Are you still hesitant to make the leap from Cakewalk SONAR to Cakewalk by BandLab? Hopefully this will help assay your fears and allow you to make a better decision when migrating from SONAR to BandLab.
In this video I answer some of the most frequently asked questions including: ☑ Is Cakewalk by BandLab the same program as SONAR Platinum?
☑ Is it really free?☑ Will I lose any SONAR features I paid for?
☑ Will SONAR be updated?
☑ Can I keep SONAR if I install Cakewalk?
☑ Does Cakewalk by BandLab require an Internet connection to work?
☑ Have existing bugs in SONAR Platinum been fixed in Cakewalk by BandLab?
☑ Will Cakewalk by BandLab support my SONAR Platinum plug-ins?
☑ Why do I need a BandLab account?
☑ Does this mean I have to be active on BandLab’s social music platform?
Side-by-side comparison of Cakewalk and SONAR
| Feature | Cakewalk | SONAR |
|---|---|---|
| Updated since Oct 2017, over 1,000 bug fixes | ✔️ | |
| Integrated BandLab library access | ✔️ | |
| Tempo track | ✔️ | |
| Arranger tracks | ✔️ | |
| Articulation maps | ✔️ | |
| ARA 2 support | ✔️ | |
| zplane élastique v3 audio stretch and pitch shift | ✔️ | |
| Comping and take enhancements | ✔️ | |
| Smart tool customization | ✔️ | |
| VST sandbox scanning | ✔️ | |
| Advanced Piano Roll editing | ✔️ | |
| Ripple Edit indicator | ✔️ | |
| Dynamic waveform scaling | ✔️ | |
| Custom channel colors in all themes | ✔️ | |
| Multi-clip slip stretching | ✔️ | |
| Language switching | ✔️ | |
| Export Control Bar module | ✔️ | |
| Center Control Bar modules | ✔️ | |
| Selection markers | ✔️ | |
| Duplicate clips | ✔️ | |
| Play List enhancements | ✔️ | |
| HUI protocol support | ✔️ | |
| ProChannel module presets | ✔️ | |
| Max number of tracks | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Max Bit Depth / Sample Rate | 64-bit float / 384kHz | 64-bit float / 384kHz |
| Max number of effects / instruments | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Max simultaneous I/O | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Internal mixing engine | 64-bit | 64-bit |
| Windows x64 Support | Native x64 | Native x64 |
| Windows x86 32-bit native app | ✔️ | |
| ProChannel |
• PC76 U-Type Channel Compressor • PC4K S-Type Bus Compressor • QuadCurve Equalizer • Tube Saturation • Softube Saturation Knob • Console Emulator • FX Chain • BREVERB 2 Cakewalk ProChannel • Tape Emulator • REmatrix Solo • Style Dial FX • PC2A T-Type Leveling Amplifier |
• PC76 U-Type Channel Compressor • PC4K S-Type Bus Compressor • QuadCurve Equalizer • Tube Saturation • Softube Saturation Knob • Console Emulator • FX Chain • BREVERB 2 Cakewalk ProChannel • Tape Emulator • REmatrix Solo • Style Dial FX • Bark of Dog • Panipulator |
| Drum Replacer | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Melodyne | ✔️ (trial) | ✔️ (essential) |
| Surround mixing | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Theme Editor | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| VocalSync automatic audio alignment | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Mix Recall | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Patch points and Aux tracks | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Plug-in load balancing | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Plug-ins: | ||
| MFX MIDI plug-ins | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Essential Suite (Sonitus fx) | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Boutique Suite |
• TH3 Cakewalk Edition • BREVERB SONAR |
• TH3 Cakewalk Edition • BREVERB SONAR • Analog TrackBox • PX-64 Percussion Strip • TL-64 Tube Leveler • TS-64 Transient Shaper • VX-64 Vocal Strip • Tone2 Bifilter2 |
| Classic Creative Suite | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Studio Mixing Suite (Nomad Factory Blue Tubes bundle) | ✔️ | |
| Engineering Suite | ✔️ | |
| Instruments |
• Studio Instruments Suite • Cakewalk TTS-1 |
• Studio Instruments Suite • Cakewalk TTS-1 • AAS Lounge Lizard Session SONAR Edition • AAS Strum Acoustic Session SONAR Edition • AAS Ultra Analog Session 2 • Cakewalk Sound Center • Cyclone • Dimension • DropZone • PSYN II • Rapture • Roland GrooveSynth • RXP REX Player • Session Drummer 3 • sfz Sound Font Player • Square I • True Pianos • XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2 • Z3TA+ |