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Instruments

Cakewalk has delivered some serious new sonic firepower in Sonar 8, though major additions are, predictably, exclusive to the Producer Edition.

We can detect the work of Z3TA+ creator Rene Ceballos in Beatscape, a groovy gubbin that combines loop-slicing and a 4GB collection of loop construction kits into a percussive powerhouse that resembles Akai's MPC grooveboxes.

Samples are assigned to any of 16 pads, which can each be edited and have effects applied. Designed to be played live, you can trigger samples from the GUI or your MIDI keyboard.

Also exhibiting Mr Ceballos's deft touch is Cakewalk's Dimension Pro – included here in its entirety. This wavetable powerhouse covers virtually any contingency with 8GB of content, including pads, brass, leads and orchestral sounds.

No mere ROMpler, Dimension Pro is a fully kitted-out wavetable synth with flexible modulation and stunning filters. It's a humdinger and no mistake.

Finally, the Producer Edition comes bundled with a version of 4Front Technology's gorgeous TruePianos. This, the 'Amber' model, combines samples and physical modelling to create a stunningly real grand piano with seven variations. It's really something to play and hear.

Conclusions

A glance at the feature list and the included plug-ins makes it obvious that Sonar remains the most complete Windows PC DAW on the market. This makes Producer Edition (and indeed, the cutdown Studio Edition) a no-brainer for first-time buyers, assuming they're happy with the somewhat dreary user interface.

Given that previous versions have been so complete, however, users of Sonar 7 might not be so willing to pony up the upgrade fee, especially considering that so many of Sonar 8's improvements lie hidden beneath the surface.

Those who do decide to hand over the cash though, will find that the program they love is now zippier, friendlier and far less demanding. Another good showing from Cakewalk.

For a more in-depth review of Sonar 8, check out issue 132 of Computer Music, on sale now.

Listen to some of Sonar 8's new plug-ins in action:

Beatscape

TruePianos Amber

TL-64 Tube Leveler