Making Music With Sonar
From Sonar
Information on making music with Cakewalk's Sonar DAW software.
Contents |
General
Recording
Miking
Vocals
Acoustic Instruments
Electric Instruments
Softsynths / Software Samplers
Hardware Synths
Room treatment
Mixing
After I compiled the Compendium of Mastering Articles and Compendium of Tape Saturation Plugins, I was asked to start a Compendium of Mixing Articles. Now that this is a wiki, they will quickly get out of sync, but that means there will be good stuff both places.
General Articles
• SONAR FAQ — there's no better place to start than our very own FAQ
• SONAR wiki by Scott Sadowsky — the latest place to share tips, advice and other information relevant to Sonar users.
• CakewalkNet Tutorials & Tips — An up to date compendium of internet links
• Tips and Tricks on Getting the Best Mix by Bob Katz — First, read all the articles on this web page!
• The Computer Music Guide to Basic Mixing — The secret to professional sounding mixing is to try, try and try again. But before you get going, make sure you stay on the right track with the Computer Music guide...
• Charles Dye's Hard Disk Life or DigiZine's Mixing Revealed by Charles Dye — not a singular skill at all, but a culmination of a number of individual techniques. Techniques that each on their own didn't make for great mixes, but when added together created huge, dynamic, and powerful ones. Techniques that breathed life into the mix, gave it emotion, and made the artist sound like a star
Specific Articles
• Using EQ & Compressor and Misc. Links by chaz — Here are some links to information that I use in my audio engineering classes at the studio. You should find them to be very informative and helpful
Books
• Sonar 3: Mixing & Mastering by Craig Anderton — This easy-to-read, practical book will improve your arranging, mixing, and mastering skills by showing you how to take full advantage of the powerful features in Sonar 3. In addition to a basic introduction in sound engineering, you’ll learn an astounding array of pro-level tips and tricks that will help you make better-sounding music. Furthermore, the enclosed CD-Rom includes audio examples and more to help enhance the learning experience
• "The Mixing Engineer's Handbook" by Bobby Owsinski — Secrets of the top recording engineers revealed at mixdown! Learn the evolution of mixing, regional mixing styles, the six elements of a mix, rules for arrangements and principles of building your mix! Learn the secrets of EQ and ?magic frequencies? along with adding effects, EQ?ing reverbs, sonic layering of effects, calculating the delay time and much more! This book extensively covers stereo mixing with an expansive chapter on mixing in 5.1 surround. Plus, it includes an incredible third section filled with interviews with the top engineers in the field such as George Massenburg, Allen Sides, Bruce Swedien and over a dozen more!
• "The Art of Mixing" by David Gibson — This colorful book uses extensive visual representations to explain how to create every style of music mix. It's an in-depth exploration into the aesthetics of what makes a great mix in a simple, visual manner. Gibson has mapped out everything that can be done to create various effects in all standard mixes, including details on most styles, from bluegrass to big band, new age to heavy metal, classical to hip-hop, jazz to rap, and alternative rock to techno.
Online Resources
• Recording School Online — Online classes with downloadable video: Digital Effects $49.00, Mixing $68.00, … Mastering $1,500.00 — but I have no idea how good or useful they are.
