This is the FAQ for the Cakewalk.audio usenet newsgroup. It contains Frequently Asked (and Answered) Questions about audio software in the Cakewalk™ product line.
This is user forum. It is run by users of Cakewalk products. Cakewalk™ hosts support forums for support of their products. Learn about these at http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/ We users think that the support by other users is often better than the support provided by the vendor. We may be wrong, we are biased. But we do use the product every day.
Please visit the Cakewalk® web site at http://www.cakewalk.com/ for general product information and specifications. All copyrights are owned by their legal owners and used here only for reference.
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| How do I "RECORD" Session Drummer so I can edit the track? |
| How do I render a Soft Synth track to audio? |
| ** Where can I find Soundfonts and SF editors on the web? |
| ** Why isn't the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth available in Sonar? |
| How do I make changes (to Volume, Pan, and Aux sends) for a track that vary with time? |
| What is pace? |
| How do I dynamically control parameters to a plug-in? |
How do I install Sonar on a PC with DirectX 9 already installed?
Visit http://www.cakewalk.com/support/dx9.asp for instructions.
How do I "RECORD" Session Drummer so I can edit the track?
1. Click on the track # of the Session Drummer track.
2. Process>Apply MIDI Effects.
How do I render a Soft Synth track to audio?
1. Select the Soft Synth track and it's associated MIDI track(s).
2. Select the measures you want to render.
3. Edit>Bounce To Track(s).
To be written.... Get you plug-in fix here (includes VSampler) http://cakewalk.com/Download/SONAR3.asp
I bought Sonar 3 Producer, where is the VSampler manual?
There are extensive Windows Help for VSampler. That may be all that you need.
But if you want a real manual, asking is a great question to ask Cakewalk over on their forums. But since we are a user community, and like to help each other out, one of our members has written a manual, and another is hosting it. So click here for the User Forum VSampler manual.
I upgraded my copy of DR008 that came with Sonar2 XL to V1.11, but the version I was sent says it is V1.10. How do I get the newest version?
The displayed version information is wrong. You have V1.11.
Why isn't the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth available in Sonar?
The Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth is not available when you are using WDM drivers in Sonar. Use MME or ASIO drivers instead of WDM if you need/want the MS GS Wavetable Synth.
I'm experiencing audio dropouts. What are some settings I can check?
Setting the I/O buffer size greater than 64 and making sure your drives are in DMA mode are the key things to check. An I/O buffer size of 256 works for many. Check drive settings in Device Manager, IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, Primary & Secondary Channels. Right click and select Properties, Advanced Settings.
I have Sonar 2XL and I use the version of DR008 that came with it. How do I get the WizLive kit I keep hearing about?
You only get access to the kits if you upgrade to V1.11. Contact FXpansion for details.
I have Sonar 2XL and I upgraded my version of DR008. How do I get the WizLive kit I have heard about?
Check the email you received from FXpansion containing your upgrade details. It will contain the download address, username and password necessary to access the kits.
I am using -SOME- kit with DR008, but cannot hear sounds from some of the pads. Why not?
DR008 supports multiple outputs. The kit you are using may be using outputs that you do not have enabled. You must either change the output of the pad in the Editor for the pad, or reconfigure DR008 to expose more outputs to the host, then restart DR008 and reload the kit.
How do I get Sonar 3 to start and stop like earlier versions?
In SONAR 1.X and 2.X, I've gotten used to auditioning MIDI clips in the track view by pressing the [space] bar, letting the audio play for a few seconds, then pressing [space] again to stop. The vertical > line ("now" time) would stop exactly where I stopped it. But in SONAR 3 when I hit [space] to stop the audio, the vertical line ("now" time) > jumps back (i.e., auto-rewinds) to a marker location corresponding to where the audio started. This behavior could be useful -- but it's > not what I'm used to! Is there an easy way to make S3 behave like 1.x/2.x -- i.e., to disable any "auto-rewind to marker" feature?
Just Uncheck "On Stop, rewind to Now Marker" in Options -> Global.
How do I get the metronome to work in Sonar?
Sonar's internal metronome expects that you have an external physical synth connected. This "bug" has existed for ages. Cakewalk says that they will fix it in Sonar's next major release *4.0) due out in late September 2004
In the meantime, there are a couple of approaches.
What's the difference between RIFF wave files and BROADCAST wave files? Which should I choose when exporting to audio?
Broadcast WAV files include information regarding their placement in time within a project. If you don't need timestamp information, select RIFF.
I finally upgraded from PA9 to SONAR, now all I have is a demo version of the MP3 encoder.
Option 1: Use the SONAR installation CD to install the MP3 encoder.
It will prompt you to insert your PA9 CD for ownership verification.
Option 2: Use the free LAME encoder interface available from
http://winlame.sourceforge.net/
Option 3: There is also an encoder designed specifically to integrate
with Sonar at http://cwenc.sourceforge.net/
What happened to the EQ that came with PA9?
It is available on your SONAR CD as a separate installation option.
How do I contribute, make suggestions or send corrections for the product.sonar FAQ?
This FAQ is maintained by the Sonar user community. Please send suggestions and corrections to sonarfaq@charter.net
Do people in this newsgroup hate Cakewalk?
No, we love Cakewalk™ products, and generally like the company. The company's handling of their discontinuation of the newsgroup made a bunch of us feel unwanted. This newsgroup is a Sonar user community.
Where can I find Soundfonts and SF editors on the web?
Try these links:
http://www.naturalstudio.co.uk/
This list was posted to product.sonar a while ago (thanks to
somebody). It hasn't been
updated, but it's a good start for soundfonts; free and otherwise.
Sonic Implants has a basic introductory page on Soundfonts, with good
relevant links, as well as a few sample soundfonts:
http://www.sonicimplants.com/Products/allaboutsoundfonts.htm
http://sonicimplants.com/freesoundfonts.htm
How do I make changes (to Volume, Pan, and Aux sends) for a track that vary with time?
Create an envelope. Add nodes to the envelope with settings you want (These are non-destructive and realtime). Do this by selecting the track, right mouse click Envelope -> Create Track Envelope and Sonar will list volume, pan, and other standard automatable parameters available. Draw nodes on the envelope, and adjust to suit.
How do I dynamically control parameters to a plug-in?
Most plug-in parameters can be controlled by an envelope. Just
insert the plug-in into your track, and then click on the track to
select it. Right mouse click Envelope -> Create Track Envelope and
the -> will list volume, pan, and other standards, and all the
automatable parameters of the effect. For some effects you have to
drive one extra level, as the effect will be listed.
This is really handy for automating the "OUTPUT MIX" to fade out
an effect.
How do I convert sample rates?
As of this writing, Sonar can not convert sample rates. A future version of Sonar is rumoured to support this. For now, you have to use another package.
A lot of people still prefer to record at 24bit/44.1K if the final media is going to be CD. You lose a little bit in converting sampling rates, although most feel that what you gain from 24bit vs. 16bit is worth the effort.
If you do record at 96K, Voxengo makes a pretty decent FREE product that does one thing and does it pretty well - it converts sampling rates. It's called r8brain and you can get it here: http://www.voxengo.com/downloads/ I've used it for converting some 48K files that I did for video to 44.1K for CD and it did a pretty good job, so I'd imagine it will work well for 96K. And did I mention that it's FREE?
How do I stop the View window (e.g., piano roll, track view, etc.) from scrolling while playing?
The 'Scroll Lock' key.
Why does Task Manger show Sonar using 100% of the CPU, but Sonar only reports a fraction being used?
Sonar always asks for 100% of the available CPU time, therefore Windows Task manager always shows 100% usage. Use the CPU meter in the status bar of Sonar to see how much CPU is really being used by Sonar.
Sonar won't run. When I try to start Sonar, nothing happens. Why?
The most common solution is to disable the ATI WDM Theater Audio drivers.
How do I add my favorite WAV editor (or other utility) to the Tools Menu?
The easiest way is to use Sonar Utils
What are the differences between Sonar and Sonar XL?
Check this out:
http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/XL.asp
What are the differences between Sonar Studio and Sonar Producer?
The marketing and product folks at Cakewalk changed the names of the products for version 3 of Sonar.
The old "Sonar" is now "Sonar Studio" and the old Sonar XL is Sonar Producer.
When will version 'X' of Sonar be available? What will it include?
Nobody knows before Cakewalk announces it!
Please, do not bother to post questions about future versions of Sonar (or
other Cakewalk products) to this newsgroup. We have no special information.
If there are users who are participating under any beta testing, they are under
NDA (non-disclosure agreements) and can't talk. You might try the gossip sections
of the web-based Cakewalk forums.
The latest Sonar announcement is at http://www.cakewalk.com/Press/09-01-04-SONAR4.asp
How do I find the newsgroup?
If you are really lucky and have a newsgroup server setup, just click on this link (news:cakewalk.audio). But most people have to find the answer below:
How do I read this newsgroup with OutLook Express?
How To Setup Your Newsreader To Access Cakewalk.Audio and Cakewalk.Coffeehouse - By Glennbo
Depending on the newsreader software you use, these steps may vary. I will use Outlook Express for this example, since more people use this than any other newsreaders.
If you know your ISP's newserver name, open the accounts section of your newsreader.
For Outlook Express, pull down Tools|Accounts and click "Add|News". This will ask for a display name. Type something in here, like "Glennbo". This is the name that will appear on your posts. Click Next. The next screen will ask for your email address. Enter something like "GlennboIHATESPAM@myisp.com"
Note: In *real* useNET groups, it's a good idea to include some type of spam block in your email address.
Click Next. The next panel asks for an NNTP server. This is the server you will be connecting through, and if is provided by your ISP, will usually be formatted something like. news.yourisp.com If you don't know what your ISP's server name is, you can usually find this information at your ISP's information page, where you got the names of their email servers. After entering the server name, click Next.
Finally, click Finish and Close. This action will prompt you to download newsgroups from their server. Click Yes After the list of groups has been downloaded, enter "cakewalk" in the box labeled "Display groups which contain". This will list all the groups with Cakewalk in their name. Locate cakewalk.audio and cakewalk.coffeehouse, and double click them to subscribe.
You should then be able to access the useNET groups for cakewalk. After the groups list downloads, if the cakewalk groups cannot be found, there are two options you might try.
1. Contact your news admin and request these groups to be added to their news feed. If you don't know how to contact your news admin, go to your ISP's info page, and the address can usually be found there. Most news admins will add requested groups within 24 hours.
2. If you can't get connected as in example 1, you can also find an alternative news server to connect through. There are free servers out there, some are better than others. You will have to do some experimentation. Here's a link to help you get started, if you need to go the alternate server route.
http://freenews.maxbaud.net/newspage.html
Good luck getting connected, and we hope to see you on the UseNet
What newsservers carries cakewalk.audio? which newsserver lets me post?
Your ISP should carry the newsgroup and let you post. Some ISPs don't have newsservers so you may need to find a free or commercial server. Any list of newsservers gets out of date as soon as it is created, so take these with that warning.
You can Google for "free usenet server" and find a list and sites with lists.
Some folks report success with the following servers:
Commercial usenet severs:
Free usenet servers:
Where are the Cakewalk® Forums?
Cakewalk™ has web-based support forums on their website. They monitor
those forums and may have the answers you need. The website forums are at: http://www.cakewalk.com/forum/
Is this where CakeWalk supports their products?
No. This is a user forum. We use Cakewalk products. Cakewalk™ has web-based
support forums on their website. They monitor those forums and may have the
answers you need. The website forums are at: http://www.cakewalk.com/forum/
What is a troll? Why do people say "Do not feed the trolls"?
A troll is any posting (or person who posts) that is specifically designed to attact violent responses. These responses will raise the noise in the newsgroup.
For an official definition, see http://www.faqs.org/docs/jargon/T/troll.html
The only immediate response to a troll is to ignore it. Responding will only encourage the initial poster, causing more of the intended violent responses. See also YHBT. A longer term approach is to add the initial poster, or the subject into the "kill file" of your newsreader.
What is a flame? Someone just flamed me, what should I do?
A flame is an insult or provocation. It is nearly always personal, and usually consists of vulgar languages or curses.
For the origins, see http://www.faqs.org/docs/jargon/F/flame.html
The only sane immediate response to a UseNet flame is to ignore it. Responding just encourages them. See "Do not feed the trolls". A longer term approach is to add the initial poster, or the subject into the "kill file" of your newsreader.
Should I post serial numbers and cracks to this newsgroup?
No. We can't stop you, this is UseNet. We can't stop you any more than we can prevent flames and trolls. That does not mean that we welcome them. The cakewalk.audio community does not condone theft of intellectual property. We make music and want to get paid. Music is software. Software vendors should get paid. There are plenty of crack sites, binary newsgroups, etc.
What is Pace? How do I avoid it?
The topic of Pace is too long to properly cover here, so follow this link to a Pace RFC.
What is the best mic to buy? What is the best mic to buy with $200?
Harvey Gerst just posted a nice summary of his experiences on http://recpit.prosoundweb.com/viewtopic.php?t=9545
Fundamentally, he is a lot more diplomatic that I'd be, which is to say:
"there is no best mic, what do you want to do? what do you want to spend? what do you already have?"
A couple of years ago, I tried to rewrite sections of the rec.audio.pro FAQ to update it to reflect the revolution in mic pricing, new models, etc. I was run out of the forum, I'm not in a hurry to repeat that fun.
I like mics, I have about thirty of them. I expect that I'll buy more, better ones, and sell off some of the cheaper "starter" mics that I have, at least once I become richer, smarter and better looking. I can answer why I bought one particular mic, or even how I got to the collection that I have, but I won't try to answer "what is the best mic" or even "what mic should I buy to use with Sonar" So rather than try to keep up with "what is the best mic?" and "what is the best soundcard?" I'd tend to suggest pointing to other web references. Some include:
What is the best soundcard to buy to use with Sonar?
We use lots of cards and A/D convertors. It is impossible to recommend one without knowing a lot about you, your budget, your studio, your expertise and your expectations.
You can use a Creative Labs Soundblaster, they are so cheap you can usually get one for free.
You can use a better consumer card, or a prosumer card like the M-Audio Delta series, Echo line, RME, Aardvark Q10, ....
Or you can buy a real professional analog-to-digital convertor from companies like Apogee, Benchmark, Mytek and others.
How do I make it sound like Dire Straits? or Eminem? Jay-Z? 2Pac?
It takes more than gear to make a great recording. We can't tell you how to
be an engineer in this FAQ. Learn by doing. And check out all the resources
you can find, on the web, forums, books, magazines, etc.
Mastering engineer Bob Katz has a "CD Honor Roll" list on his web site: http://www.digido.com
This is way too complex a topic for a FAQ. You might also want to subscribe to the PCDAW list. Go here to do so : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCDAW/. In general, DAWs are one of the most intensive applications that run on personal computers. They require a fair amount of CPU and memory, so a very old computer will make a poor DAW. Do lots of research before you spend a lot of money. Also see our PC noise answer.
My PC is too noisey in my one room studio. How do I make it quieter?
Modern PCs are noisy beasts. They have lots of sources of noise, including many fans, disk drives, and case resonances. Starting with a standard commericial PC and removing noise sources is a challenge. There are quieter fans, power supplies, CPU fans, and special enclosures for disk drives. Don't forget that many high performance video cards have their own fans -- and they are not optimized for for silience.
In addition to the ways to quiet an existing PC, there are folks on the list who make special, low noise PCs. In some cases, it may end up being cheaper to pay for a special PC to start than to modify your existing one. There are also special sound control boxes for PCs, altho they tend to be pretty pricey.
Of course, there is a simpler approach. Move the PC to a closet or other room. Just make sure that the closet is well ventilated. Look into KVM cables to extend your keyboard, mouse and video, or look at wireless controls.
If you'd like to learn more about quieting down your computer, or the science of sound in general, visit these Web sites:
What is the HowTo document??
This is a collection of HowTo's gleaned from postings
to the now defunct Cakewalk® product.sonar newsgroup and from subsequent
postings to the cakewalk.audio newsgroup. The HowTo's
are being done separately from the FAQ for two primary
reasons. First, the HowTo's are more detailed, step-by-step procedures or methods
described by Sonar® users. Hopefully, these are deeper than a standard
FAQ answer. Second, these HowTo's represent ways to
accomplish tasks, but not necessarily the only ways. They probably don't get
asked as frequently either ...
Cakewalknet.com is a website run for and by users of Cakewalk software. The site has articles, tutorials, tips and other stuff of interest.
What other resources should I check out?
You should search the web for any topic that is of interest. Making and recording music is a very popular hobby, there are lots of resources that address it. And some folks even succeed in making and recording music for a living. Not enough, IMHO, but some.
Other web sites to look at:
Authors and Contrubutors:
Back to the top.
Copyright © 2004, Patrick Farrell, All Rights Reserved
Compilation Copyright © 2004, Patrick Farrell, All Rights Reserved