CAKEWALK sonar x3, User Manual

Page 1: ...SONAR X3 USER GUIDE...

Page 2: ...pecifically 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...

Page 3: ...nstallation 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 SONA...

Page 4: ...ojects 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 4...

Page 5: ...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 con...

Page 6: ...ght 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 Monospace font A monospace font is...

Page 7: ...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...

Page 8: ...t 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...

Page 9: ...e 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 5 Follow the installation instruct...

Page 10: ...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 Profi...

Page 11: ...st 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...

Page 12: ...t 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 espe...

Page 13: ...on 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...

Page 14: ...lt 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 device...

Page 15: ...hone 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 th...

Page 16: ...Please refer to the documentation included with your computer and sound card for more details about your specific setup Cable Type Description 1 4 inch TRS Balanced analog connection XLR Balanced anal...

Page 17: ...ect a microphone 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...

Page 18: ...jack on your MIDI keyboard or standalone MIDI interface and plug the other end into your computer Be sure to install any software drivers that came with your MIDI keyboard or interface Standard MIDI C...

Page 19: ...t you jump to popular locations on your computer s hard disk The browsing pane lists all the project files and folders that are available in the selected folder The Go to Folder drop down list allows...

Page 20: ...playback files there is much more you can do with SONAR For more information see Next steps on page 22 I can t hear the demo project If you weren t able to hear the demo project it is most likely rela...

Page 21: ...s unable to pass audio data fast enough There are a few things that may alleviate this Increase the buffer size or mixing latency Go to Edit Preferences Audio Driver Settings and increase the value of...

Page 22: ...PM and 6 PM Eastern Standard Time If you live outside of North America please visit our distributor s page at http www cakewalk com Dealers global aspx to get contact information for your local distr...

Page 23: ...completed all instructions in the Installation registration and basic setup chapter For more in depth information about specific SONAR features please see the online Help In this chapter Getting arou...

Page 24: ...oject can have an unlimited number of tracks Each track can be made up of one or many clips Clips are the pieces of sound and music that make up your tracks A clip might contain a horn solo a drum bre...

Page 25: ...ou configure Snap to Grid settings Transport module Contains standard controls for Record Return to Zero Rewind Stop Play and Fast Forward Loop module Lets you configure loop settings Mix module Lets...

Page 26: ...light interface are as follows Track view Manage tracks and arrange clips and events in your projects Inspector See all vital track and clip information in one logical and quickly accessible location...

Page 27: ...or press ALT 1 Figure 7 The Track view A Track pane B Clips pane C Video Thumbnail pane D Navigator pane E Bus pane The Track view is divided into several sections The menu bar at the top The Track pa...

Page 28: ...rangement of music and sound in your project The Bus pane shows the buses in the project The Navigator pane displays a large part of your project so you can see an overview of your song The Navigator...

Page 29: ...the Console View choose Views Console View or press ALT 2 Figure 8 The Console view A Console view menu B ProChannel Producer and Studio only C Pane splitter bars D Track channel strips E Bus channel...

Page 30: ...Modules Controls in channel strips are grouped into modules that can be shown or hidden The Browser The Browser lets you find and import various types of content into your projects including audio an...

Page 31: ...or provide easy access to relevant settings for the selected track s or clip s To expand or collapse the Inspector choose Views Inspector view or press I Figure 10 The Inspector A Show hide Clip Prope...

Page 32: ...32 SONAR Tour The Inspector...

Page 33: ...r 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...

Page 34: ...rmed with them Whenever you write or record music in SONAR you are writing it to be saved into a project A project can contain a variety of elements including Audio tracks MIDI tracks Instrument track...

Page 35: ...ect based on any available template Online Videos and more Click this link to view our tutorial videos online An active Internet connection is needed in order to access this content Getting Started Cl...

Page 36: ...your project Click the Browse button to browse to a specific location Store Project Audio in its own Folder Select this check box if you want to store the project s audio files in a separate folder I...

Page 37: ...this can be done in SONAR Click the Open a Project button in the Quick Start dialog that is first presented when SONAR starts Select File Open from the menu bar across the top of SONAR s screen Let s...

Page 38: ...ow can be used for storing notes comments credits and other helpful information about a project For now close File Information window by clicking the Close button in the upper right corner of the wind...

Page 39: ...ton is used to silence every track except the one that is soloed This can be handy for isolating a particular performance or recording for monitoring or mixing purposes SONAR allows you to solo multip...

Page 40: ...all of the track s outputs are set to the appropriate device the next step is to play the project to make sure it can be heard and sounds right Locate the Control Bar at the top of SONAR s screen The...

Page 41: ...g Before doing anything in this window the first thing you should do is select Project Files in the Go to Folder list Even if it already says Project Files click it anyway You will notice this window...

Page 42: ...h larger in size than regular Cakewalk Project files because they contain all of the audio data for a project so try to avoid using this format unless you need to move a project between computers When...

Page 43: ...tal audio you ll need a new audio track Follow these steps to insert one 1 Do one of the following Click Insert and then click Audio Track Right click on the Tracks pane and select Insert Audio Track...

Page 44: ...etting ready to record At this point we need to check the input levels to make sure they are sufficient and not distorting Perform as you would if you were recording and watch the meter on the track r...

Page 45: ...or press R on your computer keyboard 5 You will hear two measures counted in by the metronome and then recording will begin Start performing at the beginning of the third count 6 When you finish recor...

Page 46: ...46 Getting Started Recording audio into a project...

Page 47: ...n If you need more information than you can find in the SONAR User Guide or the included help documentation here are some great places to start Check out the SONAR Support page at http www cakewalk co...

Page 48: ...48 Troubleshooting...

Page 49: ...19 troubleshooting 20 E Electric guitar connecting 17 Equipment connecting 15 Events 24 G Getting around 24 I Inspector 31 Installation 8 M Microphone connecting 17 MIDI controller connecting 18 MIDI...

Page 50: ...50 R Registration 22 T Time display 24 Time ruler 24 Track view 26 Tracks 24 U Updates 47...

Page 51: ...roduct 2 4 You may NOT transfer the Product If transferred in whole or in part the original and subsequent owners forfeit all rights to use the software 2 5 You may not use the documentation for any p...

Page 52: ...E ONLY WARRANTY GIVEN BY CAKEWALK WITH RESPECT TO THE ENTIRE PRODUCT CAKEWALK MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTIES EXPRESS IMPLIED OR ARISING BY CUSTOM OR TRADE USAGE AND SPE CIFICALLY DISCLAIMS THE IMPLIED WARR...

Page 53: ...egarding the subject matter hereof the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover in addition to any other relief granted reasonable attorneys fees and litigation expenses 10 4 Unenforceable Terms...

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