Cakewalk Pro Suite Offers Recording, Sampling, and Effects Processing

Includes Cakewalk Pro Audio 9, NemeSys GigaSampler LE, the Complete Cakewalk Audio FX plug-in library, and Musician's Toolbox III

February 11, 2000 -- Cakewalk, the leading provider of music and sound software, today announced Cakewalk Pro Suite, a comprehensive Windows workstation that provides professional multitrack recording, hard-disk based digital sampling, and real-time effects processing — all for under $1,000 U.S.

In addition to the flagship Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 multitrack digital audio and MIDI software, Cakewalk is including the NemeSys GigaSampler™ LE sampling/synthesizer software, which delivers multi-gigabyte sampling capabilities on a Windows workstation. GigaSampler LE seamlessly integrates with Pro Audio 9 to provide a sampler/synthesizer capable of real-time playability, a critical feature not provided by competing software synth plug-in formats.Delivering an arsenal of professional DirectX audio effects, Pro Suite also includes the Cakewalk Audio FX 1 Dynamics Processor, Audio FX 2 Vintage Analog Simulator, and Audio FX 3 SoundStage Designer. To round out the offering, Cakewalk is also including Musician’s Toolbox III— a two-CD-ROM collection of digital audio and MIDI loops, digital video libraries, and sound production tools.

Sold separately, these products have a combined retail value of over $1,300 U.S. Cakewalk Pro Suite combines these professional software tools for the cost-effective price of $829 U.S.

“Cakewalk Pro Suite is designed for the working musician and audio engineer, providing them with a system that eliminates the need for additional processor and sampler hardware,” said Morten Saether, product manager, Cakewalk. “Pro Suite is the realization of a true digital studio with less hardware, and more creative recording, processing and sampling capabilities.”

The Pro Suite Components Include:

Cakewalk Pro Audio 9

Pro Audio 9, Cakewalk’s flagship product, provides up to 256 tracks of digital audio and MIDI, and is capable of up to 256 real-time effects during playback. Other features include WavePipe™ technology for low-latency audio mixing and playback on standard Windows audio hardware; support for 24-bit/96 kHz audio, SMPTE/MTC synchronization for film and video, MIDI Machine Control (MMC) support, volume and pan automation, and StudioWare control panels for MIDI-based studio automation.

Pro Audio 9 also supports AudioX, the open-standard extension to Windows drivers that enables software to control high-end audio hardware capabilities like DSP processing, on-board mixing, and S/PDIF or T/DIF digital input/output.

NemeSys GigaSampler LE

The NemeSys GigaSampler LE is a powerful software sampler and synthesizer for playback and streaming samples in real-time, directly from the hard disk. Real-time streaming frees the user of possible RAM limitations and also loads samples in seconds, not minutes. Entire performances can be recorded, manipulated, and stored within the GigaSampler LE for immediate playback via a keyboard controller or other MIDI device. In addition to its own GigaSampler file format, GigaSampler LE can load .WAV and Akai sample library formats.

“Our customers are constantly raving about combining the power of GigaSampler and Pro Audio 9,” said Francis Preve, program director, NemeSys. “Other so-called virtual synth plug-in formats can’t even pretend to provide software synth integration with real-time playability. This bundle actually delivers.”

Cakewalk Audio FX plug-ins

The Cakewalk Audio FX products are a collection of DirectX-compatible, real-time stereo and mono audio effects. DirectX is the industry-standard plug-in format for Windows, and is supported by leading digital audio software products including Cakewalk Pro Audio. All Cakewalk Audio FX plug-ins provide 32-bit, floating-point processing for professional-quality results. Audio FX plug-ins can be used non-destructively in real-time during playback, or as destructive, offline edits. All Audio FX plug-ins include popular presets that can be modified or used as is; users can also save and recall custom presets.

Audio FX 1 Dynamics Processing— includes Compressor/Gate, Expander/Gate, and Limiter plug-ins. Audio FX 1 plug-ins control audio signals from straying out of specified volume levels, allow for changes in the overall dynamic range of the recording, and prevent audio signals from exceeding defined thresholds and creating unwanted distortion.

Audio FX 2 Vintage Amp and Tape Simulation— increases the depth and warmth of digital audio recordings by offering a choice of several vintage guitar amplifier and analog tape deck effects. Advanced processing algorithms are used to create the distinctive sound of using vintage gear that creates overdrive and light crunch guitar effects or the natural hiss of recording on magnetic tape on an old-school professional tape deck.

Audio FX 3 SoundStage Design— allows the user to graphically design virtual recording spaces in which to process digital audio tracks, resulting in unique, realistic reverb. Users can define a recording environment with up to seven walls, and have control over parameters such as ceiling height, EQ response curves, sound absorption, trapping, high-frequency damping, performer placement, as well as microphone patterns and placement. Audio FX 3 includes presets such as cathedral, arena, music hall and jazz club.

Musicians Toolbox III

Cakewalk’s Musician’s Toolbox is a two-CD set equaling over a gigabyte of multimedia data, production tools, and advanced Pro Audio 9 tutorials. It provides the user with professional audio and MIDI loops, DNA Groove Templates, SoundFont banks, digital video libraries, a Roland GS editor/librarian, and other tools and content for maximizing music and sound projects with Pro Audio 9.

Pricing and Availability

Cakewalk Pro Suite has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $829 U.S. and will ship in March 2000.

For more information on Cakewalk Pro Suite, visit Cakewalk on the web at www.cakewalk.com.