Cakewalk has announced Sonar 4 Producer Edition, the latest version of the Windows audio production environment.

With new version 4, Cakewalk has added powerful recording, editing,
comping and navigation tools that optimize workflow for today’s
professional. In addition, version 4 combines innovative surround and
AV capabilities along with precise engineering tools.

New features, workflow innovations, and enhancements include:

• Track Folders with the ability edit the Track Folder Composite Clip
• Enhanced comping and editing features including track layer display
  options, clip muting/isolating, audition selection, customizable nudge,
  multi-clip slip edits, roll-outs, and fades
• Freeze tracks, effects, and synths with the ability to edit and arrange frozen data
• Loop construction enhancements including slice-based, envelope control of gain, pitch, pan
• Navigator view
• Extended Key Binding enhancements including keystroke-emulating
  templates for Cubase SX, Nuendo, Logic, Digital Performer, Samplitude,
  and other DAWs
• Multi-format surround mixing and editing with over 30 supported configurations (5.1, 7.1, LCRS, etc)
• Lexicon Pantheon Surround Reverb
• Sonitus Surround Compressor
• SurroundBridge?€”easily use stereo effects in a surround environment
• Video Thumbnail track with support for QuickTime, Windows Media Video, AVI, MPEG
• Extensive export options with useful and configurable presets
• POW-r Dithering
• MPEX Time Scaling
• TTS-1 DXi multitimbral GM2 synthesizer with authentic Roland sounds
• Configurable RMS and Peak Meter ballistics

More New Features

Track Folders?€”efficiently manage your large scale
projects and loop recorded takes with Sonar 4’s convenient Track
folders?€”allows for the organization of multiple tracks into one
single folder; simultaneously mute, solo, record, archive and perform
other functions on tracks in a folder; all tracks within a folder are
displayed as a Composite Clip which you can cut-copy-paste, move, slip
edit, and split; import multi-channel audio into a track folders. Sonar
4’s Track Folders are ideal for managing multi-mic or grouped
recordings (drums, choir, piano, orchestra, acoustic guitar).

Comping Tracks?€”complete your multi-take,
composite tracking of both audio and MIDI faster than ever with Track
Layers and Sonar’s new comp editing enhancements. Recorded and edited
takes are displayed in multiple layers of a single track; audition only
the selected content in a project while comping parts; quickly mute or
isolate unwanted/wanted takes or sections of takes using Clip Muting or
Partial Clip Muting (time-based within a clip); blend elements together
using auto-crop tool with crossfade option; non-destructive Auto Punch
Record Mode.

Loop Construction?€”Version 4 extends Sonar’s
powerful loop editing and composition capabilities with slice-based
envelope control of gain, pitch, pan; slice preview & auto-loop
simplifies marker placement/adjustments.

Freeze?€”optimize your system resources with a new
level of flexibility using Sonar 4’s superior freeze implementation for
tracks, effects, and synths. Render tracks to conserve CPU in one easy
step; automatically unloads plug-ins, releasing memory back to the
system; Sonar 4 efficiently freezes only when data is present,
conserving disk space; Quick Unfreeze/Freeze retains frozen data when
unfreezing, for quick toggling/auditioning of tracks. A distinct
feature of Sonar 4’s Freeze implementation is the ability to move and
edit frozen data ? you can even convert frozen data into groove clips.

Simultaneous Clip Editing?€”Perform the following edits on multiple clips simultaneously: nudge, roll out groove clips, slip edit, and add/edit fades.

Nudge?€”use this new clip editing enhancement both
vertically and horizontally within Track and Piano Roll views;
extremely flexible nudge resolutions (musical time, seconds,
milliseconds, frames, samples, ticks, follow snap settings); a total of
nine nudge commands can be assigned to any key or MIDI event.

Additional Sonar 4 Workflow Enhancements

Navigator View?€”provides a bird’s eye view of an
entire project. Swiftly navigate through projects and view exact
details with quick adjustments of track height, duration, and viewable
area.

Key Bindings?€”extends Sonar’s keystroke actions
with access to single key functions; transport keys now active in all
views including plug-in windows; includes built-in keystroke emulating
templates for other DAWs including Cubase SX, Nuendo, and Logic
providing convenience on cross-platform projects or for easy migrating
to the Sonar platform. Import/Export your custom Sonar key binding
presets for sharing/backup/transfer to other workstations.

Audio Metronome?€”route Sonar 4’s Audio Metronome
through any bus for flexibility in multi-player recording sessions (any
selected bus, in turn, can be send to any available main out); allows
for the adjustment of separate metronome levels in each headphone mix;
easy automation of mute/volume; users can also add custom sounds.

Surround and AV Capabilities

Engineered to meet the needs of mixing professionals, Sonar 4
Producer Edition provides a complete surround mixing and editing
environment with support for over 30 configurations, including 5.1,
7.1, LCRS.

The intuitive Surround Panner is the nexus of
version 4’s surround mixing paradigm offering control that extends far
beyond a simple x/y axis. The Surround Panner utilizes focus, width,
angle, and front/rear balance controls to provide a more responsive and
expressive control interface. Speaker muting and soloing, LFE send, and
extensive control surface/Joystick support further accentuate the
flexibility of the Sonar 4 surround implementation. Any surround bus
can be routed to another surround bus to achieve dynamic mixing
configurations. In addition, Sonar 4 offers transparent down-mixing and
bass management.

SurroundBridge?€”this innovation takes the Sonar 4
surround feature-set a step further, allowing for the use of any stereo
plug-in within multi-channel environments. SurroundBridge seamlessly
creates multiple instances of any effect, providing complete
linked/unlinked control across all channels from a single UI.

Video Thumbnail Track?€”perfectly align audio with
on-screen action; quickly locate video scenes across an entire project;
thumbnails resize dynamically to project zoom; auto-snap to frame.

Lexicon Pantheon Surround Reverb?€”access the
world-class, pristine sound of Lexicon reverb for the first time ever
in multi-channel environments up to 7.1; simple and powerful interface,
indispensable tool; numerous factory presets and full editing
capabilities for creating custom presets.

Sonitus Surround Compressor?€”a nine-channel
version of the critically acclaimed Sonitus Compressor, specifically
designed for surround applications; flexible and totally automatable.

Surround and AV Delivery?€”complementing Sonar 4’s
extensive surround mixing and editing capabilities are a powerful array
of delivery options that include: Windows Media Audio 9 (WMA), WMA9 Pro
5.1, and WMA9 lossless encoding and decoding; QuickTime, Windows Media
Video (with 5.1 surround audio), AVI (with stereo or 5.1 surround
sound); open support for external command-line encoders (surround,
LAME, Ogg Vorbis, Monkey’s Audio, etc.). Sonar 4 also provides a
convenient export video option with control over quality settings and
codecs; powerful presets for frequently-used export settings; export
buses and tracks into a composite mixdown, or as individual files.

Precise Engineering Technologies

POW-r Dithering?€”provides the highest quality
ultra-transparent digital-audio bit reduction; reduces 20, 24, and 32
bit audio to CD standard 16-bit format, while retaining perceived
dynamic efficiency with very low noise; scalable for use with all
sample rates.

Prosoniq MPEX time scaling?€”a superior time
scaling algorithm that employs psychoacoustic properties which simulate
attributes of human audio perception. This ‘intelligent’ algorithm
yields a more fluid feel and flexibility in the sound representation
that makes for better Time Scaling. Great for matching audio to video
or for loop/sample authoring.

TTS-1 DXi multitimbral GM2 synthesizer?€”a high
quality, multitimbral, multi-out GM2 (General MIDI System Level 2
compatible) DXi synthesizer that is equipped with a genuine Roland
synth engine; 256 instrument sounds and 9 drum sets are included;
dedicated control panel for easy customization of sounds.

Professional Content?€”Sonar 4 Producer Edition
also includes an extensive assortment of content from leading sample
and loop developer SmartLoops. Included are hundreds of megabytes of
MIDI Groove and ACID-Groove Clips, Live Studio Drums CWB files, Session
Drummer files and Pro Drum Works loops.

Sonar 4 Studio Edition

Sonar 4 Studio Edition is a special version of Sonar 4 designed for
project studios and aspiring professionals. Studio Edition is built
upon the same core engine and feature set of Sonar 4 Producer Edition.
NOTE: Sonar 4 Studio Edition does not have the following features found
in Sonar 4 Producer Edition: surround mixing and editing, Lexicon
Pantheon Surround Reverb, Sonitus Surround Compressor, Sonitus:fx
Suite, enhanced mixing console with assignable fx controls and
per-channel EQ, Video Thumbnail track, POW-r Dithering, MPEX Time
Scaling.

Pricing and Availability

Sonar 4 Producer Edition has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price
(MSRP) of $959 U.S.; Sonar 4 Studio Edition is $479 U.S. (MSRP). For
more information, visit Cakewalk on the web at http://www.cakewalk.com.