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Summary

Overall, the new tools in 8.5 work well and the effects sound terrific. As has typically been our experience with Cakewalk, the software is reassuringly stable (we were running the 8.5.2 update, which should be out by the time you read this). Furthermore, we had no trouble running Sonar on machines that fell well below the recommended spec.

One caveat is that, when using the 64-bit version, certain features and functionality (eg, MPEX timestretching, ReWire to 32-bit apps, QuickTime support) are absent. We can't blame Cakewalk, however, as it's clearly dependent on third parties for these technologies to be implemented for 64-bit operating systems.

In our Sonar 8 review, we concluded that that version was focused primarily on optimising what was already there. However, 8.5 - a 'mere' point update - is overflowing with new goodies that will not only improve your workflow, but offer inspiration as well.

It's definitely worth the upgrade fee for existing users (that being noticeably less than the usual full version rate), and Sonar remains a keen musical investment for anyone who buys the package outright.

Hear some of Sonar 8.5's new features in use:

Session Drummer

PX-64 Percussion Strip

Arpeggiator