CAKEWALK SONAR 6 PE (Windows DAW) - NOW WITH CONCLUSIONS!

[Anderton]

One more comment: Yes, Cakewalk is active here, but in all fairness it's because I always solicit manufacturer input as part of a Pro Review.

A more accurate indication of Cakewalk's activity is in their forums at the Cakewalk web site. I must say those forums are very impressive, both in terms of the quality of the users (they've solved several knotty problems for me) and Cakewalk's responsiveness. Obviously there will always be people who want specific features or who have specific problems that can't be resolved, but Cakewalk does own up to problems and tries hard to track down the sources, and by and large users give them major props for that.

[MSaether]

Originally posted by tekrytor But without owning Sonar 6, I can't just try it out myself.

 

 

Hi Steve,

 

You can download a fully-functional trial version of SONAR 6 from the Cakewalk web site (http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/kb/kb20061101.asp). The DigitechRPX.dll plug-in that Craig linked to should work just fine in the SONAR 6 trial version.

 

Best regards,

 

Morten Saether [Cakewalk]

[Anderton]

I’d like to wrap up AudioSnap (although you’re welcome to ask any questions concerning it) so we can move on to the other features in Sonar 6. I’ve been spending some time with AudioSnap, and have started to use it without obsessing too much – for example, I was working on some guitar loops, enabled AudioShap, and rendered with the iZotope Mix algorithm without even bothering to tweak any transients. It worked, and sounded, just fine.

There are a couple other features worth noting. One is that the "look" of the transient markers reflects their status: Disabled, promoted, selected, moved but not stretched, moved and stretch, user marker that was added manually, and so on. A particularly interesting feature is that the marker head changes color to indicate how close it is to maximum stretch (there’s a limit of 25% of the original length to 400% of the original length).

An even more important feature takes advantage of the Auto Stretch feature. When I heard about this, it seemed too good to be true so I gave it a pretty deep test when I reviewed Sonar 6 for EQ magazine. Basically, it allows AudioSnap-enabled clips to follow tempo changes, just like REX or Acidized files; enable AudioSnap before making tempo changes, and the clips will follow along. It will take you some time to render a lot of clips if you’re late in the game of doing a project and decide to add tempo changes, but hey, it works!

You can also right-click on the AudioSnap palette’s title bar and adjust transparency. So, you can adjust AudioSnap parameters while seeing the results on a waveform “below” it – cool. Click on the attachment to see transparency in action; this shows full transparency. I’d like to see this option added to more windows, particularly soft synths that take up a lot of space, and the transport.

[Anderton]

Unfortunately, you can’t add MIDI events to the pool. But there are still some MIDI tricks. These are mostly holdovers from previous versions, but integrated into the AudioSnap function.

One new MIDI feature is the ability to quantize to the pool, which you select in the Snap to Grid dialog. This makes it easy to have synth bass, for example, groove along with a drum pattern.

The other MIDI options relate to extracting grooves from audio, then quantizing to those grooves (the grooves can also be saved, and you can load grooves that are included with S6). You can also “write” the groove as MIDI notes, which can be very, very convenient if you want to do drum replacement.

[Anderton]

The more I work with AudioSnap, the more facile I become with it – and that’s important, because how you’ll use AudioSnap depends on the material, and the desired end result. There’s no doubt it can be confusing, even daunting, at first. But as you gain experience, you’ll start recognizing what type of material likes what kind of algorithms, whether transient markers are placed properly, and the like.

But let me emphasize this is not a “one size fits all” solution. REX files and Acidized files also perform well for time-stretching, so what AudioSnap really does is provide more stretching options. And even within AudioSnap, there are different options like cutting a beats vs. moving transients. And don’t overlook just slip-editing a clip to make it match a particular length; that’s often the simplest and easiest way to go.

Musically, I don’t know how much I’ll use this feature; I try to keep the timing natural in a project, although I’m sure there will be times when it will be easier to reach for AudioSnap to fix a glitch than recut a part. However, in terms of creating samples and loops, AudioSnap has already proved its worth over and over. Overall, AudioSnap is such a rich feature with so many potential applications that I’m pretty sure I’ll still be finding out subtleties about it months from now.

Again, feel free to ask any questions; meanwhile, I plan to tackle the VC-64 channel strip…it too is pretty deep.

[Anderton]

One thing you can’t accuse Cakewalk of is the “not invented here” syndrome. When they needed to do stretching, they adopted Acidization and incorporated a REX player. When they needed some decent signal processing plug-ins, they turned to Sonitus and acquired the Sonitus:fx plug-ins. They looked to FXpansion for a VST wrapper, Voxengo for a convolution reverb, and when they wanted to get involved in soft synths, called on the talents of Réné Ceballos.

So now they’ve re-skinned the Kjaerhus Golden Channel, adapted it for 64-bit operation, and voilà – the VC-64 channel strip. Good call: Kjaerhus’ effects are excellent, but being a small operation, the company has never gotten the props it deserved.

I was a little put off when I wanted to read the manual for it (yes, I’m the guy who actually reads manuals; you access it by clicking on the “Manual” label just above the VC-64’s Gain control in the lower left) and couldn’t find anything on the Main Section in the contents page. This is important, as it descirbes how the inter-module routing works, as well as the main controls. But it really is there: Click on the manual’s “Index” tab, then double-click on “Routings.” Scroll upward to see the rest of the manual’s documentation on the Main Section.

The VC-64 is a multifunction audio processor that is reasonably kind on your CPU. Its roster of effects includes a noise gate, de-esser, two compressors, and two equalizers; click on the attachment to see the plug-in's GUI. Each equalizer has four stages of multimode equalization (parametric, low shelving, high shelving, low pass, and high pass).

Yes, Sonar already has most of these functions from the Sonitus effects. But whereas they’re designed to be neutral, the VC-64 is designed to add “character” and color the sound in a subjectively pleasing way, as well as add more functionality thanks to the ability to do internal routings of the various effects. This is a big deal – after giving a brief rundown of each section, we’ll get into some of the applications made possible by the different routings.

[Anderton]

This is one of the simplest modules, consisting solely of a “power” button, Threshold control, Decay Time control, and meter. Click on the attachment to see its control set. As a result of the simplicity, you can’t set a particular amount of gate attenuation (the only choice is off or on; it's not possible to have, say, -20dB of attenuation in the off position), nor can you set an attack time for “attack delay” effects.

However, in addition to gating noise, the processor does offer a useful "effect": “Tightening up” percussive sounds. Set a relatively high threshold and short decay, and you can reduce leakage in drum parts, as well as reduce high-hat/tom/cymbal decays. With full drum/percussion loops, you can sometimes set the threshold high enough to leave the snare and kick sounds intact, but remove lower-level percussive sounds.

Granted, a noise gate isn't all that exciting, but it's useful and this one works just fine.

[Anderton]

I was very happy to see that the VC-64 includes a De-Esser, as it doesn't seem to be a very common plug-in, and I often have the need for one. As it turns out, this one works very well..."lack of De-Esser" problem solved.

In case you're not familiar with the concept, a De-Esser is basically a frequency-selective compressor. The Frequency control sets the frequency above which compression occurs, while the Threshold control sets the level needed to trigger compression. Click on the attachment to see the available controls.

As with the Noise Gate, this is a "just the basics" De-Esser with no bells and whistles. But that doesn't mean de-essing is all it can do. Aside from de-essing vocals, I’ve found this useful to tame overly-prominent high hats in dance music drum loops, as well as bring down the “buzziness” of distorted signals with lots of highs.

[Anderton]

That's not a typo, I indeed said compressors, not compressor.

As expected, each compressor has the usual complement of controls: Bypass, Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Decay, Output Gain, and Input Gain (so you can choose how hard you want to "slam" the compressor if you're so inclined). There's also a cool-looking analog meter that can show input, output, or amount of gain reduction. I will say that I'd prefer three bar graph meters that showed all three parameters at once, but presumably that wouldn't look very "vintage." Click on the attachment to see the compressor GUI.

Note that the same interface serves for both compressors. You select the compressor you want with the C1/C2 buttons toward the buttom, and each has its own "power" switch (turn off any compressor you're not using to save CPU power). Be careful that you've selected the correct compressor before you start tweaking; I'd like it if there was a subtle change to the interface (e.g., different knob colors or background lighting on the VU meter) between the two compressors so it would be more obvious which one was selected.

But in addition to the usual controls, there are some non-standard controls. One button gives optical or VCA compression curves, and a clean (“smooth”)/warm switch for different sonic characteristics. I found these to be the kind of buttons where you just try one option or the other, and decide which one you like best.

There’s also an auto attack/release button; this feature isn’t unusual, but it’s given an unusual name (“PDE”) so you may not recognize it. Also note that the compressors can be thrown out of phase if desired. Dumb idea? Not at all - you'll see why later

[Anderton]

Why dual equalizers? To take advantage of various routings that put them in series, parallel, in the path of EQs to perform frequency-selective compression, and so on.

As with the compressor, both EQs share a single UI; click on the attachment to see the EQ controls and curve graphics. You select the EQ you want to edit with the E1/E2 button, and like the compressor, the same caution applies about making sure you have the right EQ selected before you start tweaking knobs. The power button is available for both EQs, so you can turn one off and one on, both on, or both off.

There are four parametric stages per EQ (with Gain, Freq, and Q controls) as well as your choice of five responses + bypass: Highpass, lowpass, high shelf, low shelf, and parametric. Note that the Q control is active in the shelf and lowpass/highpass modes. It controls the "gentleness" of the curve in the shelving modes, and adds a resonance bump (yes, just like a synth filter) in the lowpass and highpass modes.

The Constant-Q button is an unexpected asset. In a nutshell, a filter with a constant-Q response has sharp notches and broad peaks, whereas one without constant-Q has equally broad (or narrow) notches and peaks. Turn on constant-Q if you need to make deep, narrow notches to get rid of unwanted frequency anomalies yet allow for relatively broad boosts, or turn it off for a more natural sound.

The Range buttons have no effect on the sound, but alter the range of the graph by setting the vertical axis to ±5, ±10, or ±20 dB. As you generally want to use the minimum amount of EQ possible, I recommend setting this value to 5 as it makes subtle equalization settings easier to see. Wide ranges (as found on most EQs) can induce people to boost or cut more than they really should so they can “see the curve."

[Anderton]

The VC-64's "big feature" that makes it stand out from simpler plug-ins is that it offers multiple signal routing presets - series, parallel, and side-chaining options. For example, compressors can be “patched” in series or parallel, and side-chaining is also possible within the channel strip to allow for frequency-selective compression. (I realize that the latest VST spec allows for side-chaining, but it's going to be a while before that's commonplace and besides, it's convenient to have that ability within a single plug-in.)

Clicking on the routing window steps through the various options, but you can also right-click on it and select one of the ten options from a pop-up menu. Click on the attachment to see the various routings.

As to what you can do with these different routings, let's look at a few typical applications.

[Anderton]

As to applications, let's look at the Parallel Compression routing first. This patches all effects in series except that the output splits through two compressors in parallel. Parallel compression is handy for when you want to do a fair amount of signal squashing, but still need a sense of dynamics; for example, one application is drum compression where you still want to retain percussive attacks.

Click on the attachment to see two compressors set up in parallel. Note that you can't see both compressors simultaneously in the VC-64 - I cut and pasted the GUIs for the two compressors into a single piece of artwork.

The compressor on the left provides heavy “squashing.” Typical settings for drums would be Threshold –20 dB, Attack 0.1 ms, Release 100 ms, and Ratio 10:1.

The compressor on the right adds in a lightly compressed signal. Start off with Threshold at –6 dB, Attack 10 ms, Release 150 ms, and a Ratio of 1.5:1. Finally, use each compressor’s Gain Out control to adjust the blend between the “super-squashed” and “lightly squashed” sounds.

A variation on this theme is to use the Two Band Compression routing. This is similar to the Parallel Compression routing, except that an equalizer precedes each compressor so you can tailor the frequency response of what gets compressed. For example, with guitar, you might want to notch the midrange on one of the channels and apply significant compression to bring up the pick noise transients, as well as the “boom” from an acoustic guitar’s body. Or, you could compress the midrange to bring up the notes.

Although you could use this routing as a primitive multi-band compressor, we're only talking two bands. Besides, the Sonitus multi-band compressor can do “real” multiband compression over up to five bands, so in this case the VC-64 would be more about creating effects rather than being a "true" multiband compressor.

[Anderton]

One cool application for the Two Band Compression routing doesn't actually involve any compression at all (just bypass them), but takes advantage of the EQ being in parallel - and being able to throw one of them out of phase - to create a really meaty, rich wah-wah effect.

On one of the EQs, turn the phase switch on, and bypass all of its stages so that its response is flat (the bypass button is the straight line in among the buttons showing the various possible curves). On the other EQ, select a bandpass response for one of the stages (the other ones should be bypassed). Set the Gain for this stage to about +8dB, and Q to about 8. Sweep this equalizer’s Frequency control to hear the wah-wah effect.

It should sound much more dramatic because with a standard parametric response, frequencies above and below the peak pass through at their “flat” amplitude. Including a second out-of-phase stage cancels frequencies above and below the peak, which emphasizes the peak.

[Anderton]

The "Mix and Master" routing option patches the equalizers and compressors in series, giving the equivalent of an 8-stage parametric EQ. But I find this setting more useful for compression than using massive amounts of EQ, as the Sonitus EQs pretty much do all you need for taming lots of "rogue resonances" in a signal.

Patching two compressors in series, and using light amounts of compression with each, produces a very "gentle" compression effect that definitely narrows dynamics, but does so without sounding overly unnatural.

Click on the attachment to see typical settings for the two compressors. Again, I've used a paint program to show the UI for each compressor simultaneously. If you used these settings with only one compressor, you wouldn’t hear much of a difference at all. But put two in series, and the effect seems to “multiply.” For example, I used these settings for bus compression on a jazz recording with drums, piano, and bass. Like classical music, you really don’t want to do a lot of dynamics processing with jazz; but the subtle compression helped make the music sound more “live” and present. In this case, I also used the Optical and PDE settings.

[Anderton]

With this routing, you can equalize and compress the two sides of a stereo signal separately. Although the Noise Gate and De-Esser affect both sides of the track equally, past these two modules, the signal splits to an EQ/compressor pair: The E1 equalizer and C1 compressor affect the left channel, while E2 and C2 process the right channel.

This can be extremely handy when restoring old stereo tracks (including stereo program material), particularly because you can automate the control settings. For example, if an instrument is too prominent in the left channel and unbalances the stereo mix, you can bring in compression (or EQ, or both, depending on what does the job best) to tame that instrument only while it’s playing.

[Anderton]

This is what the VC-64 calls "sidechain compression," and provides frequency-selective compression. In this routing, equalizer E2 taps the signal after compressor C1, and its output serves as the control for compressor C2.

In other words, instead of compressor C2 listening to its output to determine when to initiate compression, it listens to the filter. Thus, if the filter passes only high frequencies, then only high frequencies will be compressed.

However, remember that unlike compressor sidechains, which typically have a high pass filter to do de-essing, there are many more filter options in the VC-64. For example, suppose you’re applying sidechain compression to drums. If you set up a high shelf boost, then the high end will be compressed. But if you use another band of the VC-64’s equalizer to add a low shelf cut, then the low frequencies will actually sound expanded compared to the rest of the drums.

[Anderton]

The Parallel Compressor routing allows for a lot of special effects if you set one compressor for an out of phase response. Click on the attachment to see typical settings for a compression effect that gives a heavy "sucking" sound.

The settings are pretty crucial here. With compressor C2, set the following parameter values: Attack 10ms, Release 224ms, Threshold 0dB, Ratio 1:1, Gain Out 0 , and Phase should be set out of phase (lit). For the Gain in, start at around -10dB.

Compressor C1 uses the following values: Attack 10ms, Release 224 ms, Threshold -20dB or so, Ratio 2:1, Gain Out 0dB, and Phase should be set in phase (not lit). Set Gain In to 0dB. If you think about these settings, C1 is quite compressed, while C2 is not really compressed at all.

The next step is to adjust C2’s Gain In control. Fully counter-clockwise, you’ll hear that “super-squashed” drum sound used by the Beatles, Traffic, and others – the effect that sounds like the cymbals are being sucked into a vacuum. Turn the Gain In control more clockwise, and as it approaches 0 dB Gain In, the sound will come closer to resembling expansion. Continuing to turn the control clockwise reduces the “special effect” element, and the track will sound more normal.

This effect helps show the extent to which the VC-64 is an "overachiever."

[Anderton]

The VC-64 comes with a bunch of very useful presets you can choose from the Presets field, but of course, you can also save any presets you create. Just use the VST drop-down menu and choose “Save Preset.”

However, matters are complicated somewhat because a preset can have an “A” and “B” set of parameters. (This is what you use for doing comparisons; for example, if you’re using the "A" set of parameters, clicking “Copy” will copy the parameters to the "B" set of parameters.)

Saving a Preset saves both sets of parameters, but closing the host (or the plug-in) will cause the preset to “remember” the currently selected parameters only. When recalled, these will be placed in "A," regardless of which set you were using when you closed the host or VC-64.

Also note that no matter how much editing you've done, you can recall the original preset parameters by clicking on the Recall button.

[Anderton]

As with AudioSnap, it seems like the best way to get across what the VC-64 can do is to use some concrete examples. It's one thing to know that a module can put two equalizers in parallel; it's something else to know you can use that to make a bitchin' wah-wah sound.

Overall, this is one of those rare "magic bullet" plug-ins that sounds good on just about everything, if you're willing to take the time to find the routing that works best for you. For example, with acoustic guitar, not compressing the high frequencies can bring out a vibrant, present sound; while with drums, you can thicken them up big-time if that's your thing. Bus compression? Sure! You can use subtle amounts of compression to give the entire mix a little bit of a "lift."

The VC-64 provides that missing "vintage" element that Sonar never really had. In terms of the upgrade itself, consider the Kjaerhus equivalent lists for around $200, so you can consider the $200 upgrade fee from Sonar PE to Sonar 6 PE to pay for the VC-64, and everything else gets thrown in for free.

I'll post a few audio examples shortly.

[Anderton]

Customization may seem like a bogus feature compared to things like AudioSnap, the VC-64, and ACT. Yet ultimately, it can make a big difference on how you work.

However, you should be aware of three main factors before getting too deep into customization:

1. You’ll be non-standard. This may matter if you’re working in several studios with Sonar, or if you read articles where tips are based on performing specific steps. If your menus aren’t set up the same way, the article might make no sense.
2. You’ve probably spent some time learning Sonar, and you have the existing defaults already figured out. Customization is like a “self-imposed learning curve” as you’ll have to learn all the new things you’ve done.
3. The people at Cakewalk are pretty sharp, and a lot of the defaults make sense. Be careful that any customizations don’t make the program more difficult or confusing to use!

[Anderton]

While simple, this is one of my favorite customizations and one of the most effective. Although you can customize existing toolbars, the really important aspect here is you can create up the three custom toolbars. You can show, hide, and float these as you would any toolbar.

The main thing I used this function for was to create a single toolbar with all the most important functions that I use, and in the process, I was able to get rid of all the other toolbars, thus reclaiming some screen space, and minimizing clutter. For example, do you really need a button for “Open File?” I open the file and that usually begins a multi-hour odyssey where I really don’t need to open another file again. Besides, I just use a key command anyway.

Customizing toolbars is pretty simple. You right-click on any button in a toolbar you want to customize (you can select a user toolbar by going Views > Toolbars), choose customize, and a dialog box opens up. Click on the attachment to see the dialog box in action..

The left pane lists the available toolbar buttons, while the right pane shows the buttons in the currently selected toolbar. You just add or remove buttons using the “Add/Remove” buttons, and drag a button up or down to change its position relative to the other buttons.

You’ll also see an item marked “separator” in the screen shot. This lets you add spaces between groups of buttons, which I find very helpful as I like to group buttons based on functionality.

As to what makes up my “all in one” toolbar, here’s the list going from left to right:

Rewind
Stop
Play
Record
Now time
Run/stop audio engine
Reset MIDI
--3 separators—
Tempo
Insert tempo
--3 separators—
Open AudioSnap palette
--3 separators—
Controller/surface
Controller/surface properties
ACT learn
--3 separators—
Enable/disable automation playback
Enable/disable automation record
Clear all automation write enables
--3 separators—
Mute/unarm all tracks
Solo/unarm all tracks
Arm/unarm all tracks
--3 separators—
Loop on/off
Loop start
Loop end
Set loop points to selection
--3 separators—
Set punch points to selection
--3 separators—
Default groove-clip pitch
--3 separators—
Metronome settings
--3 separators—
Automation snapshot

Of course, this is what works for me...you might use a different set of functions more frequently. But that's the whole point: set it up, as Shakespeare once said, "As you like it."

Note that you can also reset any toolbars you modify if you get in too deep. Overall, this may seem like a fairly small function, but I find it extremely helpful in putting my most-used options one click away.

[abzic]

Probably you all friends following this review know about kjaerhus but, just in case, here I have some info to share with you. They have available for free download at www.kjaerhusaudio.com a nice VST plugin collection. I installed them all in Sonar5PE last night and I was pleased with the simplicity, sound and included presets.
The collection is made of:
1. Classic Chorus
2. Classic Compressor
3. Classic Delay
4. Classic EQ
5. Classic Flanger
6. Classic Master Limiter
7. Classic Phaser
8. Classic Reverb
9. Classic Auto-Filter

Andres

[Anderton]

Okay, here we go...this one is called "Leadfoot" because, well, it'll be obvious. The very beginning has the VC-64 bypassed, then the super-heavy kick comes in. This one routes the EQ in front of two compressors in series, with a big boost in the kick region.

Remember -- if this downloads with a .PHP suffix, remember to change it to MP3 in order to hear the file.

[Anderton]

This one is very similar to the previous example, but the EQ range has been shifted to the snare. Listen to just how much the overall sounds changes just by changing this one parameter.

[Anderton]

This uses the "Special FX" patch mentioned earlier, for a really squashed drum sound. Note the "sucking cymbal" sound at the beginning.