Musikmesse 2018SONAR relaunches as 'Cakewalk by BandLab' - Free to download for everyone

BandLab Technologies has launched early access to Cakewalk by BandLab – replacing SONAR, the DAW developed by Cakewalk Inc. This release follows BandLab Technologies' announcement last month that it had acquired all of Cakewalk's IP and certain assets from Gibson Brands.

The new successor to the DAW is available to download for free now at cakewalk.bandlab.com. The revived DAW includes all core premium features of SONAR Platinum such as the Skylight user interface, flexible ProChannel modules, and powerful end-to-end 64-bit mix engine.

Cakewalk by BandLab is a streamlined version of SONAR Platinum – and certain third party products and content bundles will no longer be included. Existing users who have already purchased bundles or individual third party products and plug-ins can still use those products with Cakewalk by BandLab:

• The new installation of Cakewalk by BandLab via BandLab Assistant will not affect previous installations of SONAR.
• All users can download Cakewalk by BandLab and access the full feature set for free, without access limitations.
• Any bundled or independently purchased plug-ins or add-ons that worked with SONAR will integrate with Cakewalk by BandLab.

CEO of BandLab Technologies, Meng Ru Kuok said, "We are excited to be able to continue development of SONAR in its new guise as Cakewalk by BandLab and have an aggressive feature development roadmap ahead. We are making the software completely free to use to ensure that anyone, regardless of their resources, technology or stage in their career, can have access to the highest level of professional music production tools. This is part of our ongoing effort to empower musicians to make and share their music around the world. Professional products like Cakewalk are essential to those who make their living in music production and the natural next step for musicians who use platforms like BandLab to simplify their creative and collaborative process. We are very excited by the potential of Cakewalk by BandLab and think that many creators will benefit from access to a professional DAW with a long history of empowering music makers."

Cakewalk by BandLab will continue SONAR's track record of innovation for creatives using Microsoft Windows. Pete Brown, from Microsoft's Windows and Devices Group, said "We're thrilled that Cakewalk has found a new home with a company that understands the musician community, and that cares sincerely about digital audio production. Cakewalk has been a great partner, working to make their DAW better for their customers by quickly adopting new Windows features like pen, Bluetooth MIDI, multi-touch, Dial, and more. We look forward to working closely with BandLab to continue this innovation." Cakewalk by BandLab will support pen, touch and Surface Dial throughout the user interface.

The Windows version of Cakewalk by BandLab is available to download now. For more information visit cakewalk.bandlab.com.