Page 2 Program Copyright © 2004 Twelve Tone Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. ACID is a trademark of Sonic Foundry, Inc. Cakewalk is a registered trademark of Twelve Tone Systems, Inc. SONAR and the Cakewalk logo are trademarks of Twelve Tone Systems, Inc. Other company and prod- uct names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents Preface ............. xix About This Book .
Page 4 2 Tutorials ............47 Tutorial 1—The Basics .
Page 5 Tutorial 8—Using Soft Synths ....... . 100 Inserting Cakewalk TTS-1 into a Project ....101 Playing MIDI Tracks through a DXi .
Page 6 Changing Track Settings ........127 Setting Up Output Devices .
Page 7 Confidence Recording ........179 Input Monitoring .
Page 8 Clip Muting and Isolating (Clip Soloing) ......234 Clip Muting with the Default Style ......235 Clip Muting with the Alternate Style .
Page 9 Selecting and Editing Events ....... . . 283 Transposing ..........284 Shifting Events in Time .
Page 10 Using Drum Maps ......... . 340 Assigning a MIDI Track to a Drum Map .
Page 11 Fades and Crossfades ........380 Using Fades and Crossfades in Real Time .
Page 12 Routing and Mixing Digital Audio ......430 Audio Tracks ......... . . 432 Stereo Buses .
Page 13 Surround Effects ......... . . 488 The SurroundBridge .
Page 14 15 Working with Notation and Lyrics ........525 The Staff View .
Page 15 Opening the Meter/Key View ......561 Adding and Editing Meter/Key Changes ..... 562 Music Notation for Non-concert-key Instruments .
Page 16 Transmitting Banks During Playback ......595 Real-time Recording of System Exclusive Messages ....596 Sysx Echo .
Page 17 Improving Performance with Digital Audio ..... . 634 Getting the Most Out of Your PC ......635 Mixing Latency .
Page 18 Cakewalk TTS-1 ........
Page 19: Preface
SONAR for use with audio hardware, and SONAR’s new features. Registering SONAR Today Please be sure to register your product on our Web site (www.cakewalk.com). If you do not register, we cannot provide you with technical support, or inform you when free updates and upgrades become available.
Page 20: Conventions Used In This Book
For more information about the newsgroups, visit www.cakewalk.com. You can also get technical support directly from Cakewalk. In order to obtain technical support, you must register your product. You can obtain technical support for this product in the following ways: •...
Page 21: Introduction
Introduction SONAR is a professional tool for authoring sound and music on your personal computer. It’s designed for musicians, composers, arrangers, audio and production engineers, multimedia and game developers, and recording engineers. SONAR supports Wave, MP3, ACIDized waves, WMA, AIFF and other popular formats, providing all the tools you need to do professional-quality work rapidly and efficiently.
Page 22: About Sonar
About SONAR SONAR is the flagship product of the Cakewalk line of integrated MIDI and digital audio sequencers for the Windows platform. SONAR has a comprehensive feature set that makes it the single most productive tool for sound and music authoring.
Page 23: Web Authoring
inserts, in effects loops, or to the master mix. SONAR supports 44.1 KHz sampling for CD-quality sound and lets you choose from lower or higher sample rates as well. All audio effects are 32-bit floating point for faster processing and high- quality sound reproduction.
Page 24: Digital Audio
The MIDI language conveys information and instructions, both from the computer to the instrument and from the instrument to the computer. For example, if your computer wants your keyboard to play a note, it sends a MIDI “Note On” message and tells the keyboard which note to play.
Page 25: Installation And Setup
To connect a MIDI keyboard to your computer, you need standard MIDI cables or a MIDI adapter cable, such as the one available in Cakewalk’s PC Music Pack. One end of the adapter cable should have two 5-pin DIN connectors that connect to your keyboard or other MIDI device.
Page 26: Installing Sonar
Before you attach or detach any cables from your computer, you should shut down your computer and turn off the power to all your equipment. This greatly reduces the chance of electrical damage to your equipment while plugging and unplugging cables.
Page 27: Starting Sonar
There are many different ways to start SONAR. Here are a few: • Click on the SONAR icon on your desktop. • Click on the Start button, and choose Programs-Cakewalk-SONAR 4 (Studio Edition or Producer Edition)-SONAR 4 (Studio Edition or Producer Edition). •...
Page 28 Close. You can see the Quick Start dialog box later by choosing Help-Quick Start. Migrating Preferences If you have a previous version of Cakewalk installed, SONAR will detect it and give you the option of migrating certain preferences from a single earlier version.
Page 29 SONAR uses the Data directory and Picture folder) and Picture Cache directory Cache directories from the previous locations Cakewalk version for storing project wave files and their waveform image files. Running Wave Profiler The first time you start SONAR, it automatically runs the Wave Profiler utility.
Page 30 Setting Up the MIDI In and MIDI Out Devices When you start SONAR for the first time, it checks your computer to find all the MIDI input and output devices you have installed (such as sound cards and MIDI interfaces). However, sometimes you need to tell SONAR exactly which devices you want it to use.
Page 31: Sonar Basics
Using MIDI Devices After Making Driver Changes If you later add or remove drivers using the Drivers icon of the Windows Control Panel, SONAR reacts in the following way: • If you remove a Control Panel driver, SONAR will not use the device it belongs to the next time you run the program.
Page 32: Sonar File Types
Tracks are used to store the sound or music made by each instrument or voice in a project. For example, a song that is arranged for four instruments and one vocalist may have 5 tracks—one for each instrument and one for the vocals. Each project can have an unlimited number of tracks.
Page 33: Opening A File
Opening a File Use the following procedure to open a file. To Open a File in SONAR If you haven't already done so, start SONAR. Choose File-Open. In the Open dialog box, navigate to the directory where the project you want to open is located and select it.
Page 34 can change the size of the panes by dragging the vertical or horizontal splitter bars that separate them. The Clips pane The Track pane Expanded track Clips Minimized tracks Show/Hide Bus pane Splitter bars The Bus pane Track/Bus Inspector All of the current track’s controls, plus a few that are only available in the Console view, are contained in the Track/Bus Inspector which is an expanded version of the current track’s controls located on the far left side of the Track view.
Page 35 Page Up Displays the previous page of tracks. Home Moves the focus to the first track. Moves the focus to the last track. The current track’s controls are contained in the Track/Bus Inspector. The Clips pane shows the clips in your project on a horizontal timeline called the Time Ruler that helps you visualize how your project is organized.
Page 36 The following graphic shows most of the Track/Bus Inspector’s controls (there may not be room to display all of a track’s controls on the Track/Bus Inspector, depending on the resolution of your monitor): Track/Bus Inspector for a MIDI Track Track/Bus Inspector for an Audio Track Input menu Input menu Vel+...
Page 37 You can hide or show any of the Track/Bus Inspector’s controls, and use it to display the controls from any track or bus. The following table shows you how: To do this… Do this… Hide or show the Track/Bus Inspector Press i on your keyboard.
Page 38: The Console View
Narrow the Track Inspector Right-click a blank area and choose Narrow Strip from the popup menu. Bypass the FX bin Right-click the FX bin and choose Bypass Bin from the popup menu. The Console View The Console view is where you can mix the sounds on all the different tracks to create the final mix of your project.
Page 39 The Console View: Audio module MIDI module Main Out Bus Send Enable Stereo/Mono button Phase Invert button Pan control Volume fader for each track Mute, Solo, and Track Arming buttons As in the Track view, you can change track settings or record new music or sound in the Console view.
Page 40 You can also use the Piano Roll view to display and edit MIDI velocity, controllers, and other types of information. The Piano Roll view also contains the Drum Editor, which allows you to “paint” drum patterns using the Pattern Brush tool and play different drum modules from a single track.
Page 41 The Loop Construction view : allows you to create and edit Groove clips (SONAR loops that “know” the tempo and key in which they were recorded), and export these clips as ACIDized files. The Loop Explorer view : allows you to preview ACIDized files and other Wave files;...
Page 42 SONAR has several other views that are used for very specific purposes: View… How you use it… Meter/Key To change the meter (time signature) or key signature, or to insert changes in the meter or key signature at specific times in a project.
Page 43 Zoom in Click to zoom in incrementally, or press Shift and click to zoom all the way in Zoom fader Click and drag to zoom continuously Zoom tool Click to arm, then click and drag in the view to select the zoom area The Zoom tool is automatically disarmed after use.
Page 44: Working On A Project
Floating Views When a view is float enabled, you can move it outside of the confines of SONAR. This is particularly useful if you take advantage of SONAR’s dual monitor support. Using dual monitor support, you can keep the Track or Console view on one monitor and “float”...
Page 45: Windows Taskbar Indicators
Windows Taskbar Indicators When SONAR is running, you’ll normally see two indicators in your Windows Taskbar, right next to the clock. The MIDI activity monitor contains two lights that indicate MIDI input and output. When you play your MIDI keyboard, the first light flashes when each note is pressed, and it flashes again when each note is released.
Page 46: Starting To Use Sonar
SONAR uses the colors you have chosen. To Restore the Default Colors Choose Options-Colors to display the Colors dialog box. Click the Defaults button. Click OK. SONAR uses the default colors for all screen elements. To Change the Wallpaper Choose Options-Colors to display the Colors dialog box. Choose the desired wallpaper according to the table: To do this…...
Page 47: Tutorials
Tutorials Now that you’ve learned some of the basics, it’s time to put that knowledge to work. These tutorials will give you some hands-on practice in playing, recording, and mixing your projects. If you want to learn more about any topic, you’ll find references to the appropriate part of the User’s Guide.
Page 48: Tutorial 1-The Basics
Tutorial 1—The Basics The first tutorial teaches you the basics of SONAR. You'll learn how to: • Open and play a project file • Make the project repeat automatically • Use markers • Speed or slow the tempo • Mute a track and play a track solo •...
Page 49 To Enable MIDI Outputs Select Options-MIDI Devices from the menu to open the MIDI Devices dialog box. In the MIDI Devices dialog in the Outputs field, arrange the outputs by doing the following: To do this… Do this… Enable or disable a device Click on it—an enabled device appears highlighted;...
Page 50: Playing The Project
Output menu All tab control—click this to display all the track controls. Click the other tabs to display smaller groups of controls. A popup menu appears, containing a list of enabled MIDI outputs. Select the output you want to use for that track. Press the down arrow on your computer keyboard to move to the Output field for the next track and choose an output.
Page 51: To Pause Playback
To Start Playback • To play the project, click the Play button , or press the Spacebar. Do you hear music? If you don't hear anything, see the online help topic called Troubleshooting for some troubleshooting tips. To Restart the Project When SONAR gets to the end of the project, it stops.
Page 52: Restarting The Project Automatically
you don’t see the Markers toolbar, then choose View-Toolbars and check Markers. Open Markers view Previous Next Insert Default Groove clip pitch Markers list marker marker marker The current project contains several markers. Let’s try starting playback from the marker labeled C: If the project is playing, pause playback by clicking the Stop button In the Current Marker dropdown menu in the Markers toolbar (the larger dropdown menu, on the left), select the marker labeled C.
Page 53 To loop over the entire project, do the following: In the Loop toolbar, click the Loop Start time. The time display changes to an edit box with spin controls. To loop over the entire project, the loop must start at 1:01:000. If the Loop Start time is not already set to 1:01:000, use the keyboard or spin controls to enter this value.
Page 54: Changing The Tempo
Press F5 to open the Markers dialog box. In the Markers dialog box, select marker D and click OK. Click the Loop On/Off button to enable looping. Click Rewind. The project rewinds to the Loop Start time. Click Play. A quicker way of selecting the loop times in the preceding example would be to simply click in the area between the markers at the top of the Clips pane, then click to copy the selection start and end times to the Loop/Auto Shuttle toolbar.
Page 55 Setting the Tempo Let’s pick up the pace a little. Do the following: With the project playing, click on the tempo value in the Tempo toolbar. The tempo will be highlighted and spin controls will appear. Use the spin controls to increase the tempo to 100 beats per minute. Press Enter.
Page 56: Muting And Soloing Tracks
Muting and Soloing Tracks Muting a track causes it not to sound when you play your project. Soloing a track mutes all the tracks except the ones that are soloed. You can change a track’s mute or solo status while your project is playing. Muting a Track Frequently you will want to temporarily turn off one or more instruments in your ensemble.
Page 57 Playing a Track Solo If you want to hear one track by itself, you could mute all other tracks. But there’s a quicker way to do it—the Solo button. For example, to play the drum part by itself, do the following: Click the Solo button in the Drum track (track 5).
Page 58: Changing A Track's Instrument
Changing a Track's Instrument If your sound card is like most, its internal synthesizer is capable of producing at least 128 different instrument sounds, plus several dozen percussion sounds. Now you'll find out how to get some of those other instruments into the act. Let’s try changing the instrument playing the piano line.
Page 59: Playing Music On A Keyboard
MIDI is dedicated to percussion. The note determines the instrument, and the patch is irrelevant. Changing the Patch in the Track/Bus Inspector You can also change a track’s patch in the Track/Bus Inspector, which is a vertically expanded version of the current track’s controls at the far left side of the Track view.
Page 60 Routing MIDI Data to the Keyboard Let’s play back the Piano track through your MIDI keyboard. First, turn your keyboard on and make sure it is set up to receive MIDI input on channel one. Then, do the following: In the Track view, in the Piano track (track 1), click the Output field to open the menu of outputs.
Page 61: Tutorial 2-Recording Midi
Tutorial 2—Recording MIDI This tutorial teaches you how to record MIDI data with SONAR. You’ll learn how • Set up the metronome • Record MIDI tracks • Use loop recording • Use punch recording Creating a New Project If you haven’t already done so, the first thing you need to do is create a project file: Start SONAR.
Page 62 Let’s set up the metronome to play audio for two count-in measures when recording. Here's what to do: In the Metronome toolbar, click in the Count-in box. Use the + or - buttons to set the count-in value to 2. Click the Count-in Measures option to select it.
Page 63: Recording Midi
Record Options dialog box, which you open with the Transport-Record Options command). To mute any track, click the track's Mute button Since this is a new project, there is no need to mute or solo any track. You can also set other playback options, such as the tempo ratio, to make your recording session easier.
Page 64: Saving Your Work
Choose View-Staff to open the Staff view. Choose View-Event List to open the Event List view. Choose Window-Tile in Rows to tile the views. 10. To return to the start of the project, click the Rewind button, or press w. 11.
Page 65: Loop Recording
SONAR saves the project under the new name. From now on, you can click the Save button to save this project. Loop Recording If you'd like to record several takes successively, you can set up SONAR to loop over the entire project, or just some section of it. SONAR will record a new take during each loop, storing that take in a new clip.
Page 66: Punch-In Recording
Loop Recording Finally, let's record our takes: Choose Transport-Record Options to display the Record Options dialog box. Choose the Store Takes in Separate Tracks option to store each new take in a separate track. Each time a new take starts, the settings from the first track will be copied to the new track.
Page 67 Let's try it. Suppose you want to replace several measures in the recording you made earlier in this tutorial. Display the Record toolbar by choosing View-Toolbars-Record. Record mode Step record Auto-punch on/off Click to open the Record Options dialog box Click here to set punch times Punch In Punch Out...
Page 68: Tutorial 3-Recording Digital Audio
When Auto Punch is enabled, the Time Ruler displays special markers that indicate the punch in and punch out times. You can drag these markers to change the punch in and punch out times. Punch In Punch Out Tutorial 3—Recording Digital Audio To record digital audio, you need some sort of device hooked up to your sound card's line or mic input—an electric guitar, a preamp, or a mixer, for example.
Page 69: Setting The Sampling Rate
Setting the Sampling Rate Each SONAR project has a parameter that specifies the sampling resolution for all digital audio data in the project. You should set this rate before recording any digital audio. To set the sampling rate: Choose Options-Audio to open the Audio Options dialog box. Click the General tab.
Page 70: Setting The File Bit Depth
Setting the File Bit Depth The file bit depth is the size of the blocks of memory that SONAR allocates to store your project’s audio data. SONAR allocates memory in 8-bit bytes. If you are using an audio driver bit depth of 16, choose a file bit depth of 16. If you are using an audio driver bit depth that’s greater than 16, use a file bit depth of 24.
Page 71: Recording Digital Audio
Note: SONAR has a button called the Audio Engine button in the Transport toolbar, which you click to stop any feedback you may experience if there is a loop somewhere in your mixer setup. Whenever you play a project, SONAR automatically enables the audio engine, which you can tell by watching the Status bar—whenever the audio engine is running, the Audio Running indicator in the Status bar lights up.
Page 72: Listening To The Recording
Go ahead and perform! When you finish recording, click the Stop button , or press the Spacebar. A new clip appears in the Clips pane. If no new clip appears, see “I Can’t Record Any Audio” on page 645 for some troubleshooting hints. Also, right-click in the Clips pane and choose View-Options to open the Track View Options dialog box—...
Page 73: Loop And Punch-In Recording
Input Echo button that’s on the Playback State toolbar (to display, use the View- Toolbars-Playback State command). Caution: If you have any kind of a loop in your mixer setup that causes the output of your sound card to be fed back into the input, you can get feedback, and input monitoring can make it very intense because both the direct signal and the processed signal are coming out of your sound card.
Page 74: Tutorial 4-Editing Midi
Tutorial 4—Editing MIDI SONAR has too many powerful MIDI features to look at in one tutorial, so let’s look at some of the most basic features and also cover some exciting new ones, such as slip editing and MIDI envelopes. In this tutorial, start by opening the file in the Tutorials folder TUTORIAL...
Page 75: Copying Clips With Drag And Drop
Copying Clips with Drag and Drop The first clip in the bass track is two measures long; we can easily drag-copy it to make it eight measures long. When we drag-copy some of the clips, we can make them into linked clips. When you edit a linked clip, SONAR performs the exact same edits on all other clips that the clip is linked to.
Page 76 In the Piano Roll toolbar, right-click the Snap to Grid button to open the Snap to Grid dialog box (Snap to Grid settings in each view are independent of each other). Make sure the Musical Time radio button is selected, and in the window to the right of it, select Eighth.
Page 77: Slip Editing
When you move the Draw tool over a note, it changes into one of 3 different editing tools, depending on what part of the note you move it over: • If you move the Draw tool over the beginning or end of a note, the Draw tool changes into a cross.
Page 78: Drawing Midi Envelopes
In the organ track in the Clips pane, move the cursor over the right end of the first clip until the cursor changes to a square. Drag the right border to the left until the MIDI data at the end of the clip is hidden. Like this Hide this region Now you can’t hear those notes.
Page 79: Converting Midi To Audio
Horizontal zoom control so that the beat markers are visible in the Time Ruler. At the fourth beat of measure eight, add a node to the envelope by moving the cursor over it until a double-ended, vertical arrow appears under it, right- clicking to open the Envelope Editing menu, and choosing Add Node from the menu.
Page 80 To Convert MIDI to Audio Pick a destination audio track (or create a new one) and set the Input field to Stereo (name of your sound card). Note: If you have more than one sound card installed, select the one that has the built-in synth that your MIDI tracks use.
Page 81: Tutorial 5-Editing Audio
Tutorial 5—Editing Audio In this tutorial we will be editing a bundle file with drums, bass, guitar and organ. We will add some additional percussion, and edit some of the existing tracks. This tutorial covers the following: • Importing wave files •...
Page 82: Moving And Looping The Clips
Open the Tutorials folder located in the directory where SONAR is installed. Select and click Open. ORGAN A new clip appears in the selected track at the specified Now Time—measure 10. Double-click the track name, and type in a new name: “Organ,” and press Enter.
Page 83: Slip Editing A Clip
Slip Editing a Clip Solo the two guitar tracks and listen to the project. We are going to combine these two tracks and create an automatic crossfade between them. Before we do, we have to hide the beginning of the second guitar part so it doesn’t affect the crossfade. We’ll do this using slip editing.
Page 84: Bouncing Tracks
Bouncing Tracks When you finish editing a certain number of audio tracks, you can conserve memory and simplify your mix by bouncing (combining) some tracks down to one or two tracks. You can choose to include any effects and automation in the new track that are on the tracks that you want to combine, greatly reducing the load on your CPU.
Page 85: Tutorial 6-Using Groove Clips
Tutorial 6—Using Groove Clips Groove clips are audio clips that “know” their tempo and root note pitch. SONAR uses this information to stretch the clips to match changes in tempo and to transpose the root note pitch to match the project’s pitch and pitch changes. SONAR also has MIDI Groove clips (see “MIDI Groove Clips”...
Page 86: Adding Groove Clips To A Project
Adding Groove Clips to a Project There are two ways to add a Groove clip to your project. Let’s use both. To Import a Groove Clip Select File-New to create a new project. Set the default pitch to E by clicking the dropdown arrow in the Markers toolbar and choosing E (if you don’t see the Markers toolbar, use the View- Toolbars command and check Markers).
Page 87: Looping Groove Clips
Navigate to the Tutorials folder in the directory where you installed SONAR. Select 100 and drag it into the Clips pane below the Sound Effect ONETWO track at measure 3. Repeat step 8 by dragging 100 below Track 2 at measure 7 and BEAT below Track 3 at measure 1, and close the Loop Explorer view.
Page 88 To Loop a Groove Clip Move the cursor over the end of the first Groove clip in Track 2 until the cursor looks like this When the cursor changes, click the end of the clip and drag it to the right until you have created one repetition of the clip (through the end of measure 6).
Page 89: Changing The Pitch Of Groove Clips
Click on the clip and drag it one measure to the left. Like this: The Drag and Drop Options dialog appears. In the Drag and Drop Options dialog, click Blend Old and New and click OK. You have added Groove clips and edited them. Your project should look like this: Let’s take a listen to what we have.
Page 90: Changing The Tempo Of Your Project
It sounds different because the Groove clip on Track 4 is no longer following the default project pitch of E, instead it follows its own root note of C. Next, let’s add some pitch markers. To Add Pitch Markers Click the Solo button in Track 4 to solo the track.
Page 91: Creating Your Own Groove Clips
Creating Your Own Groove Clips Any audio clip (of a reasonable size) can be a Groove clip. We are going to take a clip, slip-edit it so that it contains just the parts we want, and open it in the Loop Construction view to add tempo and pitch information to it. To Create a Groove Clip (example 1) In this example we will import a short clip of a bass guitar, slip-edit it and convert it to a Groove clip.
Page 92 Your clip should look something like this: 10. Click the Enable Looping button on the Loop Construction view toolbar to enable the clip’s Groove clip characteristics. SONAR automatically slices the clip and assigns in a number of beats. Notice that SONAR has sliced this clip at eighth note intervals. This is a clip with a waveform that does not have dramatic transients (sharp rises in volume).
Page 93 To Create a Groove Clip (example 2) For this example we are going to use a clip that does not need to be slip-edited. In the Explorer view, navigate to the Tutorials folder in the directory where you installed SONAR. Drag and drop the file into the new project below your bass track DRUMS...
Page 94 To Fine Tune the Slicing Markers in a Groove Clip Identify the markers which are close to the beginning of a transient. An example of transients that should be moved: Slicing marker Slicing marker which should be moved Transients Click the Select tool Click and drag the slicing markers that need to be fine tuned so that they are at the very beginning of the transient.
Page 95: Tutorial 7-Mixing
Let's add some flanging to the first guitar track in TUTORIAL Add the flange effect to a guitar track by right-clicking its Fx field, and choosing Audio Effects-Cakewalk-FxFlange from the popup menu. The effect’s dialog box appears. Choose a preset flange setting from the Presets field.
Page 96: Automating An Individual Effect's Settings
Automating an Individual Effect’s Settings Let’s draw an envelope to automate one of the flanger’s controls: In the Clips pane, right-click in the first guitar track (the track you added the FxFlange effect to) and choose Envelopes-Create Track Envelope- FxFlange 1 from the popup menu. The FxFlange1 dialog box appears.
Page 97: Grouping Controls
Grouping Controls To assist in manipulating the controls, you can tie faders to one another. For example, if you want to increase the volume level on several tracks at the same time, you can assign them to a group. Then, when you move one volume fader, you move them all.
Page 98: Exporting An Mp3 File
or show envelopes by using the dropdown arrow that’s on the side of the Envelope tool button in the Track view toolbar, or by using the Clips pane popup menu, or the Envelope Editing menu. Now let’s listen to the project again and watch the fader move automatically: Rewind to the beginning.
Page 99 12. Click Export. The Cakewalk MP3 Encoder (Trial Version) dialog box appears. To use the Cakewalk MP3 Encoder: You don’t need an unlock code until the trial period is up, so for now click Continue.
Page 100: Tutorial 8-Using Soft Synths
DXi, VSTi, or ReWire instrument a one-step process. Cakewalk TTS-1 is a great example of a DXi, so let’s use it for our tutorial. Because this DXi supports the DXi 2.0 format, it has multiple outputs (4), and you can record the movement of some of its controls as automation.
Page 101: Inserting Cakewalk Tts-1 Into A Project
Cakewalk TTS-1 into this project, its label will be Cakewalk TTS-1 2, and it will function as a totally separate synth. MIDI data in tracks that use Cakewalk TTS-1 1 as an output will have no effect on MIDI tracks that have Cakewalk TTS-1 2 as an output.
Page 102: Playing Midi Tracks Through A Dxi
Playing MIDI Tracks through a DXi Now that you have verified that Cakewalk TTS-1 is installed, let’s try some of its sounds on some pre-recorded MIDI data. To Play MIDI Tracks through Cakewalk TTS-1 Drag Cakewalk TTS-1 property page out of the way for now, and in the first MIDI track (Guitar 1), click the dropdown arrow in the track’s Output field,...
Page 103 Use the Edit-Bounce to Track(s) command. The Bounce to Track(s) dialog box appears. In the Source Category field, choose Tracks. In the Channel Format field, choose mono if you want mono tracks, and stereo if you want stereo tracks. In the Source/Buses field, make sure all 4 outputs are selected. This will create a separate audio track for each selected output.
Page 104: Tutorial 9-Drum Maps
Tutorial 9—Drum Maps In SONAR drum maps allow you to assign a single MIDI track to multiple outputs. MIDI drum tracks appear in the Piano Roll view’s Drum Grid pane. In the Note Map pane you can map pitches to notes in any number of software or hardware outputs.
Page 105: Create A Drum Track
Create a Drum Track You can use any blank MIDI track for your drums. If you don’t have a MIDI track, create using the Insert-MIDI Track command. To Assign a MIDI Track to a Drum Map Display the Track view if it is minimized. In the track you want to assign to a drum map, click the Output dropdown and select DM1GM Drums (Complete Kit) from the options in the menu that appears.
Page 106: Map Drum Notes To Different Outputs
Map Drum Notes to Different Outputs First, we need to create an output to use, so lets open Cakewalk TTS-1 and use that soft synth for this part of the tutorial. To Open Cakewalk TSS-1 Select View-Synth Rack from the menu.
Page 107 To Change Other Drum Map Settings You can open the Drum Map Manager from either a MIDI track’s Output menu, or with the Options-Drum Map Manager command. Change map settings in the Drum Map Manager as described in the following table: To do this…...
Page 108: Tutorial 10-Cyclone Dxi
Tutorial 10—Cyclone DXi This tutorial explains how to use Cyclone DXi. You will learn how to open, play and edit loops as you create a short song. Cyclone Overview Cyclone DXi allows you to trigger individual parts or “slices” of Riff Wave files and ACIDized files.
Page 109: Setting A Pad's Volume And Pan
To Import Files to the Loop Bin Click the Load Files button in the Loop Bin. The Open dialog appears. Open the Tutorials folder located in the directory where you installed SONAR. In the Tutorials folder select 100FX. and click Open. The loop 100FX.
Page 110: Playing Cyclone
Playing Cyclone Now that we have added loops and adjusted some of the pad group controls, let’s use Cyclone as a real-time instrument and as a synth device. To Play an Existing MIDI Track Through Cyclone First, we’ll create a MIDI track which will trigger the pads in Cyclone. In the Track view, select an empty MIDI track.
Page 111: Editing Loops In The Loop Editor
To Play Cyclone with Your Mouse As soon as you click on a pad in Cyclone the first loop begins to play. Simply click pads to turn them on and click on them again to turn them off. To Play Cyclone with a MIDI Keyboard or Controller For the purposes of this part of the tutorial we assume you have an external MIDI controller like a keyboard.
Page 113: Controlling Playback
Controlling Playback When you play your SONAR project, you have full control over the tempo or speed of playback, which tracks are played, which sound cards or other devices are used to produce the sound, and what the tracks sound like. SONAR’s multi-MIDI enhancements give you the ability to play multiple synths or tracks from a single keyboard or controller, or let multiple performers play the same or different tracks.
Page 114: The Now Time And How To Use It
The Now Time and How to Use It Every project has a current time, known as the Now time, which keeps track of where you are in a project. The Now time appears as a vertical line in the Track view and is displayed in both the Large Transport toolbar and the Position toolbar, in two formats: The current time in hours, minutes,...
Page 115 Here are some examples of times expressed in this format (assuming that zero is the start time): Time... What it means... 00:00:00:00 The beginning of the project 00:05:10:00 Five minutes and ten seconds from the beginning of the project 01:30:00:00 One hour and thirty minutes into the project 00:00:00:05 Five frames into the project...
Page 116: The Now Time Marker
When entering a time in SMPTE format, you can enter a single number (hour), two numbers (hour and minutes), three numbers (hour, minutes, and seconds), or all four numbers. If you click in the Time Ruler while the snap grid is enabled, the Now time will be snapped to the nearest point in the grid.
Page 117: Displaying The Now Time In Large Print
To Change the Now Time Marker Behavior Select Options-Global from the SONAR menu. The Global Options dialog appears. Click the General tab. Uncheck the On Stop, Rewind to Now Marker option to have the Now time marker move to follow the current Now time when you stop playback. Check the On Stop, Rewind to Now Marker option to have the Now time snap back to the Now time marker when you stop playback.
Page 118: Other Ways To Set The Now Time
Other Ways to Set the Now Time There are a variety of commands and keyboard shortcuts you can use to set the Now time: Command... Shortcut... What it does... Go-Time Lets you enter the Now time in the Position toolbar or in a dialog box Go-From Sets the Now time to the From time (the start time of the current time...
Page 119: The Time Ruler
The Time Ruler The Time Ruler appears in the Track view, Tempo view, Staff view and Piano Roll view. It has several functions, including: • Making a Time Selection The Time Ruler follows the Snap to Grid settings, if enabled. For more information about using the Snap to Grid, see “Defining and Using the Snap Grid”...
Page 120: Controlling Playback
To Set the Time Ruler Format to Samples Right-click in the Track view Time Ruler. In the menu that appears, select Time Ruler Format-Samples. Note: The Display All Times as SMPTE checkbox in the General tab of the Global Options dialog forces all times in the project to be displayed in SMPTE time, regardless of your setting in the Time Ruler.
Page 121: Handling Stuck Notes
Note: You can control the MIDI messages that are sent by the Transport- Reset command by changing the Panic Strength variable in the file. CAKEWALK To Clear Stuck Notes • Choose Transport-Reset, or click on the Large Transport toolbar.
Page 122: Looping
Looping Sometimes you want to listen to one portion of a project over and over, either so you can play along and rehearse or because you want to edit that section of the project while it is playing and hear the results as you make changes. SONAR has a playback looping feature that makes this simple.
Page 123 If you start playback before the loop start time, SONAR will play until the loop end time is reached, then jump back to the loop start time. Note: If you stop playback while looping is enabled, the Now time jumps to the Now time marker.
Page 124: Track-By-Track Playback
Track-by-Track Playback SONAR lets you play back any combination of tracks at one time by changing each track’s status. You can control the status of each track with the individual controls that are on every track, or with the global controls on the Playback State toolbar or the Status bar that’s at the bottom of the SONAR window.
Page 125: The Playback State Toolbar
The track status is saved with the SONAR project file. If you save a SONAR project as a Standard MIDI File, however, all tracks are saved without mute, solo, or archive indicators. The Playback State Toolbar To display the Playback State toolbar, use the View-Toolbars command to open the Toolbars dialog box, and make sure Playback State is checked.
Page 126: Soloing Tracks
To Archive or Unarchive Tracks Select one or more tracks in the Track view. Choose Track-Archive, or right-click and choose Archive from the menu to toggle the archive status of the selected tracks. Soloing Tracks Sometimes you want to hear a single track, or a few tracks at once, without having to mute all the other tracks.
Page 127: Changing Tracks' Mono/Stereo Status
Changing Tracks’ Mono/Stereo Status SONAR has a mono/stereo button in each track module in the Track and Console views. The buttons in the track modules force each track to play in either stereo or mono, but preserve the tracks’ pan positions in the stereo mix. The Mono/Stereo button in each track forces the track’s audio signal to enter any patched plug-ins as either mono or stereo, whether or not the tracks are mono or stereo.
Page 128 Mute, Solo and Arm buttons MIDI Track Track name (or if new, the track #) Input Echo button Parameters Track number Minimize track Maximize track Volume Input Output Effects bin Channel Bank Patch Time+ Key+ Chorus Velocity Trim Reverb Here is a summary table of the different track parameters and how they are used. Audio Track Parameters The following parameters apply to audio tracks: Setting...
Page 129 Trim (volume Volume Trim is a pre-fader control which allows the fine trim) tuning of a single track’s volume. For example, let’s say you have four tracks, three tracks have their volume fader set to 0 dB while the fourth track’s fader is set to +10 dB.
Page 130 MIDI Track Parameters The following parameters apply to MIDI tracks: Setting... What it means... Number A sequential track number used only for reference Name A name that you assign the track for easy reference. Note that if you do not assign a name to a track, the default name is the track number.
Page 131 You can rearrange and resize the panes in the Track view as shown in the following table: To do this... Do this... Change the size of the Track pane Drag to the left or right the divider that separates the Track and Clips panes Change the Size of the Mains/Buses Drag up or down the divider that separates pane...
Page 132 • • Bus enable/disable (audio tracks only) • Bus Output Level (audio tracks only) • Bus Output Pan (audio tracks only) • Bus Pre/Post Fader (audio tracks only) • Mono/Stereo (audio tracks only) • Chorus (MIDI tracks only) • Reverb (MIDI tracks only) •...
Page 133 Changing MIDI Track Settings in the Track Pane Control How to change the value Channel Click on the black arrow on the right of the control and select a channel from the menu that appears, or double-click on the control and enter a value. Bank Click on the black arrow on the right of the control and select a bank from the menu that appears, or...
Page 134: Setting Up Output Devices
You can also edit Track properties in the Track Properties dialog box. To open this dialog box, right-click on the Track bar and select Track Properties. You can change the value of a track parameter for several tracks at once using commands on the Track-Property menu.
Page 135 You can purchase MIDI interfaces that plug into your parallel, serial, or USB port to add MIDI ports to your computer. For more information on complex system configurations, see Appendix B: Hardware Setup. If your computer has several MIDI outs, choose the ones you want to use and put them in a particular order using the Options-MIDI Devices command.
Page 136: Assigning Tracks To Outputs
To Choose MIDI Devices Choose Options-MIDI Devices to display the MIDI Devices dialog box. Click on any MIDI device in the Outputs list. To move any device to the top of the list, deselect all other devices and click Move to Top to move the selected device to the top of the list. When all devices are selected in the order you want, click OK.
Page 137 Many instruments have descriptive names for their banks and patches. SONAR stores these names in an instrument definition. For more information about instrument definitions, see Chapter 16, Using Instrument Definitions. If you are using an instrument that supports General MIDI, your patch list will contain the 128 sounds that are defined by the General MIDI specification.
Page 138 To search for a patch containing specific text, click the Patch Browser button to the right of the dropdown lists. You can also open the Patch Browser by right-clicking a bank or patch control in the Track or Console views. Click OK.
Page 139: Adding Effects
To Add an Audio Effect in the Track Pane In an audio track, right-click in the FX field, choose Audio Effects- Cakewalk, and select an effect from the menu that appears. Adjusting Volume and Pan The Volume and Pan settings control the initial volume and pan of a track during playback.
Page 140: Configurable Panning Laws
You can also change the pan and volume settings in a variety of other ways, as described on page 132. To change the pan settings for more than one track at a time, select the tracks you want to change and choose Track-Property-Pan. Configurable Panning Laws You can choose from six different panning laws, if you want.
Page 141: Assigning A Midi Channel (Chn)
To Set the Volume Trim Level Move your cursor to the Volume Trim control of the track you want to change. Click and drag to the left to lower Volume Trim level or to the right to raise Volume Trim level. Assigning a MIDI Channel (Chn) MIDI transmits information on 16 channels, numbered 1 through 16.
Page 142: Adjusting The Note Velocity (Vel+)
If the key offset value transposes the key number (MIDI note) outside the allowable MIDI range (0–127), the key number will be transposed to the lowest or highest octave within that range. You can use the Key+ parameter to assist in preparing scores for instruments whose music is written in something other than “concert”...
Page 143: Adjusting The Time Alignment Of A Midi Track (Time+)
To Set the Velocity Offset for a Track • In the track you want to change, click and drag the Vel+ control to the desired setting. You can also change the velocity offset in a variety of other ways, as described on page 132.
Page 144: Other Midi Playback Settings
Other MIDI Playback Settings Two other MIDI settings can affect what happens when you play back your project, as described in the following table: Option… How it works… Zero Controllers When Play If this option is enabled, SONAR zeroes (resets) the pitch wheel, Stops the pedal Controller, and the modulation wheel Controller on all 16 MIDI channels whenever playback is stopped.
Page 145 determines what instrument will sound when the track receives the data. Each track’s Input Echo button determines whether the track echoes MIDI data. The Input Echo Button Each MIDI track has an Input Echo button, which controls whether the track will echo MIDI data or not.
Page 146 To Disable the Default MIDI Echo Setting • If you want to turn off the automatic MIDI echoing of the current track, disable the Always Echo Current MIDI Track option in the General tab of the Global Options dialog (Options-Global command). If you then turn off the current track’s Input Echo button and play your keyboard, SONAR will not produce sound.
Page 147: Local Control
Now, when you choose inputs for other tracks, you can choose the preset you saved by clicking the Presets option in the track’s Input dropdown menu. If you want to edit a preset, select it in the top window of the MIDI Input Presets dialog, edit it, and click the disk icon.
Page 148: Playing Files In Batch Mode
To Automatically Disable All Local Control Whenever You Launch SONAR In the directory where SONAR is installed, double-click on the file TTSEQ to open it. In the Options section, add the line: SendLocalOff=1 Save the file and close it. When you launch SONAR, it automatically sends a Local Off message to your keyboard.
Page 149 To Create and Edit a Play List • To create and edit a play list in the Play List view, follow the instructions in the table: To do this… Do this… Open an existing play list Choose File-Open, choose Play List from the Files of Type list, choose the file you want and click Open Create a new play list...
Page 150: Video Playback, Import, And Export
Skip to the next file Click in the Play List view toolbar. Loop continuously over the Click the button in the Play List view play list toolbar. Show or hide file name Click the button to enable or disable the extensions and folder names display of folders.
Page 151: Inserting And Playing Back Videos
Inserting and Playing Back Videos Here are step-by-step procedures for inserting and playing back videos: To Load a Video File Into a Project Choose File-Import-Video, or choose Insert from the Video view’s popup menu. The Import Video dialog appears. In the Files of Type field, select the kind of video file you’re looking for. Select a file.
Page 152 To Enable or Disable Video Playback Open the Video view by choosing View-Video. Right-click in the Video view and choose Animate. If your computer is not fast enough to play back video efficiently, you can get better performance by temporarily disabling video animation during playback. To Set the Time Display Format •...
Page 153: Exporting Video
option is used to recalculate the video display size whenever you resize the Video view. To Set the Background Color • Right-click in the Video view and choose a color option from the Background Color menu. To Set the Start and Trim Times Right-click in the Video view and choose Video Properties.
Page 154: Optimizing Video Performance
Click the Audio Mixdown Options button to open a dialog of audio mixdown options. Click the Help button in the dialog for help choosing options. Click Save to export your video. Optimizing Video Performance Here are a few tips to optimize video performance: •...
Page 155 Video Thumbnails pane Show/hide video pane button Show/hide frame numbers button Show/hide thumbnails button Splitter bar Video track strip Frame number Here are the various commands and functions of the Video Thumbnails pane: • You can show or hide the pane. •...
Page 156 For step-by-step instructions, see the following procedures: To Hide or Show the Video Thumbnails Pane • Drag the splitter bar that separates the Video Thumbnails pane from the Clips pane. • Use the View-Video Thumbnails menu command. • Click the Show/Hide Video Pane button in the Track view toolbar.
Page 157: Locating Missing Audio
To Use the Video Thumbnails Context Menu Right-click the Video Thumbnails pane or the Video Thumbnails track strip. Choose any of these options from the popup menu that appears: • Show/Hide Thumbnails • Display Absolute Frames • Open Video View •...
Page 158: Managing Shared And External Files
To Restore Missing Audio Files In the Locate Missing Audio dialog, click the Search button. The Search for Missing Audio dialog appears and SONAR begins searching all available hard drives for the missing file or files. When SONAR is finished searching, the files that it has found appear in the dialog.
Page 159 To Configure SONAR to Share External Files SONAR allows you to share external files (files not in the project’s audio data directory). There are some exceptions, however. Files that have a different sampling rate or bit depth are always copied to the project’s audio data directory. Also, if the Always Copy Imported Audio Files option in the Audio Data tab of the Global Options dialog is checked, imported audio is always copied to your project’s audio data directory.
Page 161: Recording
Recording You can add sound or music to a SONAR™ project in many different ways. You can record your own material using a MIDI-equipped instrument, use a microphone or another audio input to record digital audio information, or import sound or music data from an existing digital data file.
Page 162: Creating A New Project
Creating a New Project You can add music and sound to an existing project or to a new project. Just as in any Windows program, you open an existing project file using the File-Open command, and create a new project file using the File-New command. When you create a new SONAR project, there are some additional parameters you can set to make it easier to work on your project.
Page 163: Setting The Meter And Key Signatures
template with two MIDI and two audio tracks (called the Normal template). If you are creating a new project that will contain only audio material, use the Audio Only template. If you are creating a new project that will contain only MIDI material, use the MIDI Only template.
Page 164 If you are creating a new project that will contain only audio material (no MIDI material), you do not need to set the meter and key signature. Note: Groove clips do not follow your project’s key. Groove clips follow the project pitch in the Markers toolbar and pitch markers in the Time Ruler.
Page 165: Setting The Metronome And Tempo Settings
The Meter/Key Signature dialog appears. Enter the top and bottom meter values in the Beats per Measure and Beat Value fields. Choose the key signature from the Key Signature list. Click OK. You can also set the meter and key signature in the Large Transport toolbar display.
Page 166 Most metronome options can be set in the Metronome toolbar: Accent first beat Use Audio Metronome Metronome settings Measures Metronome during Use MIDI note Count-in record Metronome during Beats playback If you don’t see the Metronome toolbar, use the View-Toolbars command to open the Toolbars dialog box, and check the Metronome checkbox.
Page 167 Your tempo and metronome settings are now ready. When you save the project file, the metronome and tempo settings will be saved as well. To Change Your Metronome Settings Open the Metronome Settings dialog box in one of the following ways: •...
Page 168: Setting The Audio Sampling Rate And Bit Depth
Setting the Audio Sampling Rate and Bit Depth Each SONAR project has an audio sampling rate and an audio driver bit depth that indicate the level of accuracy with which audio data are sampled and processed. The same parameters are used for all the digital audio in a project. When you create a new project, if you do not want to use the default setting, you must choose a sampling rate before you start recording audio.
Page 169: Setting The Midi Timing Resolution
To Set the Sampling Rate and Audio Driver Bit Depth for New Projects Choose Options-Audio to display the Audio Options dialog box. On the General tab of the dialog, select a value in the Sampling Rate dropdown menu, and a value from the Audio Driver Bit Depth dropdown menu.
Page 170: Preparing To Record
Preparing to Record To prepare for recording, you need to do the following: • Set the recording mode. • Choose your input(s). • Arm one or more tracks for recording. • Check your recording levels (audio only). • Tune your instrument if necessary (audio only). •...
Page 171: Choosing An Input
To Choose a Recording Mode • Select a mode from the dropdown list in the Record toolbar. • Choose Transport-Record Options or click to display the Record Options dialog box, then select the desired mode. SONAR saves your recording options with each project, so you can save a different recording mode with each of your projects.
Page 172 record input that’s on the MIDI channel you chose, from the named input driver. • Preset—if you want to record multiple data from multiple ports and/or channels, you need to select a preset collection of those ports and channels. You can select one here (to create presets, see next line). •...
Page 173 To Choose an Audio Input in the Console View At the top of an audio track module, click the Input button. A popup menu of audio drivers appears. Select the audio driver for the sound card you want to record with from these options: •...
Page 174: Arming Tracks For Recording
Arming Tracks for Recording SONAR lets you record any number of tracks at one time. You indicate the tracks you want to record by arming the tracks. You can arm a single track or several tracks at one time. Each track records material received though its selected input. Whenever a track is armed, not only does the track’s R button turn red, but the Clips pane that’s to the right of that track’s controls turns a reddish hue.
Page 175: Recording Music From A Midi Instrument
Recording Music from a MIDI Instrument Once you have set your tempo and metronome, and armed one or more tracks, you are ready to start recording. To Record MIDI Set the Now time to the point in the project where you want to start recording. Click , press r, or choose Transport-Record.
Page 176 see “Metering” on page 436. To maximize the dynamic range of your recording, you want to set the levels as high as possible without clipping. Clipping indicator Volume Fader Meter When the audio level exceeds 0dB, some of the audio information is lost. This is known as overload.
Page 177: Tuning An Instrument
To Check the Input Levels In the Track view, choose the inputs for the tracks you want to record, and arm the tracks for recording. Make sure that the Show/Hide All Meters button at the top of the Track view is enabled. The default meter range is from 0 dB to -60 dB.
Page 178 In the track you want to record your instrument on, right-click in the Effects bin. From the menu that appears, select Audio Effects-Cakewalk-Tuner. Click the track’s Input Monitor button. If you don’t click the Input Monitor button on the track the Tuner is patched into, you will not be able to use the tuner.
Page 179: Confidence Recording
Important: Make sure you have enough space on your hard disk when recording digital audio. Running out of hard disk space when recording can lead to unpredictable results. Confidence Recording When you’re recording audio or MIDI data, SONAR gives you many visual cues that tracks are armed and that SONAR is recording data.
Page 180: Input Monitoring
Input Monitoring Being able to hear plug-in audio effects applied to a live signal is an exciting feature of SONAR. However, there are two issues that users commonly stumble upon when using the input monitoring feature. The first is that the monitored signal seems to have an echo associated with it.
Page 181 The bottom block of the picture represents the sound card. The shaded area above it represents the audio drivers. The unshaded area at the top represents the main environment of the operating system. As the diagram shows, analog audio flows into the card's line input (on the left), and is immediately split in two.
Page 182 traveling at the speed of light, so it is immediately present across all analog audio paths inside the sound card. say “2” Next, you say "2." In the time it takes you do that, the ADC has converted the "1" to digital form and the Wave In driver has fed it to SONAR for processing.
Page 183: The Audio Engine Button
happen with or without input monitoring, but since input monitoring can add several levels of gain to the signal flow, it’s of greater concern when you have input monitoring enabled. Input monitoring is disabled by default when you install SONAR, and you enable it with the following procedure. To Enable Input Monitoring •...
Page 184: Loop Recording
If you experience feedback during input monitoring, you can click the Audio Engine button to turn off the audio engine. However, if playback or recording are in progress, the button is unavailable, and you should click the Reset button that’s just to the right of it instead, or else stop recording or playback first and then click the Audio Engine button.
Page 185: Punch Recording
To Use Loop Recording Choose the input for the track(s) you want to record, and arm the track(s) for recording. Set the loop start and end times in either the Loop/Auto Shuttle dialog box or in the Loop toolbar. Choose Transport-Record Options, or click on the Record toolbar, to display the Record Options dialog box.
Page 186 For example, suppose you recorded a 32-bar keyboard solo but made some mistakes in the 24 and 25 bars. With punch recording, you can play the entire solo again, so you make sure you can get the feel you want. However, only the bars you want to correct are actually recorded.
Page 187 In the example mentioned previously, you could loop from bar 17 to bar 26 but record only bars 24 and 25. Here’s what this looks like: The punch starts and ends here The loop starts and ends here To Punch Record Choose the input(s) for the track(s) you want to record, and arm the track(s) for recording.
Page 188: Step Recording
Set the Now time to the beginning of the loop. Click , or press r, or choose Transport-Record. If your metronome count-in is turned on, it will play the count-in measures. Play or perform the material you want to record. At the end of the loop, SONAR will return to the start of the loop and you can record the next take.
Page 189 The step size and the duration can each be set to one of three things: Setting… How to use it… A particular note value Simply choose the note value from the list A dotted note value Choose the note value and check the Dotted option A number of MIDI ticks Click Other, enter the number of MIDI ticks,...
Page 190 Follow the instructions in the following table: To do this… Do this… Record the next step Play the note(s) you want on your MIDI instrument Erase the most recent step Click Delete Skip a step (add rests) Click Advance without playing any notes Move forward or backward one Click the scroll arrows in the scroll bar step...
Page 191: Step Pattern Recording
Step Pattern Recording The Pattern option lets you define a repeating rhythmic pattern of notes and rests so that you can use step recording more efficiently. For example, suppose your project is in 4/4 time, and one track has a pattern that is two measures long: quarter notes in the first measure and on the first two beats of the second measure, followed by a half-note rest on the last two beats.
Page 192: Recording Specific Ports And Channels
Press the Spacebar, period, or the letter r to indicate a beat on which there is a rest. When the pattern is complete, click elsewhere in the dialog box. Step record as before. From now on, after you record each step, SONAR automatically advances past all rests to the next step on which notes will be played.
Page 193 To Assign Input Ports and Channels to MIDI Tracks Click the dropdown arrow on an individual track’s Input field to display the Input dropdown menu (jump to step 4, below). Use the Track-Property-Inputs command to display the Track Inputs dialog box.
Page 194: Input Filtering
To Create or Edit a Preset Input Configuration In the Input field of a track that you want to select inputs for, click the dropdown arrow and choose Manage Presets from the dropdown menu (this menu is also available from the MIDI Inputs button in the Track Inputs dialog).
Page 195: Importing Music And Sound
Importing Music and Sound While recording is perhaps the most common way of adding material to a SONAR project, there are several other methods you can also use. SONAR lets you import music into a project from several different types of digital data files, including MIDI files;...
Page 196: Importing Material From Another Sonar Project
Broadcast Wave Files Broadcast Wave files are wave files with some additional information stored in them. Broadcast Wave files have the following information: • Description—A brief description of the contents of the Broadcast wave. Limited to 256 characters. • Originator—The author of the Broadcast wave. This information is taken from the Author field in the File Info dialog.
Page 197: Importing Midi Files
to paste all the material from the clipboard into a single destination track in the target project. You can also copy material from one project to another by displaying the Track view for both projects side by side, then using drag-and-drop editing. To Import Material from Another Project Open the source project, or click in the Track view for that project.
Page 198: Saving Your Work
SONAR imports the material and displays it in the Track view. Saving Your Work Like most Windows programs, SONAR has a File-Save command and a File-Save As command to save your work. Normally, you save your projects in the standard project file format, with a file extension of .
Page 199: Labeling Your Projects
If there is a power failure or if you make a significant mistake, you can recover the last-saved version of your project by opening this file. You should then save your project under a different name by using the File-Save As command. To Save a Project Choose File-Save As to display the Save As dialog box.
Page 200 This information is shown in the File Info dialog box, which is displayed using the File-Info command. If the File Info window is open when you save a file, then this window is displayed automatically the next time the file is opened. This is useful if you: •...
Page 201: File Statistics
File Statistics To open the File Statistics dialog, select File-Info and click the Stats button in the File Info dialog. The File Statistics dialog box displays the following information about the contents of the project file: Statistic... What it means... Created The date the project was first saved.
Page 203: Arranging
Arranging The Track view makes it easy to arrange and mix your projects from a single view. From one location, you can select, copy, move, mix, and rearrange the parts of your project, using menu commands or drag-and-drop tools. You can add real-time audio and MIDI effects from the Effects bin and buses.
Page 204: Arranging Tracks
Arranging Tracks SONAR provides a variety of commands that let you work with the tracks in your project. Here are some of the things you can do: You can… Here’s why… Rearrange the tracks in the Track This makes it easier to see and work with a subset of view so that they appear in a tracks, like the rhythm section, or the vocals and vocal different order...
Page 205: Changing The Order Of Tracks
Changing the Order of Tracks There are several ways you can change the order of tracks in the Track view: • Drag a track to a new position in the Track view. • Use the Track-Sort command to rearrange the tracks in order based on the track name, status, or other setting.
Page 206 To Sort the Tracks Choose Track-Sort to display the Sort Tracks dialog box. Choose the attribute by which to sort from the Sort By list: Attribute… How it works… Name If you choose this attribute, SONAR puts the tracks into alphabetical order, either ascending or descending, depending on what you choose in the Order list.
Page 207: Configuring The Display Of Tracks In The Track View
To Insert a Blank Track Right-click in the Track pane at the place where you want to insert a track, and select Insert Audio Track to add an audio track or Insert MIDI Track to add a MIDI track. Press Insert to add a track of the same type (audio or MIDI) as the current track.
Page 208: Copying Tracks
Copying Tracks When you copy a track using the Track-Clone command, you can choose any of the following options: • Events • Properties • Effects • Link to Original Clip(s) By default, SONAR copies the entire track to the next blank track, which is usually below the last track in the Track view.
Page 209: Arranging Clips
Arranging Clips The Track view provides many ways for you to rearrange, copy, and paste clips to arrange your music the way you want. The easiest is to select the clips or portions of clips you want to arrange and then drag and drop them wherever you want. You can drag and drop clips in the Track view even while playback is in progress.
Page 210 To inspect the clip contents more closely, use the zoom tools to increase the size in which clips are displayed. Note that displaying the contents of each clip makes your computer work a little harder. As a result, if your computer has an older, slower CPU you may want to turn off the display of clip contents.
Page 211 Zoom command keyboard shortcuts: To do this… Use this shortcut… Zoom in vertically Ctrl+down arrow Zoom in horizontally Ctrl+right arrow Zoom out vertically Ctrl+up arrow Zoom out horizontally Ctrl+left arrow Undo Zoom Redo Zoom Shift+U Turn On Zoom tool (use the Zoom tool to select the area to zoom to) Turn Off Zoom tool Display Now Time in Center of...
Page 212 To Change Clip Names Select the clips you want to rename. Right-click on one of the selected clips and choose Clip Properties. SONAR opens the Clip Properties dialog box. Enter a name for the selected clips, and click OK. SONAR renames the selected clips. To Change Clip Colors Select the clips whose color you want to change.
Page 213: Using The Navigator View
Using the Navigator View The Navigator view displays a large part of your project so you can see an overview of your song. The Navigator view is a floating version of the Navigator pane found at the top of the Track view. Track Rectangle The Track Rectangle appears as a green rectangle within the Navigator view.
Page 214: Selecting Clips
Selecting Clips Before you move, copy, edit, or delete clips you need to select them. There are several ways to select whole clips, as shown in the table: To do this… Do this… Select a single clip Click on the clip in the Clips pane. Select several clips at once Drag a rectangle around the clips.
Page 215 When you use the Edit-Paste command to add information to a track that contains existing material, there is one final option you can choose. Option… What it means… Paste as New Clips New clips are created containing the events on the clipboard, exactly as described in the preceding table.
Page 216 Clips Pane and select Drag & Drop Options from the menu that appears), and click OK. SONAR moves the clips to their new location. Note: Moving an audio clip (other than a Groove clip) to a part of your project that has a different tempo changes the size of the clip. To Move Clips Using Cut and Paste Select the clips you want to move.
Page 217 Choose Edit-Paste to display the Paste dialog box. Choose the options you want and click OK. SONAR places the clips in their new location. To Move a Clip to a Specific Start Time Select the clip you want to move. Right-click on the selected clip and choose Clip Properties.
Page 218: Nudge
To Copy Clips Using Copy and Paste Select the clips you want to copy. Choose Edit-Copy to display the Copy dialog box. Choose the options you want and click OK. SONAR copies the clips to the Windows clipboard. Click in the Track pane to set the current track to be the one where clips should be pasted.
Page 219 To Nudge a Clip Up and Down Use the following procedure to nudge a clip (in the Track view) or MIDI note (in the Piano Roll view) up or down. Select the clip or note you want to nudge. Select Process-Nudge-Up to move the clip or note up or Process-Nudge- Down to move a clip or note down.
Page 220: Working With Partial Clips
To Nudge a Clip Using Keyboard Shortcuts Select the clip you want to nudge. If necessary, turn on Num Lock (press the Num Lock key on your keyboard). Press the appropriate Num Key. • Left 1—NumPad 1 • Right 1—NumPad 3 •...
Page 221: Markers And The Snap Grid
To Select a Portion of Several Clips Press and hold the Alt key. Drag the mouse across part of several clips in adjacent tracks. SONAR highlights the selected portions of all the clips. You can edit these portions of clips using all the normal editing commands. To Select Partial Clips Using Time Ranges and Tracks Select a range of time in one of the following ways: •...
Page 222: Showing Gridlines
Showing Gridlines Displaying gridlines, or vertical rules, in the Clips pane of the Track view makes it easy to see at a glance how clips align with each other, how they align with measure boundaries, and when they start and end. To Show or Hide Gridlines Right-click in the Clips pane and choose View-Options from the popup menu.
Page 223 To Enable or Disable the Snap Grid Press N to toggle the Snap to Grid button on or off. To enable the Snap to Grid, click the Snap to Grid combo button in the Track view toolbar. To disable the Snap to Grid, click the Snap to Grid combo button once again. To Change the Snap Options Click the down arrow in the Snap to Grid combo button or right-click on...
Page 224: Snap Offsets
Snap Offsets Snap offsets allow you to set a point other than the beginning of a clip as the “snap” point used by the Snap to Grid. A snap offset is the number of samples from the beginning of the clip. Snap offsets affect all edits that obey the Snap to Grid setting.
Page 225 The time associated with a marker can be expressed in musical time or as a locked SMPTE time. If a marker has a musical time (measures, beats, and ticks), the marker stays at that musical time regardless of changes in tempo. If a marker has a locked SMPTE time (hours, minutes, seconds, and frames), the marker stays at the same time even when the tempo is changed.
Page 226 SONAR displays the Marker dialog box. Enter a name for the marker in the Name box. The time is set to the Now time. If you want, use the spinners to change the time or type in a new marker time. Check the Locked to SMPTE box if you want to lock the marker to the SMPTE time.
Page 227 To Lock or Unlock Several Markers In the Markers view, select one or more markers. Use the Ctrl and Shift keys if necessary to modify the selection. Select or deselect SONAR updates the markers. To Move a Marker • Drag the marker in the Time Ruler. SONAR updates the marker time and shows it at the new location.
Page 228: Working With Linked Clips
To Select a Time Range Using Markers You can select a range of times by clicking in the marker section of the Time Ruler: • Click to the left of the first marker to select the time between the start of the project and the first marker.
Page 229 If you attempt to copy only a portion of a linked clip, the copy will not be linked to the original. Copies of a clip can be linked to the original only when you select and copy the entire clip. To Make Linked Copies of a Clip Using Drag and Drop Right-click in the Clips pane and choose Drag &...
Page 230: Splitting And Combining Clips
SONAR creates copies of the selected clips that are linked in the way you chose. To Unlink Linked Clips In the Clips pane, select the clips you want to unlink. Right-click on any selected clip and choose Unlink from the popup menu.
Page 231 Note: Combining a stereo and mono clip always produces a stereo clip. The Split command lets you split clips four different ways: Option… How it works… Split at Time Splits selected clips at a specific point in time. By default, the split occurs at the Now time, but you can choose any time you want.
Page 232: Take Management And Comping Takes
To Split Clips into Smaller Clips Select the clips you want to split. Right-click on any selected clip, and choose Split from the popup menu. SONAR shows the Split dialog box or press the S key to split the clip(s) at the Now Time.
Page 233 Note 1: you can create as many lanes as you want. Note 2: a multi-lane track has only one set of automation envelopes. To enhance multi-lane editing, SONAR has a cropping tool (see procedure below), which automatically crops two overlapping clips that are in adjacent lanes so that they don’t overlap.
Page 234: Clip Muting And Isolating (Clip Soloing)
To Crop Overlapping Clips to Eliminate Overlap In a multi-lane track, move either the Select tool or the Mute tool between two overlapping clips until the cursor turns into the overlap cropping tool. Overlap cropping tool In the space between the clips, hold down the left mouse button and drag to the spot where you want the first clip to end and the second one to begin, and release the mouse.
Page 235: Clip Muting With The Default Style
Clip Muting with the Default Style When you choose Mute Time Ranges under Click+Drag Behavior in the Mute tool dropdown menu, you can use the following procedures to mute all or parts of clips. This is the default behavior. To Enable or Disable the Mute Tool •...
Page 236: Clip Muting With The Alternate Style
Note: if the clip you’re muting or unmuting with this method already has one or more muted time ranges, these time ranges remain muted while you Alt-click the clip, so you don’t lose any precise mute edits you’ve performed. To completely unmute the clip in the picture below, first Alt-click the clip to remove the Mute icon, and then drag through the upper half of the clip in the muted area(s).
Page 237: Audition (Selection Playback)
To Unmute a Time Range Using Alternate Style Make sure that Mute Entire Clips under Click+Drag Behavior in the Mute tool dropdown menu has a check mark. Using the Mute tool, Alt-click inside the upper half of a clip in the muted area. You can mute or unmute a clip without using the Mute tool if you want.
Page 238: Track Folders
Track Folders A track folder contains tracks in the Track pane of the Track view. The main characteristics of a track folder are: • You can edit all the tracks in the folder as if you were editing a single track— the track folder displays a composite clip in the Clips pane.
Page 239 To Add a Track to a Track Folder • In the Track view, move the mouse cursor just to the right of the track number of a pre-existing track until the cursor turns into a black, double-ended arrow, and then click and drag the track’s titlebar onto the track folder. Release the mouse.
Page 240: Adding Effects In The Track View
To Hide or Show the Tracks in a Track Folder • Click the folder icon that’s just left of the track folder’s name. To Select or Deselect all the Tracks in a Track Folder • Click just to the left of the folder icon. To Rename a Track Folder •...
Page 241: Changing Tempos
An effects popup menu appears. SONAR displays MIDI effects if you are editing a MIDI track, and audio effects for an audio track. Select an effect from the menu. The name of the effect appears in the Effects bin and the effect’s property page appears.
Page 242: Using The Tempo Toolbar
with Groove Clips” on page 260. Audio clips that are not Groove clips change in size when moved to a part of your project that has a different tempo. Sometimes you don’t want to adjust the speed of your audio. Here are some examples: •...
Page 243 To Change the Current Tempo in the Tempo Toolbar Enable Groove clip Looping on any audio clips that you want to follow the tempo changes. Do this by selecting one or more clips, right-clicking a selected clip, and choosing Groove-Clip Looping from the popup menu. Each clip that has Groove clip Looping enabled has beveled edges instead of sharp corners.
Page 244: Using The Tempo Commands
Using the Tempo Commands The Insert-Tempo Change and Insert-Series of Tempos commands can be used to change the existing tempo of a project or to introduce one or more tempo changes at various points in a project. You can enter tempo values directly, introduce smooth increase or decreases in tempo, or even use your mouse to tap out the tempo you want for some portion of a project.
Page 245 To Insert a Series of Tempos Enable Groove Clip Looping on any audio clips that you want to follow the tempo changes. Do this by selecting one or more clips, right-clicking a selected clip, and choosing Groove-Clip Looping from the popup menu. Each clip that has Groove clip looping enabled has beveled edges instead of sharp corners.
Page 246: Using The Tempo View
SONAR changes the most recent tempo to the new value. Using the Tempo View The Tempo view provides a graphic display of the tempo. In the Tempo view you can use your mouse to draw tempo changes directly onto the graph. Choose View- Tempo or click on the toolbar to display the Tempo view The Tempo view provides both a graphic display of the tempo and a list of all...
Page 247 If you make a mistake using any of these tools, you can use Edit-Undo to correct the error. When you use the Draw tool, the speed with which you drag the mouse determines the density of tempo events. To insert a larger number of relatively small tempo changes, move the mouse slowly.
Page 248 To Draw a Series of Tempo Changes in the Tempo View Enable Groove Clip Looping on any audio clips that you want to follow the tempo changes. Do this by selecting one or more clips, right-clicking a selected clip, and choosing Groove-Clip Looping from the popup menu. Each clip that has Groove Clip Looping enabled has beveled edges instead of sharp corners.
Page 249: Undo, Redo, And The Undo History
To Edit a Tempo Change in the Tempo View Enable Groove Clip Looping on any audio clips that you want to follow the tempo changes. Do this by selecting one or more clips, right-clicking a selected clip, and choosing Groove-Clip Looping from the popup menu. Each clip that has Groove Clip Looping enabled has beveled edges instead of sharp corners.
Page 250 undo later and asked if you want to go ahead anyway. If you do choose to perform the operation, you will not be able to undo it. Therefore, you may want to save your project first. The Edit-History command displays a complete history of the commands and actions you can undo for the current project.
Page 251: Using Loops
SONAR, you can import ACID™ loops, or digital audio clips and convert them to Groove clips. You can also record your own audio and create Groove clips. To download more Groove clips and loops, visit www.cakewalk.com. Note: Groove clips and ACIDized loops are loaded into RAM, and can take up a lot of memory.
Page 252: The Loop Construction View
The Loop Construction View The Loop Construction view is where you create and edit Groove clips. The Loop Construction view toolbar has tools for editing slicing markers and controls for previewing loops. Loop Construction Controls The following is a list of the tools and controls in the Loop Construction view, followed by a description: Save Loop as WAV This button opens the Save As dialog.
Page 253 Beats in Clip The number of beats in the clip. Original BPM The tempo at which the clip was recorded. Follow Project Pitch The Follow Project Pitch option transposes the loop, if necessary, to the project pitch which you can set in the Markers toolbar. A loop recorded in the key of C, used in a project with a default project pitch of A, would be transposed down three semitones if the Follow Project Pitch checkbox was checked.
Page 254 Slices Menu The Slices menu sets the resolution for the creation of markers, or the “slicing” of the looped clip. This menu uses note lengths, so the settings are: • Whole notes • Half notes • Quarter notes • Eighth notes •...
Page 255 Erase Use the Erase tool to delete markers in the Markers bar. Default All Markers The Default All Markers tool restores all automatically generated markers to the original position and enables all those that were disabled. Manually created markers remain as is. Previous Slice Moves slice selection to the previous slice.
Page 256: The Loop Explorer View
Audio Scaling Audio scaling is the increase or decrease in the size (scale) of the waveform in clip. Audio scaling allows you to make detailed edits by zooming in on the parts of the waveform closest to the zero crossing (silence) while preserving the track size. By showing just the quietest parts of a clip, you can make very precise edits.
Page 257: Folders Pane
The Loop Explorer view toolbar has the following controls: Tool... Name... What It Does... Move Up Opens the folder one level above the active folder. Refresh Refreshes the active folder. Windows Explorer Opens Windows Explorer at the same directory being viewed in the Loop Explorer view.
Page 258: Contents List Pane
Contents List Pane The Contents List pane displays the folders and files contained in the active folder. To Preview a Groove Clip Click the Auto-preview button in the Loop Explorer toolbar. Click on a Wave file in the Content List pane. Each successive Wave file you select is previewed.
Page 259: Working With Loops
Working with Loops You can make any audio clip into a loop by checking the Enable Looping checkbox in the Clip Properties dialog. Once looping is enabled, you can drag out loops to create multiple repetitions. There are several other ways to enable looping: To Enable or Disable a Clip for Looping Double-click on the clip you want to loop.
Page 260: Working With Groove Clips
Working with Groove Clips Groove clips are . files that behave similarly to Sonic Foundry’s ACIDized loops (SONAR also has MIDI Groove clips—see “MIDI Groove Clips” on page 267). Groove clips contain information about the audio content, including the original tempo, original reference pitch, number of beats in the loop, and audio transient information.
Page 261: Using Groove Clips
Using Groove Clips Groove clips are easy to use because they automatically adjust to your project’s pitch markers and tempo. You can import existing loops or create your own, using the Loop Construction view. To Import a Groove Clip into Your Project Select a Track in the Track view.
Page 262: Creating And Editing Groove Clips
Creating and Editing Groove Clips Any audio clip can be converted to a Groove clip. Groove clips contain tempo, beat, and pitch information which SONAR uses to stretch and transpose the clips to match the project. Most Groove clips are loop-enabled, meaning that you can use the mouse to drag clip repetitions in the Track view.
Page 263 To Set the Tempo of a Groove Clip When creating a new Groove clip, SONAR sets the clip’s tempo to the current project tempo. To ensure proper stretching behavior you must set the value in the Original BPM field to the tempo at which you recorded the clip. The tempo value of a clip can only be changed if the clip is stretch-enabled.
Page 264 To Transpose a Groove Clip to Match Your Project’s Pitch Follow this procedure to force the Groove clip to follow the project’s default pitch. Double-click the clip you want to transpose to the project’s pitch. The clip appears in the Loop Construction view. Click the Follow Project Pitch button.
Page 265: Editing Slices
Editing Slices Each slice (space between the slicing markers) can be adjusted in the Loop Construction view. You can adjust the following slice attributes: • Gain • • Pitch To Preview a Groove Clip Slice Double-click on a clip to open the Loop Construction view. Click the Enable Slice Auto-preview button.
Page 266: Saving Groove Clips As Wave Files/Acidized Wave Files
Saving Groove Clips as Wave Files/ACIDized Wave Files Once you have created a Groove clip in SONAR, you can save the clip as a Groove Clip/Wave file, compatible with ACIDized wave files. To Save a Groove Clip as a Riff Wave File/ACIDized Wave File If you have not already done so, create a Groove clip.
Page 267: Midi Groove Clips
To Change Your Project’s Default Pitch Display the Markers toolbar, if it’s not already displayed, by using the View- Toolbars-Markers command. In the Default Groove-Clip Pitch dropdown menu at the right end of the toolbar, choose your project’s default pitch. SONAR transposes each groove clip that has the Follow Project Pitch option enabled by the difference between the clip’s Reference Note and the current Project Pitch.
Page 268 • You can import MIDI Groove clips from the Import MIDI dialog, the Loop Explorer view, and by dragging and dropping from the Windows Explorer. • You can preview MIDI Groove clips in the Import MIDI dialog. • You can edit MIDI Groove clips wherever you can edit regular MIDI clips. For step-by-step information, see the following procedures, and also “Exporting, and Importing MIDI Groove Clips”...
Page 269: Exporting, And Importing Midi Groove Clips
If you use pitch markers to transpose a clip, any transposition value you add to the clip by the above two methods changes the final pitch by whatever transposition value you’ve added. To Transpose a MIDI Groove Clip with Pitch Markers Use the same method you use for audio Groove clips: see “Using Pitch Markers in the Track View”...
Page 270 To Import MIDI Groove Clips with the File Command Move the Now Time to the place where you want to import the clip. Highlight the track you want to import the clip into. Use the File-Import-MIDI command. The Import MIDI dialog appears, Navigate to a folder where you store MIDI Groove clips.
Page 271: Importing Project5 Patterns
Importing Project5 Patterns Project5 is Cakewalk’s pattern-based soft synth work station that has its own library (pattern bin) full of MIDI and audio patterns, stored on disk. If you have Project5 MIDI patterns on your hard disk, you can import them directly into SONAR.
Page 273: Editing Midi Events And Controllers
Editing MIDI Events and Controllers SONAR lets you edit the events in your projects in dozens of different ways. The Piano Roll view lets you add and edit notes, controllers, and automation data interactively, using a graphic display. SONAR’s many editing commands can improve the quality of recorded performances, filter out certain types of events, and modify the tempos and dynamics of your projects.
Page 274: Event Inspector Toolbar
Event Inspector Toolbar The Event Inspector toolbar is available from the View menu by selecting View- Toolbars and checking Event Inspector in the Toolbars dialog. The Event Inspector has the following: • Time • Pitch • Velocity • Duration • Channel To Display a Note’s Properties in the Event Inspector Toolbar •...
Page 275: The Piano Roll View
The Piano Roll View The Piano Roll view displays all notes and other events from one or more MIDI tracks in a grid format that looks much like a player piano roll. Notes are displayed as horizontal bars, and drum notes as diamonds. Pitch runs from bottom to top, with the left vertical margin indicating the pitches as piano keys or note names.
Page 276: Drum Grid Pane
Drum Grid Pane In the Drum Grid pane you can add, delete and edit notes and note properties in any MIDI track(s) assigned to a drum map. For more information, see “The Drum Grid Pane” on page 344. Note Pane In this pane you can add, edit, and delete notes in any MIDI track(s) not assigned to a drum map.
Page 277: Selecting And Editing Notes
Selecting and Editing Notes The Piano Roll view is a very convenient place to select, edit, and copy notes within a track or tracks. You must make the track you want to edit the current track. The current track appears with a dotted line around it in the Track List pane. To display the Track List pane in the Piano Roll view, click the Show/Hide Track List pane button .
Page 278 To Select Notes with the Selection Tool Click to select the Select tool. Select notes as shown in the table: To do this… Do this… Select a single note Click on the note Select several notes at once Drag a rectangle around the notes you want to select Add to the selection Hold the Shift key while selecting notes...
Page 279 To Edit a Note Click to select the Draw Line tool (or the Draw tool , if you have do not have Auto Erase enabled). Edit notes as described in the table: To do this… Do this… Change the start time, but not the Drag the left edge of the note in either direction.
Page 280 To Move Notes Click or press S to select the Select tool. Select one or more notes. Drag the selected notes to a new location. The Drag and Drop Options dialog appears. If you have unchecked the Ask This Every Time checkbox in the Drag and Drop Options dialog, SONAR uses that last option you set in that dialog.
Page 281 To Erase Several Notes Click the Erase button or press E to select the Erase tool. Drag the cursor across notes to delete them. Release the mouse button when you are done. To Select and Erase Notes Click the Select button or press S to select the Select tool.
Page 282: Working With Multiple Tracks In The Piano Roll View
Working with Multiple Tracks in the Piano Roll View You can simultaneously edit as many tracks as you want in the Piano Roll view. When you display several tracks at the same time in the Piano Roll view, you control which track(s) you can see and/or edit by using the buttons in the Track List pane.
Page 283: Note Names
Note Names You can change the instrument definition for the active track in the Piano Roll view. Right-click the piano keys in the Note pane to open the Note Names dialog where you can use note names that are defined as part of any instrument definition.
Page 284: Transposing
Transposing The Process-Transpose command transposes the pitches of selected note events up or down by a fixed number of steps. It does so by changing the MIDI key numbers of note events. Simply enter the number of half-steps—a negative number to transpose down, a positive number to transpose up. SONAR can also perform diatonic transposition, which shifts all the notes up and down the major scale of the current signature by the designated number of steps.
Page 285: Shifting Events In Time
Shifting Events in Time The Track view lets you move entire clips forward or backward in time by using drag and drop editing or by changing the start time of selected clips. The Process- Slide command is slightly more flexible—you can use it to shift individual events and markers (or selected events and markers) either forward or backward in time.
Page 286 Choose Insert-Time/Measures to display the Insert Time/Measures dialog box. Verify that the settings are correct and click OK. SONAR inserts a blank measure at the Now time. To Insert Blank Time or Measures into a Project Press the 5 key on the numeric keypad (Num Lock must be off) or select Edit- Select-None to make sure that no track or time range is selected.
Page 287 SONAR inserts the desired amount of blank time into the project. Deleting Measures or Time from One or More Tracks There are two methods for deleting time or measures: • If there is any audio or MIDI data in the area you want to delete, you can use the Edit-Delete command to delete the area that you select.
Page 288: Stretching And Shrinking Events
To delete time when there is no audio or MIDI data in the area you want to delete (or if there is data, but you like to drag and drop): Set the Snap to Grid value to the unit of time you want to delete. For example, if you want to delete whole measures, set the Snap to Grid value to a whole measure.
Page 289 You can also use the Process-Length command to alter only the start times or the durations of notes. For example, changing the durations of notes to 50 percent of their original length can create a staccato effect. To Stretch or Shrink Using Percentages Select the events you want to change.
Page 290: Reversing Notes In A Clip
Choose one of the following: • Tempo Map–Choose this option if you want the tempo to change but not the duration of notes and events. For example, if your clip contains quarter notes, and you want those notes to stay quarter notes even though the elapsed time of the clip changes, choose Tempo Map.
Page 291: Slip Editing Midi (Non-Destructive Editing)
You can also edit note velocities in the Controllers pane of the Piano Roll view, which lets you draw shapes other than straight line changes. For more information, see “Using the Controllers Pane” on page 313. To Scale Velocities Select the events whose velocity data you want to change. Choose Process-Scale Velocity to display the Scale Velocity dialog box.
Page 292: Using Slip Editing For Midi Clips
Scroll-trimming You can also shift the clip’s contents in time, in relation to either the beginning or end of the clip itself, by scroll-trimming. Using Slip Editing for MIDI Clips When Slip Editing the beginning of a MIDI clip, if you drag the start of the clip past the beginning of a note (Note On), the entire note is lost even if it extends into the part of the clip which remains visible.
Page 293: Slip-Editing Multiple Midi Clips
Scroll-trimming a clip (Moving the clip Press the Alt+Shift keys while moving contents in time while maintaining the the cursor over the middle of the clip. clips start and end time) When the cursor changes to look like this , click and drag the clip to the left or right as desired.
Page 294: Changing The Timing Of A Recording
Changing the Timing of a Recording When you record a performance, there may be problems you’d like to correct. For example, the note timing may not have been as accurate as you would like. Or, you may have recorded without using a metronome and strayed from the tempo in one direction or another.
Page 295 SONAR has two different quantize commands: Command... How it works... Process-Quantize Adjusts the start time and duration of selected notes so that they line up with a fixed size grid Process-Groove Lays a grid over an existing piece of music (the groove Quantize pattern), and then adjusts the start time, duration, and velocity of selected notes so that they line up with the...
Page 296 Offset Normally, the resolution grid is aligned evenly with the start of measures and beats. As an option, you can shift the grid earlier or later by any desired number of clock ticks. If the resolution is a quarter note and you’ve set the offset to +3 ticks, then a note that is originally near 1:01:000 would be moved to 1:01:003—three ticks beyond the beat boundary.
Page 297 Swing Many projects do not have notes positioned on a perfectly even time grid. For example, projects with a swing feel, though they may be written entirely in eighth notes, are often played more like eighth-note triplets, with the first note extended and the second one shortened.
Page 298: Other Settings
When you use Groove Quantize, you can also perform adjustments on out-of- window events. There are four options: Option... How it works... Do Not Change Notes outside the window are not changed. Quantize to Resolution Notes outside the window are snapped to a regular grid of the specified resolution.
Page 299 Choose one of your own presets from the list, or enter the settings you want according to the table: Setting… What to do… Resolution Choose a note size or enter the number of clock ticks Change Check the event types and characteristics you want to change Options Enter values for Strength, Swing,...
Page 300 Use the following fields to configure your pattern: Setting… What to do… Resolution Choose a note size or enter the number of clock ticks Window Sensitivity Enter the window sensitivity value (percentage) If Outside Window Choose what should happen to events outside the window Only Notes, Lyrics and Audio Check to prevent MIDI controller,...
Page 301 entirely new feel. If you like the groove pattern you have created, you can save it to a groove file. Groove files can store one or more groove patterns. SONAR supports two types of groove files: • DNA™ grooves, which contain only timing information but are compatible with some other MIDI sequencer software products •...
Page 302 Click the Define button to display the Define Groove dialog box. Select an existing groove file, or enter the name for a new groove file. Enter a pattern name, or choose an existing pattern to replace. Click OK. If you are replacing a groove, verify that you want to delete the existing version.
Page 303 To Delete a Groove Choose Process-Groove Quantize to display the Groove Quantize dialog box. Click the Define button to display the Define Groove dialog box. Select the file containing the groove to delete. Select the pattern name of the groove. Click the Delete button, and confirm that you want to delete the groove pattern.
Page 304: Fit Improvisation
Correcting off-tempo tracks. Suppose you have both rhythm and melody tracks recorded, but the melody was played erratically. First, copy the rhythm track to the Windows clipboard. Then use groove quantize with a whole-note resolution, a window of 25 percent or less, and with the Scale Time option selected. The Groove Quantize command will synchronize the melody track with the groove source at roughly measure boundaries, while maintaining the relative timing of the notes in each measure.
Page 305: Searching For Events
To Fit Tempos to an Improvisation Record the reference track. Select the reference track. If necessary, combine all clips in the reference track into a single clip using the Edit-Bounce to Clip(s) command. Choose Process-Fit Improvisation. SONAR adds tempo changes as necessary to fit the tempo grid to the reference track.
Page 306: Event Filters
These capabilities can help you find problem spots or errors in a project or make systematic changes to events that have particular attributes. All of these capabilities rely on the use of an event filter, which lets you choose the types of events you want to work with and the range of values in which you are interested.
Page 307 Different types of events have different parameters, as shown in the table: This event type... Has these parameters... Note Pitch, velocity, and duration Key Aftertouch Pitch and pressure value Controller Controller number and value RPN/NRPN RPN/NRPN number and value Patch Change Bank and patch numbers Channel Aftertouch Pressure value...
Page 308 In any place in the event filter where you would normally enter a pitch string, you can also enter the pitch by pressing a key on your MIDI keyboard. Also, you can use the question mark in place of the octave number as a wild card. This lets the event filter accept a single note, regardless of the octave.
Page 309 To Select Events Using the Event Filter First, select an initial set of tracks, clips, or events. Choose Edit-Select-By Filter to display the Event Filter dialog box. Set up the event filter to find the events you want. Click OK. SONAR searches the currently selected events and weeds out those that do not meet the requirements of the event filter.
Page 310 A few examples will illustrate some of the many uses of the Process-Interpolate command. These examples apply to the note event type, though the command can be used on any type of event. Parameter... Search Replacement Effect... range... range... Pitch (key) From C2 to C4 From C4 to C6 Transposes all notes in the...
Page 311: Controllers, Rpns, Nrpns, And Automation Data
Controllers, RPNs, NRPNs, and Automation Data SONAR projects contain a lot more information than the notes and digital audio files that are at the heart of your work. Controllers, RPNs, and NRPNs (xRPNs, for short) are special types of events used by MIDI software and hardware to control the details of how MIDI music is played.
Page 312 controllers in the same way, creating bends, volume swells, and other effects that make sounds more realistic and more fun to listen to. Your computer can work the controllers on your electronic instrument by sending MIDI Controller messages. The MIDI specification allows for 128 different types of controllers, many of which are used for standard purposes.
Page 313: Using The Controllers Pane
Automation Data The Track and Console views allow you to record automation data that define changes in volume, pan and many other parameters throughout a project. The automation data can include step changes recorded using the snapshot button or continuous changes recorded while using the knobs, faders, and buttons. The Track view allows you to create envelopes to adjust several parameters.
Page 314 The Controllers pane looks like a graph; the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the event values. Each event appears as a single vertical line, and the height of this line shows the value of the event. The Controllers pane shows events for all the clips in a track or multiple tracks.
Page 315 number of controller events with relatively large changes in value, drag the mouse quickly. Creating a change that sounds smooth does not always require making the value change by one on each tick. Bigger jumps may sound very gradual if the tempo is fast.
Page 316 SONAR adds a controller at the indicated point. To Draw a Linear Series of Controllers Choose the data type, controller or xRPN number, and channel (if applicable) from the lists in the toolbar. Select the tool. Drag a line in the Controllers pane from the starting time and value to the ending time and value.
Page 317 controllers of the type you have selected already exist in the time region, SONAR deletes these before inserting the new ones. To Remove or Erase Controllers Choose the data type, controller or xRPN number, and channel (if applicable) from the lists in the toolbar. Select the Eraser tool Drag the mouse over the desired region to highlight the region you want to erase.
Page 318: The Event List View
The Event List View The Event List view shows events in a list format. You can insert, delete, or modify any kind of event, including notes, pitch-wheel data, velocity, MIDI controllers, patch changes, Wave files, lyrics, text strings, MCI commands, System Exclusive meta-events, and more.
Page 319: Event List Buttons And Overview
When the Event List view includes more than one track, events are mixed together in chronological order. For example, if you select tracks 1 and 3 when you open the Event List view, you see a single list of intermingled events from tracks 1 and 3. You can have any number of Event List views, each containing any number of tracks, open at the same time.
Page 320 NRPN Non-registered Parameter Parameter number (0-16383), parameter Number value (0-16383), MIDI channel (1-16) Sysx Bank System Exclusive data Sysx bank number (0-8191) bank Sysx Data System Exclusive data Sysx message up to 255 bytes long message Text Text Text Lyric Lyric Text (a single word or syllable) MCIcmd...
Page 321: Selecting Events In The Event List View
Pick Tracks and Left side of button opens Allows you to pick what tracks the Event Show Next/Previous Pick Tracks dialog; right List shows events for Track side of button opens Next Track/Previous Track dropdown menu Here are some notes about events and their parameters: •...
Page 322: Event List Display Filter
Event List Display Filter You can configure the Event List view to display different event types, as described in the following table: To do this... Do this... Hide events of a certain type Select the event type in the toolbar, in the Event List view popup menu, or in the Event Manager.
Page 323 If you try to change the event type (kind of event), SONAR lets you choose the kind of event you want from a dialog box. When you change one kind of MIDI event into another kind of MIDI event, SONAR preserves the parameters as fully as possible. Note: Shape events cannot be edited, only deleted.
Page 324: Additional Event Information
To Play Events Step by Step Using the keyboard, hold the Shift key and press the Spacebar to play the currently highlighted event. If the event is a note event, it plays until you release the Spacebar. When you release the Spacebar, the highlight moves to the next event. Continue pressing the Spacebar to play events one by one.
Page 325: Midi Effects (Midi Plug-Ins)
MCIcmd Events Media Control Interface (MCI) commands are special events that let you control other multimedia hardware and software (e.g., CD-ROM drives, laserdiscs, sound cards, animations, video) during playback. MCI commands are part of the multimedia extensions in Windows. MCIcmd events have one parameter—the command line text of the MCI command.
Page 326: Presets
MIDI effects can be applied to whole or partial clips. For example, you can apply an echo to just one note. MIDI effects can also be applied to MIDI tracks in real time (during playback) in the Track and Console views. Unlike any of the processing described so far, using effects in real time is non-destructive.
Page 327: Quantizing
Quantizing The Quantize command moves events to (or towards) an evenly-spaced timing grid. The Quantize effect is similar to the Process-MIDI Effects-Cakewalk FX- Quantize command. For more information, see “Other Settings” on page 298. The quantize effect parameters are as follows: Parameter/ Meaning...
Page 328: Adding Echo/Delay
To Apply Echo/Delay to MIDI Data Select the data to be affected. Choose MIDI Effects-Cakewalk FX-Echo Delay from the Process menu or from the popup menu to open the Echo Delay dialog box. Set the echo/delay parameters, as described in the table above.
Page 329: Filtering Events
To Apply an Event Filter to MIDI Data Select the data to be affected. Choose MIDI Effects-Cakewalk FX-Event Filter from the Process menu or from the popup menu to open the Event Filter dialog box. Set the event filter parameters.
Page 330: Analyzing Chords
To Apply the Arpeggiator to MIDI Data Select the data to be affected. Choose MIDI Effects-Cakewalk FX-Arpeggiator from the Process menu or from the popup menu to open the Arpeggiator dialog box. Set the arpeggiator parameters, as described in the table above.
Page 331: Changing Velocities
To Analyze a Chord Select the notes to be analyzed. Choose MIDI Effects-Cakewalk FX-Chord Analyzer from the Process menu or from the popup menu to open the Transpose dialog box. Click the Audition key. SONAR displays the chord and its name.
Page 332: Transposing Midi Notes
-10 to 10. To Change Note Velocities Select the data to be affected. Choose MIDI Effects-Cakewalk FX-Velocity from the Process menu or from the popup menu to open the Velocity dialog box. Select options as described in the table above.
Page 333 To Transpose MIDI Data Select the data to be affected. Choose MIDI Effects-Cakewalk FX-Transpose from the Process menu or from the popup menu to open the Transpose dialog box. Set the transposition options as described in the table above.
Page 335: Drum Maps And The Drum Grid Pane
Drum Maps and the Drum Grid Pane There are several panes in the Piano Roll view designed for use with MIDI drum tracks: the Note Map pane which lists the original pitch values and the mapped values for each note, and the Drum Grid pane which displays your drum tracks (any track assigned to a drum map) and where you can edit your drum tracks.
Page 336: The Basics
The Basics Drum maps are virtual MIDI ports that you create and edit. Drum maps give you total control over all the MIDI drum sounds you have access to either in the form of software (DXi synths) or hardware (external MIDI sound modules). Drum maps in SONAR allow you to do the following: •...
Page 337 Delete Drum New Drum Preset list Current Drum Map Map button Map button Click to create a new row Rows Port/Channel pairs Drum Maps Used in Current Project This field displays all the currently available drum maps. click the New button to create a new drum map and Delete to delete a drum map.
Page 338: Working In The Drum Map Manager
Settings The Settings section is where you map the following for each In Note (source): • In Note—The source MIDI note value. • Out Note—The MIDI note value that plays on the destination sound source. • Name—The user-defined name for the row. •...
Page 339: The Map Properties Dialog
The Map Properties Dialog The Map Properties dialog lets you change all the settings for an individual mapped note in your drum map. The settings in the Map Properties dialog are the same as a single row in the Drum Map Manager. If you want to edit more than one drum note pitch mapping, click the Map Mgr button to open the Drum Map Manager dialog.
Page 340: Using Drum Maps
Using Drum Maps The following topics cover using drum-mapped tracks, including how to display drum tracks in the Drum Grid pane and how to edit note velocities. Assigning a MIDI Track to a Drum Map Use the following procedure to assign a MIDI track to a drum map: To Assign a MIDI Track to a Drum Map Display the Track view if it is minimized.
Page 341: Velocity Tails
Velocity Tails In the Drum Grid pane, you have the option of showing the velocity of each note as a series of bars. The higher the bars, the higher the velocity value. Notes with velocity showing Notes without velocity showing To Display Velocity Tails in the Drum Grid Pane •...
Page 342: Previewing A Mapped Sound
To Edit Multiple Note Velocities in the Drum Grid Editor When you edit multiple notes that have different initial velocities, the velocities are adjusted on a relative basis, so if you reduce a velocity by 50%, all other selected notes have their velocities reduced by the same percentage. For example: you select three notes.
Page 343: Changing Mapped-Note Settings
Changing Mapped-note Settings You can change the following settings in the Note Map pane: • Mapped-note name • Note Out • Mute • Solo To Change the Name Setting The name of a mapped note in the Note Map pane is a user-assigned variable. Make it descriptive for easy reference.
Page 344: The Drum Grid Pane
To Mute or Solo a Mapped Note The Mute and Solo controls in the Note Map pane allow you to mute or solo an individual mapped note. To mute or solo a mapped note, use the following procedure: • In the Note Map pane, click the Mute or Solo button in the appropriate row.
Page 345: The Pattern Brush Tool
To Turn on Grid Lines in the Drum Map Pane • Click the Show/Hide Grid Lines combo button in the Piano Roll view toolbar. • Press the I key. To Set the Drum Map Pane Grid Line Resolution • Click the down arrow on the Show/Hide Grid Lines combo button select an option from the menu that appears.
Page 346 To Paint Notes Using the Pattern Brush Tool Open a track in the Drum Grid pane or the Note pane. In the Pattern Brush tool’s dropdown menu, select Note Duration. In the Piano Roll View toolbar, select a note duration. This value is the interval between notes when using the Pattern Brush tool.
Page 347: Creating Custom Patterns
To Use a Custom Pattern’s Pitch Values Open a track in the Drum Grid pane. In the Pattern Brush tool’s dropdown menu, select the custom pattern you want to use. In the Pattern Brush tool’s dropdown menu, select Use Pattern Polyphony.
Page 349: Editing Audio
Editing Audio The Track view lets you edit and arrange audio clips. You can perform basic tasks such as cut, copy, paste, and move; apply simple audio processing such as gain change, fades, and equalization; and use sophisticated audio effects such as stereo chorus and reverb.
Page 350: Digital Audio Fundamentals
Digital Audio Fundamentals Digital audio is a numeric representation of sound; it is sound stored as numbers. In order to understand what the numbers mean, you need to start with the basic principles of acoustics, the science of sound. Basic Acoustics Sound is produced when molecules in the air are disturbed by some type of motion produced by a vibrating object.
Page 351 The displacement of the string changes as the string vibrates, as shown here: The segment marked “A” represents the string as it is pulled back by the pick; “B” shows it moving back towards its resting point, “C” represents the string moving through the resting point and onward to its outer limit;...
Page 352: Waveforms
vibrations are added together to form a complex or composite sound that our ear perceives as a single tone. Fundamental frequency (1f) 100% amplitude 2x fundamental (2f) 50% amplitude 3x fundamental (3f) 33% amplitude 4x fundamental (4f) 25% amplitude 5x fundamental (5f) 20% amplitude This composite waveform still doesn't account for the uniqueness of the sound of different instruments.
Page 353 example, the waveform of the sound of the plucked guitar string might look like this: The waveform of a trumpet blast might look like this: And the waveform of a spoken word might look like this: The three waveforms shown above are quite different from one another, both in appearance and sound.
Page 354: Recording A Sound
each has its own complex combination of frequency components, which can change across the duration of the sound. The center line of a waveform is the zero line; it corresponds to the rest position (displacement of 0) of the original vibrating object. (A waveform for perfect silence would be a horizontal line at zero.) Back and forth motions of the vibrating object translate to upward (positive) and downward (negative) excursions of waveform amplitude.
Page 355: The Decibel Scale
Since humans can hear frequencies well above 10 kHz, most sound cards and digital recording systems are capable of sampling at much higher rates than that. Typical sampling rates used by modern musicians and audio engineers are 22 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and 48 kHz. The 44.1 kHz rate is called CD-quality, since it is the rate used by audio compact discs.
Page 356: Audio Clips
In SONAR, decibels are used in several places: • To scale the amplitude of the waveform (3dB Louder and 3dB Quieter commands) • To indicate volume levels of audio tracks in the Track view and Console view • To indicate the effects of filters and equalizers The reference level (0 dB) usually corresponds to the current loudness of the sound.
Page 357: Basic Audio Editing
Basic Audio Editing The Track view lets you perform basic editing tasks such as cut, copy, paste, delete, drag-and-drop, split, and bounce. You can drag fade-ins and fade-outs onto a clip using your mouse or you can set complex envelopes on both clips and tracks. You can use envelopes to change settings for gain (volume), pan, mute, bus send level and bus send pan.
Page 358: Editing Clip Properties
Editing Clip Properties Audio clips have several properties that you can change: Property... Description... Name The name of a clip is used in the Track view and Event List view. You can assign any name to help you remember the contents of the clip. Start The start determines when the sample is played.
Page 359: Moving, Copying, Pasting And Deleting Audio Clips
Moving, Copying, Pasting and Deleting Audio Clips Clips can be cut, copied, pasted, and deleted with Edit menu commands, or moved and copied with drag-and-drop techniques. For more information, see “Arranging” on page 203 for details. Audio Scaling Audio scaling is the increase or decrease in the size (scale) of the waveform in a track.
Page 360 To Change the Audio Scale Display Option Right-click on the Audio Scale Ruler in any track. A menu appears. The current display option is checked. Select an option from the menu. To Scale All Audio Tracks Together To scale all audio tracks together, follow the instructions in the table below: To do this...
Page 361 To do this... Do this... Increase to maximum scale Hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys and click the Vertical Zoom In button. When you hold down the Shift and Ctrl keys and position your cursor over the Vertical Zoom In button, your cursor looks like this: Decrease to minimum scale Hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys and click the...
Page 362 To Scale a Single Track To scale a single audio track, follow the instructions in the table below: To do this... Do this... Increase/decrease the scale of There are several ways to increase or decrease the size individual stereo or mono tracks of an individual audio track’s or clip’s waveform: •...
Page 363: Splitting Audio Clips
To Hide the Audio Scale Ruler Right-click in the Clips pane. Select View Options from the menu that appears. The Track View Options dialog appears. In the Track View Options dialog, uncheck the Show Audio Scale checkbox and click OK. Splitting Audio Clips You can split long audio clips into shorter ones.
Page 364: Bouncing To Clips
SONAR splits the audio clip according to your specifications. Each new clip has the same name as the original clip. Note: A shortcut to split a selected clip is to move the Now time to where you want to split it, and press s on your computer keyboard. Bouncing to Clips Individual audio clips in the same track can be combined into a single clip with the Bounce to Clip(s) command.
Page 365: Scrubbing
Scrubbing You can use the Scrub tool to locate or audition a particular sound or passage as you drag the mouse. You can scrub a single audio track by dragging over that track or all tracks by dragging in the Time Ruler. Note: The Scrub tool is not affected by current Mute and Solo settings of a track.
Page 366: Increasing Or Decreasing Volume
The audition duration is three seconds by default. You can change this value by choosing Options-Global, selecting the General tab and changing Audition Commands for ( ) Seconds. Presets are a way to store dialog box settings so that you can apply the exact same processing or effect again in the future.
Page 367 When increasing or decreasing the volume of audio clips, you should consider the following points: • Normalize and 3dB Louder raise the noise floor; that is, while they increase the volume of the signal, they also amplify the noise it contains. (This is true when you raise the volume by other means, too.) •...
Page 368: Reversing Audio Data
Reversing Audio Data By reversing audio data, you can make it play backwards. You may wish to do this to obtain unusual sounds for special effects. The Reverse command does not reverse the musical position of audio data. Use the Process-Retrograde command to invert the order of clips in time. To Reverse Audio Data Select the audio data to be affected.
Page 369: Advanced Audio Processing
Click Audition to hear a preview of the first three seconds of the selected audio with the equalization applied. Click OK when the settings are the way you want. SONAR applies the specified equalization to the selected audio. Advanced Audio Processing SONAR provides a number of advanced audio processing commands for power users.
Page 370 The digital noise gate parameters are described in the following table. Parameter... Meaning... Open Level (dB) The loudness threshold for opening the noise gate. The gate officially opens when loudness rises above this level, although it can open earlier because of the Attack Time.
Page 371: Extracting Timing
To Remove Silence Select the audio data to be affected. Choose Process-Audio-Remove Silence to open the Remove Silence dialog box. Set the digital noise gate parameters as described in the table above. Check the Split Clips box to delete the silent sections of audio. Click OK to remove silence from the selected data.
Page 372 adjust the Pulse Analysis parameters, then click Audition to see the results and decide if the pulses are satisfactory. The Pulse Analysis parameters are as follows: Parameter/Option Meaning Preset field Use this field to choose and enter presets. Click the Save button to save any group of new settings after you enter a name in the Preset field.
Page 373 Convert Pulses to MIDI Tells SONAR to create a MIDI note event for each pulse that Note was found. The Note Velocities parameter lets you select which velocity will be used Note Velocities The velocity of generated MIDI notes. You can either select Vary With Pulse Level to adjust velocity to the dynamic structure of the original source material, or select Set All To Same Value to assign each inserted MIDI note a specified...
Page 374: Parametric Equalization
Parametric Equalization The Parametric EQ command lets you apply a high-pass, low-pass, band-pass, or band-stop filter to your audio data. You must specify the filter type and parameters as follows: Parameter... Meaning... High pass Removes frequencies that are below the cutoff F1. Low pass Removes frequencies that are above the cutoff F1.
Page 375: Slip-Editing Audio (Non-Destructive Editing)
To Apply the Parametric Equalizer to Audio Data Select the audio data to be affected. Choose Process-Audio-Parametric EQ, or right-click and choose Parametric EQ from the menu, to open the Parametric EQ dialog box. Set the filter type and parameters as described in the table above. Click OK.
Page 376: Slip-Editing Modes
Slip-editing Modes Slip-editing has three modes: Trimming As a default, when Slip-editing a clip, the clip’s contents always remains fixed in time. If the first measure of a clip is hidden using slip editing, the remaining material does not shift forward in time by a measure. The first measure of the clip is simply muted during playback.
Page 377 Make edits according to the following table: To do this... Do this... Trim the beginning of a clip Move the cursor over the beginning of a clip. When the cursor changes in appearance to look like this , click and drag the clip to the right until you have removed the unwanted information.
Page 378 Scroll-trimming a clip (Moving the clip Press the Alt+Shift keys while moving contents in time while maintaining the the cursor over the middle of the clip. clips start and end time) When the cursor changes to look like this , click and drag the clip to the left or right as desired.
Page 379: Slip-Editing Multiple Audio Clips
Clip before slide-trimming The same clip with the clip shift- cropped by 2 beats The hidden information in the slip edited clips remains intact but is not heard during playback To Permanently Delete Slip-edited Data Select the clips that contain the slip-edited data you want to delete. Select the Edit-Apply Trimming command.
Page 380: Fades And Crossfades
Fades and Crossfades Fades are a gradual increase or decrease in volume at the beginning (fade-in) or end (fade-out) of a clip. A crossfade is when one clip fades out while another fades in. There are two ways to create fades and crossfades in SONAR: offline (destructive) and real-time (non-destructive).
Page 381 Slow Curve out/Linear in Slow Curve out/Slow Curve in Slow Curve out/Fast Curve in Fast Curve out/Linear in Fast Curve out/Slow Curve in Fast Curve out/Fast Curve in To Create a Real-time Fade-in in an Audio Clip Use the following procedure to create a fade-in in an audio clip: In the Track view’s Clips pane, move your mouse over the top part of the beginning of a clip until the cursor looks like this: When your cursor changes, click and drag to the right until you reach your...
Page 382 As you drag your mouse a fade-in appears on your clip. To Create a Real-time Fade-out in an Audio Clip Use the following procedure to create a fade-out in an audio clip: In the Track view’s Clips pane, move your mouse over the top part of the end of a clip until the cursor looks like this: When your cursor changes, click and drag to the left until you reach your desired fade-out length.
Page 383 The two clips now overlap with a crossfade, looking something like this: Fade-out First clip Fade-in Second clip Crossfade You can edit fade-ins and fade-outs. You can change the start, end and position of a fade. The following procedures all demonstrate edits to a fade-in, but fade-outs work exactly the same.
Page 384: Applying Fades And Crossfades Offline
To Edit the Start Time of a Fade While Maintaining the Length of the Fade Use this procedure to change the start time of the fade-in while maintaining the current end time of the fade: In the Clips pane, move your cursor over the middle part of the beginning of a clip which has a fade-in.
Page 385 can move the intermediate points, and create new intermediate points, to change the shape of the curve. To do this... Do this... Move a point Click and drag it to a new location Insert a new point Click on the line between existing points Remove a point Drag it onto the next point Restart from the original curve...
Page 386: Audio Effects (Audio Plug-Ins)
To Crossfade Two Overlapping Clips Select two overlapping audio clips. They need not be on the same track, but they must overlap in time for the command to have any effect. Choose Process-Audio-Crossfade to open the Crossfade dialog box. Select an envelope from the dropdown list. If desired, manipulate the curve as described in the table above.
Page 387: Applying Audio Effects
You can add audio effects, like MIDI effects, to audio tracks in real time (during playback) in the Console and Track views. Unlike any of the audio processing discussed so far, using effects in real time is non-destructive. This means that the audio clip data itself is not modified, and no new audio files are created.
Page 388: Mixing Audio Effects
Mixing Audio Effects The dialog box for each plug-in effect has a Mixing tab that provides three options for processing the data. Option... Meaning... Process In-Place, Mono to Audio is processed clip-by-clip, in mono format. The Mono processed output of the plug-in replaces the original clip's data, in-place.
Page 389: Adding Parametric Equalization
Adding Parametric Equalization The Cakewalk-FxEQ command lets you apply a complex filter to your audio data. The complex filter is a combination of up to eight simple filters or bands, each defined individually. Parameters for each filter are described in the following table: Parameter/Option...
Page 390: Adding Chorus
To Apply the Parametric Equalizer to Audio Data Select the audio data to be affected. Choose Audio Effects-Cakewalk-FxEq from the Process menu or from the popup menu to open the Cakewalk FxEq dialog box. Click band number 1 to set options for the Band 1, as described in the table above.
Page 391: Applying Delay
SONAR applies the specified chorus effect to the selected data. Applying Delay The Cakewalk-FxDelay command creates a series of repeating signals from the original signal. You can create a single echo on the original signal, or a series of echoes up to five seconds apart.
Page 392 Select the audio data to be affected. Select a stereo pair for stereo delay. Choose Audio Effects-Cakewalk-FxDelay from the Process menu or from the popup menu to open the Cakewalk FxDelay dialog box. Set the parameters in the dialog, as described in the table above.
Page 393: Adding Flanging
Adding Flanging The Cakewalk-FxFlange command mixes the original signal with a slightly delayed version of the signal, so that the two are out of phase. This creates a spacey, ethereal sound. The parameters used to specify the chorus effect are as follows: Parameter/Option...
Page 394: Applying Reverb
Applying Reverb The Cakewalk-FxReverb command adds many small echoes to a signal to create the illusion of spaciousness. By changing the parameters, you can simulate a stage, a hall, an arena, or a variety of other room types. The reverb parameters are...
Page 395: Shifting Pitch
Shifting Pitch The Cakewalk-Pitch Shifter raises or lowers the pitch of an audio signal, while leaving the duration of the audio clip unchanged. The pitch shift parameters are as follows: Parameter/ Meaning... Option... Pitch The amount by which the pitch is changed, in semitones...
Page 396 The time/pitch stretch parameters are as follows: Parameter/ Meaning... Option... Time (%) The new length of the audio clip, as a percentage of the length of the original clip. Pitch The amount by which the pitch is changed, in semitones. Source Material The type of audio data.
Page 397 Select the audio data to be affected. Choose Audio Effects-Cakewalk-Time/Pitch Stretch from the Process menu or from the popup menu to open the Cakewalk FX Time/Pitch Stretch dialog box. Set the time/pitch stretch parameters, as described in the table above.
Page 399: Working With Software Synthesizer
Working with Software Synthesizer You can use a variety of software synthesizer formats with SONAR™, including DXi’s, VSTi’s, ReWire instruments, SoundFonts, and stand-alone soft synths. SONAR includes the Cyclone DXi, which allows you to stack up to 16 ACIDized loop tracks side-by-side for editing with automatic tempo synchronization (see the Cyclone topics in the online help).
Page 400: Kinds Of Soft Synths
Kinds of Soft Synths There are several basic kinds of soft synths: • DXi (plug-in synths built with DirectX technology)—These programs appear as plug-ins for audio tracks or buses, just like plug-in effects. They can also be inserted in SONAR’s Synth Rack view. •...
Page 401: Dx Instruments (Dxi's)
Insert button Currently inserted synths There is much more information about the Synth Rack view in the online help. Press F1 when the Synth Rack view is open and on top to display the appropriate help topic. DX Instruments (DXi’s) In order to play a DXi from a MIDI controller or with recorded MIDI data, you need to have at least one audio track that lists the DXi in its Input field, and at least one MIDI track that lists the DXi in its Output field.
Page 402: Multi-Port Dxi's
Multi-port DXi’s A multi-port DXi allows you the option of using a different audio track for every output that the DXi has. This allows you to use different plug-in effects for each sound (or in some cases, group of sounds) that a DXi produces. For example, if a DXi can produce 16 sounds at the same time, and has 4 outputs, you can send any of the 16 sounds out through any of 4 different outputs, giving you a choice of 4 different plug-in configurations for that DXi.
Page 403 number after the name. Every copy appears in a separate row in the Synth Rack view, and in the drop-down menus of audio track inputs and MIDI track outputs. To Insert a DXi from the Synth Rack View or Menu If you want to use the Synth Rack view, open the Synth Rack view with the View-Synth Rack command, and click the Insert button to display the...
Page 404: Opening A Dxi's Property Page
Click OK, if you haven’t already. SONAR adds the DXi to the audio track input and MIDI track output menus, and creates any new tracks that you requested. The new tracks already have the correct inputs and outputs patched. Now you can record MIDI data in the DXi MIDI tracks, and/or play the DXi from a MIDI keyboard or controller.
Page 405: Playing A Dxi
Playing a DXi There are several ways to play a DXi: • You can record MIDI data and use the DXi as a playback device. Note: WDM or ASIO drivers do not improve performance when you play back recorded MIDI data—the improvement comes only when you play a DXi in real time from an external MIDI controller or keyboard.
Page 406 bank, patch, and Channel are selected; your monitor speakers or headphones are turned up; and that none of the relevant tracks are muted. You can add effects to each of the DXi audio tracks. You can also add MIDI effects to your DXi MIDI tracks.
Page 407: Muting And Soloing Dxi Tracks
To Remove a DXi from a Project • If your DXi is patched into the Fx field of an audio track or bus, right-click the name of the DXi, and choose Delete from the popup menu. • If your DXi is patched into the Input field of an audio track, go to the Synth Rack view, click the name of the DXi to select it, and then click the Delete button.
Page 408: Automating A Dxi's Controls
In the Channel Format field, choose mono if you want mono tracks, and stereo if you want stereo tracks. In the Source/Buses field, make sure all 4 outputs are selected. This will create a separate audio track for each selected output. In the Mix Enables field, make sure all choices are selected.
Page 409 To Record MIDI Input from a DXi’s Interface If you want to be able to record on any armed MIDI track, make sure that the Echo DXi Input to All MIDI Tracks option on the MIDI tab of the Global Options dialog (Options-Global command) is enabled.
Page 410: Rewire Instruments
To Automate a DXi’s Controls in the Piano Roll View Select a MIDI track that uses the DXi as an output and open the Piano Roll view. In the Controller pane in the Piano Roll, select Control, RPN, or NRPN. In the Value menu below the Controller menu, click the drop-down arrow to see the menu of automatable controls, RPN’s, or NRPN’s that this DXi has, and select the one you want to automate.
Page 411 • You can insert ReWire devices into SONAR projects from the Synth Rack view or Insert menu, and you can tell SONAR to create the necessary audio tracks and one MIDI track at that time. You can also tell SONAR to open the ReWire application’s property page, because, unlike DXi’s, ReWire applications must have their property pages (interfaces) open in order to function.
Page 412: Inserting A Rewire Instrument
Inserting a ReWire Instrument After you install your ReWire applications and reboot your computer, the names of the ReWire applications appear in SONAR’s Insert menu under ReWire Devices, and also in the Synth Rack view’s Insert button popup menu. To Insert a ReWire Instrument Open a SONAR project.
Page 413 uncheck this option so you don’t have to deal with the dialog each time. To open the dialog when the option is unchecked, click the Insert DXi Synth Options button in the Synth Rack view toolbar. Click OK to close the dialog. SONAR adds your ReWire devices to the audio track In menus and the MIDI track Out and Ch menus, creates any tracks you requested, adds the ReWire instrument to the Synth Rack view, and opens the ReWire application’s...
Page 414: Mixing Down Rewire Instruments
In SONAR, set the Output field of a MIDI track to the name of your ReWire application, and set the Ch. field to the name of the ReWire device you want to play with this track. Record some MIDI data in the track and play it. Find the audio track whose Input field lists the output channel you patched your device into—the playback meter lights up as you play the MIDI track that plays your device.
Page 415: Stand-Alone Synths
• My MIDI Controller Works in SONAR or my ReWire Application, but not Both—Choose different MIDI In ports for both SONAR and your ReWire application. Do this in SONAR by using the Options-MIDI Devices command, and highlighting the MIDI In port you want to use in SONAR. If you only have one MIDI In port on your MIDI interface or sound card, enable that input in either SONAR or your ReWire application, and disable that input in the other application.
Page 416: Recording A Stand-Alone Synth
make sure you’re playing in the right range and that your monitor speakers or headphones are turned up, and that none of the relevant tracks are muted. Recording a Stand-alone Synth There are several ways to record a stand-alone synth: •...
Page 417: Using Vst Synths And Plug-Ins
You can use VST synths and plug-in effects the same way you use DXi synths and plug-in effects. The Cakewalk VST Adapter program runs automatically when you install SONAR, and adapts your VST plug-ins to use as DX plug-ins. Each time you install new VST synths and/or plug-in effects, you can run the program manually to adapt your new plug-ins.
Page 418 Select a plug-in you want to configure, and click Properties. The VST Plug-In dialog appears, with the selected plug-in listed, and some Plug-in Options: • Details—clicking this button opens a Properties dialog that lists the pathname and a few other details about the plug-in. •...
Page 419: Mixing And Effects Patching
Mixing and Effects Patching This chapter describes SONAR™ as a live digital mixer that gives you full track- by-track control over recording and playback of your project. You can mix in either the Track view or the Console view. The Console view now has a 4-band EQ patched to every audio track (Producer Edition only).
Page 420: Preparing To Mix
SONAR lets you mix together the digital audio portions of a project, including all real-time effects and control movements, to a stereo track or stereo pair of audio tracks. You can use the mixed-down tracks to create a CD master or to put your work on the World Wide Web.
Page 421 Sound controls in the Console view are grouped in modules. There are four types of modules: Module type... What you can do... MIDI track Set the track’s output, channel, bank, and patch; set the input; mute, solo, and arm the track; set channel volume, panning, chorus, and reverb levels;...
Page 422 The Console view contains several different types of controls. Here’s how they are used: Click a button to enable/disable it Drag the volume fader up or down You can adjust Console view controls in the following ways: • Click on the center of the knob and drag the mouse up or down to adjust the knob •...
Page 423 The controls and effects patch points all have tool tips associated with them. To see a description of a particular control or effect, simply rest the cursor over the item for a few seconds. The Track View Audio Track MIDI Track Track pane Track/Bus Inspector Clips pane...
Page 424: Configuring The Console And Track Views
The Track view contains several different types of controls. Here’s how they are used: Click and drag left or right to change values Right-click and select from a menu of effects Click to enable or disable Click to toggle from Pre to Post Click the small white arrow to open a menu of options For information on using the controls in the Track view, see Chapter 3, Changing Track Settings.
Page 425 Meters are helpful in determining the relative volumes of your audio tracks and in detecting and preventing overload. By default, the Console view displays output level meters in main out modules at all times, and displays record level meters in individual tracks whenever they are armed and have an audio input.
Page 426 To Hide a Bus or Track • Right-click on the module and choose Hide Track or Hide Bus. To Narrow a Module (Console view only) Right-click in the space next to the module’s volume fader. Select Narrow Strip from the menu that appears. To Narrow or Widen all Modules in the Console View •...
Page 427 To Delete a Bus Right-click in the Bus pane over an existing bus. Select Delete Bus from the menu that appears. The bus is deleted from the Bus pane. Note: If you have any track or bus routed through the bus you delete, the signal will be rerouted to the bus’s output.
Page 428: Mixing Midi
Mixing MIDI SONAR gives you many tools to control your MIDI mix. When your MIDI tracks sound the way you want them to, there are several ways to convert them to audio (see “Converting MIDI to Audio” on page 429). Mixing a MIDI Track You can control the mixing and playback of a MIDI track as follows: To do this...
Page 429: Converting Midi To Audio
Converting MIDI to Audio The following options cover three basic MIDI setups: • If your MIDI tracks play back through a DXi soft synth, use either the File- Export-Audio or Edit-Bounce to Track(s) commands (see the procedures in “To Export Your DXi Tracks as Wave, MP3, or Other Type Files” on page 408, and “To Convert Your DXi Tracks to New Audio Tracks”...
Page 430: Routing And Mixing Digital Audio
Routing and Mixing Digital Audio This section covers mixing your project’s digital audio. Audio clips in each track are processed by any real-time audio effects you have patched in place, passed through the track pan control and volume fader, and then sent to the designated bus or main out, in stereo.
Page 431 passes through the track’s send level knob on its way to the bus. This is shown in the diagram below: This track is routed to Bus 1 and 2 Pre-fader: output level to Bus 2 is not affected by the track’s volume fader Post-fader: track’s volume fader controls output level to Bus 1 The audio in each bus passes through the send level and pan controls, is processed...
Page 432: Audio Tracks
Audio Tracks The following graphic shows an audio track’s signal flow: Audio clip DXi Synth input Hardware input Clip mute Clip fades Input meters (record) Clip envelopes Volume Trim Phase/Interleave Playback Meter (pre fader/pre FX) Send level Pre fader FX bin Send pan Post fader Playback Meter...
Page 433 You control the mixing and playback of an audio track as follows: To do this... Do this... Add a real-time audio effect Right-click in the Effects patch point and select an to the track effect from the list (for more information, see “Using Real-Time Effects”...
Page 434: Stereo Buses
Stereo Buses Buses are useful for mixing together different audio tracks (in stereo) and applying effects to the mix. You can mix the tracks at different volume levels by adjusting each track’s bus send level. Buses output to either other buses or to a main out. You control the bus as follows: To do this...
Page 435: Surround Buses (Producer Edition Only)
Surround Buses (Producer Edition Only) Surround buses are useful for mixing and adding effects to create a surround mix. As with Audio strips, the Value box in the toolbar displays the send and return levels in decibels and the send and return balance values on a scale of 100%L to 100%R.
Page 436: Main Outs
Main Outs Each enabled hardware channel has a main out channel strip in the Console view. Main outs are the final destination for all of your audio in SONAR. Main outs accept input from both tracks and buses. Main outs contains a left channel and a right channel, but only one volume fader. You control the left/right balance of each main out with the balance slider.
Page 437: What The Meters Measure
What the Meters Measure The following table summarizes what each kind of meter measures: Kind of meter... What it measures... Record The level of the instrument listed as an input for the track you are monitoring—the track must be armed to enable the meter Playback A playback meter measures the playback level of any...
Page 438: Changing The Meters' Display
To Show or Hide Individual Record Meters in the Track View • Right-click the title bar of a track to display the track popup menu and click the Show Record Meter option to show or hide the record meter for that track.
Page 439 The dropdown menus give you the following display options: Menu option... What it does... Peak Choosing this option causes the meter to display the highest amplitude in the signal that occurs in a complete cycle of a frequency. Choosing this option causes the meter to display more of an average of the amplitudes that occur in a complete cycle of a frequency.
Page 440: Changing The Meters' Performance
Changing the Meters’ Performance There are two major factors that determine the performance of meters in SONAR. One is audio latency which you can adjust, within the limits of your audio hardware drivers, in the General tab of the Audio Options dialog. The second is the settings in the Audio Meter Ballistics dialog.
Page 441: Freeze Tracks And Synths
Freeze Tracks and Synths The Freeze feature allows you to temporarily bounce your track, including soft synths and effects, to reduce the amount of CPU power needed. The Freeze feature also works for synths patched in the Synth Rack. Note: if you delete or replace any part of the bounced track, and then unfreeze the track or synth, you’ll create a gap in the spot where the deleted or replaced data was.
Page 442 mind that Windows does not necessarily release freed memory until it is needed, so you may not see an immediate drop in usage when a synth is frozen or disabled. To Freeze a Track Right-click on a track. Select Freeze Track from the menu that appears. SONAR bounces the audio in the track to a new audio clip or clips, applies any effects, and disables the FX bin.
Page 443 SONAR discards bounced audio, enables the DXi and the DXi audio track’s FX bin. SONAR will be re-bounce the audio if you choose Freeze again. To Do a Quick Unfreeze of a Synth (DXi) • Right-click a frozen DXi MIDI or audio track, and choose Quick Unfreeze Synth from the menu that appears.
Page 444: Using Real-Time Effects
Using Real-Time Effects In the Console view and Track view, you can use plug-in effects non-destructively, in real time. You can also hear your plug-in effects in real time on any live instruments you are recording—just make sure Input Monitoring is enabled (see “Input Monitoring”...
Page 445: Effects Parameters
Effects Parameters Each effect in an effects patch point has its own independent set of parameter values. For example, you can apply a short reverb in one track and a long reverb in another track. The dialog boxes for real-time effects contain the same parameters as the offline effects, though there are a few differences: •...
Page 446: Using The Per-Track Eq (Producer Edition Only)
Using the Per-track EQ (Producer Edition Only) Each audio track in the Console view in the Producer version of SONAR has a 4- band EQ patched into it by default. You can hide the EQ, hide its graph (plot), display only one band, or display all four bands Here’s a graphic of the EQ and its controls: Plot Frequency, Gain, and Q...
Page 447: Applying Audio Effects
To Choose What Band You’re Controlling When Only One Band is Showing • Click the Band menu that’s at the bottom of the EQ display, and choose the band number you want to control. To Enable or Disable the EQ •...
Page 448: Applying Midi Effects
To Apply Multiple Audio Effects Offline Add one or more audio effects to one or more tracks in either the Track view or the Console view. In the Track view, select the tracks or clips you want to be affected. Select Process-Apply Audio Effects.
Page 449: Using Control Groups
Using Control Groups SONAR lets you link faders, knobs, or buttons in the Track and Console views into groups. Groups are collections of controls whose movements are linked together. For example: • Two volume faders or controls can be grouped so that when you increase or decrease the volume of one track, the volume of the other track changes in exactly the same way.
Page 450 same direction. The controls do not necessarily need to start at the same level. Here are two examples: Example 1 The controls are grouped in this position The first control’s raised to maximum The first control is lowered to minimum Example 2 The controls are grouped in this position The first control is raised to maximum...
Page 451 Relative The range of motion for controls in the group is not the same. All controls in the group have the same value at one point—the lowest level for send, return, and volume levels, and zero for pan controls. Here are two examples: Example 1 The volume controls are grouped The first control is raised to...
Page 452 When you have defined a custom group, you can adjust the starting and ending position of each control using the Group Settings dialog box or using popup menus on the controls in the group. To Add a Control to a Group Right-click on the control.
Page 453 To Create a Custom Group Right-click on any control in the group and choose Group Properties to display the Group Properties dialog box. Choose Custom as the group type. The starting and ending values for each control are displayed. To change the starting or ending value for a control, click on the control in the list and enter new values in the Start and End box.
Page 454: Using Remote Control
Using Remote Control This section explains how to assign knobs or sliders on a MIDI controller to control specific parameters on specific tracks. If you have a control surface with groups of faders such as a Tascam US-428 or CM Labs MotorMix, see the online help topic “Working with External Devices.”...
Page 455 The type of MIDI message used to work a control is selected in the Remote Control dialog box. The options are as follows: Message Message effect on Message effect on sliders option... buttons... and knobs... None No remote control No remote control Note On The button state is toggled The slider/knob is alternately maximized...
Page 456: Using The Learn Option
To Disable Remote Control • Right-click on the control and choose Disable Remote Control from the popup menu. To Prevent SONAR from Sending Controller Data to Your MIDI Device • Right-click each knob or fader in SONAR that is sending unwanted controller data to your MIDI device and choose Disable Control from the popup menu.
Page 457 Here are some reasons to use Edit-Bounce to Track(s): • Your mix is so complex that real-time playback is impossible. Edit-Bounce to Track(s) produces the correct mix, and store the result in a new track or tracks. • You require more CPU time for your real-time effects. With Edit-Bounce to Track(s), you can premix some of your tracks with real-time effects applied, saving CPU time during playback.
Page 458 In the Source Category field, select the source you want to use for your bounced track(s) from the following options: • Tracks—choosing this option creates new separate tracks for each track you highlight in the Source Buses/Tracks field. Each track you highlight will produce a new mono track, stereo track, or two new mono tracks (the Split Mono option), depending on what you choose in the Channel Format field.
Page 459: Preparing To Create An Audio Cd
Once you have all the stereo wave files you want to include on your CD, you are ready to burn a CD. Most CD burners come with CD burning software, if yours did not, you will need to buy CD burning software, like Cakewalk’s Pyro. To download a free demo of Pyro, visit the Cakewalk website.
Page 460 If your audio hardware is configured for stereo playback, Wave files are created in stereo; if your audio hardware is configured for monophonic playback, the Wave file is created in mono. To Export Audio to RealAudio Format Set all volume, pan, effects, and automation settings just as you want them. If you only want to mix down parts of tracks, select those clips now.
Page 461 13. In the Mix Enables field, choose the elements you want to include in the mixdown. If you want to exclude muted tracks and/or include only soloed tracks, make sure Track Mute/Solo is checked. Note: If you have patched a DXi (plug-in synth) into a track or bus, make sure you check Track FX to include DXi’s that are patched into tracks, and check Bus Returns to include DXi’s that are patched into buses.
Page 462 You may choose several formats if you wish. The RealAudio 2.0 formats are good for backwards compatibility with older players and for 14.4 Kb capability. The remaining formats let you choose Mono or Stereo playback. Stereo formats trade bandwidth for stereo, so use these only when the stereo aspect is important. To Export Audio to Wave File Format Set all volume, pan, effects, and automation settings just as you want them.
Page 463 10. In the Channel Format field, select one of the following options: • Stereo—All exported tracks and clips are mixed down to a stereo file or files. • Mono—All exported tracks and clips are mixed down to a mono file or files.
Page 464 If you chose Broadcast Wave as the export format, the following information is stored in the file(s): • Description—A brief description of the contents of the Broadcast wave. Limited to 256 characters. • Originator—The author of the Broadcast wave. This information is taken from the Author field in the File Info dialog.
Page 465 10. In the Channel Format field, select one of the following options: • Stereo—All exported tracks and clips are mixed down to a stereo file or files. • Mono—All exported tracks and clips are mixed down to a mono file or files.
Page 466 To Export a Project in MP3 Format Set all volume, pan, effects, and automation settings just as you want them. If you only want to mix down parts of tracks, select those clips now. If you are using effects on the tracks and want to mix the effects down at this time, select the whole length of the longest track or clip plus an extra measure for the reverb or effects “tail.”...
Page 467 Preset window and then click the floppy disk icon that’s next to the window. 15. Click Export. The Cakewalk MP3 Encoder dialog appears. 16. Choose options and click OK. The audio is compacted and exported to a file or files with the extension .
Page 468: Dithering
Check Mix Each Groove Clip as a Separate Clip option if you want to save Groove clips (ACIDized files) as separate clips. This may increase significantly the amount of time it takes to export your project, if there are many Groove clips in your project.
Page 469 SONAR offers four kinds of dithering: • Rectangular—basically white noise, and the least CPU-intensive, this type of dither is more audible than the Pow-r dither types, but works well with loud projects, or ones that use distortion. • Pow-r 1—adds a fairly consistent amount of noise below 10k, then quickly increases.
Page 471: Surround Mixing
Surround Mixing SONAR Producer fully supports surround mixing (SONAR Studio can open surround projects created in Producer, converting them to stereo). SONAR (Producer) can create finished surround mixes in all popular surround formats, including Windows Media 9 Pro. You can use a joystick to control surround panning if you want.
Page 472: Surround Basics
Surround Basics Surround sound is a common name for various techniques for positioning audio in reference to the listener. Whereas regular stereo is limited to left/right positioning, within a relatively narrow field, surround sound opens possibilities of positioning an audio source anywhere around the listener. Surround sound comes in many formats.
Page 473: Configuring Sonar For Surround Mixing
Configuring SONAR for Surround Mixing This section covers setting up SONAR for surround sound. Using Surround Format Templates A Surround Format template specifies the number of speakers and the order in which the speakers are arranged. There are several different surround formats, including LCRS, 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1, with 5.1 being most common.
Page 474 To mix in surround sound in SONAR, you must insert at least one surround bus. A project can include multiple surround buses, but all surround buses in a project use the same surround format (5.1, 7.1, etc.). The project’s surround format is based on one of the following Surround Format templates: •...
Page 475: Choosing A Surround Format
• 7.0 (Film/Alternative) • 7.0 (Music/Alternative) • 7.1 (Film/Alternative) • 7.1 (Music/Alternative) • 7.1 (SMPTE/ITU) • 8.0 (Octagon) • 8.0 (Film/Alternative) • 8.0 (Music/Alternative) • 8.1 (Film/Alternative) • 8.1 (Music/Alternative) • 8.1 (SMPTE/ITU) 5.1 (SMPTE/ITU) is the default template. The Surround Format templates are hard-coded, and cannot be deleted. However, you can freely assign any enabled audio output port to any surround channel, and save the configuration as a preset.
Page 476: Surround Buses
settings as a preset (except for downmixing parameters—you can change these, but they aren’t saved in presets). To save a group of settings as a preset, type a name in the Presets field and then click the Disk icon that’s to the right of the field.
Page 477: Routing In Surround
Routing in Surround Tracks can send output to a surround bus, the Surround Main, or a hardware output. If a track is routed to a surround bus or the Surround Main, it has surround meters and a surround panner. You can route any track or bus to another bus, the Surround Main or a hardware out.
Page 478: Downmixing
Downmixing Downmixing is a way of previewing your surround project in stereo only. There are various cases where surround is not available and it may be that someone plays your project in stereo only. A radio broadcast is a good example. Downmixing is a valuable tool for determining if your project will sound good in stereo.
Page 479: Panning In Surround
To Downmix a Project If you do not have a stereo bus in your project, create one by right-clicking in the Bus pane in the Track view or Console view and selecting Insert Stereo Bus from the menu that appears. Open the Project Options dialog (Options-Project command), select a center downmix level and a surround downmix level in the Surround tab, and click In each of the surround buses, assign the output to a stereo bus.
Page 480: Controlling Surround Panning
Medium surround panner in Console view The small and large panners are always synchronized; the large panner simply provides increased resolution when you adjust the surround pan position. The large surround panner can be resized like any other floating window. Note 1: Surround panning is not available for tracks/sends that are routed to non- surround buses.
Page 481 Medium Surround Panner The large surround panner has some sliders at the bottom that the medium surround panner doesn’t have, except for the LFE Send slider, which the medium panner has. Except for the sliders, the large and medium surround panners have the following controls: •...
Page 482: To Change The Angle
• Width slider (large panner only)—this slider both displays and controls the width value. Width is a measure of how wide an area the sound seems to be coming from on a scale of 0 to 360 degrees. At 0 and 360 degrees, the sound seems to all come from a single speaker.
Page 483 To Mute a Surround Speaker • In the large surround panner, click a speaker icon to mute its output. The speaker icon turns grey when the speaker is muted. • In the small surround panner, click a white square to mute a speaker’s output. The square turns grey when the speaker is muted.
Page 484 Note: if you group sliders that are in the same surround panner, you can no longer move the markers that represent those sliders’ values. You can only move a grouped marker by moving its associated slider. Keyboard Shortcuts The following shortcuts allow you to control a surround panner from the keyboard: Shortcut...
Page 485: Automating Surround Panning
• 9 = R • / = Lc, • * = Rc Automating Surround Panning You can arm or disarm for automation all the controls in a surround panner by clicking any control in the surround panner (except LFE Solo), and choosing Arm for Automation from the popup menu.
Page 486: Surround Metering
Now select Button 2, and select Engage Pan Nav Mode in the Button Actions field. Select any other buttons your joystick has (one at a time), and connect them to any transport or menu commands you want in the Button Actions field; close the Joystick Panner dialog.
Page 487: Bass Management
Bass Management A bass management system takes all the frequencies below a certain frequency (normally 80Hz) from the main channels, and the signal from the LFE channel, and mixes them together into the speaker that is best equipped to handle them. This is usually a subwoofer, but sometimes the left and right front speakers are used if a subwoofer isn’t available.
Page 488: Surround Effects
Surround Effects SONAR lets you use your existing stereo or mono effects as surround effects. SONAR does this through the SurroundBridge, which automatically sets up your existing mono & stereo plug-ins so you can patch them into surround buses (buses, not tracks).
Page 489: Effect Presets
Effect Presets You can use existing (non-surround) effects presets when you patch an effect to a surround bus—selecting a non-surround preset sets all of a plug-in’s instances to the settings of the preset; selecting a surround preset sets each instance’s parameters individually, according to the information stored in the preset.
Page 490 To view a list of the automatable parameters in a particular effect, uncheck one of the Controls Linked to Group checkboxes on the SurroundBridge tab, and read the list in the Unlinked Controls field. To Relink Individual Effect Parameters to Other Effect Instances In the Unlinked Controls field on the SurroundBridge tab, select the parameters you want to relink—if the parameters you want to select are...
Page 491: Importing Surround Mixes
Importing Surround Mixes SONAR imports multi-channel (surround) files as a group of mono files. If the files contain information that labels the speaker location of each channel in the file, SONAR copies these labels to the clips in your audio tracks, but does not pan the tracks according to these labels.
Page 492: Exporting Surround Mixes
Exporting Surround Mixes You can export your surround mixes as multi-channel PCM wave files, or as Windows Media Pro files. To Export a Surround Multi-channel File Use the File-Export-Audio command to open the Export Audio dialog. Type a name for your file. In the Files of Type field, choose one of the following: •...
Page 493: Using Automation
Using Automation Automation means to record the movement of a fader, knob, or other control so that the next time you play your project, that control moves automatically. SONAR allows you to graphically automate much more than just volume and pan controls—you can automate individual controls, faders, and knobs that control the main outs, individual tracks, buses, individual effects’...
Page 494: Quick Automation Guide
Quick Automation Guide The following table summarizes Console and Track view automation: What you can Parameters you How you can automate... can automate... automate them... Individual tracks Gain, pan, mute, bus send Draw envelopes in the Clips gain, bus send balance, pane, record the fader MIDI controllers, MIDI movements, or take a...
Page 495: The Automation Toolbar
The Automation Toolbar Display the Automation toolbar by using the View-Toolbars command to open the Toolbars dialog box, and making sure that the Automation checkbox is checked. If you slide the cursor over each button or field in the toolbar, tool tips pop up to tell you each function.
Page 496: Recording Individual Fader Or Knob Movements
Recording Individual Fader or Knob Movements This method works in both the Track view and Console view. Arming a parameter for automation and clicking the Record Automation button starts automation recording and plays your project while you record automation. You can only record or erase automation data when you click the Record Automation button.
Page 497: Drawing Audio Envelopes In The Track View
Drawing Audio Envelopes in the Track View This method is only available in the Clips pane and Bus pane, and works for both tracks and buses. Drawing an automation envelope for audio data overwrites any preexisting envelope for the same parameter that occurs at the same time in the same track or bus.
Page 498 Move the cursor over the segment of the envelope that lies between the two nodes until the double-ended arrow appears, and right-click the envelope to open the Envelope Editing menu. Choose one of the following shapes from the Envelope Editing menu: •...
Page 499: Drawing Midi Envelopes In The Track View
Drawing MIDI Envelopes in the Track View This method is only available in the Clips pane. You can also draw MIDI controller data in the Piano Roll view, but the technique is different (see “Using the Controllers Pane” on page 313). Note: MIDI envelopes you create in the Piano Roll Controllers pane and MIDI envelopes you create in the Track view Clips pane are actually separate envelopes, even if they control the same parameter.
Page 500 If you want to create an envelope to control any other MIDI controller, choose Envelopes-Create Track Envelope-MIDI..The MIDI Envelope dialog box appears: • In the Type field, choose what kind of MIDI event you want to control with your envelope. •...
Page 501: Dotted Lines
SONAR adds a shape between the nodes. You can drag any shape except a jump up or down and it maintains its curve or angle. To edit a jump, drag the node that’s at either end of the jump. Play your track and listen to the results. You can undo any step by using the Edit- Undo command (Ctrl+Z) directly after that step.
Page 502: Showing Or Hiding Envelopes
Showing or Hiding Envelopes You can choose to show or hide any or all envelopes in a track or bus. To Show or Hide All Envelopes In the Track view toolbar, click the drop-down arrow that’s next to the Envelope tool to display the Envelope Options menu. Choose either Show All Envelopes or Hide All Envelopes.
Page 503: Copying And Pasting Envelopes
To Delete Several or All Envelopes Select the data that contains the envelopes you want to delete—you can select parts of tracks, one or more whole tracks, or all tracks. Use the Edit-Cut command to open the Cut dialog box. Select Track/Bus Automation if it’s listed.
Page 504: Resetting Envelopes And Nodes To Current Or Neutral Values
To Paste an Envelope Select the track(s) and location (Now Time) you want to paste the data to. Press Ctrl+V or use the Edit-Paste command. The Paste dialog box appears. Choose a track and location to paste to, if you haven’t already. Click OK.
Page 505 parameter is now set to hard right. Setting the pan in offset mode to 50% right would set the pan to the center. Note: Any position that you set a fader to in Offset mode remains in effect when you switch back to Envelope mode. For example, if you set a volume fader to -INF while in Offset mode, switch to Envelope mode and drag the fader to its maximum level, you will not hear anything.
Page 506: Snapshots
The following MIDI controls support both Envelope and Offset modes: Control Envelope Mode Range Offset Mode Range Volume 0 to 127, default is 101 0 to 127, default is 101 100% L to 100% R, default is C 100% L to 100% R, default is C Chorus 0 to 127, default is 0 -127 to 127, default is 100...
Page 507: Automating Effects
To Create a Snapshot Move the Now Time to the location where you want to create the snapshot. Make sure that the Automation toolbar is visible—use the View-Toolbars command and make sure that the Automation checkbox is checked. Set all controls the way you want them to be at this particular location in the project.
Page 508: Automating Individual Effects Parameters
Automating Individual Effects Parameters You can automate the parameters of some of SONAR’s effects by drawing envelopes, or recording fader movements, or creating snapshots. To Record Fader or Knob Movements for an Individual Effect’s Parameters Patch an automatable effect into the track or bus where you want to use it, and close the effect’s dialog box when it appears.
Page 509: Recording Groups Of Faders And/Or Knobs
Check all the parameters you want to create envelopes for; as you check each envelope choice, you can choose a color for the envelope by clicking the Choose Color button that’s in the lower right corner of the dialog box. Note: You can change a plug-in envelope’s color whenever you want by highlighting its name in the effect’s envelope dialog box and clicking the Choose Color button.
Page 510: Recording Automation Data From An External Controller
Recording Automation Data from an External Controller You can record automation data from an external controller or a MIDI keyboard. To Record Automation Data from an External Controller In either the Track view or Console view, right-click the control or knob that you want to control externally, and choose Remote Control from the popup menu.
Page 511: The Envelope Editing And Node Editing Menus
The Envelope Editing and Node Editing Menus The Envelope Editing menu appears when you move the cursor over an envelope until a double-ended arrow appears under it, and right-click the envelope. The Node Editing menu is almost identical, and appears when you move the cursor over a node until a cross appears under it and right-click.
Page 512: Automated Muting
Reset Node (Node This choice resets the node to the parameter’s neutral Editing menu only) value. Delete Node (Node This choice deletes the node. Editing menu only) Properties (Node This choice opens the Edit Node dialog box, which allows Editing menu only) you to edit the node’s value and location.
Page 513: Layouts, Templates And Key Bindings
Layouts, Templates and Key Bindings A layout is the current arrangement of all the views that pertain to a particular project. The layout of each project is stored automatically as part of every project file. In addition, you can save the current layout or load any saved layout and apply it to the current project.
Page 514: Layouts
Layouts The layout of the views that are displayed for a project is stored automatically in the project file when you save the project. By default, the layout of all the views is restored when the file is opened. You can automatically arrange all open views so that they are all visible by using the Window-Tile in Rows command.
Page 515 There are two options in Windows Layouts dialog (select View-Layouts to open) that control how layouts are used, as described in the following table: Option… Meaning… Close Old Windows Before Loading If checked, SONAR™ will close all the New Ones views of the current project before applying the layout.
Page 516 To Delete a Layout Choose View-Layouts to display the Window Layouts dialog box. Choose the layout you want to delete from the list. Click Delete. Click OK to confirm that you want to delete the layout. The layout is removed from the list.
Page 517: Floating Views And Dual Monitor Support
Floating Views and Dual Monitor Support SONAR supports dual monitors and allows you to float most of your views to a second monitor giving you more options when working and increasing the number of views that you can have open at one time. Important: Dual monitor support requires that you have a video card that supports dual monitors.
Page 518 As a rule, any parameter that is saved in a project file is also saved in a template file. Following are some useful parameters that are saved in template files: • Track configuration and track parameters • Timebase • Sysx banks •...
Page 519: Template Example: Three Midi Instruments
To Create a Template Create a new file using the File-New command. Add tracks. Set one or more parameters to be the way you want. Choose File-Save As to display the Save As dialog box. Choose Template from the Save as Type list. Enter a template file name and click Save.
Page 520: Key Bindings
Name each track and set any track parameters, such as starting patch, volumes, panning, reverb, chorus, and transposition. If you like, configure other parameters needed in your projects, such as auto- send Sysx banks, tempo settings, window positions, and comments. Choose File-Save, and save the file as a template named SYNTHS Now, each time you want to start working on a new project, you can simply load...
Page 521 You can choose one of two options to define the key binding shift key: • MIDI key (typically, the very lowest or highest key on your MIDI keyboard) • Controller event (typically, one of the pedals) If you use a MIDI key as the key binding shift key, then you lose the ability to play that note by itself.
Page 522 If you want to save these key bindings for other sessions, make sure that the Save Changes for Next Session checkbox is checked. 10. Click OK when you are done. SONAR assigns the key(s) you chose. To Create a Key Binding Using a MIDI Keyboard Choose Options-Key Bindings to display the Key Bindings dialog.
Page 523: Importing Key Bindings
Importing Key Bindings SONAR can use key bindings from other sequencer applications. Clicking the Import button in the Key Bindings dialog allows you to choose a new set of key bindings. After you import new key bindings, you can edit and save them the way you do with the default key bindings.
Page 525: Working With Notation And Lyrics
Working with Notation and Lyrics This chapter describes three SONAR™ views that are used to edit the music notation and lyrics of your project. • SONAR’s Staff view lets you work with your composition in a standard musical staff, guitar tablature and a virtual guitar fretboard. You can add, move, and delete notes with your mouse or with your computer keyboard.
Page 526: The Staff View
The Staff View The Staff view is composed of a Staff pane and a Fretboard. When you first open the Staff view, you may see only the Staff and not the Fretboard. Resize the Staff view by dragging its edges until you can see everything easily.
Page 527: Opening The Staff View
Opening the Staff View There are three ways to open the Staff view: • In the Track view, select the MIDI tracks you want to see, then click the Staff View button • In the Track view, select the MIDI tracks you want to see, then choose View- Staff.
Page 528: The Staff Pane Right-Click Menu
The Staff Pane Right-Click Menu The Staff pane Right-Click menu offers the following editing options: Menu command Result MIDI Effects Opens the MIDI Effects submenu. See “MIDI Effects (MIDI Plug-ins)” on page 325 for more information. Layout Opens the Staff View Layout dialog box. Regenerate Tablature Opens the Regenerate Tablature dialog box.
Page 529: The Fretboard
To Change the Staff Pane Layout Click the Staff View Layout button to open the Staff View Layout dialog box. Select a track from the list (if the track you want to edit is not in the list, click the Pick Tracks button in the Staff view toolbar and select it). The Clef option shows the track’s clef.
Page 530: Fretboard Popup Menu
the Fretboard is the same as the color of the corresponding clip in the Track view. (See “Arranging Clips” on page 209 for information about setting clip properties.) To turn the display of the Fretboard on or off, click Fretboard Popup Menu When you right-click the Fretboard in the Staff view, the Fretboard popup menu appears, giving you choices for note editing, Staff view layout, and Fretboard appearance.
Page 531: Basic Musical Editing
Basic Musical Editing The Staff view's tools let you edit a project by manipulating the elements of standard music notation. Using these tools, you can create and edit notes, pedal marks, expression marks, hairpins, and lyrics. Inserting Notes on the Staff You can add notes to your composition with simple point-and-click techniques.
Page 532: Inserting Notes With The Fretboard
To Insert a Note on the Staff Disable the Fill Durations and Trim Durations buttons in the Staff view toolbar, if desired (this is usually the best way when you’re entering notes). Click the Display Resolution button in the Staff view toolbar and choose a resolution that’s as small or slightly smaller than the smallest note you plan to enter.
Page 533: Selecting Notes
Selecting Notes Use the Selection tool to make selections. Selection methods in the Staff view are similar to those in other views. Here is a summary: To do this... Do this... Select a note or other symbol Click it Select several symbols at once Click and drag a rectangle around them Add symbols to the selection Press Shift and either click on the symbols or drag...
Page 534: Moving Notes From Within The Fretboard
To Move a Single Note in the Staff View Click the Select tool or the Draw tool Click the note to be moved. Drag the note to a new time, pitch, or staff. SONAR moves the note to the new location. To Move Several Notes in the Staff View Click the Select tool Select the notes to be moved.
Page 535: Auditioning
To Change the Pitch of a Single Note in the Fretboard Click in the Time Ruler to set the Now time to the time of the note you want to change. Click the Select tool or the Draw tool Drag the note along the string to a new fret. SONAR moves the note to the new pitch.
Page 536: Changing Note Properties
To Play Notes with Step Play Set the Now time by clicking in the Time Ruler. Step through the music as follows: To do this… Do this… Step forward Click , or press Ctrl+right arrow Step backward Click , or press Ctrl+left arrow Changing Note Properties The Staff view lets you edit all the MIDI parameters for a note, including those not normally portrayed by standard musical notation.
Page 537: Deglitch Dialog
To Edit a Note’s Properties Right-click the note to open the Note Properties dialog box. Edit the note’s properties, as described in the table. Click OK. SONAR changes the note’s parameters and redraws the note if necessary. Deglitch Dialog When recording MIDI guitar, even the best players occasionally play unintended notes.
Page 538: Working With Triplets
To Use the Deglitch Filter Select a track or a section of track. Select Process-Deglitch from the menu. The Deglitch dialog box appears. Check each of the filters you want to use. Enter the parameters (maximum or minimum values) you want for each of the filters you are using.
Page 539: Changing The Way Notes Are Displayed
To Enable Beaming of Rests Click Layout button to open the Staff View Layout dialog box. Select the Beam Rests option. Click OK. Thereafter, the Staff view beams rests as though they were notes. Changing the Way Notes Are Displayed Unlike musical notation programs, SONAR uses the MIDI events themselves as the permanent representation of the music;...
Page 540 Here’s what the Staff view looks like with and without these options: Fill and Trim off Fill and Trim on On the other hand, if you are entering notes into the Staff view with the mouse, Fill and Trim Durations may produce confusing results. For example, with Fill Durations, an inserted eighth note in 4/4 time would look like a quarter note until you insert another eighth note immediately following it.
Page 541: Using Enharmonic Spellings
Using Enharmonic Spellings Any musical note can be referred to by several different names. For example, C#3 and Db3 identify the same pitch, as do G#4 and Ab4. The most appropriate name depends upon the current key signature, but can also depend on musical context. SONAR uses a set of rules to automatically add accidentals (sharps, flats and naturals) to notes based on the current key signature.
Page 542: Midi Channels And The Fretboard
Double flat “ C”5 Double sharp To Change a Note’s Enharmonic Spelling Right-click the note to open the Note Properties dialog box. In the Pitch textbox, type a new spelling for the note. Click OK. SONAR displays the note with the new enharmonic spelling. You can change enharmonic spellings in other views, such as the Event List view, by similarly typing a new spelling wherever the note pitch is displayed as a text string.
Page 543: Chords And Marks
30 Guitar Synthesizer template is designed to do this, so you may want to open that from the Quick Start Menu or from the File menu. To use the File menu method, choose File-Open and choose Cakewalk Template from the Files of type field. Then choose the Roland GR-30 template.
Page 544 SONAR stores its library of chords in the file chords.liw. The chords in the library are sorted into groups. You can add and remove chords from the library, create new groups (i.e., for alternative guitar tunings), and add chords from a different library file.
Page 545 To Edit a Chord Symbol Right-click the symbol to open the Chord Properties dialog box. Edit information about the chord according to the table: To do this… Do this… Move a chord in time Change the Time property. Give the chord a new name Select a chord from the dropdown list, or type a new name.
Page 546 To Add a Guitar Chord Grid Right-click the chord symbol to open the Chord Properties dialog box. Follow the instructions in the table: To do this… Do this… Display a blank chord grid Click New Grid Place a dot on the grid Select the finger number (1-4, or T for Thumb), then click the grid at the appropriate string and fret location...
Page 547: Adding Expression Marks
Click OK. SONAR saves the chord library with the changes you made. Adding Expression Marks Expression marks tell a performer how to interpret the notes and durations on the page. They provide a necessary supplement to simple notation, in which notes have only pitch and duration, but no hint of how loudly, softly, or smoothly, they are to be played.
Page 548: Adding Hairpin Symbols
SONAR inserts the new expression mark below the staff. To Edit an Expression Mark Right-click the expression mark to open the Expression Text Properties dialog box. Edit the time and text of the expression mark as desired. Click OK. The Staff view displays the expression mark with the new text, including moving it to a new time if necessary.
Page 549: Adding Pedal Marks
To Add a Hairpin Symbol Click the Draw tool Select the Hairpin tool Position the pointer below the staff (the pointer changes to a pencil when you are in a legal position). Click to place a hairpin symbol. SONAR inserts a copy of the most recently added hairpin symbol, which you can edit as desired.
Page 550: Tablature
You can suppress the display of all pedal marks by deselecting the Show Pedal Events option in the Staff view's Layout dialog box. To Add a Pedal Mark Click the Draw tool Select the Pedal tool Position the pointer below the staff (the pointer changes to a pencil when you are in a legal position).
Page 551 In the Staff View Layout dialog box you can choose a preset style of tablature by choosing from the Preset popup menu, or you can define your own style by clicking the Define button in the Staff View Layout dialog box to open the Tablature Settings dialog box.
Page 552: Changing Fretboard Texture And Orientation
Save your settings by typing a name into the Preset field at the top of the dialog box and clicking the disk icon next to it. You can remove presets from the list by clicking the X button next to the disk icon. The next time you want to use these settings for a track, choose your Preset in the Staff View Layout dialog box from the Presets dropdown list.
Page 553: Regenerate Tab
Press the Spacebar to play your file. Notice that the Fretboard displays the name of each note above the string and fret you would play it on as the note plays. Regenerate TAB The Regenerate TAB command works on selected regions in a track to modify the fingering according to the method you choose.
Page 554: Single Note Editing From The Tab Staff
Click the Draw tool. Enter a note by clicking a line in the TAB staff. Without letting go of the mouse, click and drag the cursor up to set the fret number. Tip: You can move ahead in the track by pressing Shift-Right Arrow, and move back in the track using the Shift-Left Arrow.
Page 555: Editing Notes And Chords From The Fretboard
Shift-drag the chord to a new position and release the mouse. Entering Notes from the Fretboard If you prefer to work with the Fretboard instead of a musical staff, Cakewalk makes it easy to enter notes from the Fretboard. You can enter single notes or chords by clicking the string and fret of the note you want to enter at the Now Time position.
Page 556: Working With Percussion
You can delete a note right after you enter it by pressing Ctrl+Z, or at any time by clicking the Eraser tool and clicking the note in the notation or TAB staffs. Cakewalk gives you several options to play and hear the notes in your track: •...
Page 557: Setting Up A Percussion Staff Or Line
To Set Up a Percussion Track Right-click on the track in the Track pane and choose Track Properties to open the Track Properties dialog box. Assign the output and channel for your percussion instrument. For example, if the output is assigned to a sound card that supports General MIDI, use channel 10.
Page 558 To Assign a Percussion Staff or Line to a Track Click the Staff View Layout button to open the Staff View Layout dialog box. Select your percussion track from the list. Select Percussion Staff or Percussion Line from the Clef dropdown list. Click Percussion Settings to set up the appearance of percussion notes (see below).
Page 559: Ghost Strokes
Click OK to close the Percussion Notation Key dialog box. Click Close to close the Staff View Layout dialog box. The Staff view shows the percussion clef with the note bindings and noteheads you assigned. Ghost Strokes In percussion notation, parentheses around a note mean that it is a ghost stroke, played very lightly and barely heard.
Page 560: The Meter/Key View
The Meter/Key View The Meter/Key view lets you enter meter and key changes at measure boundaries. Meter and key changes affect all tracks. What Is Meter? The meter—also known as the time signature—describes how to divide time into rhythmic pulses. When you set the meter, you are specifying the number of beats per measure and the note value of each beat.
Page 561: What Is Key
What Is Key? In musical terms, a key is a system of related notes based on the tonic (the base pitch) of a major or minor scale. A key signature is a group of sharps or flats placed immediately to the right of the clef sign. The key signature tells a performer that certain notes are to be systematically raised or lowered.
Page 562: Adding And Editing Meter/Key Changes
Each meter/key change has the following properties: Property... Meaning... At Measure The measure where the meter/key change takes place. Beats per Measure The number of beats per measure, the upper number in the time signature. Beat Value The note length of a beat, the lower number in the time signature.
Page 563: Music Notation For Non-Concert-Key Instruments
To Delete a Meter/Key Change Select the meter/key change to be deleted from the list. Select additional meter/key changes by using Shift-click and Ctrl-click. Click Delete SONAR removes the meter/key change from the project. You cannot delete the first meter/key change from measure 1 of a project. To Move a Meter/Key Change Select the meter/key change to be moved.
Page 564 concert pitch, and should have Key+ set to -2 to transpose it two chromatic steps back down. Remember, not all trumpets are Bb instruments! To Notate a Bb Trumpet Part Record or enter the notes using the pitches that the musician who will be reading the part needs to see.
Page 565: Working With Lyrics
Working with Lyrics SONAR lets you create, edit, and display lyrics, the words and syllables associated with notes in a track. Lyrics can be the words to a song, the text of a vocal passage, a narration to be read along with the music, cues of some type, or text totally unrelated to the music.
Page 566: Opening The Lyrics View
To Add Lyrics to a Track Click the Draw tool Select the Lyrics tool Position the pointer below the staff, under the first note to be assigned lyrics. (The pointer changes to a pencil when you are in a legal position.) Click to open an insertion box.
Page 567: Adding And Editing Lyrics In The Lyrics View
To select a font for the display, use one of the following: Option/Button... Purpose... Selects the first font. By default, this is a small font useful for editing. Selects the second font. By default, this is a larger font useful for reading lyrics at a distance. Opens a dialog where you can select a font.
Page 568 To Enter Lyrics in the Lyrics View Click in the upper left corner of the view to position the cursor at the start of the text. Follow the instructions in the table: To do this… Do this… Enter a word or syllable Type it End a word or syllable and Type a space or hyphen...
Page 569: Using Instrument Definitions
Instrument definitions for many popular MIDI instruments are included with SONAR or are available on the Cakewalk web site (www.cakewalk.com). If an instrument definition is not available for your instrument, and you are familiar with MIDI and how it works, you can use SONAR to create your own instrument definition.
Page 570: Assigning Instruments
Assigning Instruments SONAR lets you assign a MIDI instrument definition to each available MIDI output and channel. The assignments you make determine the MIDI bank names, patch names, note names, and controller names that you see during your SONAR session. Suppose that you have a Roland GS-compatible synthesizer attached to MIDI output 1.
Page 571 To Assign Instrument Definitions to MIDI Outputs and Channels Choose Options-Instruments to display the Assign Instruments dialog box. Select one or more MIDI outputs and channels from the Output/Channel list (use Shift-click and Ctrl-click to select multiple outputs and channels). You can also drag through a bunch of channels to select them.
Page 572: Importing Instrument Definitions
If SONAR does not include an instrument definition for your MIDI instrument, you can find additional and updated instrument definitions on the Downloads section of the Cakewalk World Wide Web site (www.cakewalk.com). Simply download the files to your SONAR folder, unzip if necessary, and import the instrument definitions as described below.
Page 573: Creating Instrument Definitions
To Import Instrument Definitions Choose Options-Instruments to display the Assign Instruments dialog box. Click Define to display the Define Instruments and Names dialog box. Click Import to display the Import Instrument Definitions dialog box. Choose the file that contains instrument definitions for your manufacturer, and click Open.
Page 574 You define instruments in the Define Instruments and Names dialog box, shown below: The Instruments tree The Names tree The Define Instruments and Names dialog box contains two trees: • The Instruments tree in the left half of the dialog box lists all defined instruments and their characteristics •...
Page 575 There are six components to an instrument definition: • Method for bank selection • Patch names, such as Piano and Bass • Note names, which are most frequently used to name drum notes, such as kick or snare • Controller names, like volume and pan •...
Page 576: Creating And Editing Patch Name And Other Lists
To Save an Instrument Definition Click Close to close the Define Instruments and Names dialog box. Click OK. SONAR saves the instrument definition in the file. MASTER To Export an Instrument Definition In the Define Instruments and Names dialog box, right-click an Instrument name in the Instrument tree and choose Export from the menu to display the Export Instrument Definition dialog box.
Page 577: Copying Name Lists
Add a name anywhere in Highlight the name of a list and press Shift-Insert, or right-click a list on the name of a list and choose Add Name from the menu. Then enter the name. Delete names from a list Highlight the Names List or Name, and press Del.
Page 578: Assigning Patch Names
The bank select method you choose affects the bank numbers that you assign to each patch list, as described in the following section. Here’s how you compute the bank numbers: Bank select To compute the bank number… method… Normal Take the value of Controller 0, multiply it by 128, and add the value of Controller 32 to derive the bank number.
Page 579 will display drum notes as diamonds, and the Staff view will use percussion notation. To See the Assignment of Patch Name Lists to Banks Expand the instrument definition by clicking the + sign next to the instrument name. Expand the Patch Names for Banks folder by clicking the + sign. The list expands to show the bank numbers and the patch name list that is assigned to each bank.
Page 580: Assigning Note Names
Assigning Note Names Each patch may have a list of up to 128 names for notes. Usually, note names are labels for percussion instruments. For example, the pitch C3 may really be “Kick Drum,” and D3 may be “Snare.” Because a drum machine may provide different drum kits for each patch, SONAR lets you specify a different list of note names for each patch.
Page 581: Assigning Controller, Rpn, And Nrpn Names
To Change the Note Names for a Patch Drag a note name list from the Names tree onto the Note Names for Patches folder of the instrument and bank you’re editing in the Instruments tree. Enter the patch number that should use these note names, or enter –1 to indicate that this list of note names should be used as the default.
Page 582: Instrument Definition Tutorial
UsesNotesAsControllers=n Some MIDI devices, certain mixers for example, use MIDI Note events instead of Continuous Controller events for automation. It is often desirable to treat the Note events as Controller events in order for them to obey the “Zero Controllers When Play Stops”...
Page 583: Why Use Instrument Definitions
SONAR can read. Many of these files come with SONAR, and many more are available at Cakewalk’s web site, and also at lilchips.com. Instrument definition files have the extension .
Page 584 To Import a Roland Instrument Definition Choose Options-Instruments to display the Assign Instruments dialog box. Click Define to display the Define Instruments and Names dialog box. Click Import to display the Import Instrument Definitions dialog box. Choose the file that contains instrument definitions for your manufacturer, which in this case is the file, and click Open.
Page 585 128; SONAR numbers patches from 0 to 127, so patch #004 in SONAR is the same patch number as patch #005 on the Roland). Let’s look at some of the other Roland XP-10 patch name lists in the right window of the Define Instruments and Names dialog box to see if another one has the right patch names in it, and rename it Var #01.
Page 586 Checking Bank Numbers You can calculate bank numbers by using the methods described in “Assigning the Bank Select Method” on page 577, but you might find it easier to use the following method: To Check the Bank Numbers Set up a MIDI track to record from your MIDI keyboard or module. Click the Record button to start recording, and change banks on your keyboard.
Page 587: Using System Exclusive Data
Using System Exclusive Data SONAR™’s System Exclusive (Sysx) librarian provides you with 8192 banks in which to hold MIDI System Exclusive messages. A bank is a storage area plus some associated parameters such as a destination output and an optional description.
Page 588: What Is System Exclusive
What Is System Exclusive? System Exclusive data is MIDI’s way of letting each synthesizer manufacturer transmit private data about its products. A System Exclusive message has a manufacturer ID; the rest of the message is completely proprietary and varies for each manufacturer, even for each of its products.
Page 589: Sending Sysx Banks At Startup
of bytes in the message), however, sending a Sysx bank stops playback until all of the Sysx bank is transmitted. Sysx banks are usually sent to your instrument when you load your work file. SONAR asks you each time you load a project file if you want to send any existing Sysx banks the file contains that are marked for auto-sending.
Page 590: Importing, Creating, And Dumping Sysx Banks
Importing, Creating, and Dumping Sysx Banks There are several ways to get a sysx bank into SONAR: • You can import (load) an external . file. • You can edit an empty bank to create a new bank from scratch. •...
Page 591 To Dump a Sysx Bank into SONAR Choose Options-Global and click the MIDI tab, and make sure that the System Exclusive item is checked. If it isn’t, SONAR won’t receive System Exclusive messages. In the Sysx view, select an empty bank to dump the new bank into (unless you want to add to or overwrite an existing bank).
Page 592: More About Dump Request Macros
Dump Request Macros. These are short System Exclusive messages sent to a synthesizer to make it dump (send back) System Exclusive data. DRMs are defined in your CAKEWALK.INI file in the [Dump Request Macros] section. You may add your own DRMs or modify the ones that we have provided. Use the Windows Notepad to edit the file.
Page 593: Editing Sysx Banks
DRMs on an as-is basis. Additional user-supplied DRMs may be available on the Cakewalk web site (www.cakewalk.com). Editing Sysx Banks Editing a Sysx bank is very similar to creating one. To Edit a Sysx Bank In the Sysx view, select the bank you want to edit, and click the Edit Data button (or double-click the selected bank).
Page 594: Clear Bank
Clear Bank This deletes the selected bank. The shortcut key is d. Name Names are saved You may enter a description for a bank by clicking this button. only in . files. The shortcut key is n. Auto The Auto option tells SONAR to transmit that bank every time it loads the project file.
Page 595: Transmitting Banks During Playback
You may also use this feature to copy a Sysx bank between two SONAR project files. Save the bank into a file, load the other SONAR project file, then load the bank again. This is also a good way to copy one bank to another in the same project file.
Page 596: Real-Time Recording Of System Exclusive Messages
Real-time Recording of System Exclusive Messages You can record short System Exclusive messages in real time. These will end up in the track as the new Sysx Data types of events, which can hold System Exclusive messages up to 255 bytes long. Before you record any Sysx messages, choose Options-Global, click the MIDI tab, and make sure that System Exclusive is checked.
Page 597: Sysx . Ini File Settings
Sysx . File Settings initialization file contains settings that govern the sending and TTSSEQ receiving of System Exclusive information. If you are experiencing difficulties using Sysx, you will probably be able to correct the problem by adjusting these settings. The options described below occur in the [Options] section of the file.
Page 598: Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting SONAR Is Not Receiving Sysx Messages • Make sure all your devices are connected correctly. • Make sure you have the right MIDI Input selected by using the Options- MIDI Devices command. • Make sure that your instrument is set up to transmit System Exclusive data. Sysx Bank Names Don't Show When I Open a File Sysx bank names are only saved in .
Page 599 Timing Requirements When Receiving Sysx Some MIDI devices have special timing requirements when receiving System Exclusive transmissions. If your equipment has problems receiving System Exclusive data from SONAR, you might need to introduce some small delays to allow the equipment to digest the information it is receiving. The line in that reads SysxDelayAfterF7=n enables SONAR to TTSSEQ...
Page 601: Synchronizing Your Gear
Synchronizing Your Gear Your computer is often used with other equipment: sound cards, MIDI equipment, and digital tape decks or other digital recording tools. All these devices can have their own built-in clocks or timing mechanisms. When several pieces of equipment are used together, it’s important that they operate in synchronization.
Page 602: Synchronization Overview
Synchronization Overview SONAR supports several different types of synchronization, which rely on a variety of different clock sources: Clock source… Timing is determined by… Internal The clock on the computer motherboard Audio The clock on the computer’s sound card MIDI Sync The clock on an external MIDI device SMPTE/MIDI Time Code (MTC) A time code signal (in SMPTE or some...
Page 603: Choosing Clock Sources When Sonar Is The Master
The Sync toolbar lets you change back and forth quickly between the different clock settings: You can also choose the sync mode as follows: Choose Options-Project, and click the Clock tab. Choose the desired clock source from the Clock list. Click OK.
Page 604: Midi Synchronization
Synchronization” on page 604. If you need to send MIDI Time Code (MTC), SONAR will send this data regardless of the clock setting. To Use the Internal Clock Source Click on the Sync toolbar. Choose Options-Project, and click the Clock tab. Check the Internal box.
Page 605: Sonar As The Slave
The following MIDI messages are sent by the master device to support MIDI Sync: Message… How it is used… Start This message tells slave devices to start playing from the beginning of the currently loaded sequence. Stop This message tells slave devices to stop playback. Continue This message tells slave devices to continue playing from the current location in the currently loaded sequence.
Page 606: Sonar As The Master
To Use MIDI Sync with SONAR as the Slave Configure the external MIDI device you want to use as the master device to transmit MIDI Sync. Configure external slave devices to receive MIDI Sync. Choose Options-MIDI Devices to display the MIDI Devices dialog box. Make sure that your MIDI interface is highlighted in the Inputs list, and click Click on the Sync toolbar to use the MIDI Sync clock source.
Page 607: Using Midi Sync With Drum Machines
Option… What it’s for… Locate Delay for SPP Some older MIDI devices take a small amount of time to Recipient respond to SPP messages. This option causes SONAR to delay briefly after sending an SPP message, to give the slave device time to respond.
Page 608: Troubleshooting Midi Sync
Troubleshooting MIDI Sync If you experience problems with MIDI Sync when SONAR is the master device, verify that your external devices are configured correctly to respond to MIDI Sync. Most devices have a Clock option that should be set to External or MIDI. If SONAR does not respond to MIDI Sync as a slave device, verify that your external devices are configured correctly to transmit MIDI Sync.
Page 609 Frame Rates Seven time code frame rates are supported in SONAR, which are normally used for the following types of applications: External Cakewalk Description… Timecodes… Setting 24 frames per second 24 FPS Used for theatrical film worldwide. Any film in North America or Japan uses this setting.
Page 610 To Use SONAR as the Master MTC Generator Configure the clocks on each external device that you want to synchronize to receive SMPTE/MTC. Make sure they’re connected to MIDI outputs from your computer or MIDI interface. Click on SONAR’s Sync toolbar to use the Internal or Audio clock source (to display the Sync toolbar, use the View- Toolbars-Sync command).
Page 611 To Configure SONAR to Sync to SMPTE/MTC Click the SMPTE/MTC mode button in the Sync toolbar. Select Options-Global and click on the Timecode tab. Select one of the following options: • Ask first, then switch to clock source and start—this option prompts SONAR to alert you when it detects a SMPTE/MTC signal, asks if you want to sync to the incoming signal, and if you respond that you do, switches the clock source and starts to receive the signal.
Page 612: Playing Digital Audio Under Smpte/Mtc Sync
Note: If you want SONAR to switch its clock source to SMPTE/MTC automatically when SONAR receives a SMPTE/MTC signal, you can choose this option on the Timecode tab of the Global Options dialog. Playing Digital Audio under SMPTE/MTC Sync SONAR gives you two choices for controlling audio playback when using time SMPTE/MTC Sync: Option…...
Page 613: Smpte/Mtc Sync And Full Chase Lock
SMPTE/MTC Sync and Full Chase Lock When using SMPTE/MTC Sync with full chase lock, the first time you play any audio the pitch may fluctuate wildly for up to 30 seconds. Also, you may occasionally note the pitch of the audio sounding consistently high or low pitch. A simple analogy makes this behavior easy to understand: Synchronizing audio to SMPTE/MTC is a lot like trying to get even and stay neck-and-neck with another car on the freeway.
Page 614: Troubleshooting Smpte/Mtc Sync
Troubleshooting SMPTE/MTC Sync The most common problems with SMPTE/MTC Sync, and ways to correct or avoid them, are shown in the following table: Problem… What to do… The tape is striped incorrectly Check the tape stripe using your time code generator and, if necessary, restripe the tape.
Page 615: Midi Machine Control (Mmc)
MIDI Machine Control (MMC) MIDI Machine Control (MMC) is a protocol that controls an MMC-equipped remote device via MIDI. SONAR lets you use MMC to start and stop playback and recording on remote MIDI devices such as tape decks, video recorders, and even other software packages.
Page 616 To Configure MIDI Machine Control Choose Options-Project, and click the Clock tab. Select SMPTE/MTC as the clock source. Click the MIDI Out tab. Check the Transmit MMC box. Enter the ID of the master timing device in the Time Code Master’s Unit ID box.
Page 617: Audio File Management
Audio File Management Project files in SONAR do not contain the digital audio itself. A SONAR project file ) references the audio contained in the project, so care must be taken when backing up your digital audio projects. This chapter covers file management, including backing up your projects.
Page 618: The Project Files Dialog
The Project Files Dialog SONAR projects, extension . , contain all your project information with the exception of your digital audio data. This data is stored in a separate folder or folders. You can opt to save the data for all of your projects in a single audio folder, or create multiple folders.
Page 619: Project Files And Bundle Files
Project Files and Bundle Files SONAR project files contain various project settings, any MIDI data, and references which "point" to audio clip data. The audio data (and video data) itself is not saved in a project file. To save audio as well, save your project as a Bundle file (extension ).
Page 620: Audio Folders
Audio Path field. If you want to store the project in the Cakewalk Projects folder, and its audio in the Global Audio Folder, uncheck the Store Project Audio in its Own Folder option.
Page 621: Per-Project Audio Folders
Windows Explorer, or open the project and use the Missing Audio dialog to find and move the missing files. To Change the Global Audio Folder Choose Options-Global and click the Audio Data tab. Enter the pathname of the new Global Audio Folder in the Global Audio Folder field, or click the browse button that’s at the right end of the Global Audio Folder field to browse to the new directory.
Page 622 To Create a New Project Using Per-project Audio Select File-New. The New Project File dialog appears. Enter a filename in the Name field The Location and Audio Path directories are automatically updated in the following format: • C:\default directory\project name. The default directory for new projects is assigned in the Folders tab of the Global Options dialog.
Page 623: Imported Audio Files
Imported Audio Files By default, SONAR will make a copy of any audio data imported using the File- Import-Audio command and place the imported audio into the project’s audio folder. You can configure SONAR to simply reference audio from its current location if, for example, you want to import large quantities of audio data into a project and don’t want to consume time and disk space by making copies of the files.
Page 624: Backing Up Projects With Digital Audio
Backing Up Projects with Digital Audio There are several ways to back up your projects in SONAR. You can use per-project audio folders to keep all a project’s audio in its own folder, use the Consolidate Project Audio command to create a backup copy of all your project’s audio, or you can save a project as a bundle file (.
Page 625: Deleting Unused Audio Files
Close the project. Using Windows Explorer, copy the project folder and its contents, including the project’s audio folder, to its backup location (CD-R, CD-RW, Zip or Jaz drive, another hard drive, network drive, etc.). You have now created a copy of your project. It is a good idea to open the project once you have backed it up to confirm that all audio loads properly.
Page 626 To Delete Unused Audio Files Make sure all project files that contain audio are immediately accessible on a hard disk. Choose Tools-Clean Audio Folder to display the Clean Audio Folder dialog box. Click the Browse button to the right of the Audio Path field and navigate to the folder you want to search for unused audio files.
Page 627: Improving Audio Performance
Improving Audio Performance Digital audio presents several challenges: it is large, gobbling up enormous amounts of disk space, especially at higher sampling rates and bit-depths, and it is CPU-intensive. Added to this mix is the wide variety of audio hardware available today.
Page 628: System Configuration
Note to users of previous Cakewalk products: The DMA settings in versions of Cakewalk prior to SONAR 1.0 were displayed in bytes rather than samples. Using your previous DMA settings in SONAR will not work. Try the settings that wave profiler displays, and if you are not satisfied, only then attempt to optimize your settings.
Page 629 All of your audio settings are listed in the Audio Options dialog box, which you open with the Options-Audio command. The following list summarizes all the settings that the Wave Profiler sets. You can override all of them except what audio drivers are listed in the Drivers tab: •...
Page 630: Enabling And Disabling Audio Devices
Enabling and Disabling Audio Devices Your computer may have several installed devices like FAX modems and software synthesizers that Windows recognizes as sound cards containing audio drivers. You do not want to use these devices for audio input or output. If they are listed as audio drivers in the Audio Options dialog box, you need to disable them.
Page 631 Stream > 16 Bit Data As field. You may need to consult your sound card’s documentation to find the optimum setting. • Check the Cakewalk Website for the latest information about sound cards • Keep in mind that using 24-bit depth and/or a high sampling rate needs a lot of disk space and a fast CPU.
Page 632: Converting Sample Rates And Bit Depths
For more information about working at 24-bit depth, see the online help topic “24- bit Tips.” Converting Sample Rates and Bit Depths In general, it’s better to keep the sample rate and audio bit depth of a project consistent from start to finish, but SONAR has tools and procedures to accomplish the following tasks: •...
Page 633 Final step: use the File-Export Audio command. Be sure to select 16 for the Bit Depth and uncheck all Mix Enables. Now you can burn your exported audio file to CD, using Cakewalk MediaWorks, or other software. To Rewrite Audio Files at Different Bit Depths Use the Tools-Change Audio Format command to open the Change Audio Format dialog.
Page 634: Improving Performance With Digital Audio
Click OK. SONAR rewrites the audio clips at 16 bits. Open the 16-bit project that you want to import the audio into. Drag or paste the rewritten audio clips into the 16-bit project. To Import 16-bit Audio into a 24-bit Project •...
Page 635: Getting The Most Out Of Your Pc
Getting the Most Out of Your PC The maximum number of audio tracks you can expect to play on your computer depends on the audio sample rate, the speed of your hard disk, and the speed of your computer’s CPU. The effect of your CPU on audio track throughput is much more difficult to quantify.
Page 636 Defragment your hard disk If your hard disk is fragmented, playback of audio will be slower. Use the Disk Defragmenter to correct the situation. Turn off the Clip Audio Mix Upon Unless your mix is really distorted, you won’t usually Overflow option on the Advanced tab need this option.
Page 637: Mixing Latency
44.1 kHZ Mono 5.0 MB per minute 7.6 MB per minute 44.1 kHZ Stereo 10.1 MB per minute 15.1 MB per minute 48 kHz Mono 5.5 MB per minute 7.6 MB per minute 48 kHz Stereo 11.0 MB per minute 16.5 MB per minute 96 kHz Mono 11.2 MB per minute...
Page 638: Wdm Vs. Mme Drivers
WDM vs. MME Drivers In almost every situation, the newer WDM (Windows Driver Model) sound card drivers that most sound card vendors are creating are a much better choice than the older MME (Multi-Media Extensions) drivers. If your sound card vendor has a WDM driver, by all means use it.
Page 639: Status Bar/Cpu Meter/Disk Meter
Status Bar/CPU Meter/Disk Meter SONAR has several tools to help you identify and correct audio problems, including the CPU meter, the Disk meter, and the Dropout indicator. These tools are all located on the Status bar, which is at the bottom of the screen. The Status bar also contains a measurement of available hard disk space.
Page 640 of the allowed time SONAR is taking to complete each cycle of disk Input/ Output. • If you experience a dropout or your CPU or Disk meters are reading high, there are steps you can take to improve your audio performance. For more information, see Dropouts and Other Audio Problems in the online help.Some plug-ins do not function well at a 96 kHz sampling rate: Using an audio bit depth of 24 can enhance the performance of some plug-ins,...
Page 641: Appendix A: Troubleshooting
User’s Guide was printed. To view the Readme file, select Help-View README.RTF. • Visit our World Wide Web site at www.cakewalk.com, where you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions, tech support documents, program patches and updates, and more.
Page 642 You don’t have Bank and Patch settings Check the Bank and Patch settings for in your MIDI track each track. Make sure that each track has a Bank and Patch assigned to it. You don’t have an Output setting Check Output settings for each track. Make sure that each MIDI track is assigned to a MIDI output which is connected to a MIDI device capable of...
Page 643: I Can't Record From My Midi Instrument
I Can’t Record from My MIDI Instrument If you are unable to record music from your electronic keyboard, synthesizer, or other MIDI instrument, first test to see if you are able to play back a project through the keyboard. Then try the following: Possible problem…...
Page 644: When I Play A File Containing Audio, The Audio Portion Doesn't
When I Play a File Containing Audio, the Audio Portion Doesn’t Play Open a bundle file ( ) and click the Play button. Do you hear the audio tracks in the project (there may be MIDI tracks in the bundle file, so you must mute them).
Page 645: I Can't Record Any Audio
I Can’t Record Any Audio If you are unable to record audio through your sound card, try the following suggestions: Possible problem… What to do… The track is not set up to receive Make sure that the input for the track you are audio input.
Page 646: The Music Is Playing Back With The Wrong Instrument Sounds
negative value such as -INF in the Vol field, even though the volume envelope is at its maximum level, the sum of the two values is still inaudible because the negative value is so large. Whenever you have mysterious levels in a track or bus, click the Envelope/Offset Mode button that is in the Track view toolbar to switch modes, and then look in the track or bus property fields to see what values show.
Page 647: My Keyboard Doubles Every Note I Play
Click on the instrument in the Uses Instrument list. Click OK when you are done. If your manufacturer or instrument doesn’t appear, check our web site to see if an updated instrument definition is available. You can also create your own instrument definition.
Page 648: Why Can't Sonar Find My Audio Files
Directory, in Cakewalk Projects (or the WaveData Directory in previous versions of Cakewalk products). If you have renamed or moved either SONAR or the Data Directory, SONAR may not be able to find your audio files. If you know where the audio files are stored, choose Options-Audio, click Advanced and enter the full path name of the directory in the Data Directory box.
Page 649: Why Do I Get Errors From The Wave Profiler
Why Do I Get Errors from the Wave Profiler? Audio devices such as voice modems or speakerphone devices can cause an error message when running the Wave Profiler. Sometimes these errors are harmless; on other occasions you need to disable the voice modem or speaker-phone device before running the Wave Profiler.
Page 650: Audio Distorts At Greater Than 16 Bits
In the Play Control window of the mixer, check the Mute checkbox in the Line- In column, or in the column of whatever jack your instrument is plugged into, and close the mixer window. Audio Distorts at Greater than 16 Bits There are several settings in the Audio Options dialog box (Options-Audio command) you need to set before using audio formats greater than 16.
Page 651: My Pro Audio 9 Files Sound Louder/Softer When I Open
I hear more than one sound when • Make sure your MIDI controller is set to local off. I play a DXi. My Pro Audio 9 Files Sound Louder/Softer When I Open Them in SONAR Pro Audio 9 has a setting in the Audio Options dialog box called MIDI Volume Mapping.
Page 652: Sonar Can't Find The Wavetable Synth Or Mpu401
SONAR Can’t Find the Wavetable Synth or MPU401 Follow this procedure: Open the Audio Options dialog (Options-Audio command), and on the Advanced tab, check the Always Use MME Interface, Even When WDM Drivers Are Available option. Click OK to close the dialog. Close SONAR and reopen it.
Page 653: Appendix B: Hardware Setup
Appendix B: Hardware Setup This appendix contains additional details on configuring your equipment for use with SONAR. Connect Your MIDI Equipment If you are using a MIDI interface (such as an MPU-401 or Sound Blaster MIDI option) with an external MIDI keyboard, you need to connect the equipment using MIDI cables.
Page 654 If Your Keyboard Has a MIDI Thru Jack If your keyboard has three MIDI jacks—In, Out, and Thru—then use the following diagram. If you are using a 15-pin joystick adapter cable that splits into two MIDI cables: • Connect the 15-pin jack to your computer’s joystick port. •...
Page 655 Each MIDI device should be set to a unique MIDI channel or range of channels to avoid note-doubling. Refer to the manuals for your MIDI devices for information on how to set their MIDI channels. Your MIDI interface may have a Thru jack as well as In and Out jacks. If your master keyboard lacks MIDI Thru, you can add more MIDI modules to your setup by connecting the MIDI interface’s Thru to the first module’s In.
Page 656: Set Up To Record Digital Audio
Each MIDI device should be set to a unique MIDI channel or range of channels to avoid note-doubling. Refer to the manuals for your MIDI devices for information on how to set their MIDI channels. If your master keyboard now seems to double notes (they sound thicker), or if you can play only one half as many at once, first make sure that no MIDI channel is being used by more than one of your MIDI devices.
Page 657 The 1/8” jack should be plugged into the sound card’s mic input, although plugging into the line input may also work. Electric Guitar Through Effects Rack You can also plug an electric guitar into an effects rack, then send the output of the rack to the sound card’s input, as shown in the following diagram: This diagram assumes that the output of the rack is at line level.
Page 658 Microphone Direct-In Microphones can be plugged into the sound card’s mic input. Some inexpensive microphones are made especially for use with sound cards and come equipped with 1/8” jacks. However, better quality microphones take better quality cables, which do not terminate in 1/8” jacks. The diagram below illustrates how to connect a microphone that terminates in a 1/4”...
Page 659 Mixer You can connect a mixer to the sound card with a setup of the following kind: Note: If your mixer has buses, use them! This helps avoid feedback.
Page 661: Appendix C: Cyclone
Appendix C: Cyclone Overview The graphic below illustrates the Cyclone DXi views and controls. Trash button Play button Export Stop button Sound Pad Group Auto Preview button Bank Import Volume knob Sound Bank Pan knob loops Sync button Loop button Key Map view tab Track...
Page 662: Cyclone Dxi Toolbar
Cyclone DXi Toolbar The following graphic shows each of Cyclone DXi’s toolbar buttons: Export Sound Preview Bank Import Sound Auto Preview Bank Stop Trash The following table describes each of Cyclone DXi’s buttons: Button... Description... Import Sound Bank Opens the Open dialog so you can load an existing Sound Bank. Export Sound Bank Opens the Save As dialog to save the current settings as a Sound Bank (.
Page 663: Pad Inspector
A Pad Group in Cyclone DXi has the following controls: Control... Description... The trigger for playing a loop. Volume knob Adjusts the volume of the Pad Group. The volume value is displayed in the Pad Inspector. Pan knob Adjusts the pan of the Pad Group. The pan value is displayed in the Pad Inspector.
Page 664 In the Pad Inspector there are the following controls: Control… Description… Output You can select from one of 16 audio outputs or use the Mix Only setting to use the Master out. MIDI In You can set which MIDI channel the pad group responds to. Each pad group could have a unique MIDI Input channel.
Page 665: Loop Bin
Loop Bin The Loop bin, located right below the Cyclone DXi toolbar, is where you can place loops you want to use in Cyclone DXi. From the Loop bin you can drag and drop loops onto a Pad or into the Pad Editor. Click to delete selected loop Click to load a loop Current Loop...
Page 666: Pad Editor
note to change its value. Drag the white triangles to extend the range of MIDI note values that trigger the pad group. Key Map Low Key Map High Current Loop Unity note -- plays loop at the Pad Root pitch Key Map range appears in blue Key Map View Pad Editor...
Page 667: Using Cyclone Dxi
Using Cyclone DXi Cyclone DXi is a multi-output DXi, and you launch it the same way you launch other DXi’s: by inserting it into a SONAR project. There are two basic ways to insert DXi’s in SONAR: • You can insert DXi’s from the Synth Rack view or with the Insert-DX Synth command.
Page 668 Click the Sync button that’s on the Pad that the loop is assigned to. The Sync button lights up when it’s engaged. To Set a Loop to Follow Cakewalk’s Pitch Markers In the Pad Editor, select the track you want to follow pitch markers.
Page 669 To Assign MIDI Keys to a Pad Click the Pad that you want to trigger. Click the Keyboard button in the Loop view to display the Key Map view. The blue keys between the Pitch Range markers show what MIDI keys trigger the Pad.
Page 670: Controlling Individual Pads-Volume, Pan, Mute, Solo, Sync
Controlling Individual Pads—Volume, Pan, Mute, Solo, Sync, Looping, and Content Each Pad has the following controls: • Volume knob—turn to adjust. • Pan knob—turn to adjust. • Folder icon—click this to import a loop to an individual Pad. • Mute button—click this to mute or unmute the loop that’s assigned to an individual Pad.
Page 671: Mixing Down Cyclone Dxi
Mixing Down Cyclone DXi You mix down a Cyclone DXi session the same ways you mix down any DXi. For step-by-step instructions, see “Converting Your DXi Tracks to Audio” on page 407. Loop Editing Clicking a loop in the Loop bin displays that loop in the Loop view. The Loop view displays the selected loop as a series of slices that separate the transients in the loop.
Page 672: Keyboard Shortcuts In Cyclone Dxi
• 3/beat • 4/beat • 8/beat • 12/beat • 16/beat The number of divisions per beat in Cyclone DXi is set. Keyboard Shortcuts in Cyclone DXi The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts in Cyclone DXi and explains what they do: Keyboard Shortcut…...
Page 673: Appendix D: New Features In Sonar 4
Appendix D: New Features in SONAR 4 SONAR 4 has several new features (some features are in SONAR Producer only). The following is a listing of each new feature, and a brief description. Surround Mixing SONAR Producer fully supports Surround Mixing. For more information, see Chapter 12, Surround Mixing.
Page 674: Freeze Synths Or Tracks
Freeze Synths or Tracks The Freeze feature allows synths and plug-ins you to temporarily bounce audio, saving on CPU usage. Freeze options can be found in the Synth Rack View and the Track menu. For more information, see “Freeze Synths or Tracks” on page 674. Loop Construction View Enhancements You can now edit the gain, pan and pitch of individual slices of a Groove clip.
Page 675: Enhanced Import/Export/Bounce Features
Enhanced Import/Export/Bounce Features SONAR now has preset controls for the Bounce to Tracks and Export Audio dialogs, allows you to export individual tracks to new files, and has friendly bounce-to-track names. SONAR Producer allows you to import and export surround-encoded files, including Windows Media Pro files. For more information, see “Bouncing Tracks”...
Page 676: Joystick Support
For more information, see “Changing the Meters’ Performance” on page 440. Surround Plug-ins SONAR 4 includes two new surround plug-ins: Pantheon Surround and Sonitus Surround Compressor. Cakewalk TTS-1 The Cakewalk TTS-1 software synthesizer replaces the Edirol VSC.
Page 677 Index Symbols Acoustics 350 Add Node 497 files 198 Adjusting timing of notes See Quantizing size limitation of 619 Aftertouch 313 files 31 data display 315 files 517 See also Channel Aftertouch files 198 AIFF 195 files 587 Amplitude 352 files 517 waveform 356 Anchor points, see Snap offsets 224...
Page 678 editing tutorial 81 stereo chorusing in 391 effects 386 stereo delay in 392 exporting 459 time/pitch stretch in 397 Audio effects finding missing 157 chorus 390 importing 195 controlling 433 metronome 165 CPU usage of 448 mixing 430 – delay 391 plug-ins 386 recording See Recording audio DirectX technology 386...
Page 679 Auto save surround panning 485 changing settings 199 the envelope and node editing menus 511 Auto Send banks 594 toolbar 495 Auto-Erase using 493 toggle off 281 Automation curves 498 using 281 Automation Data 311 Automatic crossfades 380 Automation toolbar 495 Automatic MIDI echo AVI files turning off 146...
Page 680 433 Clip muting with the alternate style 236 Clip muting with the default style 235 Clip properties 358 – Cakewalk FX Parametric EQ 389 Clip soloing 234 Cakewalk FX Stereo Chorus 390 Clips 32 – –...
Page 681 – linked 228 Control groups 449 – moving 214 absolute 449 moving to a specific start time 217 custom 451 pasting as new 215 editing 448 – pasting into existing 215 relative 451 See also Automation Data performance effects of 636 Controllers 307 properties 212 adding series of 316...
Page 682 Crossfades Deglitch filter 537 applying offline 384 using 538 automatic 382 Delay 391 non-destructive 380 adding 328 Current track 144 Delete 208 Current track MIDI echo Digital audio recording See Recording audio turning off 146 Digital audio See Audio Curves Digital distortion 176 types in fades and crossfades 380 Diminuendo 548...
Page 683 Drum maps Edit-Bounce to Track(s) assigning a MIDI track to 340 mixing down tracks using 456 creating 336 Edit-Convert MIDI To Shapes 311 Edit-Copy editing 336 arranging clips using 209 opening 340 copying envelopes using 503 saving 339 importing tracks from other projects with the basics 336 tutorial 104 Edit-Cut 208...
Page 684 – relinking surround parameters 490 Event List view 41 unlinking surround parameters 489 multiple tracks in 319 Effects with surround sound 488 note names in 580 Electric Guitar opening 318 connecting 26 Pitch parameter 319 Enable Automation Playback button 493 Event Parameters editing 322 End 118...
Page 685 Files Exporting surround mixes 492 Exporting video 153 audio 195 Expression event 320 bundle 148 – Expression marks 320 bundle, creating 619 editing 548 digital audio 627 Extract Timing 371 groove 300 importing MIDI 197 – instrument definitions 572 Fade managing audio 617 changing curve type of 384 MIDI 148...
Page 686 Front/rear balance slider 482 what they are 260 working with 260 Full chase lock 612 Groove Pattern 299 copying 302 defining 301 Gain (dB) 374 deleting 303 Game sound 22 saving 301 Ghost strokes 559 Groove Quantize 295 Global 162 using 299 Global Audio Folder 620 Groove Quantize...
Page 687 576 saving 576 Importing Instrument sound audio files 195 choosing an 136 – from a Cakewalk project 196 parameter 130 – music 195 track settings 127 Importing different sample rates 634 wrong, on playback 646 Importing key bindings 523...
Page 688 Key bindings 520 Loop and Auto Shuttle 122 creating using MIDI keyboard 522 Loop Construction view 41 exporting 523 Loop Explorer view 41 importing 523 Loop recording 184 Key+ 130 using 185 KeyAft event 319 Loop/Auto Shuttle Keyboard settings 122 –...
Page 689 Meter/Key 163 – changes 163 Mapped note view 42 changing the mapping of 343 Meter/Key view 42 muting and soloing 344 Metering Markers 44 changing the display of meters 436 adding 225 showing and hiding meters 436 adding on the fly 226 what the meters measure 436 copying 226 Meters...
Page 690 note velocities 313 MIDI Groove clips 267 notes 539 creating repetitions 268 Omni 171 enabling groove function 268 – output devices 134 exporting and importing 269 – outputs 134 in Loop Explorer view 270 pitch wheel 313 previewing in the Import MIDI dialog pitch-bend 313 transposing 268 –...
Page 691 280 changing display of Clips pane using 213 inserting 531 using 213 inserting with the fretboard 532 New features 673 New track moving 280 adding 207 percussion 556 Newsgroups, Cakewalk xx properties of 536 reversing 290 Next Marker 227...
Page 692 selecting 278 Project 167 selecting all of certain pitches 278 Outputs 130 – selecting and editing 277 assigning tracks to 136 size of 299 MIDI 135 stuck 121 setting 134 – transposing 141 Overlap Ratio 396 – using enharmonic spellings 541 Overlapping clips Now Time cropping to eliminate overlap 234...
Page 693 – Patch 130 Piano Roll 315 Piano Roll envelopes – assigning note names to 580 converting to Track view envelopes 311 assigning to a track 137 event 319 Piano Roll toolbar 312 – names 578 Piano Roll view 39 numbers 307 Controllers pane 276 Patch/Controller Searchback Before Play Drum Grid pane 276...
Page 694 Process-Fit Improvisation 241 connecting to 658 Process-Fit to Time 288 Preferences Process-Fit to Time 241 migrating from previous version of Process-Groove Quantize Cakewalk 28 using 299 Preferred interleave 127 Process-Interpolate 309 Pressure value 307 Process-Length Previewing MIDI Groove clips shrinking events using 288...
Page 695 reversing MIDI notes using 290 Property-Patch 138 Process-Scale Velocity 290 Property-Time+ 143 Process-Slide Property-Vel+ 143 shifting MIDI events in time using 285 Property-Volume 139 Project Punch recording 185 creating a 161 looping 187 definition of 31 using 186 importing material from another 196 –...
Page 696 Recording – Redo 249 Arming tracks for 174 Reject Loop Take 185 arming tracks for 174 Reject Loop Take 185 at low sampling rate 636 Relink surround effect 490 audio 175 Remote control 454 choosing an input Remove Silence definition Attack time 370 troubleshooting Remove Silence 369...
Page 697 168 Set Start=Current 453 Sample rates Settings converting 633 migrating from previous version of importing audio at different rates 634 Cakewalk 28 Sampling rate Shapes 498 setting 169 Show Automated Mute 512 Sampling resolution 355 Show layers 232 Save Bank 594...
Page 698 Snapshots Staff view 321 creating 506 changing layout of 527 Soft Synths – editing lyrics in 567 tutorial 100 opening 527 Soft synths overview 40 kinds 400 – Staff, percussion 556 Software synthesizers 399 Start time 279 and WDM drivers 405 Status bar 639 DX instruments 399 Step Record 191...
Page 699 – types of 602 Receive 593 Synth Rack 402 Send 593 Send All 593 Synth Rack view 400 Synthesizer Sysx Data 588 DXi 399 in Event list 320 – patches 136 Sysx Data events 588 software 630 Sysx view 42 with handshaking dump protocols 592 opening 588 System Exclusive See Sysx...
Page 700 setting for new project 166 Timebase 169 – setting the 165 setting 169 Timer Ruler settings 165 – setting to display MBT 119 view 246 Timing Tempo Change 241 aligning 303 Tempo commands errors 294 using 244 extracting from audio 371 Tempo view 42 resolution 169 Text 320...
Page 701 Track Properties muting 125 channel 557 – output devices of 134 Key+ 141 – parameters of 128 output 134 – patch change in 137 See also Tracks – percussion 556 Track See Tracks recording in separate 192 Track status – re-ordering 205 archive 124 selecting several adjacent 204...
Page 702 Tutorial 9 Step Record 191 Using Soft Synths 100 Stop 121 Transport toolbar 44 Large 116 Transpose 141 Unarchiving tracks 126 Transposing 284 Undo 249 – notes 141 – Undo History 249 parameter 130 Unfreeze 441 Trigger and freewheel 612 Uninstalling SONAR 27 Trim Durations 539 Unlink surround effect 489...
Page 703 Wipe 208 envelopes 501 Wipe 208 faders 449 World Wide Web xx output 436 authoring 23 – recording 175 Cakewalk site xx setting 433 – publishing audio on 459 track settings 130 VST instruments and plug-ins using 417 – Wallpaper 45 Wave Audio event 320 –...
Page 704 Zero Controllers When Play Stops 144 Zero-crossings 354 Zoom keyboard shortcuts 43 Zoom Controls 42 Zoom factor audio scaling by 256 Zooming configuring the display of tracks in the Track view 207 entire project 207...
Page 705: License Agreement
("Cakewalk" or the "Licensor") grants to you, the Licensee, a nonexclusive license to have one person use the enclosed Cakewalk software product (the "Product") on one personal computer at a time. If you want to use the Prod- uct on more than one personal computer at a time, or if you want to network the Product, you must obtain separate licenses from Cakewalk by calling (617) 423-9004.
Page 706 Twelve Tone Systems, Inc., d/b/a Cakewalk. 8. TERMINATION. This License Agreement will terminate immediately if you breach any of its terms. Upon termination, you will be required promptly to return to Cakewalk or to destroy all copies of the Product covered by this License Agreement.

CAKEWALK SONAR User Manual

Preface

1 Introduction

2 Tutorials

3 Controlling Playback

4 Recording

5 Arranging

6 Using Loops

7 Editing MIDI Events and Controllers

8 Drum Maps and the Drum Grid Pane

9 Editing Audio

Quick Links

Troubleshooting

Related Manuals for CAKEWALK Cakewalk SONAR

Summary of Contents for CAKEWALK Cakewalk SONAR