10 Reasons to Upgrade to SONAR X3

Here are some of the benefits of upgrading to SONAR X3, SONAR X3 Studio, and SONAR X3 Producer.

1. Comping

The revolutionary Comping feature has pinpointed one of the most common workflow practices in digital audio for recording and editing. This feature allows users to record multiple takes, store them in order, and then isolate and promote different parts of each take into one seamless performance. As if that wasn’t enough, SONAR X3’s Speed Comp increase the productivity of the comp tool by adding shortcuts for navigation and promotion so that you don’t even have to reach your mouse when auditioning takes.



Once you have completed your comp you can flatten it. The Flatten Comp feature renders your promoted takes into one track, adds it as the most recent take, names it “Comp”, promotes it, mutes all other takes, and locks it in place so that no harm can come to it. This essentially saves you 6 steps every time you need to render your takes.

2. New Instruments and Effects

SONAR has introduced new instruments and effects with the release of SONAR X3. First off, all 3 versions come with Session Drummer 3. SONAR X3 Producer also now includes the full version of Addictive Drums. This is not a cut down version of the software and provides users with award winning drum sounds from XLN Audio’s pristinely recorded drum sets. AAS’s Lounge Lizard Session and Strum Acoustic Session have made their way right into the synth rack of SONAR X3 Producer delivering the true sounds of a classic Rhodes electric piano and a set of physically modelled acoustic guitars. Not only that, but the full version of Rapture is now available as a standard synth with every purchase of SONAR X3 Producer.



The Blue Tubes bundle is now available in SONAR X3 Producer and Studio. This pack of plugins delivers 20 of the best analog emulated effects by Nomad Factory. Speaking of the best, Overloud’s TH2 SONAR is also included in your upgrade – showing off some of the most advanced guitar amp simulation that Cakewalk has ever made available.

3. VST 3 Support and Toast Notifications

SONAR X3 has adopted some of the latest technologies including VST3. VST3 support allows users to benefit from loads of new features including improved sidechaining, resizable plugin edit windows, improved plugin categorization in the Media Browser, parameter organization in the Edit Filter, better CPU performance, and sample accurate automation.



Cakewalk has added their own special sauce to the plugin scanning as well by reworking the way SONAR scans for plugins. Now with the new Background Scanner and Toast Notifications SONAR keeps you updated on the different plugins on your computer. The VST scanner does an initial scan on first startup and then subsequently scans for any changes each time you open SONAR. This supports all VST3 plugins and plugin packages and does it in the background so that you’re never kept waiting ever again.

4. Social Media and Cloud Integration

SONAR X3 perfectly integrates into online social media and modern collaborative tools such as Gobbler, Soundcloud, YouTube, and Facebook. With tools like the Gobbler module, you don’t even have to leave your DAW to share your project across the world with another SONAR user. Setup the auto-backup features to keep your projects from up to date and saved to the cloud. As a new SONAR X3 user you get a free 5GB of storage on Gobbler’s data servers.



The new YouTube Export saves you a few steps in uploading your tracks to YouTube. This window signs you into your account where you can set your videos sharing options, name it, and describe it. If you don’t upload a video, the video will load with “Created in SONAR X3” automatically. Lastly, Soundcloud allows users to upload directly from the DAW and share and embed audio on the web, Facebook and Twitter.

5. ARA Integration / Melodyne Essential

ARA technology is Celemony’s way of allowing DAW’s to host the functions of any audio edit capable plugin. ARA Integration means that Melodyne can now run as a fully integrated feature within SONAR X3. Yes, you read that correctly, SONAR X3 can now run the world’s best pitch correction as a native component and SONAR X3 Studio & Producer now include Melodyne Essential. Melodyne interacts with the new Region FX clips in SONAR – allowing users to highlight any mono audio clip and apply Melodyne pitch correction. ARA’s high quality time stretching replaces the older time stretching capabilities run by AudioSnap and SONAR X3 has the ability to convert Audio to MIDI by simply dragging and dropping audio to a MIDI track. This deeply integrated technology makes SONAR perfect solution for complex pitch correction!

6. ProChannel (Studio & Producer only)

The ProChannel redefines the way you work with the Console View. Each audio track, instrument track, and bus comes with a complete modular strip of analog effects. Even the inspector allows the users to preview a selected track’s ProChannel strip right from the Track View. With the click of a button users can expand this analog mixing console and fully customize it by dragging around the modules, or loading up a ProChannel presets.

SONAR’s ProChannel lends itself to an immensely visual experience and to enhance this feature a step further Cakewalk introduced the fly-out panel for the Quad Curve EQ (SONAR X3 Producer Exclusive). Adding this allows users to see and modify their audio signals in real-time across a spectrum analyzer.

7. Multi-Track Recording

As with any fully fledged DAW, SONAR X3 allows you to record as many inputs as your interface can handle. You can now record an entire band practice, live show, or simply a multi-mic'd drum set with ease. Music Creator 6 Touch was a great start, but if you need to take your studio to the next level then SONAR X3 is your solution.

8. Enhanced Video Engine

SONAR X3 comes with industry standard video formats using Microsoft’s Media Foundation video engine. Additional benefits include improved video playback quality and performance, support for high-definition content, support for high color spaces with full fidelity and enhanced full-screen playback, and more efficient video acceleration.

9. Unlimited Everything!

SONAR X3 delivers what other DAWs cannot offer, unlimited everything in all versions! You get unlimited simultaneous Audio & MIDI tracks, FX, Sends, and full VST3 support with our industry leading 64-bit mix engine. We believe that everyone deserves the full SONAR X3 experience.

10. 64-bit Audio Engine

SONAR X3’s brilliant audio engine captures the clarity and elegance of your music. Its inspiring smooth sound and sonic characteristics digitize your performances with the utmost precision. You can bounce your tracks down in minutes with our 64 bit double precision engine, record up to 196kHz with low latency monitoring, and mix with confidence using our sample-accurate plugin delay compensation. Every user deserves the caliber of fidelity that SONAR delivers, and that’s why we made all of this available in very version. Our technology brings out the best in your music and nowhere else can you have it all starting for $99.

[Fuzzychicken]

Cake is good to eat and good for ya.Sonar is been sweet for a decade,My Mkii motu all worked.64 bit win8.1 The sale oh thanks what a Christmas Cake I got.

[AlterEgo]

got it today the producer version oh blimey bye music creator touch :)

[oniradix]

Nice list! Thanks!