Instruction Manual

59
SONAR Basics
Introduction
Tip: Be sure to enable (check) MIDI output devices in the MIDI Devices
dialog (use the Options-MIDI Devices command). If you don’t do this, you
won’t hear any of your MIDI instruments when you play songs in SONAR.
See MIDI Devices dialog.
Using MIDI Devices After Making Driver Changes
If you later add or remove drivers using the Drivers icon of the Windows
Control Panel, SONAR reacts in the following way:
• If you remove a Control Panel driver, SONAR will not use the device it
belongs to the next time you run the program. Any other devices you
had selected using the Options-MIDI Devices command will remain
selected.
• If you add a driver through the Control Panel, SONAR does not
automatically use it. You must use the Options-MIDI Devices
command to enable the new driver in SONAR’s list.
Note: After you add or remove a driver with the Drivers icon in the Windows
Control Panel, you must restart Windows for the change to take effect.
Defining Your MIDI Instrument or Sound Card
Once you have selected your MIDI Input and Output devices, SONAR, by
default, plays back MIDI sequences using a General MIDI instrument
definition. If you are using a synthesizer or sound card that does not adhere
to the General MIDI standard, you may want to define that instrument. See
the online help topic: Instrument Definitions for more information.
SONAR Basics
SONAR’s menus and toolbars give you quick access to all the features of
SONAR. Some menu choices and tools display dialog boxes that let you
choose among various options, or type in the values you want. If you click in
most views, in time rulers, or on certain other items with the right mouse
button, you see a popup menu that provides quick access to many common
operations.
The project is the center of your work in SONAR. If you’re a musician, a
project might contain a song, a jingle, or a movement of a symphony. If
you’re a post-production engineer, a project might contain a 30-second
radio commercial or a lengthy soundtrack for a film or videotape production.
By default, every project is stored in a file (known as a project file). The
normal file extension for a SONAR work file is .
CWP.