SONAR X1 Essential has a completely redesigned user interface that makes creating music faster and easier than ever. Create with cutting edge musical tools like the Step Sequencer and The Matrix. Customize your workspace with the Skylight interface. Get hands on control with Active Controller Technology (ACT). With a powerful collection of effects and instruments to get you started and more available tracks than DAWs costing twice the price, SONAR Essential is the perfect way to get your feet wet and to begin crafting your own masterpiece.

SONAR has been one of the most popular DAW’s on the market for nearly a decade now. And we’ve learned a lot along the way. But things have changed over the past ten years, so we felt it was time to take our more than 20 years experience in creating music software, combine it with cutting edge music creation tools, and wrap it in a totally modern design.

• 64 Audio Tracks
• Unlimited MIDI Tracks
• Streamlined User Interface
• Windows 7 ready
• Matrix View — Non-linear production environment for audio and MIDI Loops
• Step Sequencer 2.0 — Program beats, leads and bass lines with flam, velocity and probability controls
• Essential Instruments — Includes a suite of 10 “go to” instruments to get your projects started
• Essential Effects — Includes a suite of 31 professional level audio effects for basic mixing needs
• IK Multimedia Amplitube X-Gear
• Video Import/Export

Skylight — Welcome To Your Workspace

Let’s face it - constantly shuffling and resizing lots of floating windows is so last decade. Precisely suited for today’s music production, SONAR X1’s unparalleled user interface design speeds up workflow and provides a clean and modern creation environment. Skylight introduces a next generation workspace and ushers in a new level of simplicity by providing an intelligent interface that moves beyond contemporary, single-window design and layout clutter.

Browser — All your content unified

The completely redesigned Browser organizes all of your content into one, easily managed place. Drag and drop just about anything you can think of from the Browser directly to your workspace.

Inspector — Find what you’ve been looking for

Get all your clip, track, and channel data - centralized and at your fingertips. The new Inspector shows a wealth of data in a small footprint and allows for ergonomic track mixing. With Skylight, it’s also fully collapsible, expandable, dockable and floatable.

Smart Tools — Work smarter not harder

SONAR’s tools have been completely revamped for X1. Most functions are now performed with a single implement that switches automatically based on context. This dramatically speeds up editing and arranging by eliminating the need to constantly switch tools.

Control Bar — Total control freak

Access crucial functions quickly and clearly with the new modular Control Bar. Modules logically group related functions and can be arranged to suit your desire. It’s fully collapsible, expandable, dockable and floatable.

MultiDock — A place for everything

The MultiDock is an integral part of the Skylight interface that allows you to dock and easily access any of SONAR’s views all in one place. The Console View, Step Sequencer, Piano Roll - even instruments and effects can all be contained within one consolidated area. For ultimate flexibility, the MultiDock itself can be quickly collapsed or expanded and can even be placed on an entirely separate monitor.

Screensets — Just the way you remembered it

Per-project Screensets remember every window position, size and state and are accessed directly from the Control Bar or via your qwerty keyboard. Default Screensets are ready-to-go for just about any production scenario imaginable or create your own Screensets for tracking, mixing, jamming or experimenting. Recall everything - exactly the way you left it.