Cakewalk releases SONAR X2a Update with support for Windows 8 and Touch

Cakewalk has released the SONAR X2a update which includes many fixes, enhancements, plus support for multi-touch enabled machines, including Intel-inspired Ultrabook devices. The SONAR X2a update includes the following:

• Over 250 fixes and enhancements, many based on direct customer feedback. Cakewalk's "customer first" approach ensures highest impact items are given priority.
• Windows 8 support: Support in both Windows 8 32-bit and 64-bit platforms.

Unique Now Time markers
The Now Time marker changes appearance to indicate if playback is stopped, paused, running, or recording.

Playlist View Enhancements
The Playlist includes many new enhancements for the live performance environment.

Updated User Interface

• Sort columns in alphabetical, numerical, or date order.
• New columns: Path, BPM, Key, Meter, Project Length, Date Created, Date Modified, Delay, User Notes.
• Rich context menu for adding ProChannel modules.
• When adding a ProChannel module, the context menu shows a visually rich menu with a small thumbnail image of the module, the module name, and a brief description.

Updated Piano Roll View and Staff View track pane user interface

• The Track pane in the Piano Roll View and Staff View shows more intuitive buttons, and the current track is highlighted.
• Visual feedback when dragging items from the Browser.
• When dragging items from the Browser, the mouse pointer shows the name of the items.

Accessibility enhancements

• SONAR's power is now more accessible to vision impaired users.
• SONAR's accessibility features, including Microsoft User Interface Automation, expose rich information about its user Interface elements such as type, state, name, and value. With reliable access to this information, vision impaired users can implement user Interface automation-capable screen reader programs such as Microsoft Narrator, JAWS, NVDA and Window-Eyes. This will allow users to access, identify, and manipulate SONAR's user Interface elements as the screen readers broadcast aloud what's on the computer.
• Scan VST folders from the Browser.
• The Scan VST Folders command is now available in the Browser's plug-ins tab drop-down menu.
• Multi-touch support in Windows 8.
• In addition to the computer keyboard and mouse, users can now interact with SONAR X2a via touch using Intel-inspired Ultrabooks, touch-enabled devices, or compatible touch screen displays running Windows 8. This offers touch gestures for:
• Scrolling and triggering cells in the Matrix View.
• Scrolling and basic multi-touch mixing in the Console View.
• Scrolling and Zooming in the Clips Pane.
• Adjusting loop marker positions in the Track View.
• Auditioning and dragging content from the Browser.
• Expanding/resizing/collapsing of docked views.
• Control Bar Transport module support.
• Toggling steps in the Step Sequencer View.
• Control of plug-in parameters (no multi-touch).

Users of SONAR X2A will now experience a new creative environment on touch enabled devices.

Highlights include:

• Skylight User Interface.
• Pinch-to-zoom horizontally and vertically on tracks and other data.
• Swiping gestures to scroll through different components of the project.
• Arranging the work-space by re-positioning, dragging, docking and un-docking.
• Matrix.
• Touch transforms any touch screen into a virtual pad controller for triggering.
• Preview, and then drag-and-drop loops into cells in the Matrix View.
• Adjust all settings in the Matrix View.
• Mixing.
• Console View fully supports multi-touch.
• Automate and control faders, plugins, ProChannel parameters, the Inspector and more.
• Navigate through the views easily by swiping and scrolling tracks vertically and horizontally.

All registered SONAR X2 customers can download the free SONAR X2a update at www.cakewalk.com.