Cakewalk Professional™ 8 Now Shipping

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January 28, 1999 -- Cakewalk, the leading provider of music and sound software, today released Cakewalk Professional 8, the new version of the multitrack recording software for the project studio. Key features new to Cakewalk Professional 8 include integrated digital video support, real-time MIDI FX plug-ins, vector-based audio mixing, as well as several user interface enhancements.

Import and Synchronize Digital Video

Professional 8 supports the most popular digital video formats: AVI, QuickTime, and MPEG. Users can import and view video within Professional 8 to modify existing soundtracks or create new ones. Version 8 supports sample-accurate synchronization of video to audio; the ability to scrub both audio tracks and video in sync; support for looping video along with audio and MIDI tracks; and the ability to export the finished project back to a new AVI file.

"With the advent of affordable digital video hardware and software, many of our users are making the leap to desktop video production for a wide range of multimedia and Internet-based projects," said Morten Saether, product manager, Cakewalk. "Professional 8 now provides users with an affordable, efficient way to create and edit soundtracks for these projects."

Real-Time MIDI FX Plug-Ins

Professional 8 features real-time MIDI FX plug-ins, enabling users to patch effects on MIDI tracks non-destructively in real-time, just like real-time audio effects. MIDI effects can be used in real-time on input or playback, or applied as off-line edits.

The real-time MIDI effects included in Professional 8 are Arpeggiator, Quantize, Change Velocity, Transpose, Delay/Echo, MIDI Event Filter, and Chord Analyzer.

Vector-Based Audio Mixing and Increased Effects

Professional 8 includes "vector-based" audio mixing, allowing users to graphically mix tracks by drawing volume and pan envelopes on top of audio waveforms. Cakewalk Professional 8 also increases the user's maximum number of simultaneous real-time audio effects from four to eight.

User Interface Enhancements

Other enhancements include:

A new Patch Browser which allows users to search for and select MIDI patches by simply typing keywords;
Lasso zooming;
Loop and auto-punch markers;
An Event list display filter;
StudioWare Design mode to create your own StudioWare control panels;
New inspector pop-up menus;
Adjustable meter scales in the Console view;
Metronome toolbar;
Double-click clips to open any editing view;
And a tempo list.

Pricing and Availability

Cakewalk Professional 8 has a manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of $269 U.S. ($199 estimated street price) and is shipping January 1999.

Customers who purchased Professional 7 between January 1, 1999 and January 31, 1999, qualify for a free upgrade to Professional 8, and should call 888-CAKEWALK before March 31, 1999 for details. Other registered users can upgrade to Professional 8 for as low as $59 U.S.

For more information, visit Cakewalk's web site at www.cakewalk.com.