Doug Steinschneider Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 (edited) I'm helping a band mate move from analog to DAW. We decided to use Cakewalk and I'm going to guide him so I'm about to download and install to get up to speed on it. Cakewalk was my first MIDI recorder/editor starting in the early 90's. I used it for drum and keyboard parts and had it syncing with my Tascam 238S. When I made this move in 2018 I chose Reaper but have heard good things about Cakewalk. Should I install the instruments? I'm not looking for more VST instruments but if something in there is worth it I will. Any advice or links to threads on getting up to speed on Cakewalk are appreciated. Thanks in advance Edited March 22, 2023 by Doug Steinschneider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 1 hour ago, Doug Steinschneider said: Should I install the instruments? I would recommend installing TTS-1. It's not a great synth, but it's 16x multi-timbral and comes in handy for scratch tracks and click tracks. I use it often, despite having an extensive toolbox of fancier synths and samplers. btw, I, too started with Cakewalk a long time ago, c. 1986. Left around '93 (to devote all my energy to being a type A cubicle dweller) and came back 10 years later (after a decade of 80+ hour work weeks led to a heart attack). You have chosen well for your friend, Doug. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Morgon-Shaw Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 3 hours ago, Doug Steinschneider said: Should I install the instruments? I'm not looking for more VST instruments but if something in there is worth it I will. You may as well as they don't really take up much space but there are many better souding instruments out there for free - I can't say I was ever impressed enough with any of them to keep them a final mix personally but YMMV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Tolerable Quietude Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 Along with what bitflipper says, another great reason to install TTS-1 is that as a multitibral General MIDI synth, it will let your friend easily preview GM files from Cakewalk's file browser. I've got it installed, and use it pretty much exclusively for that. As for the other instruments, I personally really like the sound of the bass and the epiano, and I've found them useful in final mixes. But that's down to taste. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 Nobody has answered Doug's question re video tutorials. I didn't, because I haven't seen enough beginner tutorials to gauge their helpfulness. You only get one shot at learning something for the first time. That said, there are a number of regulars here on this forum that have done tutorials. Here's one: Here's somebody who seems to specialize in beginners' tutorials: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 Tip: when googling or searching YouTube, don't forget that "SONAR" and "Cakewalk" are essentially synonyms. Most topics related to SONAR are relevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vere Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 (edited) Ms Edited March 26, 2023 by John Vere 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canopus Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 (edited) . Edited March 23, 2023 by Canopus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canopus Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 4 hours ago, bitflipper said: Tip: when googling or searching YouTube, don't forget that "SONAR" and "Cakewalk" are essentially synonyms. Most topics related to SONAR are relevant. Soon to be even more relevant. Sounds interesting. Almost as if Cakewalk by BandLab will be marketed as Cakewalk SONAR in the next release. Or, maybe Cakewalk SONAR by BandLab. Or, maybe I've just had too much coffee this morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canopus Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 (edited) (That's odd. When editing a post a new one gets created. Never seen that happen before.) Edited March 23, 2023 by Canopus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 These are not the droids you're looking for. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Steinschneider Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 12 hours ago, Eric S. said: Along with what bitflipper says, another great reason to install TTS-1 is that as a multitibral General MIDI synth, it will let your friend easily preview GM files from Cakewalk's file browser. I've got it installed, and use it pretty much exclusively for that. As for the other instruments, I personally really like the sound of the bass and the epiano, and I've found them useful in final mixes. But that's down to taste. Ok, thanks to everyone for quick answers - Eric's advice hits home, its always good to have General Midi on hand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Steinschneider Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 10 hours ago, John Vere said: If you want to get up to speed quickly with out any drama and intros that take 5 minutes I have a very basic series designed to get to the point about Cakewalks interface and how to understand and take advantage of them. The link to the playlist is in my signature The first 2 are about audio and midi set up so you can skip those if you’re up to speed already. Then the first 10 walk you through the skylight interface and features. Etc. Thanks John, these will be great for getting us started. Thanks for making these. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starship Krupa Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 Nice, I've done this for a few friends who haven't done much with it yet, but I figured, "you're a musician, you have a computer, let's put some music software on it." I'd encourage your friend to check out this forum for tutorials and advice. There is a subforum for posting tutorials and links to them, and it has a list of YouTube channels that are devoted to or at least have a series on, Cakewalk: As for whether to install the Studio Instruments, hey, whatever. They don't take up much space. Everyone, no matter what they're doing, needs some kind of drum machine instrument. And speaking of instruments (and FX), there are longs lists on this forum of freeware synths and FX that Cakewalk users have found and tried. Your friend might be even more enthused about moving to using a DAW if they realize that they don't have to spend a penny to get some really great stuff: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Steinschneider Posted March 27, 2023 Author Share Posted March 27, 2023 Hi Erik, Thanks for the links. Right now, we're hooking up the analog gear to do analog to digital transfers from a 1/2" Fostex. I've installed Cakewalk and feel right at home in it after watching the tutorials. I like the hotkeys to hide/unhide GUI elements. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canopus Posted June 6, 2023 Share Posted June 6, 2023 On 3/23/2023 at 7:52 AM, Canopus said: Sounds interesting. Almost as if Cakewalk by BandLab will be marketed as Cakewalk SONAR in the next release. Or, maybe Cakewalk SONAR by BandLab. Or, maybe I've just had too much coffee this morning. On 3/23/2023 at 1:48 PM, bitflipper said: These are not the droids you're looking for. Well, seeing today's announcement, I don't seem to have been that far off. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User 905133 Posted June 6, 2023 Share Posted June 6, 2023 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Canopus said: Well, seeing today's announcement, I don't seem to have been that far off. For those who found found this post ^^^ cryptic, try the following post: Edited June 6, 2023 by User 905133 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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