CAKEWALK sonar x3, Reference Manual

Page: 861 / 2094

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Playing a soft synth
Software instruments
Playing a soft synth
There are several ways to play a soft synth:
• You can record MIDI data and use the soft synth as a playback device.
• You can play the soft synth in real time from a MIDI controller or keyboard. To avoid excessive
latency, your sound card must be using a WDM or ASIO driver. Also, you must set mixing latency
to the lowest achievable level (probably less than 10 msec.), which you do by adjusting the Buffer
Size slider in
Edit > Preferences > Audio - Driver Settings .
• Some soft synths that use the DXi 2 format can send MIDI data, sometimes including MIDI notes,
from their interfaces to SONAR. For example, some soft synths have MIDI keyboards built into
their interfaces that you can click to send note on/off messages.
See “Recording a soft synth’s MIDI output” on page 869 for more information.
To play a soft synth with recorded MIDI data
1. Insert a soft synth into the project.
2. In the MIDI track that sends its output to the soft synth, choose a MIDI channel.
3. Open the soft synth’s interface (see “Opening a soft synth’s property page” on page 859).
4. Set the soft synth’s parameters (choose sounds, effects, etc.), and drag its interface out of the
way (the soft synth’s interface does not have to be open for the soft synth to sound).
5. If you want to save your soft synth settings, type a name in the Presets field, and click the Disk
icon that’s next to the Presets field.
6. Record some MIDI data into the MIDI track.
When you play back the recorded MIDI data, you should hear the soft synth through your sound
card’s outputs. If you don’t, make sure your data is in the right range; a bank, patch, and channel are
selected; your monitor speakers or headphones are turned up; and that none of the relevant tracks
are muted.
You can add effects to each of the synth tracks. You can also add MIDI effects to your soft synth
MIDI tracks.
Note: WDM or ASIO drivers do not improve performance when you play back recorded MIDI
data—the improvement comes only when you play a soft synth in real time from an external MIDI
controller or keyboard.