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Some people go to MIDI hell, and others go to Soft Synth heaven. The "DXi" software synthesizer implementation in Sonar allows you to send a compatible synth's output directly to the sound card, as opposed to sending a MIDI track to a software synth running in the background whose output is then sent to the sound card. The latter is still possible with "hardware emulation" synths that function in this manner.
To play the DXi synths, an audio track must be set up in Sonar to play the software synth. Once that is done, the synth will come up as a possible port for your MIDI tracks. The upside to the synth being seen as an audio track is that you can mixdown the soft synth MIDI tracks without having to record them into the program as audio. This is very convenient for consolidating tracks and lowering CPU usage when you wish to record multiple vocal takes, for instance, or when you want to make a working mix of a song and save it as a wav file or MP3. You may, of course, want to record MIDI tracks as individual audio tracks, since that will then allow you to EQ and add effects separately. This can be done in software by soloing the MIDI track and the soft synth audio track, and then bouncing that down to a single audio track in either mono or stereo. Once done, the MIDI track can then be muted and/or archived.
Sonar contains a Virtual Sound Canvas synth, while Sonar XL includes the full version of the Tassman 2.0 DXi (plus the ReValver SE Plug-in for guitar amp/effects simulation). The sonic quality of the synths is excellent. I actually have a number of MIDI compositions that include sounds from the Sound Canvas, which is a very utilitarian GM synth from Roland. For a number of years I used a Sound Canvas that was part of an ISA card that I had in my system, though it was rather noisy. When I built my latest PC, I just couldn't bring myself to install the ISA card. Resurrecting some of these song files and using the Virtual Sound Canvas, I was blown away by the stellar quality and presence that the soft synth brought to the table.
Automation
Knobs and faders can be automated from the Console view, with many parameters also automatable from the Tracks view, including the Clips pane. Main busses, aux busses, effect parameters, even some of the plug-in synths can have playback controlled via automation. MIDI controllers can be automated from the Piano Roll view, as well as the Console view and Track view.
The ability to draw audio envelopes and MIDI envelopes to individual tracks and clips from within the Track view is new to Sonar. This has become a popular feature in software programs, especially when automation is limited to write and rewrite modes. It gives you the ability to emulate, if you will, an additive and subtractive type of automation, where currently written automation information is the starting point, and fader level is added to or subtracted from that. This is especially useful in, say, a vocal performance, where one syllable or word needs a boost in level from the rest of the track.
To do this, Sonar provides an Envelope tool. You can use the Select tool, but with the Envelope tool there's no danger of editing information other than the envelope data. You essentially add a "node" to the envelope, which acts like a point from which you can grab and move the envelope. Add two nodes, and you can create a sharp jump to a different level, and then a sharp jump back to the previous level. The same can be done for MIDI, and for any controller or automation data.
Sonar controls from within the Console view can be set up to work with control surfaces, and even MIDI controllers from a keyboard. Sonar will also work with the StudioMix control surface, which is a Cakewalk/Peavy joint venture.
Conclusions
Using a PIII 700 with 256M Ram and a 7,200 RPM ATA66 hard drive, I recorded 20 to 30 audio tracks in Sonar and added some effects. My CPU usage only reached the 6% mark, and I had no compromise, hitch or glitch in performance. I feel like I could have pushed the system quite a bit further. While there was a quirk or two in the road, the 1.0 version of Sonar stood up to some routine yet rigorous beating up. We've gotten to some of the basics here, but I'm sure that there are features in Sonar that I've yet to discover.
The Pro Audio line from Cakewalk had been a powerful, cost-effective tool for composing and MIDI/audio production. Sonar integrates remixing/loop tools, enhanced editing, direct monitoring, and full integration of DirectX software synthesizers into the package, greatly increasing its power and maintaining a reasonable price.
This is at least a couple of steps up for Cakewalk. There are many software packages to choose from, and many are showing the sophistication of time and development. Sonar is a serious tool for the professional, yet friendly enough for the beginner to enter into the world of computer music production and not want for more features shortly down the road.
Sonar is not surround sound capable at this point in time. Speaking to Sonar representatives at this past winter NAMM show, it was indicated to me that those of us doing surround sound are not necessarily Sonar's initial target market, though the addition of surround sound capability was something that they are considering. Still, some of the surround programs are more heavily geared toward audio than MIDI, and therefore certainly not geared for the loop construction side of things. In general, the use of different programs for a diversity of tools is not unreasonable and not uncommon. I, for one, see myself using Sonar for what it has to offer.
JD Mars is the producer of Digital Pro Sound, and a Cakewalk user since 1997.
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