you that want to try it before you buy it, we released a free 30-day SONAR X1 Web trial. The SONAR X1 Web Trial is a fully functioning version of SONAR X1 that will work for up to 30 days if registered.

SONAR X1a update: The first free update to SONAR X1 includes fixes for Skylight, ProChannel and more.

SONAR X1b update: The second free update to SONAR includes control surface updates for the V-Studio 700, V-Studio, plus more fixes.

SONAR X1c update: The third free update includes is the current update as of today with all the updates and hotfixes included.

Music Creator 6: Music Creation just got even easier! Based on Cakewalk’s acclaimed professional studio software, Music Creator’s elegant design and drag and drop interface makes creating and sharing music fast, easy, and fun.

Z3TA+ 2.1: Nearly a decade after its initial release, Z3TA+ is back with a brand new version that builds on its already legendary status.  New filters, modulatable waveshapers, flexible effects, expressive control and a gorgeous new interface make Z3TA+ 2 one seriously powerful synth.

SONAR X1 Producer Expanded: SONAR X1 Producer Expanded takes SONAR X1 Producer even further with exciting new production tools and delivery options. ProChannel modularity, a new Softube Saturation Knob, MusicXML export, and SoundCloud are just a few of the new features.

PC4K S-Type Expander / Gate: When we introduced ProChannel modularity with SONAR X1 Producer Expanded, we also released a brand new ProChannel module. The PC4K S-Type Expander / Gate Module is expertly crafted by the Cakewalk DSP team and rounds out our legendary, vintage-style, ProChannel modeling.

PC4K S-Type Channel Compressor: The only thing left to complete the 4K modeling story was a channel compressor. In late 2011, we released the new PC4K S-Type Channel Compressor which provides full emulation of the classic, large-format, mixing consoles used by professional engineers to make hit records.

SONAR X1 Advanced Workshop with Craig Anderton: Craig Anderton and Cakewalk teamed up for the most unique SONAR tutorial ever created. SONAR X1 Advanced Workshop with Craig Anderton is a ground-breaking collection of advanced SONAR X1 techniques,and is also Cakewalk’s first official video tutorial.

SONAR X1 Advanced Workshop: The Next Level: Don’t call it a sequel. This is unlike any other video tutorial on the market today (even compared to his first, universally-acclaimed “Advanced Workshop” video) as Craig shows you amazing, one-of-a-kind techniques that truly take SONAR X1 to the next level.

Vote for your favorite product release in our Facebook Poll.

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Cakewalk elves hard at work perfecting SONAR X1

The Cakewalk elves are hard at work year round to bring you the worlds best software for recording and making music.  But sometimes we just need to cut loose.  And what would the holidays be without a little dance number?  Go ahead and click that image.

Cakewalk elves

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5 cool gift ideas for the musician with everything

Your time for holiday shopping is running out, but odds are good that there is somebody on your list who is impossible to buy gifts for.   Your best bet is find a gift that even the person with everything hasn’t heard of yet.  Easier said than done.   So I thought I would do you a solid and share my five favorite gifts this year.  Hopefully this helps!

1)  Playable Synthesizer T-Shirt With Wearable Amp ($14.99)
electronic_music_synth_shirt
Yes, you can play it like a real synth with chords and everything. You can even choose from 5 different sounds!

2)  Make Your Own Guitar Picks With The Pick Punch ($25)
pick punch
Never look for a guitar pick again! I bought 6 of these this year (no exaggeration).  One for each guitar player I know, and one for myself.

3)  Blue Mikey 2.0 Microphone for iPhone/iPad/iPod ($32-$36)
Blue Mikey 2.0
Perfect for recording guitar parts on the go. This little gadget is totally worth the regular $99 price tag, but the “unadvertised price” on Amazon is under 40 bucks!

4)  Build Your Own 3-String Kids/Travel Guitar – Loog Guitar ($215)
Loog 3-String Guitar
If you build it, they will come (power chords that is). Downright adorable for kids and a great little project. Plus it makes a fun toy to travel with.

5)  Last Minute: Completely Digital, Music Creator 6 Download Gift Card ($49.99)
Music Creator 6 Download Card
If you love your Cakewalk software, be sure to share the wealth. Music Creator 6 comes with thousands of loops and sounds.  It is perfect for a first timer looking to have fun making music. Best of all you can give this gift via email, so it’s not too late to ship it anywhere!

Good luck and Happy Holiday,

Marcus Dandurand
Direct Marketing Manager
Cakewalk

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Hollywood Undead: On the road and writing with SONAR X1 Expanded

It’s two weeks into the tour and Hollywood Undead’s guitarist/vocalist/music creator J-Dog is without his tour laminate.  “All the dates are on the back of the laminate,” he says in a calm voice and smiling, “so it looks like I won’t know where I’ll be heading for a while.”  It could be a good thing, because J-Dog doesn’t need any distractions as his mind is set on a few specific targets; gearing up [already] for the next record, and giving Hollywood Undead fans everything the band has to offer on this tour.

The band, who currently are working on SONAR X1 Expanded for their next record are fighting through what is known in the industry as the “Sophomore Slump,” and winning.  “You can’t let your guard down for a minute these days.  You have to keep on working and keep your head on straight in order to stay in the game,” J-Dog tells me in a candid conversation.  “Even though our new record is doing well and the touring is killer, we have to keep it moving to the next record.” Continue reading “Hollywood Undead: On the road and writing with SONAR X1 Expanded”

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Ron Cote and Pristine Productions Utilizing SONAR X1 with Chart-topping Rock Acts

When it comes to SONAR, many of us often just think of recording and creating music for one medium, but there are many people out there using it in other ways.  Pristine Productions is a company based out of Philadelphia that has been using SONAR for many years to record Major Label artists; only not in the traditional sense…

Week-in and week-out, Ron Cote and his crew are found working with some of the biggest names in the business such as Shinedown, Disturbed, Stone Sour, Staind, Avenged Sevenfold and most recently, the undeniable Adrenaline Mob who are currently making a huge mark in the rock world.  When I say “working with” I am talking about a platform beyond recorded music that extends into the depths of capturing the whole “concert experience” on video.  Ron is hired by Major Labels and directly by bands to go into the trenches and capture those moments that give us all goose-bumps; those moments where a guitar solo just sounds way better than it did on the studio version of the song; or those moments where the lead singer delivered an inspirational melody he/she should have put on the studio record. Continue reading “Ron Cote and Pristine Productions Utilizing SONAR X1 with Chart-topping Rock Acts”

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SONAR X1 Video – Linear & Non-linear Music Production

There are lots of ways to make music – from precise, deliberate composition to live performance and freeform improvisation. You might want traditional, linear multi-tracking or you might want to just experiment and jam. The good news is you don’t have to choose. Merging the realtime, experimental approach of loop and phrase based composition with traditional, linear multi-track style production, SONAR X1 is specifically designed to offer the best of both worlds.
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SONAR X1 – CakeTV Video Get Started – ASIO audio device Configuration

Once you have connected your audio device it is important to ensure you have the right settings in SONAR. Configuring your audio device properly in SONAR will ensure you get the best performance and lowest latency. This video tutorial will take you through how to get the settings right in SONAR to get the best performance out of  SONAR recording audio.

Continue reading “SONAR X1 – CakeTV Video Get Started – ASIO audio device Configuration”