Instruction Manual

118 Tutorials
Tutorial 3—Recording Digital Audio
• Input Monitoring
• Loop and Punch-In Recording
• Recording Multiple Channels
Setting the Sampling Rate
Each SONAR project has a parameter that specifies the sampling
resolution for all digital audio data in the project. You should set this rate
before recording any digital audio.
To set the sampling rate:
1. Choose Options-Audio to open the Audio Options dialog box.
2. Click the General tab.
3. Under Default Settings for New Projects, select a Sampling Rate. For
CD-quality sound, use 44100 Hz.
4. Click OK.
Lower sampling rates will save disk space but will result in lower-quality
audio. Before embarking on any major project, consider what media your
project will eventually be stored on, and what sampling rate is best for that
media.
Next Step: Setting the Audio Driver Bit Depth and Recording Bit Depth.
Setting the Audio Driver Bit Depth and
Recording Bit Depth
The drivers for most sound cards use anywhere from 16 to 24 bits to play
back recorded data. CD’s use 16 bits. You can possibly get better sound
quality by recording at a higher bit depth and converting to 16 bits when it’s
time to master your project, but keep in mind that 24 bit audio takes 50%
more memory than 16 bit audio, possibly straining your computer’s storage
capability and speed of operation. Your sound card’s documentation could
have some advice on choosing an audio driver bit depth.
You can record audio data at 16 or 24 bits. It usually makes sense to record
and play back at the same bit depth.
To set the audio driver bit depth:
1. Use the Options-Audio command to open the Audio Options dialog
box.
2. On the General tab, find the Audio Driver Bit Depth field and select one
of the options.