by Dan Gonzalez
SONAR helps songwriters improve their creativity and workflow by offering tons of features that are engineered specifically for them. In this video we’ve outlined some of our favorite tools to that save you time while you’re developing your next musical idea.
Try SONAR X3 free for 30 Days.
by Dan Gonzalez
Do you suffer from having too many musical ideas than you know what to do with? The Matrix View is great way to throw all of your riffs, licks, and leads into one place to mess around with song arrangements and structures.
The Matrix View operates under SONAR’s second audio engine. It’s the same audio engine that allows you to preview and play loops from the Media Browser. This non-linear playback engine is what is utilized during your performances in the Matrix View. All you really have to do to get started is drag audio from SONAR into the Matrix. It will populate a cell and then automatically route to the audio tracks you have set in the Track View. Click on the cell and then you can jump around the interface triggering different musical ideas. When you have multiple cells in one column you can trigger an entire column as well.
Try out the Martix View for free – Download the SONAR X3 Producer Free Trial
Grab some of your ideas – if they are loops then you have even more flexibility when changing tempos. If you want some great loops to work with then be sure to pick up these free loops that Craig Anderton supplied for us during Guitar Month. Continue reading “Do you have too many song ideas? The Matrix View can help.”
by Dan Gonzalez
Yes, that’s right. You may think that Addictive Drums is just a simple sample player but it’s actually an impressive tool for sound design. XLN Audio has the program set so that you can only use the sounds they publish. BUT, the engine that processes these sounds is so powerful that you can virtually get any sound you could ever need from the drums they supply.
Next time you are in Addictive Drums check out the Edit section within this program and brace yourself. There are tons Continue reading “AD2: Pitch Envelopes and much more than just drum samples”
Since the release of SONAR X3, there have been more and more commercially viable SONAR studios popping up around the world. One of the more interesting ones that we have found recently is nestled in a land known more for its castles and Celtic folklore rather than commercial music. But nevertheless, there’s a little-engine-who-could called Shabbey Road Studios who are finding great success from London to New York City through their network of talented clients and talented staff. Operated by producers-mixers-musicians-songwriters Al Steele, and Nigel Hart, Shabbey Road Studios is a full service studio just outside of Cardiff Wales. 
Al, a native Australian, has been a multi-instrumentalist since the age of 8. A natural career progression in the music industry brought him around the world at a young age with some very significant names such as the Billboard chart-ers Johnny and the Hurricanes, and Del Shannon who had the #1 Billboard hit song “Runaway” in 1961. He has also appeared as a featured guitarist on many music placements in the Film and TV world which has added much credibility to his current role at Shabbey Road. Al’s studio partner Nigel Hart is a Musical Director, Film and TV Composer, Songwriter and Arranger. He plays keyboards and sings, but also has a large back catalogue of instrumental compositions and songs. Recently, Al and Shabbey Road Studio’ staff have been recording Dan and Laura Curtis who are best known for their album “Love on 42nd Street,” which was released in aid of the BBC Children in Need appeal. Al was assisted throughout this project by Rob Sherwood, another multi-instrumentalist/engineer and X3 enthusiast. Daniel and Laura Curtis are considered as one of the foremost ambassadors for the preservation of the music of the Great American Songbook in the United Kingdom. The Great American Songbook offers a dazzling parade of American popular songs as seen and heard in some of the most beloved films and musicals ever made.
“Whether a project is large or small, our emphasis is always on melody and the big arrangements and massive mixes which are all there to support the song and vocalist. Because of this we spend a long time on recording and then editing the ‘perfect’ vocal take.
The new Comping feature in Sonar X3 is simply amazing. The ability to quickly audition and select your preferred take without having to painstakingly move to a master track is a massive time saver. To just be able to slip the edit point back and forth cuts our editing time by about half! Continue reading “How A Small Studio in Wales is Making Big Waves Internationally Using the ProChannel and Console Emulation”
by Dan Gonzalez
Aurally inspired by some of the most infamous bad boys of the comic world – the Rapture Supervillain Pack brings some serious injustice to your array of sounds and effects for SONAR X3 Producer and SONAR X3 Studio.
We’ve drawn up some sounds and effects for the following comic Supervillain fan favourites:
Ultron, Apocalypse, Loki, Brainiac, Darkseid, Doctor Ocotopus, Doomsday, Dr. Doom, Galactus, General Zod, Harley Quinn, The Joker, Magneto, Mandarin, Megamind (Movie Star), Mysterio, Electro, Silver Surfer, Sinestro, Parallax, Syndrome (The Incredibles), Thanos, Red Skull, Juggernaut, Dark Phoenix, and Violater
Download it here.
If you love virtual instruments then you’ll be happy with your upgrade to SONAR X3 Producer. We’ve got instruments for every use case, skill level, and genre of music. Who needs a band when you’ve got SONAR X3’s array of instruments at your disposal.
Hailing from the beautiful city of Stockholm – XLN Audio brings Cakewalk users a bountiful set of sounds inside of their flagship program Addictive Drums. The program consists of some of the best drum samples that you could possibly get that are completely optimized for both hardcore and first time users.
A classic in the Cakewalk world. Dimension is a powerhouse sample based virtual instrument that can play extensive libraries consisting of drums, guitars, strings, etc. Continue reading “SONAR X3 Producer: Can You Ever Have Enough Virtual Instruments?”
Syntorial: Z3TA+ 2 Edition – A New Way To Learn Synthesis
Syntorial is video game-like training software that will teach you how to program synth patches by ear. With almost 200 lessons, combining video demonstrations with interactive challenges, you’ll get hands on experience programming patches on a built-in soft synth and learn everything you need to know to start making your own sounds with ease.
Now comes with over 3 hours of Z3TA+ 2 video lessons!
We recently had the opportunity to catch up with our friend Ben Cantil (aka. Encanti) – EDM Producer, author of the Mutant series Expansion Packs, and evangelist for Z3TA+ 2.
What are your goals for the students in your class?
by Dan Gonzalez
Are you new to SONAR? Well then this article is for you!
SONAR acts a bit differently than some of it’s competitors – especially when it comes to inserting, routing, and using virtual instruments. Let’s take a look at the way these work inside of SONAR:
The first way is by selecting from the main menu along the top of SONAR: Insert > Soft Synth > (type of plugin) > (plugin)
Another useful way is to use the Synth Rack and click on the “+” button. This will expose a similar list.
Lastly, one of the quickest and easiest ways Continue reading “Understanding Virtual Instrument Routing in SONAR”
Here are some of our favorite Z3TA+ tips and videos from our archive:
Z3TA+ 2 comes packed with a massive pool of MIDI programs that power it’s internal Arpeggiator, but why stick to the stock programs when you can make your own?
Here’s how:
Who doesn’t like bass? Especially synth bass. Z3TA+ 2 is the answer to all of your sound design needs especially when you are looking to improve your production in the low end. I’ve put together a short tutorial on how to make a simple bass synth inside of Z3TA+2. Once you understand how everything works together you’ll be able to really start to make this plugin work for you.
Picking the right Oscillators
Within Z3TA+2 the first section you need to start working with is the OSC section. First I’ve selected two different square waves for OSC 1 and 2. They were Vintage Square 1 and Vintage Square 2. When creating a bass synth you need to make sure that your patch will not break up in the low end so be sure not to drop the octaves on the individual oscillators too low. I typically set mine to -2 at the most. Once you get to a certain range the instrument will sound weak and lose it’s driving Bass Synth sound
[READ THE REST OF THE TIP HERE]
