Reference Guide

1462
Beginner’s guide to Cakewalk software
Audio
To record through the S/PDIF input
1. Connect the instrument or CD player you want to record from to your sound card’s S/PDIF input
using a 75 ohm coaxial video cable or special S/PDIF cable. You may need to turn off the power
on your computer, sound card, and sound source first. See your sound card’s documentation.
2. Use your sound card’s mixer software to set its clock to external or S/PDIF.
3. Leave SONAR’s clock setting at the default choice, which is Audio. You can choose clock
settings in Edit > Preferences > Project - Clock or in the Control Bar’s Sync module.
4. Arm a track, test the input level and adjust input volume, and record your track.
5. When you’re finished recording, set your sound card’s clock back to internal, and listen to your
recording.
There’s one more type of audio connection you may find on occasion called AES/EBU, which stands
for Audio Engineering Society/European Broadcasting Union, and is the highest bandwidth digital
audio connection. An AES/EBU connection can use cables longer than 33 feet, which is the limit for
S/PDIF cables. If your sound source has an AES/EBU connection, you can use your sound card’s S/
PDIF jacks to send data to and from the AES/EBU jacks by purchasing an inexpensive converter,
such as the Hosa CDL-313 (www.hosatech.com).
For more information, see:
“Audio hardware (sound cards) and drivers” on page 1463
“Audio” on page 1447
“MIDI” on page 1439