Feature Requests: Autotune, Drum Machine, Stem Separation and More

[Xel Ohh]

Where do I begin?

Cakewalk Sonar needs some features added and updated. This will allow Cakewalk Sonar to be the premier DAW that people want to use.  Many people may not agree with the statements that I make but the things I asked for will definitely help people's workflow.

1st request is to be able to use Bandlabs Auto-Tune in Cakewalk Sonar. This will allow people to use Auto-Tune easily in Cakewalk sonar this feature has been missing for a long time and the technology is there through bandlab not sure why it's not in Cakewalk sonar. 

2nd request Bandlabs drum machine in Cakewalk Sonar or at least the one in Cakewalk Next. The ability to add your own drums into a drum pad style sequencer will help many people and their workflow I'm not 100% sure why this has not been added already. 

3rd request stem separation in Cakewalk sonar. This will help with the creative flow coming into the daw being able to separate stems like vocals drums guitars and instruments will make production a lot easier this feature is also in Cakewalk next and is not in Cakewalk sonar.

4th request bandlab instruments in Cakewalk sonar. Right now with the subscription you can use bandlab samples but we do not have the instruments that bad lab has this will help when trying to integrate Bandlab projects and Cakewalk Sonar projects and Cakewalk Next projects.

5th request update x sampler to be able to split samples onto different keys. X sampler should also be able to pitch shift a single audio on different notes. Example getting an 808 to slide using portamento which also needs to be added to x sampler. X sampler should also be able to do crossfades on chops Warp audio and send chops to drum machine that I asked for as the fourth request. 

6th  request the ability to add another EQ in the pro channel. This request has been asked before and no answers or suggestions have been given to add another EQ in the pro channel. This will help when people need to mix their songs. I know many of you may tell me to add another EQ with the effects rack I understand that is possible but is it not easier to add another EQ into the pro channel. You can add everything else in a pro EQ more than once but you cannot add another EQ. 

7th request update to matrix view. This matrix view has been needing an update for a while there are so many different things that you can do to improve the matrix view. I have seen new dolls come out like traction waveform and they have added different things into their clip launcher that can be incorporated into Cakewalk sonar for the matrix view. 

8th request update to the piano roll. The one in bandlab has an option for chords and scales that allows users to make music a lot easier than you can inside of Cakewalk sonar. This should be incorporated inside of Cakewalk sonar. 

These are just a couple of suggestions of features that should be added to Cakewalk sonar. All the features listed above it will definitely help the Cakewalk sonar brand just hope the bakers will look at this and put these things into action in the upcoming Cakewalk sonar updates.

[Starship Krupa]

10 minutes ago, Xel Ohh said:

2nd request Bandlabs drum machine in Cakewalk Sonar or at least the one in Cakewalk Next. The ability to add your own drums into a drum pad style sequencer will help many people and their workflow I'm not 100% sure why this has not been added already.

Right, after all these years, Sonar still  doesn't include a pad/phrase sampler. XSampler was ported from Next, but that was a year ago and XPadSampler is still nowhere in sight.

Sonar now includes a "sampler," but it's not the type we were asking for all that time. When XSampler was introduced, I thought that the pad/phrase version would be following shortly, but no.

It was a HUGE feature request for a long time. You and I were two of the users who were noisiest about it and I'm glad to see you checking in on it.

18 minutes ago, Xel Ohh said:

7th request update to matrix view. This matrix view has been needing an update for a while there are so many different things that you can do to improve the matrix view.

Yeah, been requesting this since Cakewalk by BandLab first came out. Even Pro Tools has added a fully-featured clip launcher since then. Matrix is a feature that has always looked to me like it was about 3/4 implemented and then abandoned.

I agree with all of the suggestions to add the functions that BandLab has to Sonar.

Sonar is presented in BandLab's collection of DAW's as the endpoint, where you can start with the web or mobile BandLab DAW, move to Next, and then when you're finally ready, Sonar. The problem with that is that Sonar lacks multiple features that even the mobile DAW includes. To move from the mobile version to Next to Sonar only works if you're willing to give up a phrase sampler, pitch correction, chords and scales, the virtual instruments, and stem separation.

As for using multiple EQ's in ProChannel, that would be very nice. Especially since the excellent Quadcurve EQ can't be used in the standard FX bins. Which is another feature request that occurs to me.....

[Xel Ohh]

@Starship Krupa yea we have been asking for several things for years but it seems like it falls on deaf ears. I'm pretty sure they will ignore this post like they have in the past. 

I think the simplest thing they are denying long time users is a perpetual license. They are screaming it from the roof tops and no one can hear them.

We will see where this all goes...🤔

[Glenn Stanton]

@Xel Ohh - perpetual as in "you have x version and it's yours to keep and use forever" (no updates to next version included, and limted supported once the new version is live),  or "x version = $", and then "y version = $" then "z version = more $" (as most other DAW do 🙂 ).

the latter model seems suspiciously like "subscription" without saying it. and of course the old sneaky "maintenance plan"...  the former model seems like my SPLAT software. i can run it forever (or until the OS no longer supports it) -- but then again i'd likely never want to go back either... rock, hard place. 

[Mánibranðr Studios]

2 hours ago, Glenn Stanton said:

@Xel Ohh - perpetual as in "you have x version and it's yours to keep and use forever" (no updates to next version included, and limted supported once the new version is live),  or "x version = $", and then "y version = $" then "z version = more $" (as most other DAW do 🙂 ).

the latter model seems suspiciously like "subscription" without saying it. and of course the old sneaky "maintenance plan"...  the former model seems like my SPLAT software. i can run it forever (or until the OS no longer supports it) -- but then again i'd likely never want to go back either... rock, hard place. 

I would like a return to the former model as it favours lower income musicians whose incomes aren't the most stable.

This is actually one of the main reasons behind my recent decision to go back and reinstall my 13 year-old purchase of Sonar X1 Producer.

Edited 7 hours ago by Mánibranðr Studios