Cakewalk Sonar - X3 User Guide
SONAR X3
USER GUIDE
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Cakewalk, Inc. The software described in this document is furnished under a
license agreement or nondisclosure agreement. The software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the agreement. It is against the law to copy this software on any medium
except as specifically allowed in the agreement. No part of this document may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and
recording, for any purpose without the express written permission of Cakewalk, Inc.
Copyright © 2013 Cakewalk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Program Copyright © 2013 Cakewalk, Inc. All rights reserved.
Cakewalk is a registered trademark of Cakewalk, Inc. and the Cakewalk logo are trademarks of
Cakewalk, Inc. Other company and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Visit Cakewalk on the World Wide Web at www.cakewalk.com.
2
Table of contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
About this manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Conventions used in this book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1 Installation, registration and basic setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Running SONAR for the first time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Basic audio setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Connecting your equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Opening a demo project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
I can’t hear the demo project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Registering SONAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Next steps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2 SONAR Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Getting around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The Control Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Skylight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The Track view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Console View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
The Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
The Inspector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3
3 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Creating, playing and saving projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Creating a new project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Opening project files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Playing project files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Recording audio into a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Adding an audio track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Getting ready to record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Recording your performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
LICENSE AGREEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
4
Preface
SONAR User Guide is designed to help you learn and use SONAR. This book explains how
SONAR works and how to use it to create, edit, produce, and perform. The SONAR User Guide
is task-oriented and contains cross-references so you can find the information you need. The
User Guide book also includes a comprehensive index that you can use to find information on
any specific topic.
About this manual
This manual provides basic information about how to install and set up SONAR and make initial
settings and system setup. It also provides tutorials to help you get started.
Using the online Help
SONAR also includes complete documentation in an HTML-based online Help system.
SONAR’s online Help provides detailed information about each feature in the program,
including menu commands, windows, dialogs, keyboard shortcuts and common procedures.
You can get context-sensitive help at any time by pressing the F1 key.
Need more info?
In addition to the User Guide and the online Help, you can also find more help in the following
places:
• The ReadMe file contains information that was not available at the time of this printing. On
SONAR’s Help menu, click View Readme.
• Access videos at http://www.cakewalk.com/CakeTV.
• Visit the peer-to-peer Cakewalk forums at http://forum.cakewalk.com.
• Visit the SONAR Support page at
http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/product.aspx/SONAR-X3.
• For technical support and customer service outside the U.S., please visit
http://www.cakewalk.com/dealers/global.aspx to find your local Customer Service Center.
5
Conventions used in this book
The following table describes the text conventions in this book:
Convention Meaning
Bold Text that appears in bold is a command in SONAR.
Right angle bracket
(File > Open)
Monospace font A monospace font is used for file names, directory paths and code
Plus sign (+) A plus sign (+) is used between the keys to be pressed in a key
For example: Click OK.
A right angle bracket is a menu item separator and represents a level in
the menu hierarchy.
Example: File > Open means to click on the File menu and select the
Open command.
examples.
Example: Locate the project named SONAR_AudioDemo.cwb.
combination.
Example: CTRL+A means hold down the CTRL key and press the A key.
6
Conventions used in this book
Installation, registration and basic setup
In this chapter, you will learn how to install and register SONAR, and also how to connect and
configure your audio and MIDI equipment.
In this chapter:
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Running SONAR for the first time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Basic audio setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Connecting your equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Opening a demo project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
I can’t hear the demo project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Registering SONAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Next steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
7
Installation
Please note before installing:
• In order to install SONAR, you must log on as a user who has administrative privileges.
Once installed, the program can also be used by users who do not have administrative
privileges.
• If system monitoring software, such as anti-virus programs are installed on your computer,
you must close them until you have finished installing SONAR. You must also remember to
close applications that are not shown in the Windows taskbar.
• Before opening the DVD-ROM, be sure to read the License Agreement at the end of this
document. By opening the DVD-ROM, you agree to accept the terms of the License
Agreement.
Installing SONAR is very easy. Before getting started, there are three things you will need to
know:
• Where on your computer the program should be installed. If you are not sure you can simply
accept the default path suggested by the installer.
• Where on your computer the Instrument content, sample project files and additional content
should be stored.
• Your SONAR serial number. Your serial number is located on the sticker on the DVD-ROM
sleeve. If you purchased your copy as a download, your serial number will be available
either through your Cakewalk.com store account by logging in and clicking on the “My
Registrations” link, or it was delivered to you via email.
Note: If you choose not to install the Sample files or additional content, you may not have
all the necessary content to use the tutorials included in this guide.
8 Installation, registration and basic setup
Installation
To i n stal l S ONA R
1. Start your computer.
2. Close any open programs that are open or running.
3. Do one of the following:
• If you are installing from the DVD: Place the SONAR installation disc in your disc drive.
If you have AutoRun enabled, the SONAR menu will open automatically presenting a
dialog box with several options. If AutoRun is not enabled, you can start the SONAR
installer by opening Computer (Windows 7), locating your computer's DVD-ROM drive
(this is usually the “D” drive) and double-clicking on AutoRun.exe.
• If you are installing from a digital download: Locate the file
SONAR_X3_[Producer/Studio]_Setup1.exe that was saved to your computer's
hard drive and double-click on it to begin the installation.
4. Click the Install button.
Note: If you exit Setup without completing the installation, repeat step 3 to restart the
installation process.
5. Follow the installation instructions on the screen.
Note: When SONAR has finished installing, additional SONAR components will also be
installed.
Uninstalling SONAR
1. Windows 8: Press the Windows Key or hover the mouse pointer in the bottom left of the
Start screen, then right-click and select Control Panel.
Windows 7: Click the Start button and choose Control Panel.
2. If your view is by Category, click Uninstall a program under Programs.
If your view is by Large Icons or Small Icons, click Programs and Features.
3. Select SONAR X3 and click Uninstall.
Installation, registration and basic setup 9
Installation
Running SONAR for the first time
There are two ways to start SONAR:
• Double-click the SONAR X3 icon on your desktop.
• Windows 8: Click the SONAR X3 tile on the Start screen.
Windows 7: Click the Start button, and choose Programs > Cakewalk > SONAR X3 >
SONAR X3 (Producer or Studio).
Configuring your audio device
The first time you start SONAR, it automatically attempts to detect and configure any ASIO
audio devices on your computer. If no ASIO devices are found, it next attempts to detect any
MME audio devices, then automatically runs the Wave Profiler utility to determine the proper
MIDI and Audio settings for your audio device.
When the Wave Profiler determines the kind of card you have, always accept the default
settings. You can run the Wave Profiler again if you install a new audio device or driver by
choosing Edit > Preferences > Audio - Driver Settings in SONAR and clicking the Wave
Profiler button (or ASIO Panel button if you are using an ASIO audio device).
Setting up MIDI devices in SONAR
After the Wave Profiler utility has finished running, SONAR will then automatically scan your
computer for any MIDI input and output devices that are installed. Sometimes you may need to
tell SONAR which devices you want to use, or you may want to change the MIDI outputs and
devices you are using. Choose Edit > Preferences > MIDI - Devices in SONAR to configure
your MIDI devices.
10 Installation, registration and basic setup
Running SONAR for the first time
Figure 1. The MIDI - Devices section.
At the top of the window, you will see the MIDI Inputs. Make sure that all devices in this window
are checked. If a device is not checked, click on the square next to it.
At the bottom of the same window, you will see the MIDI outputs. The device at the top of the list
is Output 1, and the one below Output 2, and so on. Select one device at a time in the Outputs
window. Clicking Move Selected Devices to Top will allow you to change the order of your
MIDI devices. Then check all devices that appear in the window to select them for output.
Enabling MIDI output devices will allow you to play your MIDI tracks through an external
keyboard, sound module or your sound card's on-board MIDI device. For more information on
setting up MIDI devices using the MIDI Devices dialog, see the online Help topic “Setting Up the
MIDI In and MIDI Out Devices”.
Installation, registration and basic setup 11
Running SONAR for the first time
Basic audio setup
In order to hear sound when playing back a project in SONAR, it is essential to configure your
audio device properly.
1. Do one of the following to open SONAR:
• Double-click the SONAR shortcut on your desktop (if you chose to create one during
installation).
• Windows 8: Click the SONAR X3 tile on the Start screen.
• Windows 7: Select Start > All Programs > Cakewalk > SONAR X3.
2. When SONAR opens (and especially if this is the first time you open it), you will be
presented with several different dialogs. For now, we will close any dialogs that may
appear.
3. Go to Edit > Preferences > Audio - Devices to select your audio input and output device.
Figure 2. The Audio - Devices section.
12 Installation, registration and basic setup
Basic audio setup
4. Select the desired Input Driver. Depending on your computer's configuration, you may
have multiple options available.
You r Input Driver is typically your computer's sound card or audio interface’s input. You will
want to set this to the device that you plug your microphone, guitar, keyboard or other input
device into.
5. Select the desired Output Driver.
You r Output Driver is typically your computer's sound card or audio interface’s output. You
will want to set this to whatever your headphones or speakers are connected to.
If you are not sure about which option is best, use the following table as a guide.
I am using Suggested configuration
A laptop with an included sound
card.
Set both your Input Driver and Output Driver to
<name of your sound card> (MME 32-bit).
Note: If your sound card has multiple outputs, set your
Playback Device to the one labeled “Speakers” or
“Headphones”.
A USB microphone. Set your Output Driver to
An audio interface that I bought from
a music store.
A high-end sound card that I
purchased from a computer store
(Sound Blaster, etc.).
Installation, registration and basic setup 13
Basic audio setup
<name of your sound card> (WDM / KS). Set your Input
Driver to your USB microphone.
You may also get good performance by using WASAPI.
Be sure that you have installed drivers for your new audio
device either from the included disc or the manufacturer's web
site. Set both the Input Driver and Output Driver devices to
<name of your sound card> ASIO.
Some sound cards may offer different driver options. Start by
setting both the Output Driver and Input Driver devices to
<name of your sound card> (WDM / KS).
6. Go to Edit > Preferences > Audio - Driver Settings to select the playback and recording
timing master devices.
7. In the Playback Timing Master list, select the audio output device that you want SONAR
to treat as the default or main output device. This should be the output that your
headphones or speakers are connected to.
8. In the Record Timing Master list, select the input on your sound card that you plan to plug
devices into, such as a microphone, guitar, keyboard or other input device.
Figure 3. The Audio - Driver Settings section.
For more information and the recommended settings for specific models of sound cards, visit
the SONAR support site at http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/product.aspx/SONAR-X3.
14 Installation, registration and basic setup
Basic audio setup
Connecting your equipment
There are several types of audio interfaces (sound cards). CardBus (PCI), USB/USB2 and
FireWire are the most common. Laptops can use an audio PCMCIA card (PC Card). Many
audio interfaces also have MIDI inputs and some have built in MIDI synthesizers as well. This
section covers the various audio connection options.
Analog and digital audio inputs
There are two basic types of audio inputs:
• Analog. Analog inputs allow you to connect a guitar, microphone or other instrument,
either directly to your computer (if you computer has analog audio inputs) or via an audio
interface. The audio interface takes the signal from your mic or guitar and converts the
analog input to digital. Analog inputs are very common and are standard in virtually all
consumer sound cards that are included with most PC desktop and laptop computers.
• Digital. Digital inputs allow you to connect other digital devices, such as the optical output
of a CD player or MP3 player, either directly to your computer (if your computer has digital
audio inputs) or to an audio interface. Common digital inputs include external analog to
digital converters, popular guitar processors like the Line 6 POD and other digital sources.
Installation, registration and basic setup 15
Connecting your equipment
The following table describes the various types of analog and digital connections you may
encounter.
Cable Typ e Description
1/4 inch TRS Balanced analog connection
XLR Balanced analog connection
1/4 inch TS Unbalanced analog connection
1/8 inch “Mini” Plug Balanced analog connection
RCA - Phono Phono analog connection
SPDIF Stereo digital connection
Optical (Lightpipe) Stereo digital connection
MIDI MIDI connection
Microphones, professional audio
equipment
Guitar cable, “Hi-Z”
Headphones, desktop computer
speakers
Turntables, analog cassette
recorders
Read your hardware documentation carefully to determine what kind of connections you have
on your audio interface.
The following diagrams show basic connections to the most common configurations. Please
refer to the documentation included with your computer and sound card for more details about
your specific setup.
16 Installation, registration and basic setup
Connecting your equipment
Connect an electric guitar to your computer
Guitar
Computer Sound Card
(or external audio interface)
Headphones or Speakers
DI Box
Microphone
Computer Sound Card
(or external audio interface)
Headphones or Speakers
USB Microphone
Computer Sound Card
(or external audio interface)
Headphones or Speakers
Microphone input
USB connection
Connect a microphone to your computer
Installation, registration and basic setup 17
Connecting your equipment
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