Best Suggestion to get going with Sonar 3?

[bloozguy]

Hey..

just received my Sonar 3 software, haven't even had time to load it up yet.

Had a multi media computer built, and put in a high school band practice room to create a recording experience for high school students.

I was familiar with my Session Drummer with Cakewalk which had limited built in drum tracks and editing features. From what I have seen, Sonar 3 doesn't have a Session Drummer. Everything is with maps or working with loops, so evidently the Session Drummer was done away with.

My question is...would I be better off investing in a drum machine such as a Dr Rhythm...or, just invest in drum loop cd's? What about Cakewalk's Drumatic Loop CD-ROM?

appreciate your thoughts, thanks...

bloozguy

 

[virgoanmethod]

SONAR 3 I belive does have Session Drummer. I know the previous sonar does, as that's what I'm using now. Check under MIDI effects, as I'm 99% sure its categorized as a plugin instead of an element.

Of course, the Dr Rhythm or any other drum machine is going to be much more versatile for creating any kind of rhythm you or your students want, but drum loops are often higher quality sound and can be just as versatile, with the addition of loop splicing software such as Acid, ReCycle, or Ableton Live. If you're interested in these, there's an excellent article about loop splicing in the Electronic Musician Computer Audio Product Guide that just came out December. This explains the three software applications, and has tips on editing drum loops (and any other loops) for all of them. My personal recommendation: Acid. It's the cheapest, the easiest and in my opinion the best.

A much more expensive but ultimate option would be to invest in Roland VDrums. I have these in my home studio and I can't get enough of them. They start out at 1200 dollars for a complete drumset, the V-Club set, and go up to around 6000. They are obviously much more money than a buyout sound library of drum loops or a Dr Rhythm, but they may be a very helpful addition to your school.