Instruction Manual

804 Instrument Definitions
Instrument Definition Tutorial
Where Do Instrument Definitions Come From?
The patch names and other characteristics of each particular MIDI module
are supplied by the manufacturer, and are contained in an instrument
definition file, which is a text file written in a format SONAR can read. Many
of these files come with SONAR, and many more are available at
Cakewalk’s website, and also at lilchips.com. Instrument definition files
have the extension .
INS and can contain a definition for only one instrument,
or definitions for several instruments. For example, the file
ROLAND.INS
contains definitions for many Roland modules. The file
MISC.INS contains
miscellaneous definitions that might include your instrument if you don’t see
a specific file for it. You can find these files in your SONAR folder. The file
MASTER.INS contains all the instrument definitions currently loaded into
SONAR, and determines the list of instruments that appears in the Assign
Instruments dialog box.
Next topic: Start of Tutorial
Start of Tutorial
Let’s say you have a Roland XP-10 and you want SONAR to display all of
its patch names from all of its banks, including any self-created sounds you
add to it.
Let’s start by importing the names of the built-in banks and patches that the
XP-10 has.
To Import a Roland Instrument Definition
1. Choose Options-Instruments to display the Assign Instruments dialog
box.
2. Click Define to display the Define Instruments and Names dialog box.
3. Click Import to display the Import Instrument Definitions dialog box.
4. Choose the file that contains instrument definitions for your
manufacturer, which in this case is the
ROLAND.INS file, and click Open.
SONAR displays a list of all the instrument definitions in the file.
5. Scroll down the list, select the Roland XP-10, and click OK.
6. Click Close to close the Define Instruments and Names dialog box.
The instrument definition you imported should now appear in the Uses
Instrument list in the Assign Instruments dialog box.
When you import an instrument definition, it is added to the master
instrument definition file M
ASTER.INS. The contents of this file determines
the list of instruments that appear in the Assign Instruments dialog box.