Cakewalk has introduced Rapture Session, a new virtual instrument, based on their ‘flagship’ Rapture Pro, for both Mac and Windows platforms.
Rapture Session includes a 4 GB library with 450 presets, advanced browser for fast searches and previews, and a stage-oriented Live Performance Control page that exposes key parameters for real-time control. It’s compatible with sound expansion packs for Rapture Pro, Dimension Pro, Rapture, and Cakewalk Sound Center.
In addition, both Z3TA+ 2 synthesizer and Rapture Pro synth/sample player have received major updates, including AAX support for Pro Tools.
Cakewalk Product Manager Lance Riley states, “We’ve always had a large number of people requesting our synths be available in the Pro Tools plug-in formats. Now with Z3TA+2, Rapture Pro, and Rapture Session available for AAX, we are excited to introduce ourselves to a larger group of users.”
In addition to AAX support for Pro Tools, Rapture Pro enhancements include easier navigation with a more intuitive folder system and normalized content, while Z3TA+ 2 incorporates a four-stage phaser, improved search and auditioning functionality, expanded Modulation Matrix, multiple fixes, and interface enhancements.
Both synths now include VST3 support for Windows and El Capitan Support on the Mac platform.
Details are available at the Cakewalk site for Rapture Session, Z3TA+ 2 & Rapture Pro.
I own Z3ta for mac. When I went to look for the update, it gave me an option of downloading a demo. But that was an installer package called Cakewalk Command Center. Nothing is simple anymore.
If you log into the cakewalk website you should be able to see all your purchased software and it will give you a link to download the latest version.
Never mind. Yeah this is terrible how you have to register it now. Also, the application seems to be much more CPU intensive. I hope I can downgrade.
Unfortunately, the download for the individual installer is not the latest version.
Ugh. That command center stuff is SO annoying. They “recommend” using it, but they offer no alternative. It doesn’t appear to know that I own the software, so it is making me install a demo, (which I already did, but it won’t let me authorize in the first step).
We’ll see. So far every experience with Cakewalk has been terrible.
Command Center is the deal. Automatically scans and lets you know if there is an update to ANY of your modules. Native Instruments and Arturia have the same process now. Works beautifully
The command center did not know I owned Z3ta, and did not offer an option to authorize. I have a serial and a reg # but nowhere to enter them. Grrrrr.
Anyone who’s ever tried contacting Cakewalk support knows I’ve just lost my plugin.
Hopefully they’ll figure it out. I will try contacting support, but I have been given no reason for optimism.
Z3ta+ predates the command center. Cakewalk has been clear since the introduction of command center that older (unsupported or obsolete) versions of their software would not work with the new license management utility. Luckily, Cakewalk support is great and they’ll help sort you out in a heartbeat.
I can understand that users owning only one of their synth products might be frustrated by the utility, but Command Center is a massive step forward for those of us that make Sonar the center of our studio. Upgrades are easy and automatic, and the added rollback feature makes it super simple to go back to a previous version of the software for those of us that occasionally need to do so.
I’ve been on Sonar since 2006 and also have licenses for Logic and Live that I rarely utilize. Sonar is the only reason my studio is still Windows-based. I like Logic quite a bit, but I love Sonar.
I’m pretty much stuck right now.
Re: “Z3ta predates the command center.” …
— I should have specified that I bought Z3ta+2 (not Z3ta). So I do own the latest version.
Right now, I’m just stuck in DEMO mode. It does seem to know that Z3ta+2 is what I need. It shows it in the Command Center, but only as a demo, and there is no option to authorize it. I’ve tried authorizing online, and it says, it is already authorized– and that the new version (2.2.0.95) which has a new serial is “connected” to the old version (2.1.2)
I’ve contacted Cakewalk support so we’ll see. I’ve contacted them about 5 times in the past and out of those times I have gotten exactly ZERO responses.
It is hard to love a piece of software, no matter how cool, when the developer is so unhelpful and apparently incompetent or perhaps in-over-their-heads (?)
It’s only been 24 hours, so I’ll give Cakewalk a little more time to respond.
There aren’t any uninstallers (either for Z3ta+2, or the Command Center App), so if I decide to jump ship, it’ll be a manual purge.
One thing I might try is re-installing 2.1.2, authorizing that, then running the command center to update it.
Ok, that worked. I think I’m back in business.
However, Cakewalk did NOT fix the most stupid parts of the UI. If you want to tune the synth, you must click on the tune field multiple times and it only increments +1, so if you want to tune to -14, you have to click 86 times. It’s that way with other fields. I thought this was something stupid about the iOS version, but it is also in this version. All it needs are +/- buttons and we are good. But that will not happen, even though they say they did “multiple fixes and interface enhancements”. Boo.
This is a pretty wonderful synth, but I can’t help but feel like Cakewalk is half-assing all this support and UI stuff.
” If you want to tune the synth, you must click on the tune field multiple times” Just click on the arrow to the left and there you can choose up to +50 or down to -50. There is an arrow to the left of each setting. Using Zeta+2 64 bit