To jump-start your compositions, Cakewalk has also supplied a generous helping of WAV samples, ACIDized loops, drum kits, and sampler banks; they're mainly electronic, experimental beats and effects. The drum kits are made up of typical dance drum sounds, and you get six bass multisamples and an extensive orchestral library for the DS864. This may sound like a lot, but most users will probably outgrow the included sounds and want to tap into the vast world of third-party loops and sampler libraries.
Project5 also serves as a ReWire host and client to integrate your projects with other audio applications including Digidesign Pro Tools, Cakewalk SONAR, and Propellerhead Reason. It offers open support for a wide range of industry standard and proprietary sample formats, including AIF, Akai S5000/6000, Kurzweil, LM4, Ogg Vorbis, SF2, SFZ, and WAV (the MP3 exporter must be registered before using). While Project5 can import and play ACID loops, it still cannot export ACIDized clips. And you cannot export MIDI data directly to MIDI files; instead, save to a Pattern file, then open and save as MIDI in SONAR.
Once you've recorded and arranged your shiny new hit, the final steps are to mix and export it as an audio file. We were hoping Cakewalk would provide that function in this update. At least you can export files as MP3 this time around; you just have to register first.
Cakewalk's support site offers online help, tips and tricks, and a user forum. E-mail support provided quick and courteous response. In addition, the Project5 site has an upload area where users can share songs and patterns, but the site was under construction at press time.
