Make sure you click on the link below to view the soundcard recommendations spreadsheet!
FAQs
- Why can't I hear ANYTHING?!
A. You probably are trying to use your onboard soundcard and it likely doesn't have good WDM drivers. Here's what you can do.
Most people buy Music Creator, Sonar Home Studio, even Sonar thinking that the marketing on the box is true when it says you can start recording and making music right away. A lot of times that's not true without a good "recording soundcard." My best advice is always to buy a decent soundcard for $100+ depending on your needs. I have recommendations for soundcards, preamps, mixers and microphones. Click on the banner below for the soundcard recommendations!
In the meantime, if you cannot get your Realtek, Soundmax, or other onboard soundcard to work with Cakewalk software, then it's likely a problem with the driver.
Change to MME driver mode by:
OPTIONS>AUDIO>ADVANCED>DRIVER MODE = MME
close Sonar (Music Creator)
open Sonar
let the wave profiler run
Do NOT do this if you are using something OTHER than your onboard soundcard. If you are using a SOUNDBLASTER soundcard, then you likely will need to be in WDM or ASIO driver mode.
And please remember. Soundcard = audio interface = sound interface = audio card. Anything you plug in via USB or Firewire or PCI/PCIe which will record or playback audio IS a soundcard!
If you can't get any of the above advice to work and you're NOT using a "prosumer level soundcard" (do this ONLY if you're using your onboard soundcard or a soundblaster), then go to http://www.asio4all.com . download and install ASIO4ALL. then change to ASIO driver mode:
OPTIONS>AUDIO>DRIVER MODE = ASIO
close Sonar
restart Sonar (the wave profiler will not run for ASIO mode).
Again, tho, my best advice is to get a "prosumer soundcard" like the M-audio 2496 or EMU-0404 and a small mixer like the Behringer Xenyx 802, OR a decent USB or Firewire device.
and do NOT use MME or ASIO4ALL if you have a soundcard that costs $50+ retail. those cards will have NATIVE WDM or ASIO drivers which are better to use.
- Why are my backing tracks recorded on my vocal track?
A. Track bleed.
Most of the time that's because you have a Soundblaster soundcard and have the WHAT U HEAR setting (which is default) set on your recording INPUT SETTINGS. If you have a Soundblaster, go into the SB settings and disable the WHAT U HEAR function.
If you're using the Windows Mixer (usually from an onboard soundcard). here is an excellent tutorial written by RobertB complete with illustrations on how to resolve the problem:
What you experience usually manifests itself in one of two ways:
1. When I record the second track, my first track record onto the second track.
2. When I record a track and I use the metronome, the metronome records onto the track along with what I actually want to record.
This can be very frustrating, but it's easy to fix.
The following screen shots are from the Windows Volume Control, on a system with the built-in AC97 chip.
First, Right click on the volume control icon, or open Volume Control from Settings(Windows).
The first screen you see (Volume Control) is Playback. It does not directly affect what you are recording. Note that the checkboxes mute a given source, and can be checked in any combination. If you check Mute All in the strip labelled Volume Control, you will get no sound.
It is the output from this control that you are recording when you select Stereo Mix in the Recording Control (Will get to that shortly).
This includes any sounds from the computer, mouse clicks,beeps, alerts, etc., and most important, the metronome an all previously recorded tracks.(This is represented by the dashed line)
If you are recording an external source, such as a guitar or keyboard plugged into the Line-In, or have a mixer connected to Line-In, follow steps 1-4 below.
In step 3, click Recording, and check all sources you may want available in the Recording Control.
In step 4, select Line-In. Note this is a "radio" button. It will allow you to select only one option, and turns all others off.
If you need to adjust the signal level for recording, you will need to come back to this screen, and adjust the volume slider. The volume control in the SHS audio track does not affect the level of the sound being recorded, only playback level.
Now close the control, and open SHS, or whatever DAW you are using.
If you are recording a source with a stereo output, Select the Stereo Input option in your audio track.
If you are recording a Mono instrument, such as a guitar, the sound generally appears only on the left side of a stereo track, if you have Stereo selected for the input. Most of the time, you would want to select Left input, and Change your track to Mono(There is a button in the track pane that will change from "><" to ">").
There is, of course, the possibility of other variables, but in most cases, this will get you up and running.
Note: This was written for XP. I don't know what, if any, variations you might see with Vista.
Footnote: If you have SP/DIF on your built-in sound card, the Recording Input may be locked to Stereo Mix.
In the Windows Control Panel, open Sound Effect Manager (AC97 Audio Control Panel). Click on the SP/DIF-Out tab. Change the selection from "Output digital and analog" to "Output digital only" or "No output".
