The First Recording Software For Guitarists Priced Under $50.

CAMBRIDGE, MA- Cakewalk, makers of Guitar Studio™- the first multitrack digital audio and MIDI software for professional guitar players- today released Cakewalk Guitar Tracks, an entry-level multitrack recording software package for amateur guitar players and PC hobbyists. Guitar Tracks has an estimated street price of $49, and is available immediately.

Until now, guitar players wanting the flexibility of recording on a PC had to spend $200 or more for multitrack digital audio software designed for their needs. In addition, guitarists who were computer novices had no simple gateway into the world of desktop music production. Guitar Tracks changes all this.

"We've addressed the needs of pro and semi-pro guitar players with our successful Guitar Studio product. Now Guitar Tracks takes care of the amateur guitar player looking for a simple, more affordable way to start recording on a PC," said Michael Hoover, product manager, Cakewalk.

Guitar Tracks is an easy-to-use eight-track digital audio recording package for recording and mixing digital audio on a Windows PC. Guitar Tracks allows users to quickly start recording and mixing music using familiar tape-recorder-style controls. It also offers real-time effects mixing, support for DirectX™ audio plug-ins, a built-in guitar tuner, as well as other utilities for the practicing and performing guitarist.

SlowBlast™
Most guitarists learn to play their favorite songs by listening to a recording repeatedly while trying to learn a specific phrase or solo. This requires the guitar player to stop, rewind and restart a section over and over again while trying to play the part. SlowBlast revolutionizes this age-old practicing technique. It allows the user to sample a guitar phrase or solo from any audio CD, then loop the phrase and even slow down the tempo without changing the pitch.

AmpSim Lite™
The included AmpSim Lite plug-in is a special edition of Cakewalk's Audio FX 2™ Amp and Tape effects package, which allows users to add realistic, analog simulation effects to digital audio tracks. Using two vintage amp models, British Overdrive and American Lead, guitarists are able to add vintage amplifier sounds to "dry" recorded audio tracks without the expense of owning and maintaining expensive vintage gear.

Drag-and-Drop Drummer™
For songwriters, a good drum track can make the difference between writer's block and a foundation of a hit song. The Drag-and-Drop Drummer resolves this problem by providing the guitar player with a simple tool for constructing professional-quality drum tracks from a library of digital audio drum loops. So instead of programming a drum machine or trying to find a drummer to sit in, the guitar player can concentrate on playing his or her own instrument.

Room to Grow
While Guitar Tracks offers the user a simple and affordable product for their needs, Cakewalk provides a natural growth path to more professional products. By upgrading to Guitar Studio 2 software, for example, the user takes advantage of integrated MIDI recording and editing, more digital audio tracks and effects, guitar tablature and fretboard composing tools, and other higher-end features.

Guitar Tracks Highlights

• Works with any electric guitar or acoustic guitar with mic or pickup.
• Allows user to record and archive up to 256 virtual tracks of digital audio.
• Plays back up to eight simultaneous tracks of digital audio.
• Provides a mixing console with support for eight simultaneous real-time effects.
• Includes EQ, chorus, reverb, delay, echo, flange, and AmpSim Lite.
• Allows user to expand system with more DirectX plug-ins as needed (sold separately).
• Supports drag-and-drop editing of tracks.
• Allows user to tune up quickly with the built-in chromatic tuner.
• Provides audio mixdown to stereo wave files for CDs, tapes, and the Internet.
• Includes Drag-and-Drop Drummer for creating high-quality drum tracks quickly.
• Also includes SlowBlast for learning guitar "licks" from any audio CD. Loop and slow down music without changing the pitch.

Cakewalk Guitar Tracks has an estimated street price of $49 U.S. and is available immediately. For more information on Cakewalk Guitar Tracks, call 888-CAKEWALK (617-441-7870 outside U.S.); or visit www.cakewalk.com.

About Cakewalk

Founded in 1987 and based in Cambridge, Mass., Cakewalk® is an international, industry-leading provider of software for creating music and sound on the desktop. The company's award-winning products are used worldwide by more than 500,000 professional and home users, for applications including music CD creation, post-production editing, film/TV soundtracks, and the integration of sound with computer games, web sites, and multimedia applications.

Links: Guitar Tracks Product Page
Software: Cakewalk Guitar Studio
Companies: Cakewalk