Third Take

If you’re a Sonar 8 user, download it here. There is also a long list of changes and bugfixes at that link.

From Cakewalk:

We’re happy to announce that the SONAR 8.0.1 maintenance update will be available for download next week to registered SONAR 8.0 customers. The update will address various performance issues that were discovered after SONAR 8 began shipping. If you were waiting to upgrade until the first maintenance update, now is the perfect time to place your order. If you order today you can get SONAR 8 in your hands at the same time that the patch is available. More information about the update will be made available next week with a download link.

Anyone tried Sonar 8 yet? I’m still using 6. No support for XP x64 kept me from upgrading to 7, and the fact that 6 is still running like a charm and I’m in the middle of projects.

I wasted way too much time in the last session trying to record a short snippet of guitar and make it into a loop to stretch out for several measures. In the end, I just sat down and played it like a pro - start to finish. Read more

A good bass sound is critical to great recordings. Compared to other instruments, like drums or acoustic guitar, it’s fairly easy to record. I’ve had decent results plugging straight into my DMP-3, setting the gain, and pressing Record. However, decent results are not always good enough. I want an tight, hot, punchy bass sound that really drives the mix. I’ve tried two different “amp simulators” in my studio for the last couple years - the SansAmp Bass Driver DI and the Behringer Bass V-AMP Pro - and I’m here to tell you which one is better. Read more

There is a wealth of information hidden away on Cakewalk’s website. The latest find is the Desktop Music Handbook which is a kind of textbook for making music on computers. It has sections for MIDI and audio, and covers a lot of the theory behind digital music.