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New Go Deeper Video, PCAL DAW, and CakeTV

by Seth Perlstein

Another week is done and another video is produced. This time its a Go Deeper video about PX-64 Percussion Strip, which should make a nice compliment to the PX-64 Get Started video and the Drum Production Master Class.

In fact, the video you see in the link above is rendering on my PC Audio Labs workstation while I write this. As I ease back into my studio chair and swing my feet up onto my ottoman, I can’t help but think what an essential piece of gear that computer is to my workflow.

The seamless configuration of the system and the sheer muscle of the Intel i7 965 CPU in the PCAL DAW are what make it possible. I’m able to run SONAR, Vegas, and Camtasia all at the same time in Windows 7. Having all those apps open at once means I have instant access to them so I can move between music writing, sound design, screen capture, recording voice over, and video editing seamlessly.

PC Audio Labs DAW in temporary location on my desk (right)
PC Audio Labs DAW in temporary location on my desk

I shudder to think what a nightmare this would have been on my first PC, a now ancient Pentium III which had a whopping 384 megs of RAM. Heck, there’s more processing power in my mobile phone than there was in that once beloved but now aged dinosaur.

Ultimately my hope is that our videos will inspire you to make music and help you get better results than you’ve ever gotten before. And I want the Go Deeper – PX-64 video to be no exception, which is why it’s fast paced, action packed, and loaded with information.

When you’re done watching Go Deeper – PX-64 check out our other new Go Deeper video. Its about AudioSnap 2.0 Drum Replacement and was done by fellow Cakewalker Mike Trujillo. It’s not finished at the time of publishing so I can’t provide a link at the moment. However, it should be up on our YouTube Channel sometime this weekend.

On tap for next week is something brand new and totally awesome; CakeTV. I can’t give away too many details just yet but I can say its shaping up to be the hub for all things Cakewalk.

Stay tuned.

SP Headshot No CaptionSeth Perlstein is a Product Specialist for Cakewalk, Inc. He is also a huge fan of the NFL and looks forward to a great 2010 season. Go ‘Niners!

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Life as a Cakewalker and new Get Started video

by Seth Perlstein

Every day that I work on a SONAR video is a good day. However, while it’s a lot of fun to create demonstration videos about a product that I’m deeply passionate about, it’s also a ton of work.

A perfect example of this is the Drum Production Master Class video that I recently created. In case you haven’t seen it it’s a five-part series of videos that goes over writing, arranging, and mixing drums in SONAR.

Despite being roughly forty-five minutes in length and covering a wealth of topics, the Master Class was originally supposed to be a simple Step Sequencer video. Being that the Step Sequencer involves so many other features in SONAR, things quickly ballooned and the video grew to unexpected proportions.

Screen capturing, editing, and doing voice over for that amount of material was a monumental task, though I didn’t realize it would be as such when I started. Thankfully the video turned out well and has received a warm reception from viewers.

Really, though, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve created three categories of SONAR-based videos that we plan to enhance our library with.

* SONAR: Get Started – an introductory, basic overview of a feature, group of features, or plugin
* SONAR: Go Deeper – an in-depth, hands-on demonstration of a specific feature or plugin
* SONAR: Master Class – a comprehensive tutorial of a group of related features within a larger workflow

For example, for those who want to learn about the very basics of the PX-64 Percussion Strip plugin but don’t want to sit through an entire Master Class, I’ve created a Get Started: PX-64 Percussion Strip video.

And there’s so much more to come.

Next week we’ll release Go Deeper videos on PX-64 Percussion Strip and Drum Replacement with AudioSnap 2.0, and we have a laundry list of topics to cover in the coming weeks and months. If I’ve learned anything from making the Master Class video it’s that there’s plenty of fun, and hard work, ahead.

Stay tuned.

SP Headshot No CaptionSeth Perlstein is a Product Specialist for Cakewalk, Inc. He is also a bi-pedal humanoid residing on Planet Earth, a small, blue planet in the far reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy.

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SONAR 8.5 Earns Excellent Ratings in EM Review

sonar-main-460-80Electronic Musician’s Brian Smithers highlighted just some of SONAR 8.5’s many strong suits in his latest review, stating that “although SONAR was already a strong platform for groove manipulation, its new arpeggiator and Matrix view, along with the improved step sequencer and AudioSnap function, bring it to a new level of flexibility and power.” Smithers goes on to say “add to that the Session Drummer 3 improvements and the PX-64, and SONAR 8.5 is sure to bring a smile to the drummer in you.” Additionally, the review sings the praises of the Matrix view touting “Project5 users will feel right at home, as will Ableton Live users. The ability to have cell-based (nonlinear) triggering of audio and MIDI loops within SONAR’s sequencing environment brings significant new workflow possibilities.”

Read the rest of EM’s SONAR 8.5 Review on their website.

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Create Record Label, High-Quality Productions With SONAR 8.5

MatrixViewFor Chris Maguire, upgrading his DAW to SONAR 8.5 was a no brainer. For $99, Chris made the move from SONAR 8.0 Producer and immediately began to see the improvements made to the DAW’s feature set and functionality.  In his review at Altsounds.com, Chris explains how he used the VX-64 Vocal Strip, PX-64 Percussion Strip and the Matrix view (the brand new mixing and arranging tools in SONAR 8.5) to create high-end, professional sounding productions.

To Chris, these three additions to SONAR 8.5 alone, “were worth the upgrade price so when you throw in all the other updates, tweaks and functionality you get for your money, there should be no question (to upgrade to SONAR 8.5).”

Read Chris’s full analysis of  SONAR 8.5 at Altsounds.com.

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An Affordable & Comprehensive DAW: SONAR 8.5

sonar85_asIn the Autumn issue, Computer Music magazine gets to the bottom of the new point release for Cakewalk’s flagship DAW, SONAR 8.5. As stated in the article, chock full of new features and engine optimizations SONAR 8.5 is ‘far from just a collection of under-the-hood tweaks.’

The new version packs a wealth of plug-ins including two seven-stage processors for treating drums and vocals, a non-linear cell based Matrix view and a fully-loaded Arpeggiator (based off of tools in the now extinct Project5) plus a Media Browser that supports a variety of files (REX, anyone?) which can be used natively in SONAR’s track view. Also available in SONAR 8.5 is a tool called Bitbridge, allowing SONAR to use 32-bit plug ins in a 64-bit environment and guaranteed compatibility with Windows 7 (release date: Oct 22, 2009).

SONAR 8.5 is available for purchase as a download and as a boxed copy with a variety of pricing and upgrades options to fit every musician’s budget.

Pick up the latest issue of Computer Music to see the news article

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Get Amazing Add-Ons With A SONAR 8.5 Producer Upgrade

MatrixView

If you’re ready to take the ultimate step to SONAR 8.5 Producer, there has never been a better time to upgrade! SONAR 8.5 Producer includes all of the innovations, instruments and effects that were included in version 8 plus a host of new features including:

 • Matrix View – simple and flexible cell-based, non-linear audio and MIDI arranging with live triggering capability
• Session Drummer 3 – latest version of Cakewalk’s virtual instrument for easy and fast creation of drum tracks with a new UI, stellar sounding kits and patterns from top sound designers and drummers, more
• PX-64 Percussion Strip – seven-stage processor designed specifically for use with drums and percussion
• VX-64 Vocal Strip – seven-stage processor optimized for shaping and sculpting vocal tracks

We would also like to let you know that there are a number of Elite Upgrades available to existing SONAR 8 Producer customers at an incredible price! For years, SONAR has been a completely open system, meaning you can add virtually any third party software program to your studio with the peace of mind that it will work flawlessly with SONAR. In that spirit, we have partnered up with some of the industry’s top third party manufacturers (including TruePianos, IK Multimedia, Native Instruments, Notion, Izotope) to create special upgrade options in hopes of rounding out your SONAR experience!

You can find more information on these Upgrades here