What is your method/process of recording with Sonar?

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Johnalex

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I am new with sonar and I would like to know how you go about recording with it. Do you inport sound files? Record Directly? a little of both?, and please explain how you go about doing it. I know how to work the program but I am just trying to see what other people do and how they work it. Thanks
 
...it deppends on the source. I did these :
Import sample & loops sometimes directly.
Render my soundfonts & internal synth DXi directly.
Record other stuff (vox, guitars, etc.) directly.
Guess everybody does the same...
:cool:
 
I have seen vox often..what is it?..the amp?

just wondering.
 
Vox = Vocals

I record most of my stuff directly, and program the drums with a DXi called LiveSynth Pro DXi. It's a software soundfontplayer.
 
Pretty much just turn it on and play violin. If it sucks, I do it again!
 
It really depends on what you want to achieve.

Is it Acid-style loop-based music I want to make (not often!), I import samples from my library and play around with them. Is it rock n' roll (yeah, baby), I often experiment with a riff and effects, get the drums sounding right, and then track the rest (bass, vox, extra guitars, percussion, and so on).

What kind of music are you into?
 
Well, I like to incorporate electronic music, like Reason, with music that I physically/acoustically create. I also like to record jsut straight up rock..but I have no drum set, therefore drum soft synths are essential to my setup.

Any suggestions on getting the most out of Sonar with my prefrences will be much appreciated.
 
I record guitar (acoustic and electric), keyboard and voice tracks in Sonar, create drum tracks with Fruity Loops and create bass lines and choruses with MIDI. I edit tracks with Sound Forge.

I use an old (early '90's) Tascam 4 track reel to reel as a preamp for the guitars and microphones.
 
What your asking is a very open ended question.If you ask ten different people you may get twelve different answers.
I struggled with the same thing you are asking very early on when I first started with Cakewalk.My advice to you is try all the methods available to you and decide which works best for you.
Sonar is an absolutely fantastic piece of software but it can be a tad intimidating until you get comfortable with it.One of its greatest strengths is that yiou can set it up for how you choose to work rather than you working around it.
I use the softsynths and loops in addition to straight ahead tracking.I find loops very easy to work with and the visual component makes them very intuitive.
If you ever get the hang of the Cyclone synth you can use that to chop up and remix loops,getting a lot of mileage from a single loop.
There are also plenty of free loops and samples available online.

GOOD LUCK!
 
Thanks Everybody. Hopefully I will get the hang of this, it is difficult goign from a concrete recorder to a software one. I am gald I am doing it tough.
 
I operate in 3 general modes:

Songwriting mode - I have templates for doing this. 44.1, 24 bit, rough ideas, not always a full song just the basic song idea.

Arranging mode - Chop em and block em, moving stuff around, punching in an out , playing with effects. Work towards a final format.

Re-record everything at 96K mode. Use what midi tracks I can from the prior steps.

Then I mixdown
 
use beats either from external midi device or soft synth's(note: i don't record until i mix to the final stereo track)

record vox directly into sonar

then mix instrumental and vox thru external mixer
 
Teacher said:
use beats either from external midi device or soft synth's(note: i don't record until i mix to the final stereo track)

record vox directly into sonar

then mix instrumental and vox thru external mixer
Click to expand...

I'd just like reiterate what Teacher is saying here.
Embrace midi,it's one of the most valuable tools available to you and as you work with it you will find out this for yourself.

The only exception I'd make to his statement is that if softsynths are taxing your rig too much you can print a track of audio and archive the midi track which will free up CPU's but gives you tne option of re-doing the track again should you feel the need to.
 
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