Sonar (NOT Cakewalk) 2024.07 Update Available

[Larry Shelby]

New in build 30.07.0.571

Various UI/Theming improvements.

Overloud TH-U Cakewalk amp simulator, which provides realistic guitar amp models from clean to crushing distortion. This special edition includes a curated collection of amplifier models, cabinet models, effects models and dozens of presets. Easily build or modify your own signal path.

Note: TH-U Cakewalk is only usable in Sonar and Next. If you already own the full version of TH-U, installing the TH-U Cakewalk edition will not change your existing functionality.

Overloud TH-U Cakewalk is fully backwards compatible with older TH3 and TH2 versions.

TH3 is no longer distributed with Sonar. Projects or templates containing TH2 or TH3 will automatically load in TH-U if the old plugin is not available.

Important: If you already have TH3 installed, you may not see any presets in TH-U. This will be addressed in a future update. The workaround for now is as follows:

Close Sonar.

In file explorer, navigate to the app data folder for Overloud TH-U (Go to %APPDATA%\Overloud).

Delete the \TH-U folder.

Start Sonar and insert TH-U in an FX Rack. This will regenerate the appdata folder and recreate it this time with the correct default presets.

Rig Player and Supercabinet.

Load user IRs even in regular cabinets instead of using one or both microphones.

Scenes support (A, B, C, D buttons on the interface).

Fluid Convolution technology support (https://www.overloud.com/news/fluid-convolution-unveiled).

Fluid IR technology (https://youtu.be/qLZ5rBCWW_k).

Remastered Cabinets with improved processing.

Save and load settings for single effects (right click effect).

Customizable initial chain (click Custom in the Settings panel).

More parameters for cabinets (pan, mic angle).

Download presets from https://www.overloud.com/downloads/presets.

Edit Key/Polyphonic Aftertouch events in Piano Roll view Controller pane.

Key/Polyphonic Aftertouch can also be used in MIDI track / Synth track automation.

MIDI buffer size is now adaptively managed whenever delay compensated plugins are present in the project, without any need to raise the MIDI playback buffer size.

External Insert enhancements:

Mono Outputs support. The External Insert plugin now supports exclusive use of mono outputs for sends.

Prior to this, using a mono output would utilize a full stereo pair and prevent other external insert plugins or tracks from using the unused channel.

It is no longer necessary for Show Mono Outputs to be enabled in the Devices tab of the Preferences to use mono channels in the external insert. (Its preferable to set display mode to show mono outputs since otherwise track or bus output will always utilize a full stereo channel).

Preferences | Audio | Devices | Show Mono Outputs defaults to checked for new installations of Sonar. This is the preferred display mode.

New Routing Modes. The external insert can be used in 4 modes:

Send/Return mode: This is the primary mode and is engaged when both the send and return ports are routed to hardware ports. In this mode the plugin echoes its send input to the main output. The external insert measures the net delay between the send and return and compensates for this delay, aligning the audio on playback. This is the only mode that is delay compensated.

[New] Send mode: This mode is engaged when only the send is routed to a hardware port and the return is unassigned. In this mode the plugin sends its input audio to the assigned hardware output, and additionally passes through the audio through the main out effectively acting as a splitter. This mode can be useful to create a signal flow tap point from any FX Rack location. No delay is applied in this mode.

Return mode: This mode is engaged when only the return is routed to a hardware port and the send is unassigned. In this mode the plugin receives input audio from assigned return port and echoes the audio to its output. This mode can be useful to create an FX Rack insert from an external audio device or synth, or to receive input from another external insert tap point in Send Mode. You cannot ping to measure delay in this mode, but a manual delay offset can be specified to compensate for any delays.

Passthrough mode: This mode is engaged when neither send nor return ports are assigned. Passthrough mode operates as if the plugin has been bypassed in the effects rack. All incoming audio to the plugin is echoed unmodified to its output.

ProChannel support. The external insert can now be used directly inside the ProChannel by adding it into a ProChannel FX Chain.

FX Chains (both Track and ProChannel FX chains) now fully support adding an external insert.

FX Chain presets containing External Inserts can now be saved and loaded in a track FX Rack or a ProChannel FX Chain.

Drag and drop of external insert or an FX Chain containing one from track FX Rack to the ProChannel creates a ProChannel FX Chain containing the external insert.

Send and return port assignments for the external insert are exclusive and can only be used by a single instance of the plugin. This is enforced as follows:

Track input and output menus will exclude any items that are in use by the external insert.

External Inserts send and returns will exclude any items that are in use by tracks/buses or other external insert plugins.

Loading FX Chain presets or track templates containing external inserts will result in the send and return being set to None if the ports are already in use.

Loading a project when the hardware inputs or outputs are no longer available will reset the external insert send/return.

The external insert references send and return ports by name. Changing the friendly name of a port will result in the send and return being set to None if it was using a different name earlier.

Track templates now persist external Insert ports.

Friendly names can be assigned to External Inserts.

Several stability improvements and fixes to external insert infrastructure.

Fixed: Quick Start shows duplicate demo project files

Fixed: Waves OVox and Studioverse Synth fails to insert in CbB/Sonar

Fixed: External Insert send menu doesn't show channels when using friendly names

Fixed: Projects saved with External Inserts lose their send port selection when changing "show mono outputs" state

Fixed: REGRESSION: Assigning External insert hardware send without assigning return causes allocator overflow and dropout

Fixed: External Insert can be dragged to PC FX Chain

Fixed: External insert shows send meter and send level is applied even when no send has been assigned

Fixed: Some External insert projects hang on load with allocator overflow

Fixed: Deleting External Insert crashes after looping playback

Fixed: Dragging an FX Chain from Track to ProChannel orphans FX envelopes in track

Fixed: Unable to scroll ProChannel with mouse wheel when mouse is over external module UI

Fixed: Third Party ProChannel Module Layout Issues

Fixed: MIDI notes are not rendered after edits performed with PDC heavy projects

Fixed: Plugin window is wrong size after floating

Fixed: Melodyne window is tiny/minimized when undocked

Fixed: REGRESSION: Effects interleave and double precision indicators in FX Rack do not change when settings toggled

Fixed: Transform Tool not working with Key Aft

What's New

User Interface:

UI refresh

Sonar has been completely refreshed with a clean new UI.

The UI refresh is an ongoing effort and will continue to be updated in future releases.

New dark and light color schemes

Sonar includes several color themes, including Dark, Dark Gray, Light, Light Gray, Tungsten, Mercury, and Cosmic.

Additional color themes will be added in the future.

DPI Awareness

DPI Awareness improves rendering and reduces blurriness, particularly for font rendering., and may sharpen graphics and make text easier to read. Improvements will be most noticeable when using large, high resolution displays (such as 4K) and with Windows display scaling set higher than 100%.

Per plugin DPI Awareness for VST plugins.

Track Manager enhancements

The Track Manager lets you configure which tracks are visible in the Track view and Console view, and you can create per-project presets to quickly show specific sets of tracks.

Per-track spectrum analyzer display in the Console view and Inspector.

Double-click to expand/collapse docked windows (MultiDock, Inspector, and Browser)

Additional snap landmarks

New Snap to Grid landmarks include Arranger Section Start Time, Arranger Section End Time, Project Start Marker, and Project End Marker.

Preview bus enhancements:

Preview Bus is now a project-wide setting

Preview Bus and Synth output assignment is now applied across the entire project rather than per view.

Preview bus assignment can now be managed directly from the bus/mains/aux track context menus or directly from the main Project menu.

An aux track can now be designated as a preview bus.

New Features:

Integrated sampler (XSampler)

XSampler is a simple sampler that lets you import or record audio, perform basic processing, and play it like an instrument with up to 16 voices. Instantly convert a single audio file into a playable or triggable sound that can be played back at different pitches and speeds.

New Quick Start screen

Open a recent project, open an existing project, create a new project from a template, download and open demo projects, preview projects, update the app.

Project preview

Preview projects from the Quick Start screen’s Local Projects page if you have exported a designated preview file.

Project Start and End markers

The Project Start and Project End markers define the playback range and the export range when exporting the entire project, and can also be used as Snap to Grid landmarks.

File formats:

Cakewalk Interchange Format (CXF)

The Cakewalk Interchange Format (CXF) is a Cakewalk cross platform inter-app project file format, used to exchange projects between Sonar and Next. CXF files exported from either application can be opened or imported in both apps.

CXF is a transitory format only used for exchange. It is not intended for archival storage or backing up since the format can change at any time.

Cakewalk ZIP Format (CWZ)

The new Cakewalk ZIP (.cwz) file format is intended for backing up projects, and is also useful for moving Sonar projects from one computer to another.

Cakewalk ZIP is recommended over the older Cakewalk Bundle (CWB/BUN) format, because it does not compact the audio data, and therefore supports AudioSnap clips.

Configuration backup/restore

Save and load backups of your Sonar configuration settings.

Automation:

Automation smoothing when recording

Automation smoothing now also applies to recording automation in real-time.

Specify the default automation curve type for drawing automation envelopes

Offset mode enhancements

To make it easier to visualize if a track parameter has an offset applied, Sonar shows the parameter value in an amber color when Offset mode is not active, and the parameter tooltip shows the offset value.

MIDI:

Live articulations

When playing a MIDI controller in real-time, the per track Live Articulations setting allows you to apply any transform articulations that are active at the now time.

Optional note start/end offset for MIDI transform articulations

MIDI Transform Articulations now support an offset value that will offset the start/end times for notes. The offset can be applied using either ticks or milliseconds.

Key Aftertouch editing in the Piano Roll view Controller pane

Cakewalk Product Center

Cakewalk Product Center allows you to download and install Cakewalk products from one central location. Simply sign in with your BandLab ID and password and begin installing your connected products. Stay up to date with the latest features and fixes.

Plugins:

Overloud TH-U Cakewalk amp simulator, which provides realistic guitar amp models from clean to crushing distortion. This special edition includes a curated collection of amplifier models, cabinet models, effects models and dozens of presets. Easily build or modify your own signal path.

ProChannel Concrete Limiter module

ProChannel Concrete Limiter is a transparent look-ahead brickwall peak limiter. It is designed to reduce peak levels without coloring the sound.

VX-64 Vocal Strip

VX-64 Vocal Strip is a multi-functional plugin that combines a series of effects specifically optimized and streamlined for vocal processing. Combining compression, expansion, equalization, de-essing, doubling, delay and tube saturation in one convenient plug-in, VX-64 Vocal Strip is designed to make it fast an easy to enhance any vocal track.

A/B plugin settings. Use the A/B buttons to compare two different versions of a plugin's settings.

Sidechaining enhancements

Both audio plugins in the FX rack as well as instruments in the Synth Rack now support sidechaining (when available by the plugin).

Manage sidechain routing directly from the effects view toolbar

Manage sidechain routing directly from ProChannel modules

New Manage Sidechain Sources dialog box that facilitates sidechain send management across multiple sources types (i.e. track, aux, bus).

Support for instruments with a single aux input

Prevent sidechain routing from creating a feedback loop

Plugin upsampling enhancements

Problems with bouncing up-sampled plugins where the bounce settings differ from playback have been addressed.

Plugin up-sampling can now be enabled while effect and Instrument sidechaining is in use.

Improvements to phase accuracy. Prior to Sonar, up-sampling could introduce an uncompensated phase offset in the up-sampled data of around 150 samples, which could lead to phase problems when playing back the up-sampled track along with the rest of the project, unless the track data was manually offset. This issue has been corrected and up-sampling is fully phase accurate now with no delay in processing.

External Insert enhancements

External inserts have been enhanced to add true mono output support, ProChannel integration, FXChain support, a new Send Mode allowing an arbitrary tap point from an FX Rack, Friendly naming, better track template support, as well as numerous optimizations and stability fixes.

Plugin Browser drag and drop enhancements

You can insert or replace synth, and convert regular audio and MIDI tracks to instrument tracks with the following drag and drop gestures:

To insert a synth: In the Plugins Browser, select the Instruments tab image.png, then drag a synth to a blank area in the Track pane or Clips pane.

To convert an audio or MIDI track to a simple instrument track: In the Plugins Browser, select the Instruments tab image.png, then drag a synth to an audio or MIDI track to convert the track to a simple instrument track. Note: Audio tracks will only be converted if empty.

To replace a synth: To replace the synth in a simple instrument track with a different synth, drag a synth from the Plugin Browser to the existing instrument track.

Quick access to plugin settings

The plugin toolbar now has a Settings menu button that provides direct access to Enhanced DPI scaling, sidechaining, and plugin upsampling settings.

Friendly names for plugins (set in the Browser) are now displayed in FX racks

Note: This will apply to new instances of the plugin. Existing ones will still show the actual plugin name. New instances will show the friendly name.

Usability and Workflow:

Click Sonar logo in Control Bar to open Quick Start Screen

Specify default synth for use in Add Track flyout menu

Set via synth track context menu or Synth Rack menu.

Select all tracks/buses in a control group

Quickly select all tracks/buses that belong to the same control group (A-X) with the new Select Tracks/Buses in Group menu command (control group context menu). Once selected, use quick grouping to adjust all tracks simultensously.

Create sends by dragging effects to channel strips (audio track, instrument track, aux track, or bus)

Create tracks routed to aux tracks or patch points

The Add Track menu now allows you to create tracks that are routed to a new aux track or patch point.

Preserve sections in other Arranger tracks when committing an arrangement

Arranger Inspector displays a badge on sections that intersect with the Now Time

In-app hang detection

Sonar can now detect hangs and save a minidump file, which allows you to easily submit minidump files to Cakewalk support for analysis.

Assignable key bindings to quickly show/hide tracks in the Track view and Console view

Toast notification when a control surface is disabled on launch

Sonar now shows a notification if you start the app while a control surface is disconnected

Deleting a tempo in the Tempo Inspector sets the focus to the next tempo in the list

Press F2 to rename markers in the Markers view

The meter scale for Instrument tracks changes from a MIDI scale (vertical piano keys) to an audio dB scale when the track is frozen

Remove all crossfades in the current selection with the new Track view Clips > Remove Selected Crossfades command

Track Scale Zoom is now quick-groupable

You can now zoom the waveform or MIDI notes in all selected tracks by holding down the CTRL key and dragging up/down in the track scale

Export track/bus and project icons as PNG

Report bugs via the in-app Help > Report a Problem menu command

Optimizations:

Improvements to transport start and seek latency

There are optimizations to playback start and seeking which reduce the latency before playback starts when starting the transport

The Now Time update frequency has been optimized to allow for smoother scrolling of the playhead marker during playback

Improved VU meter responsiveness

Optimizations to drawing efficiency in Console and Track view

Optimization for Intel processors

Improvements to reduce CPU load when streaming silence with certain plug-ins that generate denormals

MIDI buffer size is now adaptively managed whenever delay compensated plugins are present in the project, without any need to raise the MIDI playback buffer size

Run Sonar to update

 

[GTsongwriter]

On the website it suggests 8 core processor.  I have a 4 core computer from 15 years ago... I was thinking of trying out the new Sonar, but with that suggestion, I'll stay with Sonar Producer 8.5.3 which still works on my computer without that high requirement.  I use Blue Cat Audio Patchwork to allow me to run VST3 on it.