Hello all, i'm so overwhelmed!

[bumpkin1]

Hey everybody, i'm new here and new to recording. I just bought a samson g-track and it came with sonar LE. I have heard that samsons; and usb mics for that matter, are crap, but with my budget the g-track just fit my bill. I couldn't afford a mic, preamp, and software seperate.

That being said, I find the sound quality to be just as good as what I used before, if not better. But my agony is the software. Sooooooo many buttons, jargon, exc. I have no clue what to do! So far I can record my guitar and singing and throw some reverb on it. LOL

I hope to interact with others on here to learn how to use the software to the max. I know you can put drums and other stuff in your recordings, but again I look like and idiot trying to figure all of this out.

Anyway, hello and I hope to talk with yau'll soon. Thanks

 

[mikemorgan]

Welcome to the board, sir.

Sonar and it's dirivitives do have a steep learning curve. I heartily recommend any of the Sonar Power by Garrigus(?) series of books to help you get started. The manuals are very inclusive but don't really direct you through the processes like these down-to-earth books will. Knowledge is power, and a three hour read through one of his books will make you dangerous! Just google "Sonar Power" at Amazon.com.

 

[tojo]

I know! I tried sonar once, too many buttons for me!

 

[bumpkin1]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[mixsit]

Welcome. See ya'round.

 

[gecko zzed]

But my agony is the software. Sooooooo many buttons, jargon, exc. I have no clue what to do!

Pick an occupation . . . any occupation.

Think about what is required to become reasonably competent in that occupation.

Or, instead, think about how you learnt to play guitar, and how misbehaved your darned fingers were in the early days. Try turning the guitar the other way and playing it left-handed instead of right-handed.

Making recordings sounds so deceptively simple, get a mike, get an interface and load up some software . . . off you go. But it is just as hard as learning guitar, or becoming a doctor, or some other profession.

We can all put a bandage on ourselves, but it takes a bit longer to set a broken leg. Similarly, we can all press 'record' on a cassette recorder (remember them?) and get something on tape, but going further takes time knowledge and experience.

So hang in there. Be patient. Take small steps. Ask lots of questions.
Eventually you'll get there. I'll meet you along the way somewhere, because I'm still learning.

 

[rayc]

I agree with Gecko. I also agree re the POWER books. I use Cakewalk & was toddling along reasonably until I bought Cakewalk Power & then I developed a much better understanding of the prog & had an additional reference to go to for probs. It also had some projects to develop skill & CONFIDENCE.
Time, play & mistakes will get you there eventually.
There's NO RUSH.
You could also consider using a simpler prog like CWalk Pro Audio 9.3 - should be as cheap as chips & is VERY good - I don't anticipate ever exceeding it's potential.

 

[dizzywiggle]

I'm also a huge fan of Sonar. Don't get overwhelmed by a bunch of functionality you're not ready to use yet.

Learn how to create a new audio track, source the right audio interface, arm it for recording, and then hit record. Get comfortable with that since that's all you really want to do anyway. I'm a big fan of the books too, but they can be a bit much to digest without at least being somewhat familiar with the product.

Baby steps. Don't try to learn it all. Chances are you won't use it all anyway. Buy the books, but learn just what you need as you need it....at least to start with.

-Shane
(www.theweelollies.com)

 

[bumpkin1]

I have ordered the Sonar power book, hopefully it will give me insights. I look forward to adding instruments to my recordings via the program, since I only play guitar and sing