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How do I record audio on a Windows PC?

While recording audio is one of  the most basic function in SONAR X1, it still remains among the frequently asked questions. Within one minute this get-started video demonstrates the 4 basic steps necessary to record audio.

1.) Insert a new audio track

2.) Select your input

3.) Arm your track

4.) Hit record

If recording audio is this easy, you’ll be accepting your Grammy in no time!

Haven’t tried SONAR X1 yet? You can download your free trial today!

Or you can check out more videos to help get you started with the basic setup and operation of SONAR and its features at CakeTV.

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Why you need a subwoofer. Or, "What's goin' on down there?"

So your newest masterpiece is ready to be mixed in SONAR’s pristine 64bit audio engine for the rest of the world to hear, but are you really hearing the full range of your mix? If your monitoring system does not include a subwoofer, then you most likely are not.

While an ear can be trained to work with almost anything over time, a good monitoring system is crucial for making more accurate judgments in mixing. In my early days as a fledgling engineer, the studio I worked out of had a nice set of monitors but no sub. So what does that mean? Endless time wasted making (at that time) cassettes to run out to the car with so you could find out that the low end was either too high or too low or not hitting the right frequencies. Back to the board, hope your guess at the eq adjustment was right and then back to the car again. Better fire up the coffee machine, this could take all night. Continue reading “Why you need a subwoofer. Or, "What's goin' on down there?"”

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Computers in the Studio (Part 1)

Musician or IT professional?

It seems today’s musicians must be part artist and part IT professional. It’s a difficult dance that requires knowledge, time, and patience in order to achieve a level of success. The intention of this series of blog posts is to help with the IT part or the equation. My goal is to help with questions related to system optimization, maintenance, organization, networking, and other IT-related concerns important to musicians in the 21st century.

In this first post I’d like to talk about basic practices for achieving a smooth running PC-based DAW. I’ll also offer my thoughts and suggestions on OS “tweaking” or “tuning”. In subsequent posts we’ll get deeper into specific areas and talk about other aspects like organization and networking. Most of these tips will assume you’re running a PC with Windows 7 installed. Continue reading “Computers in the Studio (Part 1)”

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Cakewalk Artists on Both PC and Mac Are Off to an Enormous 2012

Cakewalk Artists on Both PC and Mac are off to an Enormous 2012

We are well on our way into 2012 and many artists relying on various Cakewalk products are off to an enormous year.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have spent some time with most of these artists recently, and even more fortunate to have worked with a few in some creative capacities using SONAR X1 in the recent past.  There are some common threads that these artists share, but I think the most important element is that they are all working ridiculously hard in their own circles.

Murray Daigle

[Toronto, ONT, Canada]  Murray Daigle is a very talented Canadian Producer/Mixer/Songwriter out of Toronto Canada.  He just relocated to a new space in Toronto and opened a new studio running SONAR X1 Expanded.  A big “congratulations” goes out to him on a “Certified Gold” record for Neverest’s track “About Us” along with a SOCAN #1 Award (co-written and mixed on Cakewalk Sonar X1.)  Murray also produced and co-wrote other tracks on the Neverest release which came out in January and is already working on material for another release later this year. Continue reading “Cakewalk Artists on Both PC and Mac Are Off to an Enormous 2012”

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SONAR X1 on a Mac? Yes, you can!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A question I am frequently asked is, “Do you guys make SONAR X1 for the Mac?” The answer to which is no, SONAR X1 is made for Windows. But do not despair, there is a solution! For Macs with Intel processors there’s an application called Bootcamp which will allow you to install the Windows operating system on your Mac.Unlike some of the other applications that allow you to run Windows inside the Mac OS, Bootcamp allows you to boot exclusively into Windows or Mac OS on startup. This is the optimal method of running Windows as all of the Mac’s resources are available. Continue reading “SONAR X1 on a Mac? Yes, you can!”

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SONAR X1 Video – Linear & Non-linear Music Production

There are lots of ways to make music – from precise, deliberate composition to live performance and freeform improvisation. You might want traditional, linear multi-tracking or you might want to just experiment and jam. The good news is you don’t have to choose. Merging the realtime, experimental approach of loop and phrase based composition with traditional, linear multi-track style production, SONAR X1 is specifically designed to offer the best of both worlds.
Continue reading “SONAR X1 Video – Linear & Non-linear Music Production”

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Grammy Nominated Luigie Gonzalez on SONAR X1

Friday, May 13 – Los Angeles, CA

Luigie Gonzalez 1In the Cakewalk Artist Relations Department we have the honor of working with many producers, songwriters, mixing engineers, composers and musicians on a daily basis.  As we all know (or we should all know), the beauty of SONAR is that not only does it stand out as the premier top-notch Digital Audio Workstation, but it’s also an inspirational and creative workhorse.  Many recording artists and producers looking for a more creative environment turn to SONAR and never look back.  The ability to customize just about anything you want, combined with a complete sonic package of content, plugins, virtual synths and other instrumentation really gives SONAR its award winning edge. Continue reading “Grammy Nominated Luigie Gonzalez on SONAR X1”

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There's Been a Murder (FM) on SONAR X1

Friday, April 8 – Dallas, TX

“Deep in the Heart of Texas,” a song you most likely will not hear at a Murder FM show, but it is a location where you will find the band pounding out amazing material using SONAR X1.  In terms of work ethic and sheer determination, one will rarely find a band more in tune with what it takes to be a successful organization.

Based out of Dallas, TX, Murder FM (comprised of Norman Matthew, J6, Matt X3r0, and Brandon Arpin) has been performing sold out shows from coast to coast in the The United States while sharing the stage with some other notable bands such as Korn, The Used, Dope, Sick Puppies, Cavo, Red, Domain, 69 Eyes, The Birthday Massacre and Trapt amongst others.  Lead singer/guitarist (and producer) Norman Mathew has been relentless in the past recent years setting up and maintaining the bands success.  “It’s a real balancing act nowadays,” Norman says.  “It’s a lot different than it used to be where you could just work on your music and let things fall into place.  Now it’s a matter of working on your music just as hard, but on top of that you have to be on your promotional and business game as well.  That’s why I have been so stoked on SONAR for my career because it really allows me to zoom in quickly and efficiently on my creativity.” Continue reading “There's Been a Murder (FM) on SONAR X1”

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Converting and Recording MIDI into Audio

cakewalk_tips-sm1MIDI files function like sheet music. Sheet music contains all the information an instrumentalist needs to make music. If the instrumentalist does not play what’s written on the sheet music, you hear nothing. Like sheet music, MIDI does not transmit audio signals (digital or analog). Meaning, if you were to plug your MIDI cable into a loudspeaker or audio device, you wouldn’t hear anything.

Therefore, you need to convert a MIDI file into an audio file in order to hear what it really sounds like. There are several ways you can playback MIDI in Cakewalk and several ways you can convert or record MIDI to audio. Follow the link to Cakewalk’s support pages for more information.