Reviewed by
Tony Thomas
I have been using
Cakewalk since version 2.0 and consider it the "Swiss Army
Knife" of PC sequencing/digital audio packages. This workhorse
has been around since the pre-GUI days of DOS when dedicated
Cake-heads labored by the dull amber or ghastly green glow of their
monochrome monitors. For the past few years, I've been happily using
version 4.01 and have remained on the sidelines during Cakewalk's
blitzkrieg of revisions--rat tat tat--5, 6, 7. In fact this review
was for version 7, but before it could be completed, version 8 was on
the shelves! (In fact, I better start typing faster! Version 9 may
arrive at any moment!!)
Seriously though, and in fairness to Cakewalk, digital recording technology is currently in a state of flux as sampling rates escalate and data paths expand bit by bit. New hardware with better sonics, more features and greaters flexibility is coming out monthly, and programmers are scurrying to write code to support it. CWPA 8 now supports 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 bit audio with sample rates up to 96 kHz, hardware permitting. It now allows you to record 128 tracks plus MIDI with up to 256 plug ins. Its 32 bit floating point processing allows for precision editing and processing of audio data.
The program also has a plethora of features including: full automation of volume, pan and effects sends, fader grouping with absolute, relative and custom configurations, Direct X support with an assortment of standard real-time effects, multiple sound card support, AVI, Quick Time and MPEG video import and AVI video import with frame accurate sync capability, full music notation capabilities and much more. The new version also offers MIDI effects (yes!) and will now properly echo system exclusive messages which should interest users of editors like XG Edit. Installing the program went smoothly, though users of early versions of Windows 95 will need to download a patch from Cakewalk's website before the program will install. Also, there is a version 8.04 patch there with a number of enhancements and fixes.
Using the program is a dream. It is logically laid out and you can customize many of the views to reduce the "intimidation factor" if you are a novice. All functions worked as advertised and the supplied plug ins worked perfectly and sounded good. I was able to lock up two different sound cards (a Turtle Beach Tahiti and a Creative AWE64 Gold) and they synced perfectly to my MIDI track and also set up one card for audio and the other as an effects return for the plug ins. Very versatile! It also works well with the Yamaha SW1000XG, although you will need the latest SW drivers which address timing issues and fix a MIDI in problem.
Cakewalk Pro Audio 8 is a world-class sequencer/digital audio package with rock solid performance and an impressive array of features.
For more information: