SONAR is a digital audio workstation by Cakewalk, a subsidiary of Roland. It is the only major DAW with a scripting language, and you need a Windows PC to run it.
It started life in 1987 as a DOS MIDI sequencer, and has been under constant development ever since. It competes very well with other major DAWs, and the Producer version costs around $400.
Last week’s article covered SONAR’s history and features. This week we learn how to use it. Here are 14 tutorials that make using SONAR a piece of cake.
This article was previously published on the AudioJungle blog, which has moved on to a new format in 2010. We’ll be bringing you an article from the AudioJungle archives each week.
1. Introducing: SONAR 8 Producer & Studio
“Cakewalk’s Product Manager Alex Westner reveals all about the newest versions of our prized digital audio workstation! Learn about all the new features and control assistants added to make this platform the hottest on the market!”
2. Session Drummer 3: Getting Started
“Getting started with Session Drummer 3, new to SONAR 8.5.”
3. Step Sequencer 2.0: Getting Started
“Getting started with Step Sequencer 2.0, new to Sonar 8.5.”
4. Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 Matrix View
“How to use the Matrix View in Cakewalk Sonar 8.5. This is a reformatted excerpt from the free update for Sonar 8.5 to Sonar 8 – Know It All! by Digital Music Doctor.”
5. ProRec 127th AES Coverage: Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 Matrix View
“Rich Curtis from Cakewalk gives us a demonstration of Sonar 8.5′s new Matrix View.”
6. Cakewalk’s SONAR 8 Webinar
“Live from Cakewalk HeadQuarters in Boston, MA. Inaugural SONAR 8 Webinar. Hosted by Seth Perlstein.”
7. SONAR 8: TS64-Transient Shaper
“Introducing SONAR 8′s TS64-Transient Shaper and the effects it has on various instrument loops. Fix, enhance, and completely change the quality of sound of anything you produce.”
8. Using Controllers in SONAR 8
“This is a guide on using pitch wheel controllers in the piano roll view of SONAR 8 Producer edition. You can create or edit controllers such as modulation, velocity and many more in this way.”
9. Sonar 8 Better Piano Sounds
“Just a quickie, well 10 minutes really, on how I get a massive piano sound out of my cheap keyboard using Cakewalk Sonar 8 producer Edition.”
10. AUTOTUNE—SONAR 8
“This video will show you how to load VST plugins.”
11. Chuck Carr showing Cakewalk’s VX-64 VocalStrip
“Chuck Carr – Producer/Songwriter. I spent the last 12 years at PlayStation writing & producing music for 100′s of games & artists. Here’s an example of how I use the Cakewalk VX-64 VocalStrip processor on The Hoff’s voice for an upcoming release.”
12. Editing Clips, Loops, & Groups in SONAR 8
“The Comping and Editing Tools in SONAR 8 can get you that perfect track in no time. Comping means to loop a section of a project and record multiple takes. The best loops and takes can be combined to produce the perfect track. In this video you will learn more about the clip selection groups, the free edit tool, and other edit tool enhancements that will allow you to edit the layers, pick your favorite, and put a great piece of music together FAST!”
13. SONAR 8 PRODUCER / Basic usage of Beatscape
“It introduces a basic usage of Beatscape attached to SONAR8PE.”
14. Sonar 8 Editing Midis Tutorial
“In response to a query about how to edit a midi track you have played wrong on the keyboard i have made a basic video on how to edit the notes after the fact.”