Cakewalk Sonar 8 Producer review

The TL 64 Tube Leveler emulates valve distortion, which is extremely useful for applying some analogue warmth to digital recordings. This is an excellent example, capable of both subtle warmth and full-on saturation, and its controls are more flexible than many commercial plug-ins offer. Guitar Rig LE rounds off the new effects.

This cut-down version of Native Instruments' arsenal of guitar effects comes with fewer modules than the full version, but it sounds just as great, not just on guitars but wherever a heavy dose of grit is required.

With such a hearty dose of new instruments and effects, it's perhaps not surprising that Sonar 8 is light on new features in the main application. There are various small yet valuable improvements, such as the ability to split or mute multiple clips simultaneously.

We're pleased to see that tracks can now be armed for recording during playback, but bemused that the metronome can still only be toggled on and off when playback is stopped. Other subtle but significant improvements continue behind the scenes. Cakewalk claims improved ASIO driver stability and processing efficiency, particularly on Vista.

As with previous versions, we wish Sonar 8 had a less cluttered interface. There is something to be said for the vast array of buttons that adorn the screen, keeping everything close to hand for experienced users.

However, its main rival, Cubase, looks much neater and is generally a little quicker to use. The recently announced Cubase 5 threatens to take Sonar on for breadth of features, too. We'll be reviewing this soon, but for now Sonar 8 sets the bar higher than it has ever been before.

Author: Ben Pitt