Focal Easy Guide to Cakewalk Sonar

Book description

Get professional results fast with this full color guide to Cakewalk's popular Sonar software. Trev Wilkins provides you with a working knowledge of all the essential tools and features.

This concise book is an ideal starting point for anyone using Sonar for the first time and is suitable for users of both Studio and Producer Editions.

All the key areas are covered, including: * set up * recording and editing audio * recording and editing MIDI * using plug-in instruments* using ReWire * the console view and routing * automation * working with video *mixing down and mastering.

Updates on new features can be found at www.focaleasyguidetocakewalksonar.com

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Preface
  7. Dedication
  8. Acknowledgements
  9. 1. SONAR Basics
    1. The Main Track View
    2. Undoing
    3. Saving
    4. Tool Tips
    5. Toolbars
  10. 2. Setting Up
    1. What You’ll Need
    2. Installation
    3. Customizing Options
    4. Options>Global
    5. Optimization Tips
    6. Templates
    7. SONAR Basics: Things You Need to Know
  11. 3. Recording Audio
    1. Bits and Hertz
    2. The Metronome
    3. Mono Recording
    4. Stereo Recording
    5. Saving and Exporting Audio
  12. 4. Recording MIDI
    1. What’s with All These Ports and Channels, and Things? (A Basic Overview of MIDI)
    2. The MIDI Tree
    3. Banks and Patches
    4. Painless MIDI Signals
    5. How to Get a Sound Out with a Hardware MIDI Module
    6. How to Get a Sound Out with a Soft Synth
    7. Setting Up a MIDI Track and Recording onto It
    8. Inputting Notes in the Piano Roll View
    9. Inputting Notes in the Staff View
    10. Recording Multiple Tracks
    11. Saving MIDI Files
    12. Working with Commercial MIDI Files
  13. 5. Editing Audio
    1. Editing in the Track View
    2. Non-destructive Slip Editing
    3. Fades and Crossfades
    4. General Audio Features
    5. Destructive Edits (Bounce to Clips)
    6. Non-destructive Edits (Bounce to Tracks)
    7. Comping Tools
    8. Selective Clip Auditioning
    9. Creating Loops (Groove Clips)
    10. The Loop Explorer
    11. Making Your Own Groove Clips
    12. Checking Your Loop
    13. Converting a Sample to a Groove Clip
    14. The Loop Construction View
    15. Easy Sample Creation
  14. 6. Editing MIDI
    1. MIDI Groove Clips
    2. In the Track Pane
    3. Editing in the Piano Roll
    4. Multiple Track Editing
    5. Editing in the Staff View
    6. Using the Event List
    7. More MIDI Facilities
    8. Using the Drum Editor
    9. Saving a Drum Map
    10. Using the Pattern Brush
    11. Adding Autocue Style Lyrics
  15. 7. Using Plug-in Instruments and Effects
    1. What are Plug-ins?
    2. MIDI Effects
    3. VST or DX?
    4. The Synth Rack
    5. Inputs to Your Instrument
    6. Manipulating the Output Signal
    7. How Can I Deal with Latency?
    8. Plug-in Effects
    9. Equalization in SONAR
    10. Stacking and Chaining Effects
    11. Effecting Several Channels
    12. Surround Effects
    13. Freezing Plug-ins
    14. Effects and Automation
  16. 8. Using ReWire
    1. What is ReWire?
    2. Recording the ReWire Output
  17. 9. The Console View and Routing
    1. Audio Track Strips
    2. MIDI Track Strips
    3. Track Sends
    4. Buses
    5. Mains
    6. Creating an Aux Bus to Share an Effect
    7. Creating a Subgroup
    8. Surround Options
    9. Grouping Controls
    10. Creating a Fader Group
    11. Remote Control
  18. 10. Automation
    1. Recording Automation on an Audio Track
    2. Drawing Automation
    3. Automating Surround Parameters
    4. Snapshot Automation
    5. Automating Effects Plug-ins
    6. MIDI Envelopes for Soft Synths
    7. Advanced Envelope Editing
    8. Offset Mode
  19. 11. Working with Video
    1. To Open a Video
  20. 12. Mixing Down and Mastering
    1. Inboard or Outboard Mixing?
    2. Basic Guidelines
    3. Markers
    4. Good Habits
    5. EQ Tweak
    6. Track Folders
    7. Comping
    8. Using Another Audio Editor
  21. 13. SONAR Producer Edition versus Studio Edition
  22. Index

Product information

  • Title: Focal Easy Guide to Cakewalk Sonar
  • Author(s): Trev Wilkins
  • Release date: October 2012
  • Publisher(s): Focal Press
  • ISBN: 9781136125416