ACKUS: Tips and Tricks

[moskus]

Well, I've been wondering what you all do to make recording as efficient as possible, and I thought it would be a good idea if we all shared what we do so we can learn from eachother.

I'll go first with a basic thing:
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Under the View-menu you will find Layouts (EDIT: now I'm home). What this basically do is that it let's you store layouts so you can find them later (if you have a setup you use particulary much).

What I've done:
I use dual monitors with the Track View on monitor 1 and the Console View () or the Piano Roll on monitor 2. I've created Layout that has the Console View open and one Layout that has the Piano Roll open.

Now, to make things easier I've used KeyBindings on those views (Options -> Key Bindings). With Ctrl+R I get the Consol View on monitor 2 and with Ctrl+E I open the Piano Roll on monitor 2.

Ahh, easy switching between layouts! It's brilliant!

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Keybindings is also excellent for other task that you do much. Every option in the menus can be accessed quickly if you bind a key to it. My synth sometimes hangs when "browsing" sounds (it won't recieve Note Off) and when that happens I have to reset Sonar. With keybindings it made it easy to do this. I also use keybindings to turn the Audio Engine on and off (don't ask why, it's my crappy NIC I told you about earlier).

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Now, punch in your tips, people!

And I'll be back with more when I remember them (if I remember them)...

[Makkon]

I have to ask a newbie question .......How do you setup/use
dual monitors , is this 2 video cards and or a hybrid that has
2 outs...I fool around with digital video programs as well and
have seen this platform on there forums as well.

My setup
Asus P4T-E
Pent P-4
512 rambus
Geforce 3
delta 66
omni studio

Thanks in advance
Makkon

[moskus]

Both sollutions (2 cards or a hybrid card) will work, as long as you run Win2000/XP and Sonar.

Just click on the icon in the top left corner of the window you want to float and select 'Enable Floating'. Doesen't work on the Track View, though...

[djc]

It's best to get a "dual header" video card. I have the Matrox Millenium G450 and use two 17" monitors. You can use two separate video cards with windows 2000/XP, but you won't be able to float the (console view for instance) over to the other monitor. I have tried two video cards before. You need a single dual header card and Matrox makes some good ones.

[moskus]

Originally posted by djc
It's best to get a "dual header" video card. I have the Matrox Millenium G450 and use two 17" monitors. You can use two separate video cards with windows 2000/XP, but you won't be able to float the (console view for instance) over to the other monitor. I have tried two video cards before.

I now use a dualhead ATI Radeon 7500. It's great! But I was still able to float different Views (for instance the Console) when I used one AGP and one PCI-card. No problem.


And this is the "Tips and Tricks"-post. Make a Dual Monitors thread!

[postalblue]

i don't know shit about sonar, so i could use a lot of tips (as well as basic information, but i'll take care of that limitation myself).
keep them coming, guys. specially you, JAMES, yes, i'm talking to you, don't look the other way, quit screwing around and contribute something worthwhile.

[moskus]

Originally posted by postalblue
specially you, JAMES, yes, i'm talking to you, don't look the other way, quit screwing around and contribute something worthwhile.

Yeah, James, get your @ss over here!



Hey! Wait a minute, Postalblue! What about me?!

[mixsit]

I haven't done 'Layouts' yet. They are good for instant alternate views in your projects? In templates and the projects, they all ready have the layout saved. (?)

How about sharing templates and or layouts? Could we safely post our examples?
I was wondering if anyone would be interested in a template for routing to external effects?
I'd be interested in how many use external effects. Maybe a poll?
Wayne

[postalblue]

Originally posted by moskus
Yeah, James, get your @ss over here!



Hey! Wait a minute, Postalblue! What about me?!

you're here already, aren't you?

and i'd like to rephrase your last post as- 'Yeah, James, get your SALTY @ass over here!'

[postalblue]

Originally posted by mixsit
I'd be interested in how many use external effects. Maybe a poll?
Wayne

i don't have any. all i use is software. or softgear. sounds kinky though.

[moskus]

Originally posted by mixsit
I haven't done 'Layouts' yet. They are good for instant alternate views in your projects? In templates and the projects, they all ready have the layout saved. (?)

How about sharing templates and or layouts? Could we safely post our examples?
I was wondering if anyone would be interested in a template for routing to external effects?
I'd be interested in how many use external effects. Maybe a poll?
Wayne

Yes, what they do is that they store the layout of the different views you have open when you save it. Say if switch between the PianoRoll and EventList. Store these in different Layouts and bind a key to them.

Sharing templates is possible. Layouts isn't.

[moskus]

Look here for how to integrate hardware with Sonar.

Works like a charm! I use it with an old, old, old echo unit (for creating those insane echo-effects)...

[James Argo]

..Okay... okay... So you guys missed my salty @ss ?

Here's some link for Lesson & Tips

http://www.cakewalknet.com/tipseng.htm

It has many tips you might interest.


Jaymz

[postalblue]

Originally posted by James Argo
..Okay... okay... So you guys missed my salty @ss ?

it's kinda hard to miss.
thanks for the link though. going there right now.

[moskus]

... and some people still haven't seen this: http://www.cakewalk.com/tips/

[James Argo]

How to test the real input monitoring latency of your Audio card with SONAR ?
-by Scott Reams -

Create an audio track and record-enable it. Patch an external audio source into this track. Make sure input monitoring is enabled for the input specified.

Create another audio track. Physically patch the output of the first track to the input of the second. Make sure input monitoring is -not- enabled for the second track's input. Record enable the second track.

Press record, and record some transients from whatever your sound source is.

Set "Time Ruler Format" to samples. Zoom in close and find where the waveforms match exactly. It will be offset a bit on the second track.

Hold the mouse over a point on the first track and note the sample position at the bottom of the screen.

Hold the mouse over the exact same part of the waveform on the second track and note that sample position.

Do the math... subtract the first sample position from the second, and divide the difference by the sample rate. That will give you the exact input-monitored latency in seconds, so .010 would equal 10ms

[moskus]

Hey, that's a test I'm gonna do.




And here is more: http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/SONAR/SRtips.asp

[James Argo]

Surround Sound with Sound Blaster Live 5.1 or Audigy card using Sonar and a 5 or 7 speaker system

Here is how you "activate" this cool and undocumented feature.

1. Setup 3 Virtual Main Busses in Cakewalk. I will call them VMB-A, VMB-B
and VMB-C. You do this by Clicking Options -> Audio. Then setting Number of Virtual Mains to 3. If it is already 3 you don't have to do anything. If it is more than 3 you don't have to do anything. If it is less than 3 you will need to restart Cakewalk after the change.

2. Create 5 audio tracks. Call them left front, right front, left rear,
right rear, center.

3. Record measure 1 the words "Left Front" on track 1, measure two record
"Right Front" for track 2 and so on.

4. Send the output of tracks 1 and 2 (N Front) to VMB-A. Send the output of tracks 3 & 4 (N Rear) to VMB-C. Send the output of track 5 to VMB-B

5. Play back your project.

If you want to use this in a real project I suggest you send your Front channels to AUX 1, rear channels to AUX 2 and center to AUX 3. Then send the output of all the AUX busses to only one VM. Then you can do volume and pan editing on the AUX bus and you won't need to do it for as many tracks.

[postalblue]

here's a tip i got from this forum this week-
if sonar crashes at 100% during mixdown, the file will be where you told sonar to save it.

[postalblue]

if sonar crashes when you try to bounce a softsynth track, just use the cwpaf tool or scroll through the sonar audio data folder. your bounced track will be at the end.

[moskus]

That's a nice one....

(So it did work as I said?)

[moskus]

Here's a little tip for Livesynth users:

If you find yourself constantly loading the same soundfont(s) for each project, why don't you save it as a preset? Then it's accessable even through the DXi-Rack, so you don't need to open Livesynth and manually load the 'fonts...

[postalblue]

Originally posted by moskus
That's a nice one....

(So it did work as I said?)

yes, thanks a lot. i didn't have to click around though. i just left the sonar/projects/audiodata folder open, and when sonar crashed, i'd just check the last file on the folder, and there it was.
it won't let me import it directly to sonar though. i have to save it somewhere else to be able to import.

[James Argo]

Do not use MIDI (SoundFonts and GM banks) when recording for your final mix. Especially if you have audio data in your session also. I found that when you try to set your mix levels when MIDI and Audio data is being played back, the Mix is different when recorded. Maybe it is just my inexpensive SoundBlaster cards, but this is my experience. Also, I have found you can run into timing problems if you have a large number of tracks. It is more difficult for the SoundCard to keep the audio and MIDI in sync. As soon as you are happy with your MIDI composition you should get it into audio format ASAP. Then Archive your MIDI composition incase you want to make any changes at a later date. When you archive it Sonar treats the file differently than if you just mute the track. I find if I make a cool drum groove in MIDI, I record the 4- 8 measures into Audio and then use Sonar's great looping capabilities.

[James Argo]

As soon as you record audio - Normalize it. You do this by selecting Edit -> Audio -> Normalize. Or Tools -> (Your Wave Editor apps). This will take your loudest passage in the track and set it to 0 dB. If you do this then you won't have one track with the fader at -35 dB and another at +6.3 dB because the record levels were all different. This is especially helpful if you record (lets say your guitar) on two different days and you aren't sure if the mixer record levels were set the same. If you normalize it won't matter! Do this even when you record your MIDI tracks into Audio format. This will make the relative volumes of all your tracks about the same and it will be easier to mix.