User's Guide

26
SONAR basics
4. Check one device at a time in the Outputs window and click Move Selected Devices to Top to
change its order. Then check all the devices that appear in the window to select them for output.
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.
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 pop-up 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.
SONAR organizes the sound and music in your project into tracks, clips, and events.
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.
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.