Sonar / Cakewalk

Now that Dimension Pro is included with Sonar 8, its time to investigate how to exploit it beyond the usual sample-playback functions.

Is it time to lighten the load on your CPU and put that outboard signal processing hardware to work inside your DAW? We explain how...

Sonar has more facilities than the average DAW for exploiting REX files to their best advantage. We guide you through where to find those facilities and how to put them to use.

As well as creating some excellent new plug-ins and making operational improvements, Cakewalk have been working hard to make Sonar 8 the most CPU-efficient version yet.

Sonar 8 introduced Beatscape, a new Cakewalk instrument designed specifically for the groovily inclined. We dig behind the interface for some tips and tricks you won't find in the documentation.

There's more to dynamics than compression and expansion, and now transient shaping is part of Sonar 8, courtesy of the TS64 Transient Shaper plug-in.

Sonar was one of the first DAWs to take looping seriously — which means that you'll find plenty of tools for making loop-based music easier.

Sonar includes many effects that are useful for bass guitars, and also offers bass-friendly features that help speed up the recording process.

When it comes to the Sonar mixing console, you don't have to simply take what you're given, because there are lots of ways of making it fit your working methods. We explain how, and pass on some handy shortcuts along the way.

Why take two digital audio programs into the studio, when you can optimise Sonar to do many of the common tasks you'd expect to need a dedicated audio editor for?

A walk through the process of composing and processing a drum track highlights how to use various Sonar features and useful shortcuts - some of which you may not have come across before.

Did you know that you can make Sonar fit your working methods like a glove, via its many customisation options? Here's our guide to just a few of the most useful.

Understanding how to program SFZ files opens up lots of ways to better exploit what Sonar's bundled soft synths have to offer. Don't panic: it's easier than you might think...

When is a soft synth not just a soft synth? When it's also an effects processor...

Side-chain inputs on software processors can open up a whole new world of control possibilities — and now Sonar 7's plug-ins have this facility. We show you some ways of using it in your music.

One of the new features added in the Sonar 7 update is a very flexible step sequencer. We investigate its features and suggest some ways to make the most of it.

With Sonar 7 just out, it's time to tweak all our preferences to perfection, before they're transferred over into the latest version of the software.

Working directly with 'objects', such as MIDI or audio clips of any length from a few milliseconds upwards, opens up a non-linear approach that can provide creative opportunities and also save you CPU resources.

DAW software is optimised for helping you record your songs and add lots of production polish, but don't forget that programs like Sonar can also help in the songwriting process, offering features that could make it easier to capture inspiration when it strikes.

Why wait to fix it in the mix when you can mend MIDI tracks while you're recording them? Sonar's MIDI plug-ins allow you to automatically fix anything from incorrect timing to inconsistent velocities - and more.

Sonar's Synth Rack is a great time-saving concept that has started to deliver on its full promise with version 6 of the software. However, not all aspects of it are completely obvious - so this month we'll be doing our best to put you on track with the Rack.