Reference Guide

1444
Beginner’s guide to Cakewalk software
MIDI
Notice that when you record any data into a track, that SONAR displays a visual representation of
the track’s data in the Clips pane. In the above picture, Tracks 1, 2, and 6 are still empty, while
Tracks 3, 4, and 5 contain recorded data. Also notice that Track 3 is a different color from the other
tracks, meaning that it has the focus, and will make the bass sound when you play your MIDI
keyboard (controller). If you click one of the other MIDI tracks to change the focus, the sound that’s
selected for that track will sound when you play your controller.
Figure 418. Track 3 zoomed in to expose track property fields
In the above picture, we zoomed in far enough by dragging the Vertical Zoom fader (see previous
picture) to expose the track property fields for each track. Use these to choose what MIDI channel
each track is sending its messages out on, what sound (patch) the track is sending the messages to,
how loud the overall track volume is, what MIDI instrument you’re sending the track’s data to, and
several other property choices. Notice that the track’s number and its MIDI channel are not the
same. Track numbers and MIDI channels have nothing to do with each other, although you
may want to keep them the same in a small project to make remembering them easier. We could
have sent Track 3’s MIDI messages out on any channel we wanted, just by selecting a different
number in the Ch field. Notice the MIDI cable logo just in front of the track name; the audio track
above it has a different logo to identify it as an audio track. The audio track has different track
property fields from the MIDI track (notice there’s no Ch field).
For more information, see:
“Controlling which sounds you hear” on page 1445
“MIDI” on page 1439
“Audio” on page 1447
“Audio hardware (sound cards) and drivers” on page 1463
“MIDI channels, interfaces, inputs, and outputs” on page 1440
“MIDI drivers” on page 1442
“MIDI files, projects, tracks, and clips” on page 1443