Instruction Manual

50 Introduction

Setup

That's it. Digital audio data is just a long series of numbers. The computer

sends these numbers, in the form of electrical signals, to a speaker. The

speaker then vibrates and generates the same sound that was recorded.

The primary advantage of digital audio is the quality of the sound. Unlike

MIDI, a digital audio recording is very rich, capturing all the nuances,

overtones, and other characteristics of the sound exactly as performed. The

main drawback of digital audio is that it takes up a lot of disk space. To

record a 1-minute segment of stereo, CD-quality digital audio, you need

about 10 megabytes of disk space.

On the PC, digital audio is usually stored in Wave files (extension .wav).

There are many programs available that let you create, play, and edit these

files. SONAR reads, writes, and lets you edit Wave files.

Next topic: Setup

Setup

You can install SONAR on any computer that runs Windows XP or x64 and

has a sound card or built-in sound module. If you want to hook up other

devices, like a MIDI keyboard, an electric guitar, or a microphone, you need

the right cables, and you need to find the right connectors on your

computer.

Before you install SONAR, take a minute to register the software so we can

let you know when updates become available and provide you with

technical support. To register anytime log onto http://www.cakewalk.com/

U.S.) between 9 AM and 8 PM Eastern Standard Time. If you live outside of

North America, please visit our distributor’s page at www.cakewalk.com/

Dealers/International.asp to get the telephone number of your local

distributor. You’ll need to supply your serial number, your name, and a valid

email address.

To connect a MIDI keyboard to your computer, you need standard MIDI

cables or a MIDI adapter cable (joystick connector), such as the one

available in Cakewalk’s PC Music Pack. One end of the adapter cable

should have two 5-pin DIN connectors that connect to your keyboard or

other MIDI device. At the other end, you need a 15-pin connector to

connect to a sound card through its MIDI/joystick port.

If you have a dedicated MIDI interface, lots of electronic music gear, or

work with many different music software packages, see the online help

topic “Hardware Setup.”