Cakewalk Sonar

Sonar provided limited facilities for video, surround sound (5.1, 7.1), and supported .avi, .mpeg, .wmv and .mov files. Sonar had the ability to show video as thumbnails contained in a separate track.[1] With appropriate hardware, it was also possible to output the video to an external monitor screen via FireWire. Common SMPTE formats, frame sizes and frame rates were supported. It was possible to transfer audio loop files from other compatible software into Sonar and complete a final mixdown.

Various audio export options (including 64-bit masters) were AIFF, AU, CAF, FLAC, RAW, SD2, W64 (Sony Wave-64), and WAV (Microsoft).

• Alias Factor
• Analyst
• Boost 11
• Bit Meter
• Classic Phaser
• Channel Tools
• Compressor/Gate
• FX2 AmpSim
• FX2 TapeSim
• Guitar Rig 4 LE
• HF Exciter
• LP-64 Multiband
• LP-64 EQ
• Modfilter
• Multivoice Chorus/Flanger
• Para-Q
• Perfect Space Convolution Reverb
• Pitch
• PX-64 Percussion Strip
• Reverb
• Sonitus fx: Compressor
• Sonitus fx: Surround Compressor
• Sonitus fx: Delay
• Sonitus fx: EQ
• Sonitus fx: Gate
• Sonitus fx: Modulator
• Sonitus fx: Multiband
• Sonitus fx: Phase
• Sonitus fx: Reverb
• Sonitus fx: Surround
• Sonitus fx: Wahwah
• Tempo Delay
• TS-64 Transient Shaper
• TL-64 TubeLeveler
• V-Vocal (Part of main program installation)
• Vintage Channel
• VX-64 Vocal Strip
• DSP-FX: Chorus (32-bit only)
• DSP-FX: Delay (32-bit only)
• DSP-FX: EQ (32-bit only)
• DSP-FX: Flange (32-bit only)
• DSP-FX: Studioverb (32-bit only)
• CW-Reverb (Mono)
• CW-Delay (Mono)
• CW-EQ (Mono)
• FX1 Dynamics Processor
• Parametric EQ
• SpectraFX
• Stereo Delay (32-bit only)
• Stereo Reverb

• MFX Arpeggiator
• MFX Change Velocity
• MFX Chord Analyzer
• MFX Echo/Delay
• MFX Event Filter
• MFX Quantize
• MFX Transpose

• Beatscape 1.0.2 (Separate installation)
• Cakewalk Sound Center
• Cakewalk TTS-1
• Cyclone
• Dimension Pro 1.5 (Separate installation)
• Dreamstation DXi2 (32-bit only)
• Dropzone VSTi
• Pentagon 1
• PSYN II
• Rapture LE VSTi
• Roland Groovesynth
• RXP REX Player
• Session Drummer 3
• Square I
• Studio Instrument Suite
• SFZ Soundfont Player
• TruePianos
• z3ta+ VSTi

The plugins in SONAR X1 were also available in SONAR X2, with the following changes

Added

• Breverb SONAR
• R-Mix SONAR Edition
• TH2 Producer

Removed

• Guitar Rig 4 LE

Added

• Rapture 1.22 VSTi

Removed

• Beatscape 1.0.2 (Separate installation)
• Rapture LE VSTi

The plugins in SONAR X2 were also available in SONAR X3, with the following changes

Added

• Blue Tubes FX Collection
• Melodyne Essential
• Tone2 BiFilter2

Removed

• Analyst
• Bit Meter
• FX2 AmpSim
• FX2 TapeSim
• Pitch
• Reverb
• V-Vocal
• Vintage Channel
• DSP-FX: Chorus (32-bit only)
• DSP-FX: Delay (32-bit only)
• DSP-FX: EQ (32-bit only)
• DSP-FX: Flange (32-bit only)
• DSP-FX: Studioverb (32-bit only)
• CW-Reverb (Mono)
• CW-Delay (Mono)
• CW-EQ (Mono)
• FX1 Dynamics Processor
• Parametric EQ
• R-Mix SONAR Edition
• SpectraFX
• Stereo Delay (32-bit only)
• Stereo Reverb

Added

• Addictive Drums 2 (Separate installation)
• Strum Acoustic Session
• Lounge Lizard Session

Plugins available in X3 but no longer available in Sonar Platinum

• Dreamstation DXi2 (32-bit only)
• Pentagon 1

Starting with version 6, Sonar could take advantage of 64-bit internal processing, a 64-bit audio engine, and a 64-bit mixer on 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7. Before introduction of Sonar X2 in October 2012, the entry-level Essential versions of Sonar (Sonar Home Studio and Sonar Essential) were 32-bit only. With the release of Sonar X2, the full program family became native 64-bit.

Starting with Sonar Platinum (January 2016), releases moved to a monthly cycle, with new features and demo products introduced with each update.

On November 17, 2017, Gibson announced[3] that it was ceasing active development and production of Cakewalk branded products, including all versions of SONAR. After 30 years, Cakewalk, Inc. ceased operation, with only the company's web forum and license authorization servers still being kept functional.

On February 23, 2018, Singapore-based BandLab Technologies announced its purchase of some of Cakewalk, Inc.’s assets and all of its intellectual property.[4] BandLab's stated goal was continued development of the former company's flagship product, SONAR (now renamed Cakewalk by BandLab[5]) as part of its portfolio of freeware digital audio workstation software.