Cakewalk (company)
Encyclopedia
Cakewalk, Inc. is a company based in Boston, Massachusetts that develops and sells music production software. The company's best known product is their comprehensive music sequencer
named SONAR
, which is designed for professional use. SONAR incorporates multi-track recording and editing of both audio and MIDI. Moreover, the company offers a full range of music software products, including pyro Audio Creator—a digital music management program, and Dimension Pro—a virtual instrument.
The company was started in 1987 as Twelve Tone Systems, Inc. by Greg Hendershott, its current CEO. The firm quickly found that most customers referred to it by the name of its initial product, however, a MIDI music sequencer that Hendershott had named simply "Cakewalk
". To avoid confusion the company operated for many years as "Twelve Tone Systems, Inc. DBA
Cakewalk". In September 2008, the company announced that it had officially changed the corporate name to Cakewalk, Inc. Previous to this, in January 2008, the logo used on the company's products ( but not the company name itself ) had been changed to "Cakewalk by Roland" to reflect the purchase of a majority interest in the company by Roland Corporation
.
The firm's SONAR professional music sequencer allows the operator to create projects, edit MIDI files, raw audio tracks, and other associated information like lyrics, and to present them in a range of formats including musical scores, editing console, event lists. The operator can also mix the various tracks down into a stereo .WAV file format ready to be saved to a CD.
Although MIDI is a widely recognized standard for representation of digital music, there is no broadly accepted standard for the interchange of projects between competing recording/editing software (e.g., see Cubase). Consequently, one can not easily import a Cubase project in its native format into SONAR and vice versa. One can swap multitrack audio projects between applications as OMFI files, however, which keeps audio timing, tempo, volume, and pan information intact.
As noted above, "Cakewalk
" was the name of the company's original product, a MIDI sequencer first released for DOS
and then, beginning in 1991, for Windows 3.0
. Early versions of Cakewalk for DOS (up to 3.0) required the intelligent mode of the MPU-401
, and so could not be used with product clones of the MPU-401, while later Cakewalk versions (since 4.0) relied on the dumb UART
mode only. The sequencer was renamed Cakewalk Pro at some point, and again renamed Cakewalk Pro Audio when support for digitized audio was added.
In 2009, Cakewalk announced a new product line: SONAR V-Studio 700 and SONAR V-Studio 100 are the flagship products in Cakewalk's new line of hardware and software music production solutions. The next generation V-Studio line of products is modeled on Roland's renowned hardware expertise and the power and flexibility of Cakewalk's SONAR Producer.
Integrated Hardware and Software
Instruments
Effects
Consumer Products
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
named SONAR
Cakewalk Sonar
Cakewalk SONAR is a digital audio workstation made by Cakewalk for recording, editing, mixing, mastering and outputting audio. The latest versions of the software are SONAR Home Studio 7, SONAR Home Studio 7 XL, SONAR X1 Producer Edition, SONAR X1 Studio Edition, SONAR X1 Essential Edition, and...
, which is designed for professional use. SONAR incorporates multi-track recording and editing of both audio and MIDI. Moreover, the company offers a full range of music software products, including pyro Audio Creator—a digital music management program, and Dimension Pro—a virtual instrument.
The company was started in 1987 as Twelve Tone Systems, Inc. by Greg Hendershott, its current CEO. The firm quickly found that most customers referred to it by the name of its initial product, however, a MIDI music sequencer that Hendershott had named simply "Cakewalk
Cakewalk (sequencer)
Cakewalk was a MIDI sequencer developed by Twelve Tone Systems, Inc. originally for DOS, starting with version Cakewalk 1.0 in 1987, and beginning in 1991, for Windows 3.0. Cakewalk for DOS, up until version 4.0, required an MPU-401 MIDI interface card operating in intelligent mode, while later...
". To avoid confusion the company operated for many years as "Twelve Tone Systems, Inc. DBA
Doing business as
The phrase "doing business as" is a legal term used in the United States, meaning that the trade name, or fictitious business name, under which the business or operation is conducted and presented to the world is not the legal name of the legal person who actually own it and are responsible for it...
Cakewalk". In September 2008, the company announced that it had officially changed the corporate name to Cakewalk, Inc. Previous to this, in January 2008, the logo used on the company's products ( but not the company name itself ) had been changed to "Cakewalk by Roland" to reflect the purchase of a majority interest in the company by Roland Corporation
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
.
The firm's SONAR professional music sequencer allows the operator to create projects, edit MIDI files, raw audio tracks, and other associated information like lyrics, and to present them in a range of formats including musical scores, editing console, event lists. The operator can also mix the various tracks down into a stereo .WAV file format ready to be saved to a CD.
Although MIDI is a widely recognized standard for representation of digital music, there is no broadly accepted standard for the interchange of projects between competing recording/editing software (e.g., see Cubase). Consequently, one can not easily import a Cubase project in its native format into SONAR and vice versa. One can swap multitrack audio projects between applications as OMFI files, however, which keeps audio timing, tempo, volume, and pan information intact.
As noted above, "Cakewalk
Cakewalk (sequencer)
Cakewalk was a MIDI sequencer developed by Twelve Tone Systems, Inc. originally for DOS, starting with version Cakewalk 1.0 in 1987, and beginning in 1991, for Windows 3.0. Cakewalk for DOS, up until version 4.0, required an MPU-401 MIDI interface card operating in intelligent mode, while later...
" was the name of the company's original product, a MIDI sequencer first released for DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
and then, beginning in 1991, for Windows 3.0
Windows 3.0
Windows 3.0, a graphical environment, is the third major release of Microsoft Windows, and was released on 22 May 1990. It became the first widely successful version of Windows and a rival to Apple Macintosh and the Commodore Amiga on the GUI front...
. Early versions of Cakewalk for DOS (up to 3.0) required the intelligent mode of the MPU-401
MPU-401
The MPU-401, where MPU stands for MIDI Processing Unit, was an important but now obsolete interface for connecting MIDI-equipped electronic music hardware to Personal Computers...
, and so could not be used with product clones of the MPU-401, while later Cakewalk versions (since 4.0) relied on the dumb UART
Universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter
A universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter, abbreviated UART , is a type of "asynchronous receiver/transmitter", a piece of computer hardware that translates data between parallel and serial forms. UARTs are commonly used in conjunction with communication standards such as EIA RS-232, RS-422 or...
mode only. The sequencer was renamed Cakewalk Pro at some point, and again renamed Cakewalk Pro Audio when support for digitized audio was added.
In 2009, Cakewalk announced a new product line: SONAR V-Studio 700 and SONAR V-Studio 100 are the flagship products in Cakewalk's new line of hardware and software music production solutions. The next generation V-Studio line of products is modeled on Roland's renowned hardware expertise and the power and flexibility of Cakewalk's SONAR Producer.
Current Cakewalk products
Sequencers & Digital Audio Workstations- SONARCakewalk SonarCakewalk SONAR is a digital audio workstation made by Cakewalk for recording, editing, mixing, mastering and outputting audio. The latest versions of the software are SONAR Home Studio 7, SONAR Home Studio 7 XL, SONAR X1 Producer Edition, SONAR X1 Studio Edition, SONAR X1 Essential Edition, and...
X1 Producer (Flagship DAW) - SONAR X1 Studio
- SONAR X1 Essential
- SONAR Home Studio 7
- SONAR Home Studio 7 XL
- Guitar Tracks Pro
Integrated Hardware and Software
- SONAR V-Studio 700
- SONAR V-Studio 100
- USB Cable Interfaces for Audio & Midi: UA-1G, UM-1G, UM-2G, UM-3G, UA-25EX, UA-101, UA-4EX
- Fireware Audio/Midi Interfaces FA-66
- Midi/Usb Controller Keyboards A-800 Pro, A-500 Pro, A-300 Pro, A-500S
- Mobile Studio Canvas (audio/midi interface, file player and sound module)
Instruments
- Dimension Pro
- Rapture
- Z3TA+
- SFZ+
- Studio Instruments
- Session Drummer 3
- Pentagon
- Square
- Triangle
Effects
- Sonitus:fx Suite
- Boost 11
Consumer Products
- Music Creator
- Pyro Audio Creator
- Kinetic
- USB Music Pack
- Most products have multiple versions
External links
- Cakewalk, Inc. Official company website.
- SONAR V-Studio Homepage
- The Cakewalk Blog
- SONAR User Wiki
- HD Videos on Cakewalk Products
- Videos on Cakewalk
- Project5 DAW User Site
- Dimension Synthesizer User Site
- Interview with founder and CEO Greg Hendershott, 20 years on, 12 November 2007, at Create Digital Music blog.