It was 20 years ago today …

It’s easy to take for granted the mature tools available for music creation, and forget their history and the folks who made them real. While today it’s one of the biggest music software developers in the world, Cakewalk’s first sequencer of the same name started as a college project for a Philosophy major. Cakewalk founder, CEO, and original author of the Cakewalk sequencer Greg Hendershott was that student. For the twentieth anniversary year of the founding of his company (then known as 12 Tone Systems), Greg sat down with me in their Boston headquarters.

This was a personally meaningful meeting for me, as Cakewalk 4.0 for DOS (pictured above) was the first software sequencer I ever used — and remained my favorite some time after going to Windows. In those days, programmer’s names were front-and-center more than they are now, and so Greg’s name popped up every time I sat down to work. Greg also studied with Gary Lee Nelson, who was my first electronic music instructor (albeit for me at a summer camp). Of course, part of the reason it’s meaningful is that I’m far from alone — over 1,000,000 users have used Cakewalk’s software. A look at Cakewalk is also a look at the computer music software industry’s brief but fast-moving development, and the design of the tools that have evolved alongside it.

This winds up being a huge interview — you’ll believe me when I say this is basically a transcript of what Greg said. But it’s also a genuine slice of history, and also a glimpse into what the industry’s next 20 years might be like, so we’ll have at it.

The UMPC may not have caught on with the masses, but the idea is terrific: a full-featured Windows PC in a space only slightly larger than a smart phone. Loyal followers continue to love their UMPCs, especially when they’re as tiny as the Raon Digital Everun. And as we predicted when Intel first announced the UMPC, this is a workable little music machine. After all, just a few years ago computer musicians would have described these specs as “high-end”, and there’s USB for input.

To prove the point, Steve Paine, from UMPCPortal.com writes in with video evidence: a clip from him running a vintage version of Fruity Loops from the late 90s, plus another featuring an M-Audio Ozone keyboard plugged into an Everun hosting a synth and sequencer in the not-very-old Cakewalk SONAR 4.

First up, a little Fruity (now FL Studio):

And thanks to Sophocha from the UMPCPortal forums for this SONAR clip:

Not to be outdone by Logic Pro 8’s launch last week, Cakewalk has let slip the basic feature set of their latest version of their flagship SONAR DAW, with upgrades available immediately. What’s new — with an interesting emphasis on MIDI:

• A new step sequencer, looking reminiscent of tools like FL Studio (Fruity Loops), though fully integrated with a traditional DAW (read: not as confusing to DAW users and traditionalists as FL Studio can be). Cakewalk claims it’s the “most powerful step sequencer found in any DAW”; we’ll have to try it out and see.
• All new MIDI tools: Yep, it’s time to party with your sequencer like it’s 1989. Some of you complained that Logic Pro 8 seemed to largely ignore MIDI editing. Not SONAR 7: there are new “Smart MIDI Tools”, split, fine editing tools — again, some reminiscent of FL Studio, and some very Cakewalk-like. It’s an interesting return to Cakewalk’s roots as a MIDI sequencer company, and from what we’ve heard from users, these are things that matter to you — provided they’ve done this right.
• Internal sidechaining: Sidechaining is beloved in drum compression and many other applications — even DJs dig the sidechain. So it’s great to see it in SONAR. (Ableton, Live 7, perhaps? Is seven a lucky number for sidechains?)
• New mastering plug-ins: Linear phase mastering, no less.
• More bundled instruments: The superb Z3ta+ is now bundled with SONAR, and perhaps alone makes this worth the upgrade price, plus Rapture LE, Dimension LE with Garritan Pocket Orchestra, and a drag-and-drop sampler that’s very reminiscent of the ones in Ableton Live.
• Pitch to MIDI translation in Roland V-Vocal: Yep, you heard that right: you sing in, you get MIDI. (Hope this works in real-time?)

Estesvan Carlos Benson sends along this film score he created for Godard’s Vivre sa Vie. Keep watching — he’s got a fantastic sense of picking up the rhythm of the actress. He explains:

It was basically produced with a Korg N364 and Sonar, back in 2004. Conceptually I just felt drawn to this scene. The original music created a stark irony (it was swing jazz I think). Additionally, and for whatever reasons, Anna Karina wasn’t quite dancing to the original rhythm. I was aiming for a tone that dealt with the larger aspect of the movie and her character, within the scene and outside of it.

Note to self: if I ever become one of the greatest directors of all time, be sure to get someone like Anna Karina in my movies.

Project details and lots more at his site:
estevancarlos.com

Estevan Carlos will hopefully be contributing some items to CDM in the future, so welcome him onboard!

In this new series, we feature guest writers from the industry to answer questions about music technology. First up is Cakewalk’s Steve Thomas, with an exclusive on multiple CPU cores. You’ve seen multiple-core systems like the current Core Duo Macs and Core Duo or AMD x2 PCs, but what do these really mean for music creation? PC magazines regularly explain that they aid in performance “if you’re running a virus check in the background”, but in fact that’s only the beginning for music. Take it away, Steve. -PK

What is multi-core, anyway, and what does it matter for music creation?

For some time now, high-end PCs have come with the option of multiple processors. Traditional single-core computer architecture features a single CPU which does all of the work. In a DAW application, the computer needs to do lots of work in a very short amount of time. There are two ways to get more work out of your computer: use a faster CPU, or use more CPUs. Today’s multi-core processors offer the best of both worlds. Each core can do its own independent processing, but because they are on the same physical silicon chip, they can do it even faster.

EditorsKeys shortcut keyboards use stickers overlaid on your existing keyboard rather than requiring you to replace your keyboard. That has some definitely advantages: I’m not letting go of my beloved Microsoft keyboard, and the custom “shortcut” keyboards sold for programs like Logic and Pro Tools are often absurdly expensive. The EditorsKeys sticker sets cost under US$20, and right now they’re 20% off.

EditorsKeys Shortcut Keyboards

EditorsKeys tells us they’ve now unveiled a new set for Logic Pro, the first to be semi-transparent, so you can move the stickers to different keys if you’ve remapped your shortcuts.

Logic Pro Keyboard

Other sets include Pro Tools, Reason, Cubase, and SONAR, all updated for the latest releases, plus graphics software like Avid, Vegas, Final Cut, Photoshop, Premiere, and After Effects.

Now all I want is a keyboard with tiny LEDs that can change shortcuts depending on the active software. (And yes, I know a prototyped attempt to do just that evidently failed. Maybe later.) In the meantime, these are the most affordable solution.

Cakewalk has launched a Cakewalk-only MySpace page for their users. It’s a blend of commercial endeavor and community site. On the commercial side, there’s a fair amount of advertising of Cakewalk products and the Cakewalk tour. That to me is overkill, since usually the most passionate advertising comes from your users. But there are some community features: featured music by Cakewalk users, contests, and of course, a massive network of Cakewalk friends (some of whom are pictured below). So, knowing how loyal some of you are to your software, have at it, Cakewalk superfans. Oh, and don’t miss this vintage Cakewalk ad. “Cakewalk LIVE!” loads whole song sets and switches from one to another without delay? Hmmm, there are a few apps now I wish did that.

MySpace in this case is networking-only, since there are already official and unofficial Cakewalk forums out there. In other news, I’m fairly certain this is not the Cakewalk software page.

MySpace has started up some discussions on the CDM Forums. Some of you love it; some of you hate it. (See the CDMers on MySpace thread.) But many of you are there, and, of course, we encourage you to share your pages on our forums.

So, should other apps do this, too? (Perhaps led by users rather than the software makers?) And should I fire up a CDM MySpace page? Will the MySpace phenomenon really continue?

Cakewalk’s been busy: a free update to SONAR with 64-bit audio and 64-bit CPU support for VST plug-ins, among other features, and plenty of other goodness from Messe. And yes, you’ll be running 64-bit VST plug-ins — and/or taking advantage of your 64-bit CPU and Windows OS — on Cakewalk’s DAW before Steinberg’s. Details after the jump.

Cakewalk’s SONAR 5 has been getting some rave reviews in the press, but if you’ve been having issues with the upgrade (particularly with MIDI functionality), you’ll want to check out the new 5.0.1 update. Cakewalk says the update “addresses numerous customer reported issues.” That includes many improvements to stability and consistency, including:

CPU meters now accurately reflect CPU usage

Various mute tool fixes

Various inline piano roll fixes

VST adapter fixes

(Thanks, Eric!) It’s not all bugfixes; new features include 64-bit file import/export, improved punch recording functionality, and enhancements to meter and track peak display. 32-bit only; anyone out there on a 64-bit machine running 64-bit Windows? Watch for a SONAR 5.0.1 review here soon, but if you’ve already got 5, go download that patch.