Cakewalk in Boston announces SONAR X1 Production Suite ($499 street) for the Windows platform. SONAR X1 Production Suite includes SONAR X1 Producer, SONAR X1 Expanded, Softube’s Saturation Knob ProChannel module, FX Chains Version 2, SoundCloud integration, Music XML support, the PC4K S-Type Expander/Gate ProChannel Module, and Z3TA+ 2 next generation waveshaping synthesizer.
SONAR X1 Producer offers a user interface that’s designed to speed up workflow and provide a clean and modern creation environment. At the heart of the new SONAR is Skylight, a workspace designed for simplicity. This special version of SONAR X1 includes Cakewalk’s latest updates.
SONAR X1 Expanded includes ProChannel Modularity. SONAR X1 Producer‘s ProChannel console strip provides a highly musical EQ, PC76 U-Type/classic FET and PC4K S-Type bus compressors, tube saturation, and flexible drag and drop routing. ProChannel strips can now be customized to have any combination of installed modules available on any channel. Favorite combinations can be set as default for tracks and buses.
Softube’s Saturation Knob ProChannel module borrows from Softube’s German FET distortion and compression circuitry modeling. The company’s Passive-Active EQ design provides smooth, single-knob frequency saturation operation for adding just the right amount of tube warmth to any track.
Introduced in SONAR X1, FX Chains let you organize and create combinations of multiple effects including DSP-based effects. FX Chains V. 2 expands the concept from simple effects container to fully customizable plug-in interface, complete with user-definable skins. Knobs and sliders are assignable to any effect parameters within the chain and are available for remote control. Drag and drop FX Chains from the Browser, between tracks, or to individual clips.
Users can now upload finished songs in any bit/sample rate from SONAR directly to SoundCloud by simply connecting to their SoundCloud account from within SONAR.
SONAR X1 Expanded supports Music XML, the universal digital sheet music interchange and distribution format. The software’s Staff View provides access to this new notation export capability. Once a composition is finished, simply export in Music XML format for use in popular notation programs such as Finale, Notion, and Sibelius.
The PC4K S-Type Expander/Gate Module features a classic design providing gate function to remove unwanted sound from a signal and upward expansion, to expand the dynamics of vocals and instruments. The PC4K S-Type Expander/Gate can be toggled between Gate and Expander mode, has standardized Threshold, Ratio and Range controls, and switches to enable Fast Attack and side chain input.
Cakewalk states that SONAR X1 Production Suite will be available exclusively at select music and sound retailers worldwide in October 2011.
