I think that’s why Cakewalk themselves created a video tutorial specifically to tackle this trouble faced by mostly beginners, or new Sonar users.

In this video, you will find out how to:

• look for the drivers, midi and audio devices installed on your computers
• rename the devices with easy friendly name
• setting up controller/surface
• explanation of ACT (Active Control Technology)and WAI (Where Am I)

Envelope tool is a function to draw or record the automation for your midi and audio track. Almost every parameter can be automated including pan, volume, effects send, and also parameters of the effect or synth inserted on the track.

The new envelope draw tool offers free hand drawing and preset shape drawing.

The entire screencast showcase how Best00000007 create a song from scratch.
He shows you how he created the rhythm loops and stacked up other instruments and synthesizers tracks. These are all done in Cakewalk Sonar 8.

Part 1 Video

Part 2 Video

Part 3 Video

Maskerade shows you his computer screen how he created a beat with catchy rhythm using Cakewalk Sonar 8. This tutorial is divided into three parts. Watch all the videos below:

This video demonstrate the percussion and vocal strips.
You will have a saturation before and after the strip.

If you are a new customer for Cakewalk Sonar, you can straight away buy the Sonar 8 version comes in a box.
Then you can download the 8.5 update absolutely free of charge.

If you registered your Sonar 8 on or after July 1st 2009, you are eligible to free update of Sonar 8.5.

If you own the VS-700, you will be entitled to download the Sonar 8.5 free too, no matter when you purchased.

Video walkthrough of the Cakewalk VS-700R hardware.

There is a handy function “Click here to tap tempo” which allows you to use computer mouse and tap the tempo. But most of the time, mouse clicks are not even and you will find that the tempo slightly fluctuates. You will end up adding and subtracting the beats per minute to try to match it with the song.

In fact, there is an easier way. After you click the “Click here to tap tempo”, you can replace the mouse click with “space bar” or “enter”. Tapping your space bar will give more accurate result. Keep looking on the tempo shown. The number that appears more often is usually the matching tempo.

See the video below created by Maltcus.

One of the special feature of V-Studio 100 (VS100) is the ability to record wave file and store it in a SD card. You can transfer your wave files recorded anywhere using VS100 into a PC via SD card reader.

Watch the video below for more details.

Video produced by Cakewalk.

This piece of musical gear gives you much ability to do stuff like recording, sequencing, audio and midi interfacing etc .. yet.. it is very compact and sexy.

Read the article here.

This video shows you how to use the pitch envelope, pan and volume envelope to modify the property of different slices in a loop. Thus, a mono sounding loop can be changed to a stereo one just by using the pan envelope. If you have a musical loop that need some note-tweaking and chord altering, the loop editor comes handy!

Cakewalk Sonar provide several tools that can ease your job to get the perfect vocal tracks.

Watch the video above and read this tech tip by Nick Dika

Tips – Getting the Perfect Vocal Take with SONAR
YouTube – How to get Perfect Vocal Tracks

A handy way to do it is to split the loop explorer view in Sonar. Then select ( you can select more than one loop by holding down “CTRL” key while clicking the audio loop with computer mouse) loops that blend in nicely and in sync with your projects.

After you are happy with what you have found, just drag and drop the audio file(s) into your project. Separate audio tracks will be created for each loop.

Watch this video for the demonstration.

This video was prepared by Gearwire.com.

In order to save time, I found some karaoke MV of the songs I will be performing.

The problem with a karaoke MV is that the stereo audio is in fact one channel full mix (with vocal), and the other one is a minus one (the karaoke audio without vocal).  When I import the MV into Sonar, the audio is also imported in stereo format. But I only need the mono track without vocal.

The easiest way to split it in Sonar is

1. Select the stereo audio file
2. From “edit” menu, “bounce to track”
3. select “split mono” at “channel format” drop down menu

You will get split mono left right on different track.

Edit menu

Bounce to track menu.

I used to try-and-error to create tempo map. That requires a longer time but still work. But I think it is a very primitive way and certainly time consuming.

Now, with the AudioSnap function, you can find the transient easily and creating a tempo map is not as difficult as before.

Learn the technique from the video below.

This video was created by GearWire. 

AudioSnap function is especially useful for percussive audio tracks such as drums and percussion.

To enable AudioSnap of a particular audio track, right click and select “AudioSnap”. You can simply press F12 after highlighting the audio track and the AudioSnap is on.

Watch the video below on how to use AudioSnap to quantize the kick and snare drum track recorded live.

This video was created by GearWire. 

The track will show multiple layers if it is set to “track layer: on”.

By using the multiple track layers function, you can mute certain layer and leave certain layer on.
This function is very useful for editing vocals, especially recording vocal of a great artist who can sing several phrases beautifully in one take. You can first record 2-5 takes. Then audition every vocal layer to sort out only the best part and then bounce it into one.
As a result, you will get a very nice vocal track consist of different parts from multiple layers (takes).

This video was created by GearWire.