Stretch Modes in Cakewalk Sonar

About Stretch Mode

Stretch Mode determines the algorithm Cakewalk Sonar uses to change the length of an audio clip while preserving its original pitch.

Different stretch algorithms are designed for different types of audio. Selecting the appropriate Stretch Mode helps achieve better sound quality, minimizes unwanted artifacts, and can improve performance based on the type of material you're editing.

General & Rhythmic Modes

Groove

A versatile, general-purpose mode suitable for everyday audio editing and quick time-stretching tasks.

 

Best for: General audio clips, quick edits, and basic time-stretching.

Percussion

Optimized for rhythmic material with strong transients. Preserves the attack of drums and percussion.

 

Best for: Drum loops, percussion tracks, and rhythmic elements.

iZotope Radius Engine

Advanced stretching algorithms designed for high-fidelity rendering, polyphonic mixes, and monophonic solo instruments.

iZotope Radius Mix

Designed for polyphonic material containing multiple instruments. Provides excellent quality when rendering or bouncing mixed audio.

Best for: Full mixes, instrument stems, polyphonic recordings, and Bounce to Track operations.

Elastique Engine

Professional-grade time-stretching with exceptional transient preservation and timing stability.

BandLab Membership:

Elastique Engine is exclusive to active BandLab Membership subscribers.

Elastique Pro

Delivers highest-accuracy time stretching with sample-accurate processing and stereo phase coherence.

 

Best for: Vocals, acoustic instruments, solo performances, and final mixing.

 

Note: Uses higher CPU resources.

Elastique Efficient

Provides similar audio quality to Pro while significantly reducing CPU overhead.

 

Best for: Full mixes, backing tracks, instrument stems, and large projects.

Which Stretch Mode Should You Choose?

Stretch Mode Recommended For
General & Rhythmic
Groove Everyday audio editing
Percussion Drums and rhythmic material
Polyphonic & Full Mixes
iZotope Radius Mix Full mixes and polyphonic recordings
iZotope Radius Mix Advanced Advanced control over pitch and stereo phase
Elastique Efficient High-quality stretching with lower CPU usage
Monophonic & Solo Material
iZotope Radius Solo Solo melodic instruments
iZotope Radius Solo (Bass) Bass instruments
iZotope Radius Solo (Vocal) Solo vocals and speech
Elastique Pro Highest-quality stretching for professional production
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