Hi Everyone,

We wanted to make users aware of what's going on in the next week in regards to update 1.2017.

While direct users have early access right now and may see a final release before the end of the week. Steam users will likely see this update early next week.

With this update we're adding a new standalone app for the updated LP-MB and LP-EQ plugins and investigating a personalization issue when upgrading between versions. 12.2016 users will also be receiving the personalization update.

Due to complexities and scale of this update, we want to add a few extra days of test to make sure everything is production ready before going live.

Best Regards,
Seth and all of Cakewalk

Hi Everyone,

We've pushed a small update out today which includes a new TH3 installer.

This is compatible with TH3's standalone installers, so users who purchase the full version should no longer experience issues.

TH3 has moved from [steamlibrary]\common\cakewalk\vstplugins and steamlibrary]\common\cakewalk\x64\vstplugins

to

C:\Program Files\CommonFiles\VST3\ and C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\VST3\

These paths should be added by default to SONAR's scanner, but if they are absent you can add them by going to Edit > Preferences > File > VST Settings

Hi Everyone,
There's a bunch of changes coming down the pipe for 2017, and we wanted to let our users know right away.

Our decades old loyalty pricing system was difficult to maintain on the Steam store and other retailers, causing multiple discount stacking issues and ultimately sowing confusion for end users.

Starting with the 2017 season we'll be piloting a new flat pricing structure. This will instead allow us to be more flexible in our promotional offerings and participation in Steam community events.

The last day to purchase SONAR Platinum Lifetime Passes will be January 2nd, 2017.

After that, only SONAR Platinum 2017 season passes will be available. Pricing on these packages will be in line with our new system mentioned above.

SONAR Professional 2017 Season Passes are now available! Users who own the 2017 pass will be eligible for updates till 12.31.17.

Coinciding with the pricing structure change, we'll be running a limited 35% launch discount on upgrade options.

With the introduction of our new beginner version - SONAR Home Studio we'll be retiring Steam Edition 2016 to simplify our offerings to new users. The last day Steam Edition 2016 will be available for sale is 1.2.17. Note: the '16 pass's last scheduled update is the 12.2016 release.

Moving forward, the last loyalty pricing offered will be a special one for Steam Edition 2016 users to upgrade to Professional 2017. This will expire rolling into the 2018 season.

Over the course of next year, we'll be refactoring and updating the Steam specific content to enhance end user experiences. All offerings of SONAR on Steam will effectively become 'Steam Editions', including Home Studio.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to start a thread in our discussion forums! We'll try to answer everything to the best of our ability.

• The Notes tab in the Browser now has a Copyright field. This was previously available in the Project info screen and is now available again using the Notes tab.
  
• Loading an image from the Browser's Notes tab now remembers its last folder location
  
• Notes section of the Notes Tab is now scrollable without being in edit mode
  
• Freeze buttons now stay in sync between synth rack and tracks
  
• User & Factory Lenses are now separated in the menu
  
• Toast notifications no longer stack when changing Lenses in the same session

• Lenses now restore the correct MultiDock position
  
• Lenses menu commands now display info in the Help Module
  
• Multiple custom TV Control Manager presets were being saved in a Lense
  
• The Save button in Lens Manager could be grayed out when a lens had been modified
  
• Under certain conditions spaces between words in Lens drop-down were omitted
  
• Disabling Surround from a Lense now removes the Add Surround Bus from Console View menu
  
• Canceling in the Lens Manager no longer saves a lens in some conditions

• Fixed a crash unplugging USB audio device while in WASAPI Exclusive mode
  
• Recording could no longer work after running wave profiler in WASAPI Exclusive mode
  
• Fixed a possible crash unplugging USB audio device while in WASAPI Exclusive mode

• Corrected a graphical issue between Inspector and TV after undocking the Synth Rack
  
• Disable floating on the Synth Rack could result in a crash
  
• Synth Rack menu icon no longer disappears once you undock from the Browser
  
• Keyboard shortcut for showing/hiding Synth Rack works now when the view is in the MultiDock
  
• Synth Rack would not display correctly after reopening a project in some conditions
  
• Docked Synth Rack height is now restored with a saved lens

• Removing a Region FX could result in a crash
  
• Resolved multiple instabilities when dragging Melodyne clips in a project

• Control Bar modules now display correctly when justified and the last module is collapsed
  
• Fixed an intermittent crash with CTRL+Dragging step sequencer clips.
  
• 32-bit Boost 11 is Uncategorized in the Plugin Database on 32bit installs of SONAR
  
• Clicking the body of a Bus in the Track View now highlights the name of the Bus
  
• Resolved a possible crash when shift+dragging clips between take lanes
  
• Reordering an instrument track via the header icon now works as expected
  
• Fixed a possible crash & Improved stability when removing ProChannel modules
  
• In the Staff view note head no longer disappear when using the Select tool
  
• Fixed cases where group delete or add ProChannel module would not work
  
• Inserting a Track Template no longer creates an extra MIDI track
  
• Fixed a crash in ASIO Mode using Clip FX and Live Bounce
  
• Dragging a clip to a different lane of another track did not work in certain conditions

Note: As always, if you run into an issue with update 11.2016, prior versions are available to roll back to through the Steam Beta Branch Options. This can be found by Right-Click on SONAR in the Steam library and going to the Beta Tab.

In the spirit of the Holiday Season we've brought our Dimension Pro Holiday Pack to Steam!

Bells & Whistles is a Dimension Pro Expansion Pack with holiday music inspired instruments sounds including;

• Bells (Rope Bells, Sleigh Bells, Bell Trees, Bell Shakers)
  
• Choirs
  
• Harpsichords
  
• Organs
  
• Snare Drums
  
• Cymbals
  
• Strings

This expansion pack is available for free and works with:

• Rapture Session
  
• Rapture Pro
  
• Dimension Pro
  
• Dimension LE

Note: If the pack isn't showing up in the Dimension Pro/LE program browser after install - make sure to hit the [F5] key to refresh the listing.

Note: Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems (KB3201845) appears to help resolve the issue(s) stated below. Though not 100%. Make sure to check your Windows 10 updates, if you are having issues.

Additional Note: Some users have experienced good results running SONAR in Windows 8 compatibility mode for the time being. This can be done by going to the SONAR.exe directly on your system and adjusting its Windows preferences.

It has come to our attention that a recent Windows 10 update has introduced instability in a subset of our plug-ins and may cause SONAR or other Windows DAWs to crash. The problem is related to a change in the timing for thread initialization on Windows, which leads to intermittent crashing on project load, plug-in scanning, or adding these plug-ins to a project. We are able to reproduce the issue and it appears to only affect some systems since it is timing related.

We are actively working on a resolution and will release fixes to the affected plugins as soon as possible.

Under Development Plug-ins that may be affected:

• CA-2A
  
• Rapture Pro
  
• Rapture Session
  
• Z3TA+2

Legacy Plug-ins Impacted:

• Dimension Pro
  
• Rapture Legacy

We appreciate your patience while we work to resolve this issue,

- Cakewalk

This month Cakewalk’s 2016.11 release for SONAR Platinum, Professional, and Steam Edition brings enhancements to some key elements of SONAR.

Improved Built-in Audio Support, Lenses, Matrix View Enhancements, Melodyne Essential 4.1, and much more have all been added to this month’s rolling update.

Improved Built-in Audio Support: With new WASAPI drivers, SONAR now delivers extremely low-latency performance with laptops and tablets that rivals Thunderbolt—we’re talking truly high-performance mobile setups, whether for Artist, Professional, or Platinum.

Lenses: The new “Lenses” feature optimizes the SONAR UI based on what you want to do – record your guitar or vocal, edit drum loops, or mix your song -- Lenses will give you the right tools at the right time – nothing more, nothing less. Get started with built-in Lenses, then customize them to create your SONAR.

Matrix View Enhancements: Those of you who’ve wanted to see some love for the Matrix View will be very happy to check out the latest improvements, which speed up workflow and allow much more flexible Cell manipulation—as well as tightening the relationship of Cells to the Track View and timeline.

Melodyne Essential 4.1: Melodyne’s pitch-correction software is already widely considered the best collection of pitch and time correction tools, but this free update takes it to another level with better comping workflow, improved sound quality when stretching with ARA, a new Track Edit mode, and more.

Melodyne Studio 4.1 Multitrack Support: If you own Melodyne Studio, in addition to other Melodyne 4.1 features SONAR now supports Studio’s multitrack workflow. This makes it much easier to work on multitrack projects because you can edit multiple tracks simultaneously, as well as view one track while editing another.

Browser Notes Tab: It’s important to keep notes on your projects. Now notes are integrated right into the Browser, and it’s so convenient songwriters will appreciate being able to jot down lyrical ideas quickly. You can even add custom artwork that will be displayed in the Start Screen.

Improved New User Audio & MIDI Setup: To improve the first time user experience, SONAR will now walk you through getting set up the first time you launch the program. This will help ensure that new users, or users switching to a new computer or interface, can start making music immediately.

Synth Handling Improvements: The Synth Rack has a lot going for it, specifically the assignable controls. However the only way you could access them was by undocking the Browser, or docking the entire Browser in the Multidock. Now the Synth Rack can live in the Multidock all by itself, or in the Browser.

Control Bar Lock and Justify: Now that you can store Control Bar configurations in Lenses, you can choose to limit the number of modules to simplify your workspace. And with the ability to justify left and right, the modules can be spread out across the Control Bar to make them easier to access quickly.

New Start Screen Behavior: With more and more users choosing to use the Start Screen to access projects or start new ones, it was inconvenient to have to call it up whenever you closed a project. Now you can choose to have the Start Screen appear automatically when you close a project.

Refactored Audio Loop Content: We've reorganized bundled loop content and basic collections are now the same between SONAR Home Studio and the Professional Line.

New Demo Song: We've added the new demo project Virtue, by Geoff Manchester.

This update included many fixes and enhancements that cover multiple SONAR aspects including the audio engine, the Matrix View, The Staff View, and Full Screen mode.

• Various audio engine improvements for WASAPI Exclusive driver mode
  
• Fixed glitching with WDM/WaveRT drivers on devices that have a prefered buffer size
  
• Plug-ins are hidden behind floating windows when the floating window is focused
  
• Dragging from Matrix View to Clips Pane draws correctly and drops in the correct location
  
• Fullscreen mode now restores to original app size
  
• SONAR Artist EQ Module had wrong text color
  
• Undo Delete Synth reconnects to the correct Synth in the Synth Rack
  
• Re-doing a drop into the Matrix View to create a cell restores color properly
  
• Replacing Matrix View cells restores the original correctly on undo
  
• Clearing a Step Seq pattern no longer orphans Matrix Cells linked to the pattern
  
• Preview in Loop Construction view always begins at the start of the clip
  
• 32-bit Boost 11 is properly categorized in the plug-in database
  
• Note head is visible, as expected, when selected with the right-click lasso
  
• Clef types are consistent in the Staff View Layout dialog

More info on the update can be found here: http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/Rolling-Updates

SONAR 2016.10 is now available!

For October, we've been concentrating on bug fixes while we work on bigger features to be introduced in the next few months. The changes for this release are as follows:

Through a Softube/Cakewalk collaboration, Console 1 is now more than just a very cool channel strip—it’s graduated into bi-directional communication with SONAR, track/bus selection, and much more.

• CWBRN-54605 - Resolved a possible crash with removing Saturation Knob from a bus
  
• CWBRN-54208 - Move Tool Not Accessible When Lane is Minimum Height
  
• Resolved a possible crash on startup related to SQLLite
  
• Resolved a possible crash when adjusting fade-ins for multiple audio clips simultaneously
  
• UpSampling didn’t work correctly in some cases when the project sample rate was 88.2
  
• Improved clip dragging to different lanes when target track is below the source track
  
• Fixed a situation where disabling “Follow Host Tempo” yielded unexpected results
  
• Follow Host Tempo could go out of sync on Melodyne clips that were trimmed
  
• [SHIFT]+[CTRL] dragging a clip horizontally inside Take Lanes doesn't anchor
  
• Several labels in the Plugin Manager that were cut off in Brazilian / Portuguese
  
• Matrix: Switching active MIDI cell after at least one loop stops playback until trigger
  
• Matrix: Dragging clips out of the matrix to the timeline incorrectly places the clips
  
• Number Pad fails to work as expected when Step Record dialog is open Full Screen Mode Icon did not display in some projects

SONAR 2016.09 Update 2 is now available for users to download.

This release addresses the following issues:

• Resolved an issue where 32bit plug-in could potentially not get scanned after a reset due to a string truncation that was affecting paths for database, fault reports, bit bridge, etc.

SONAR 2016.09 Update 1 is now available for users to download. This release addresses the following issues:

• Issues with Groove Clips and Tempo Changes
  
• String truncation affects paths for database, fault reports, bit bridge, etc.
  
• SONAR hangs instead of creating dump/reporting.
  
• Fault Reporter not running when expected.
  
• Fault Reporter connection issues.
  
• A failure to stop at end of Project
  
• UAD plugs are incompatible with Load Balancing.
  Note: UAD plugins do not accept variable buffer sizes and are now ignored by Load Balancing.

• Plugin Update Error Messages on some configurations

Some important changes have happened to the way SONAR handles crashes.

1) Our first priority is to immediately alert the user that a crash has occurred and to save a diagnostic dump, then launch fault reporter.

2) Next we help recover your project, if possible.

When a crash occurs, there may be users that get audio buffers looping until they click the button on the crash dialog. Then we will try and close out the audio/midi devices. In the future we will make the project recovery step automatic to avoid having audio looping for any longer than necessary.

This change was implemented because shutting down hardware first caused hangs with no UI in some circumstances. The new changes should help safeguard data and better notify the user when issues happen.

Please note: Users may now experience crashes when before they were experiencing hangs. The benefit to this is users will have a better chance to save their data and Cakewalk will now receive better diagnostic data.

As always, if users have any questions or issues, please create a thread in our Technical Assistance Forum.