Cakewalk has announced a free update to SONAR 6 which introduces native Windows Vista support, new features, refinements, and more. SONAR 6.2 will be available as a free download for registered SONAR 6 Producer Edition and Studio Edition customers at the end of January.

The SONAR 6.2 update incorporates specific features requested by users, including MIDI input quantize, and further refinements to new technologies introduced in SONAR 6 including Active Controller Technology and AudioSnap. SONAR 6.2 also includes a new Bit Meter VST Plug-in and introduces new X-Ray Windows functionality to enhance workflow. As the first digital audio workstation to natively support Microsoft Windows Vista, SONAR 6.2 supports key new technologies offered by the new operating system including WaveRT driver support for more efficient low latency playback and MMCSS for for higher priority audio processing.

New features, workflow innovations, and enhancements include:

• Native Windows Vista support (see below for details).
• MIDI Input Quantize: Time-align MIDI input as it is recorded to a track, and hear and see the effect of the quantization as soon as the track is looped or played back. Per-track quantize settings with presets makes recording MIDI parts easier.
• X-Ray Windows: Use keyboard shortcuts to temporarily make plug-ins and views in SONAR transparent and immune to mouse and keyboard activity so that you can quickly access and edit the SONAR views and plug-ins below—all without minimizing, moving or closing windows.
• Bit Meter VST Plug-in: See the benefits of SONAR's 64-bit audio engine in action. A valuable tool for monitoring the digital activity of your audio stream. View output word length, dynamic range, signal peaks, and more to analyze the quality of your digital signal.
• Track View Time Display: Conveniently view the Now time of your project in different time formats from a large display in Track view with control over font size and color.
• Field Recorder Support: Import cue markers stored in .WAV files by field recorders such as the Edirol R-4 to SONAR's time ruler.
• Friendly MIDI Hardware Port Names: Rename MIDI ports to make them easier to identify.
• Import/Export Color Schemes: Easily transfer color settings from one computer to another. Back up your color schemes, or share custom settings with friends. Compatible with future versions of SONAR, letting you keep your settings when you upgrade.
• AudioSnap Enhancements: When quantizing audio clips without time stretching, AudioSnap can now automatically fill and crossfade empty space created when quantizing audio clips, resulting in smoother sounding audio. Auto-XFade is also available in the Quantize, Groove Quantize, and Fade Selected Clip commands. Quickly split tracks from a common reference transient. Apply Transient Markers from Pool. Quickly select all user-created markers. More.
• ACT (Active Controller Technology) Enhancements: ACT learn button now available in all plug-in windows. Share and back-up ACT mappings. Match and Jump modes for rotaries and sliders. Better support for infinite encoders. Other new ACT enhancements include improvements to the ACT plug-in parameter import function so users can safely import new ACT settings from Cakewalk without losing custom settings they have previously created; Sysx support for buttons; optional MIDI initialization message; and a Cell MIDI Properties dialog.
• New ACT Presets: SONAR 6.2 adds dedicated ACT support for popular hardware controllers including Alesis Photon 25, E-MU Xboard25, Edirol PCR 300/500/800 Series (further enhanced, see below), Korg KONTROL49, M-Audio Axiom 49, Phat.Boy
• Improved performance and fixes to usability issues that were discovered after SONAR 6.0 was released.

New Edirol PCR Keyboard Controllers with Enhanced Support for ACT
The new Edirol PCR-300, PCR-500, and PCR-800 MIDI keyboard controllers have been optimized to work seamlessly with SONAR. At launch, SONAR communicates with these new Edirol controllers to ensure that the PCR is in the correct mode to work with SONAR. In addition, the new PCR series have dedicated "Dynamic Mapping" buttons, which enable/disable ACT in SONAR. When enabled, SONAR enables ACT and launches the Edirol PCR-300 property page. When disabled, SONAR disables ACT and closes the Edirol PCR-300 property page.

Windows Vista Support
SONAR 6.2 was designed to work with Windows Vista in both 32-bit and 64-bit modes. SONAR 6.2 takes advantage of Vista multimedia innovations with WaveRT driver support for enhanced CPU performance at low latency audio playback settings, MMCSS (Multimedia Class Scheduler Service) support to give important SONAR processes such as the audio engine, prioritized access to CPU resources, and more. On x64-capable PCs running Windows Vista in 64-bit mode, SONAR 6.2 users will also experience benefits which include enhanced CPU performance and access of up to 128 GB of RAM.