Reference Guide

845
System Configuration
Improving Audio Performance
• To enable an audio device, click the name of the device so that it is highlighted.
• To disable an audio device, click the name of the device so that it is not highlighted.
3. Click OK.
Disabling a device in the Audio Options dialog box usually prevents conflicts with other audio
devices. Occasionally you may need to disable a device in the Windows Control Panel.
SONAR also allows you to choose the sound card whose clock should be used to control recording
and playback timing (if you only have one sound card, SONAR automatically uses it). Every sound
card’s clock crystal is slightly different, which causes minor differences in the actual playback rate on
each card. These differences may lead to slight synchronization problems if you use one card for
recording and a different one for playback. Generally, you should choose your highest quality sound
card for both recording and playback timing. Note that while some multichannel sound cards have
multiple drivers, most sound cards have only a single audio driver.
To Select Playback and Record Timing Masters
1. Choose Options > Audio to open the Audio Options dialog box and click the General tab.
2. In the Playback Timing Master and Record Timing Master fields, select which sound cards you
want to control playback and record timing, respectively.
3. Click OK.
While you must choose a playback timing master, you can route audio output through any number of
devices at once. For example, suppose your computer has both a high-end audio card and a basic
built-in sound card. You should choose the high-end sound card as the record and playback timing
master. However, using the buses in the Console or Track views, you could create a headphone or
monitor mix and route it through the built-in sound card.
Sampling Rates
SONAR supports all common sampling rates. Only one sampling rate is allowed per project. It’s
usually better not to change the sampling rate of a project, because this involves exporting your
tracks one at a time, and then importing them at the new sampling rate. During this process you lose
clip boundaries, envelopes, and other separate data that is mixed into the exported tracks.
To Set the Sampling Rate for New Projects
1. Open the Audio Options dialog (Options > Audio command), and on the General tab, change
the Sampling Rate field to the desired number. You can choose from the available options, or
enter any number that your hardware supports.
2. Click OK.
To Change the Sampling Rate of a Project
1. Select an audio track and use the File > Export Audio command to open the Export Audio
dialog.
2. Select the options you want, and click Export to export the track.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for all the audio tracks you want to convert.