SONAR 7 Producer Edition

UPDATE:
SONAR 7 is the latest update to Cakewalk's SONAR line. This review will focus on the new features and updates to Producer Edition rather than covering the complete application.

Installation of SONAR 7 is simple and painless. Given additional content installation does take a few minutes. As with previous versions, license is via serial number and a registration code obtained online (or via secondary computer if your main system isn't online). The license restricts use to a single PC, but you are free to reinstall SONAR as you update your computer, or move to a new one, without the hassle of more restrictive copy protection systems.

You'll need 3GB of disk space for library content for Dimension LE, Session Drummer, etc.

What's New:
Already an established DAW application, SONAR continues to bring new ways of increasing productivity for a wide range of users. Version 7 brings new instruments and effects (most to SONAR Producer), a pattern sequencer, side chain support for several plugins, external effects support, Cakewalk Publisher, audio CD burning and ripping, and quite a few workflow enhancements and updates to previous features.

CREATIVITY TOOLS:
Instruments:
The new instruments in Producer Edition include Dimension LE and Rapture LE, which are basically playback-only versions of the full versions. There are limited editing capabilities in both instruments, mostly levels, pan, effects, elements, filter cutoff/resonance, etc, minus modulation, routing, envelope and filter editing. Patches from the full versions are fully compatible, so basically only advanced editing capabilities have been removed or hidden, but sound capabilities not limited. Dimension LE's library is of course smaller than that of Dimension Pro. Both are very nice instruments with a good reputation from the full versions and a worthy addition to SONAR 7 for users that don't already own the full versions. If you like to tweak your programs, or write your own, then you may want to upgrade to the full versions, especially when considering the additional content you gain with Dimension Pro, but you could still get quite a bit of mileage out of the LE versions.

Z3TA+ is the full version and a powerful, flexible and great sounding soft synth. Z3TA+ can produce expansive pads, ripping leads, tempo synced modulations, arppegiated sounds, and more. It's a great addition to any soft synth arsenal. These three soft synths certainly up the ante for inclusion of soft synths in DAW applications given the level of sonic quality, capabilities, and variety offered.

Step Sequencer:
One of the most advertised features of version 7 is the new step sequencer. Step or pattern sequencers were the earliest form of sequencer, dating back to Linn and early analog sequencers with limited steps and triggering capabilities, but these tools helped define the early days of electronic music. SONAR's step sequencer is of course much more advanced, but maintains the basis for its ancestors.

The step sequencer works on a MIDI track as a view for that track, and when opened, creates a clip for that instance. Clicking on the clip will subsequently open the step sequencer. The step sequencer has multiple rows, each assigned to a MIDI note for that instrument/track, with mute and solo for each note/row, as well as velocity offset and a velocity multiplier. Each row contains note “cells” for each beat value in a measure - you can set the number of beats (1-64) and steps per beat (1-16) to set the size of the step pattern. For each note in the sequence you can right click and alter the velocity, as well as tie notes using control click and dragging between notes.

You can freely add and remove rows, reassign to different notes, etc. There are templates to automatically assign the step sequencer to any of several popular drum instruments, making setup quick and easy (worked fine with Battery 3 and Session Drummer - there are several kits listed with each drum instruments). Once done with the step sequencer, you can bounce your creation to a MIDI clip, and then edit it in the same way as any other MIDI clip. You can setup as many instances of the step sequencer as you like (or your computer can handle), either on different tracks/soft synths, or on the same track, for varying patterns over the course of a song. Many users should find the Step Sequencer a creative, and fun tool. It works as advertised, even faithfully following drastic tempo changes and ramps over multiple instances on different clips.

MIDI:
One area with the most notable enhancements is in the Piano Roll View, with updates to handling mouse button assignments, velocity editing, painting controllers, splitting and gluing notes, and drag-quantize.

Piano Roll View Tools:
Most functions in the Piano Roll View are now freely assignable to your mouse/key commands. The main 3 tools are there (select, draw and erase) but they can be reassigned, with templates for Cubase, Digital Performer and Logic included. The default of course resets assignments back to SONAR’s defaults. This is a great way to customize your workflow by assigning mouse button and key modifier commands to functions you use most. Drag quantize allows you to select multiple events (or a single event), and by dragging the mouse up or down, move it towards or away from the nearest quantize grid point (respectively). You can also reassign where in the event a certain tool command is active – very nice.

Controller Lanes:
Another improvement to the Piano Roll View is the ability to show multiple controller lanes. Working with overlapping controllers is at best confusing, but being able to see controllers in separate stacked lanes makes editing much easier. Of course there is still the option (button/key command) to see stack controllers and easily switch back and forth. You can also copy and move controller events to another lane (assuming the controller type is similar - e.g. type controller to type controller, velocity/note to velocity/note).

Microscope Mode:
Microscope Mode is a unique feature (at least I haven’t seen it in another audio application) that when enabled, shows a zoomed “inset” box for whatever section you mouse over in the Piano Roll View (also in the in track PRV mode as well). This makes it easier to see events without having to zoom in and out constantly as you scroll over a larger section of a clip. As with many other aspects of SONAR, the size of the zoom window, and maximum note height to activate the microscope window can be set for Microscope Mode to suit the user’s personal preference.

V-Vocal: Pitch to MIDI
An addition to V-Vocal is the ability to translate pitch to MIDI. Once you have detected pitches for V-Vocal clip, you can grab a MIDI icon in V-Vocal to a track as a MIDI clip. One thing to consider is that pitches are often several segments as the source instrument wavers in pitch, and each will be translated to a MIDI note, not always the baseline pitch of the source instrument’s note. The more cut and dry the source pitches are, the better this would work. Don’t expect to take a vocal track and instantly convert it to a perfectly matching MIDI sequence. But for other creative uses, Pitch to MIDI is there to offer something different.

MIXING:
Sidechaining:
Both the included Sonitus Compressor and Gate, and the VC64 Channel Strip can now be side chained by sending the output of any audio track to the input of one of these plugins on another track (they are listed in the output selection list for that track). This is of course useful for ducking instruments with, say a kick or bass, or for more interesting gating effects. Both work well.

Linear Phase EQ:
Another new addition to the Producer version of SONAR 7 is the Linear Phase EQ and Multiband compressor. The Linear Phase EQ works well enough, though it does eat up some cpu power. LP-64 does compare favorably to most of the current median of 3rd party linear phase EQ plugins. With linear phase, you gain the advantage of being able to apply EQ without impacting imaging and depth of a mix or stereo track the way other digital, or analog-modeled EQs can.

Due to latency with the LP-64 EQ, realtime editing causes audio to stutter/stop. With the initial release of 7.0, audio always stuttered during editing parameters, but with 7.01, audio mutes. Neither is really efficient for editing as it is difficult to interpret what each change is doing until you release the parameter. This is not the case with all linear phase EQs. While most if not all have a significant latency cost due to the linear phase algorithm, but other linear phase EQ plugins seem to have addressed that a little more elegantly (EQs in comparison: Refined Audiometrics PLParEQ, PSP's Neon, Aixcoustic's ElectriQ - all in linear phase mode with linear phase filters at their highest quality settings).

Linear Phase Multiband Compressor:
The LP-64 Multiband is similar to most multiband compressors in that you have control over 5 bands (actually some other multiband comps are limited to 4), with attack, release, threshold, ratio and gain on each band. The main graph window allows you to drag each band to set gain and frequency, and by moving neighboring bands accordingly, you can adjust ranges and bandwidths as needed. I would like to see a Q or bandwidth control for each band that also adjusts neighboring bands to compensate automatically - this would save moving one, then another, then another. In general the LP-64 seems to do a good job and is certainly flexible enough to tweak to taste, and create more extreme effects as well. As with LP-64 EQ, while editing the Multiband, audio does mute or stutter while dragging a parameter, even on a faster system, more so than other CPU intensive plugins (including multiband comps and linear phase EQs).

External Effects:
With SONAR 7 comes support for inserting external effects as a regular effect on a track or buss. There is support for calculating round trip delay to automatically compensate. When I tried this using a separate PC as an effects rack, I had varying results when calculating the round trip delay, and playback with the external effect wasn’t smooth. This is using ASIO drivers. Results may vary with WDM.

PUBLISHING YOUR WORK:
Web:
SONAR 7 adds a publishing tool that allows you to create and post an mp3 playlist of your own music (or anything you like really). You can select one of three Flash players and change the foreground, background and text colors of the player, as well as size to some extent. It would be nice to be able to send the final player and files to a local directory for users that build their own websites, esp. with site management, then upload or update/sync their site with another web design app. However there is an option to download a playlist from your site - not as convenient, but a nice option.

In practice the publisher does work fine. You’ll need some html experience if you want to really integrate the player into your website.

CD Burning:
SONAR 7 also adds the ability to rip audio from CDs, as well as burn your own using standard stereo, 16 bit, 44.1k wave files added from disk (not burned directly from the project timeline itself). While not a full CD mastering process (e.g. with control over spacing, etc), this is a convenient tool for making demo CDs, or just compiling your work for review later.

OTHER:
Among other new features, Dim Solo mode allows you to hear a soloed track with other tracks reduced by 6db, 12db or 18db, rather than completely muted - so you hear the track separately, but still in context - a great idea and one to be put to use. Other new features include drag and drop EQs, expanded file export options, the ability to assign inputs to multiple tracks more easily, real time bouncing, and more. In general, each of these enhancements seems aimed at speeding up workflow in general, which is always welcome with any app.

SUMMARY:
Version 7 upgrade for SONAR has quite a few enticing aspects that should make it worth it for most SONAR users. If you are looking for a digital audio application, SONAR 7 is worth considering. With a strong set of instruments, expanded MIDI editing capabilities, sidechain support for included EQs and Compressors, and some more unique features such as V-Vocal, Microscope mode, and the Step Sequencer, SONAR continues to reinforce its’ presence in the digital audio world.

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Learn more about Mikail Graham here.