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You can also drag in FX Chains, which allows any VST or DirectX plug-in to have a productive life as a ProChannel module. But the ProChannel ends the window clutter that happens when you’re using multiple VST effects in the FX Rack, and places them neatly in a virtual channel strip that lets you create your own mixer architecture. Granted, these aren’t unique features - console and tape emulators are plentiful, and there have always been places to insert effects in DAWs. Sure, it’s ‘just’ an EQ - but a very capable one.Īnother feature of the ProChannel is its built-in Console and Tape Emulation. The high- and low-pass filters go up to 48dB/octave, and there’s also a ‘gloss’ button for adding a little bit of high-frequency sheen. It also has a spectrum analyser (although there are no adjustable parameters, so it’s more like useful eye candy), and a zoomed view that’s great for making adjustments with a touchscreen. Once you learn how these four EQs differ, you’ll be able to choose the right tool for the right job. If all modules aren’t visible, you can scroll up and down within the ProChannel.Although sometimes overlooked because it was a free EQ bundled with Sonar, the QuadCurve module in ProChannel has four distinct EQ curves - a gentle Pultec-type curve, two SSL emulations, and a ‘hybrid’ curve. Three ProChannel modules, from top to bottom: QuadCurve EQ, Tape Emulator, and Console Emulator.
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To find out more about them, go to and review the columns written about these topics when they were part of Sonar.
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So if you’re just getting started with it - or if you missed out on these when using Sonar - here are some of my favourite features. Cakewalk has quite a few features that are rare at best, and some you won’t find anywhere else. Now that the equivalent of Sonar Platinum (minus the third-party add-ons) is available as a free download from, in the form of Cakewalk by BandLab, it’s not surprising that a lot of people are checking it out.Īlthough Cakewalk on its own lacks some of Sonar Platinum’s bundled plug-ins and instruments (see ' Spot The Difference' box), what’s most important is that you can now get Platinum’s functionality completely free. Sonar is dead, long live Cakewalk by Bandlab! We run through some of its top features.
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