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Artist Impression: Recording Artist Javier Colon on V-Studio 100

Full of heart and soul, major label recording artist Javier Colon is set to release a new album and launch a new tour! No stranger to the stage, Javier founded a R&B acapella group while studying at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music, performed as lead singer of the neo-funk group, EmCQ, wowed Soulive’s guitarist Eric Krasno during an opening set, and spent a few years on the road fronting the Derek Trucks Band. For his new release recorded in SONAR, Javier breaks away from his Urban, R&B mold and grabs his acoustic guitar to sing some soulful melodies over more contemporary and melodic chord changes. Javier is now currently touring the world with a whole new sound, opening for the likes of Joss Stone and Andy Hamilton while also playing solo acoustic shows at 100+ colleges. In this video, Javier talks about the upcoming tour and tells how a mobile recording unit, like the SONAR V-Studio 100, can benefit making music while on the road and on the stage.

Artist Impression: Javier Colon on SONAR V-Studio 100
Uploaded by CakewalkInc. – Explore more music videos
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Classic Cakewalk Tip: Using Keyboard Shortcut Presets in SONAR

More and more people are adopting SONAR as their digital audio workstation of choice. To make the transition easier, we’ve enhanced SONAR’s Key Bindings feature with presets to allow users of other programs such as Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, Nuendo and/or Acid to use the keyboard shortcuts that they have already commited to memory. Check out this tip by DJ Serg and start working with key bindings today.

*Note: You can look for these custom Keyboard Shortcuts in your SONAR help file

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Cool Videos on Making Music for Video Games

Composing music for video games is a growing industry and an increasingly important part of our customer base. At NAMM 09′, we hosted a panel discussing this very topic with some of the best known composers around. Many of our customers, such as Stephen Hanson and Diwa Deleon, use SONAR for sequencing and recording music to their favorite video games. We recently came across their Youtube videos and thought you would get a kick out of their creativity:

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The Basic Guidelines of EQ

What is Equalization or ‘EQ’? How can I use it to enhance the sound of my tracks?

Read the following guide to learn the basic terms, settings and tips associated with EQ. Adjusting the frequency levels while recording your instruments and vocals is just the beginning.

Also, watch the video below on how to adjust EQ in the console view of your Cakewalk software:

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Computer Music Magazine Review Gives V-Studio 700 High Marks

According to the UK-based magazine, Computer Music, we’ve rendered the mouse useless with the SONAR V-Studio 700. Computer Music was especially excited about the VS-700C control surface, stating “the console is smooth, responsive and professional… the (SONAR) V-Studio 700 is a dream machine that vastly enhances the SONAR experience.”

You can read the full review at MusicRadar.com or see the August Edition of Computer Music, available at news stands everywhere.

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Beginner's Guide To Setting Up SONAR

Booting up music production software for the first time can be a daunting task. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the menus, tools and buttons. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to learn the basics of SONAR, check out this brief Getting Started Guide by the folks of the JSONAR Project. Here you will learn how to incorporate SONAR into your studio environment by choosing the correct options for audio setup, MIDI controllers and hardware, and default locations on your computer for your audio files. You’ll also get a simple tutorial on SONAR’s various project views and how to setup your first multitrack recording project.

The JSONAR Project is a one-of-a-kind resource for finding JAWS scripts for SONAR. JAWS is a visual aid for blind SONAR users. The program provides the visually-impaired  with a screen reader and Braille display, assisting them in the music-making process. This page is full of great tips and links for all SONAR users.

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Configuring the ACT MIDI Controller Plug-in

Setting up Active Controller Technology (ACT) with your software through the ACT MIDI Controller plug-in requires 6 basic steps. This tip will take you through 6 essential steps:

– Enabling the correct MIDI input driver for your controller/surface.

– Enabling the ACT MIDI Controller plug-in in the Controllers/Surfaces dialog.

– Loading the correct preset in the control panel of your hardware controller/surface.

– Opening the ACT MIDI Controller property page, selecting the name of your controller/surface in the Presets window, and enabling the Active Controller Technology Enable button.

– This step is optional if your controller/surface has a preset in the ACT MIDI Controller property page (not optional if your controller/ surface doesn’t have a preset): Mapping knobs and sliders on your controller/surface to cells in the ACT MIDI Controller property page.

– Optional: Mapping the cells in the ACT MIDI Controller property page to various parameters in your effect and synth plug-ins.

Watch the More Reasons to Love SONAR- ACT Part 1 & 2 tutorials

Use our Step by Step Guide to Configure ACT with your MIDI controller

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Special Offer: Summer of Synth 2009

Through Thursday July 23, registered Cakewalk customers can save BIG on our most popular virtual instruments. Whether you’re looking to increase your sonic arsenal, freshen up some tired sounds, or simply up your soft-synth game, the Summer of Synth promotion is a great way to do just that and save big at the same time.

Visit our online store to see how much you could save on sounds this summer with Cakewalk!

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SONAR Illuminates the Sounds of a 'Blind X-perience'

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be somebody different? To walk the proverbial ‘mile’ in someone else’s shoes? One organization, based in Hong Kong, is giving visitors an experience they could have never imagined!

Four years ago, David Begbie (DJ by preference) and the CrossRoads Foundation began an interactive crusade to educate the well-off on the life challenges of the less fortunate by placing people in simulated ‘Life X-periences.’ With props and sound effects, Begbie recreates the plights of living in a third world country, battling a deadly disease, walking the streets as a prostitute, and more.

One X-perience in particular, guides visitors around darkened rooms where sound and touch are the only senses they can rely on. Aptly named, the ‘Blind X-perience’, the visitors feel for props and listen to sounds of an African village. At the center of these X-periences is Cakewalk’s audio sequencer SONAR, delivering a series of sound cues for the different scenes.

Take a look at Pro Audio-Central’s article on the CrossRoads Foundation’s Life X-periences to learn more about this enlightening exhibit.

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Shawn Clement Scores 'Quantum Quest' Soundtrack

As reported by USA Today, SONAR user and award-winning composer for videogames, tv and film, Shawn Clement, will be promoting his new soundtrack at Comic-Con 2009 on Thursday, July 23 at the San Diego Convention Center.

Shawn scored the 3-D, computer generated, fully animated, feature length film, “Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey,” with an 82-piece orchestra and real NASA-discovered space sounds. Shawn will sit on a special Quantum Quest panel at the conference with film directors, Dr. Harry Kloor and Dan St.Pierre. The movie is set to release this fall.

Quantum Quest takes viewers on an atomic solar safari through the universe as Dave, a photon living on the sun, tries to save his friends from the forces of good and evil. The Core (good) is a kind being, who lives inside the suns.  His children are protons, photons, and neutrinos, which are created inside each Star, and are sent out into the universe to bring life, light, and knowledge. The Void (bad) is that which existed before the big bang, he hates everything and everyone in the universe for invading his nothingness. Dave must find his way to Cassini Space Craft and save it from the forces of the Void before his friends and the universe are lost forever.

Click here to view exclusive pictures from the Quantum Quest scoring session

For more information, visit IMDb.com and be sure to catch the launch of the movie’s website!