1) My serial and/or reg code isn't accepted. When I install SONAR on Windows Vista, why do I get the error, "Not Logged in as Administrator"?

2) Where can I find my Serial Number or Registration Code?

3) Why do I get an Audio Driver Error when I launch SONAR? It says, "Device is in use by another program".

4) I can’t hear anything and/or MIDI Mapper won’t stay selected.

5) I can't record Audio; I just get a flat line/silence.

6) I only get one side of my guitar/microphone recorded.

7) My MP3 Encoder stopped working.

8) I can’t access my audio effects, they’re all grayed-out.

9) There are pops and clicks in my audio playback.

10) My USB Mic does not record.

11) Previously recorded tracks are mixed into my new recordings. Other tracks bleed into new ones.

12) My view no longer scrolls through the project following the cursor/NowTime during playback.

13) When I export my WAV file the length is much longer than my actual song.

14) My exported projects are not as loud/hot as commercially released CDs.

15) I press the Play button to pause but it rewinds to the beginning.

16) I can’t print from the Staff View. The File | Print option is grayed-out.

17) My Cakewalk software doesn’t show the sounds on my keyboard; I need an Instrument Definition.

18) I can’t export WMA files. I get the following error: “No Windows Media Audio Codecs are installed which can encode your current format.

19) I can only find SONAR Tutorials 1, 4, 5 and 8. Where are the others?

20) My new plug-in(s) don’t show up in SONAR.

21) How do I change the Pitch or Tempo of Audio?

22) What are the best settings for the audio card I'm using? 

23) I can’t record. I arm a track, hit the record button and the NowTime scrolls, but nothing records. I don’t even get a silent clip.

24) My wavforms are gone, but I stll hear audio. It says "busy" in the corner of the clip.

25) How do I record my MIDI down to Audio tracks?

26) I can't burn my project as a CD directly from SONAR. I get a burn error or no drive is detected. [Applies to SONAR Home Studio 6, Producer 7 and higher].

27) I keep getting 'Dropouts'.

28) Why do I get a delay or latency when playing a soft synth or input monitoring?

1) My serial and/or reg code isn't accepted. When I install SONAR on Windows Vista, why do I get the error, "Not Logged in as Administrator"?
There could be an issue with Vista's User Account Control. Right-click the SONAR shortcut you use and choose "Properties." Then click the "Advanced" button at the bottom of the window that opens. You'll be able to check "Run as Administrator" there. Click OK and from then on SONAR will run in admin mode when it's launched from that shortcut. You will then be able to enter your Serial and Registration Code.

Note: This is a property of the shortcut, not SONAR. If SONAR is launched by other means, like from the Start Menu, it will not run in admin mode. But, that same property can be set on that shortcut as well. Please click here for more information on Vista's User Account Control

2) Where can I find my Serial Number or Registration Code?
You can Log-in to your Cakewalk account and find your serial number and registration code.  You can also see your Cakewalk purchase history, set your preferences and more. After logging in, click "My Account" and then "My Registrations".

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3) Why do I get an Audio Driver Error when I launch SONAR? It says, "Device is in use by another program".

You will first need to determine what kind of sound card you have. You will find its name and manufacturer listed under Options | Audio | Driver in SONAR. Once you have this info, select your sound card manufacturer from the Hardware Setup Guide and follow the instructions here.

If you experience difficulties changing your driver mode, please run the Driver Mode Changer utility to change your driver mode to MME 32-bit.

You may also get this error message when setting the Driver Bit Depth or Sampling Rate beyond the capabilities of the currently selected sound card.

1. Go to Options > Audio > General and reduce the Driver Bit Depth to 16 and the Sampling Rate to 44.1. This is CD-quality and is the best option for most users. Please keep in mind that while many consumer cards such as the Creative Labs Audigy advertise 24-bit capabilities, their drivers only support 16-bit recording/playback.
   
2. If your soundcard's clock can be controlled via an external connection (ie Word Clock, ADAT, etc) or via a control panel, please make sure that the device's current sampling rate matches the settings in SONAR.
   
3. Your card may also be in use by another program on the computer. To eliminate this problem, please close all applications running in the background such as Real Player, Winamp, etc and turn off all Windows Sounds from the Control Panel. You may then need to restart SONAR.

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• To hear MIDI playback:

To hear MIDI playback, you will always need a MIDI instrument like a keyboard or built-in synthesizer to select under Options | MIDI devices. If you don't have a synth showing up under Options | MIDI devices, or if you only see "Microsoft MIDI mapper," then you have 2 options:

a) Go to Options | Audio | Advanced. Put a check in the box that says "Always Use MME Interface" (or change the Driver Mode to MME-32bit) then press OK. Restart the program and let the Wave Profiler Test your hardware. Go back to Options | MIDI devices. You should now see "Microsoft GS Wavetable S/W synth" under outputs. Select this new device and click OK.

b) If your soundcard supports WDM or ASIO drivers, you should use a DXI or Virtual Instrument as your synth. Go to View | Synth Rack and add one of the synths from the list (click the + sign in the upper left). Make sure you check "MIDI Source", "First Synth Audio Output" and "Synth Property Page" from the Synth Options window that pops up. Once that particular synth is in view, press F1 for specific documentation on that synth (if available). For detailed instructions, see the tutorial called "Using SoftSynths" under Help | Help Topics. These tutorials will be very helpful to you.

• To Hear Audio Playback:

First click Options | Audio and then click the general tab. If "Playback Timing Master" is set to "None", click the down arrow and choose a driver. If no drivers are available, go to the drivers tab and make sure you have drivers highlighted or checked under both inputs and outputs. After doing this you may need to restart the program and check the "Playback Timing Master" again. If you are using an audio interface that connects via USB, Firewire, or has a breakout box, you will need to connect speakers or headphones to your interface’s outputs.

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5) I can't record Audio; I just get a flat line/silence.

Go to Start | Programs | Accessories | Entertainment | Volume Control.
The Windows Mixer controls the volume levels of your sound card inputs, and it also can mute any input or output.

To open the Windows Mixer, click the Open Windows Mixer button at the bottom of this dialog.
The Windows Mixer looks like this:

When you open the Windows Mixer it may be labeled Play Control or Recording Control. We want to see the Recording Controls.

To view the Recording Controls:

1. Click the Options menu and select Properties.
2. The Properties dialog appears.
3. In the Adjust Volume For section of the Properties dialog, select the Recording radio button.
4. In the Show the Following Volume Controls section, the Line-in and Microphone options should be checked. If they are not, check them.
5. Click OK.
6. The Recording Controls now appear in the Windows Mixer.
7. Check the Select box under the input you wish to use, typically Line-in or microphone.

(Note: your sound card may have its own mixer. If so, use that instead)

Here is a tutorial on setting up for audio recording:   
Audio Recording Tutorial
It applies directly to SONAR LE, but will work for many other Cakewalk programs.

The following video applies directly to SONAR Home Studio 6, but will also work for many other Cakewalk programs.Basic Recording Setup

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6) I only get one side of my guitar/microphone recorded. You are probably recording a mono signal through a stereo input. Guitars and microphones produce mono signals. Try right-clicking on the track and choosing “Track Properties”. You can select the input here. Select the appropriate side of your stereo pair, either left or right as opposed to stereo. Also make sure you don't have a mono adapter going into the Line-in and that you have the Left side of your sound card (mono) chosen for input in Cakewalk.

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The MP3 Encoder included with SONAR and newer Cakewalk products is a 30-day trial version. If you have purchased a previous version of the MP3 Encoder or own Pro Audio 9, please click here: MP3 Upgrader

To purchase the unlimited MP3 Encoder, please click the link that matches your product below.

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8) I can’t access my audio effects, they’re all grayed-out.

If your audio FX are grayed out, it's because you need to select or highlight some audio first. Try right-clicking in the FX field on an Audio track and pick an effect from the list to use it in real time.

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9) There are pops and clicks in my audio playback.

You most likely need to adjust the latency settings. Under Options | Audio | General move the Mixing Latency Slider all the way to “Safe” and set the “Buffers in playback queue” to 2.

If that doesn't help, your soundcard may be accessing the wrong driver mode. Go to Options | Audio | Advanced and change the Driver Mode to either MME or ASIO. Close the program and re-open it.

As a last resort, delete the file AUD.INI. It may be easiest to delete the files from the Windows Search under Start | Search | All Files and Folders. Click to display the "More Advanced Options" and make sure there is a check in "Search Hidden Files and Folders". Now change the driver mode back again.

Please click Here and follow the setup instructions for your interface.

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10) My USB Mic does not record.

USB mic's will work best in MME mode. Go to Options | Audio | Advanced and put a check where it says Always use MME Interface (or change the Driver Mode to MME). Close the program and re-open it. The Wave Profiler should run tests. You should now have more devices listed under MIDI Devices and Audio Drivers.

You may not be able to monitor that Mic while recording unless you use MME drivers, unfortunately MME creates a delay or latency. If you are able to use WDM and still get a delay when using (Input Echo or Input Monitoring), check out this link for more info on Decreasing Latency. 

A third option would be using ASIO4ALL drivers. You can try out ASIO4ALL from www.ASIO4ALL.com These 3rd party drivers are a good solution for generic or OEM sound cards that have unreliable WDM drivers and/or nonexistent ASIO support. Once installed open Cakewalk and go to Options | Audio | Advanced and change the Driver mode to ASIO. You may need to go to Options | MIDI Devices and shut down the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth in order for this to work. Try using the input echo button on your audio track.

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11) Previously recorded tracks are mixed into my new recordings. Other tracks bleed into new ones.

This can happen when your soundcard is set to record everything that comes out of your computer speakers.

Click on the Windows "Start" button, select "All Programs" | "Accessories" | "Entertainment" | "Volume Control". This will bring up the windows volume control. Next, in the "Play Control" select "Options" then "Properties". Place a dot in where it says "Recording" (under "Playback"), and click "OK". This will bring up the "Record Control" panel. To remove the check in "select" under "What You Hear" or "Stereo Mix" (varies depending on the manufacturer) you will need to check the appropriate input, most likely "Line In" or "Mic".

This problem can also occur when you are using an analog mixer in your setup. Carefully follow all of your signal paths to ensure that your sound cards audio output is not being looped back into itself. You should also consider the possibility of your microphone picking up the signal from your speakers or headphones.

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12) My view no longer scrolls through the project following the cursor/NowTime during playback.

You can enable or disable this functionality by typing the scroll lock key [SCRLK] on your computer keyboard.

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13) When I export my WAV file the length is much longer than my actual song.

Before you export the WAV file, make sure you have the proper selection. Cakewalk programs need you to specify the part of the song that you want to bounce to a file.  A good technique is to set your NowTime (the line that scrolls through your project during playback) to where you want your song export to end.  Then go to Edit | Select |All and then Edit | Select | Thru Now.    Now go to File | Export Audio.

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14) My exported projects are not as loud/hot as commercially released CDs.

CDs released on major record labels are always “mastered”.  This is the final step before publishing.  It involves applying equalization and dynamic processing (compressors/limiters/expanders) to your final mix to add an even volume and “punch”.  You can certainly accomplish this in Cakewalk products, but bear in mind that it is a technique that is just as advanced as mixing. 

If you are looking for a quick solution, consider exporting your project to a single stereo wave file, importing it into a new project and applying a limiter.  If you are using a Cakewalk application that supports VSTs, there is a free (and very simple and effective) VST Mastering Limiter available here. Using plug-ins like this will increase the over-all volume of your mix.

This video will show you how to use Boost 11, the limiter that comes with SONAR Home Studio 6 XL.

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15) I press the Play button to pause but it rewinds to the beginning.

You can change this behavior under Options | Global | General by unchecking On Stop Rewind to Now Marker. Otherwise, uncheck the option to rewind to start under Transport | Loop and Auto Shuttle.

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16) I can’t print from the Staff View. The File | Print option is grayed-out.

The print feature is not available when the Staff View is floating or tabbed. You can disable floating by clicking the icon on the top-left corner of the Staff View window and choosing “Disable Floating” from the menu.

You can disable tabbing by going to the View menu and un-checking “Enable Tabbing For Open Views”.

If you still cannot Print from the Staff view, make sure it is in the foreground, then go to the File menu and click on the 3 small arrows at the bottom of the menu. This should expose a sub menu with the Printing options. After following these steps the print option should be available.

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17) My Cakewalk software doesn’t show the sounds on my keyboard; I need an Instrument Definition.

First, check for the instrument definition at these locations:
ftp://ftp.cakewalk.com/pub/InstrumentDefinitions/
http://www.cakewalknet.com/index.php?page=download/instrument

If you don’t see it then we do not have the definition for your instrument. You can try searching for one on the web, just type Cakewalk instrument definition and the name of your synth.

You may have to create the definition yourself. We do offer step-by-step instructions on how to do so on our web site at http://www.cakewalk.com/support/docs/instrumentdef.asp
You might also consider posting a request for the definition on our Forum, which you can access from http://www.cakewalk.com/forum/. Often, another Cakewalk user has already created the definition, and will email it to you.

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18) I can’t export WMA files. I get the following error: “No Windows Media Audio Codecs are installed which can encode your current format.”

Please ensure that when you export you are selecting a bit depth of 16 and sample rate of 44.1kHz. These are the only settings supported by the MP3 or WMA format.

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19) I can only find SONAR Tutorials 1, 4, 5 & 8. Where are the others?

What you may be looking at are project files that are referenced by the tutorials. Many of the tutorials are text-based. They can be found in the HELP|HELP TOPICS menu. The text in Help Topics will direct you to one of those files when necessary, but in most cases you are shown how to create your own new project.

We also have quite a few tutorial videos on YouTube.

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20) My new plug-in(s) don’t show up in SONAR.

SONAR supports both VST and Direct-X plug-ins.  You will first need to determine which of these two types of plug-ins you have.  Most third-party plug-ins are VST. 

For VST Plug-ins:

When installing your new VST, be mindful of the directory where it is installed.  Common default locations include:

• C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\VstPlugins   (recommended location)
• C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VstPlugins
• C:\Program Files\VstPlugins

VSTs appear in SONAR via its integrated VST scanner.  If you’ve installed your VST to a common location like the ones above, you may not need to take any additional steps.  If the new plug still does not appear however, you will need to point SONAR’s VST scanner to the exact directory where your new VST is installed. 
To do so:

1. Click Options | Global | VST Plug-ins.  In versions prior to SONAR 6, use the VST adapter which is usually found from Start | All Programs | Cakewalk.
2. Click the Add button and browse to the folder where the new plug-in is installed.  Specifically, VST scanner looks for dll files.  So for example, the file PerfectSpace.dll is found under C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\VstPlugins.  You will probably notice that this directory has already been added by default and thus Perfect Space appears automatically.  Once you have located the folder containing your new plug-in’s dll file, click OK. 
3. Now click Scan VST Folders.  Click OK to exit Global Options.  Your new VST should now appear in your plug-in menus. 

For Direct-X Plug-ins:  

Usually, no additional setup is needed for Direct-X plug-ins.  Direct-X plug-ins install globally into Windows and are seen by any program that hosts them.  If your new Direct-X plug-in is not appearing in SONAR, first check to make sure it is installed properly.  If you are confident it is properly installed, then the plug-in may be excluded from your plug-in lists.  To check:

1. Click Tools | SONAR Plug-in Manager.
2. Click “Excluded” or “Show excluded” in the lower left. 
3. Highlight the type of plug in the “Plug-in Categories” list on the left.  If your plug-in is excluded, you should see it in the right column.  Highlight it and click “Enable Plug-in.”

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21) How do I change the Pitch or Tempo of Audio?

Double click on the audio clip and press the Enable Stretching button that opens in the Loop Construction window. Next, change the Pitch at the top, click out of the control and hit the Preview button to hear the change.

SONAR 6 & 7 Producer Edition offers much more powerful tools for manipulating audio in this way.  See the AudioSnap and V-Vocal videos on the SONAR product page.

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23) I can’t record.  I arm a track, hit the record button and the NowTime scrolls, but nothing records.  I don’t even get a silent clip.

This will happen when you have “Punch-in points” later in your project.  Go to TRANSPORT|RECORD OPTIONS and make sure that the “Auto Punch” option is not checked.

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24) My wavforms are gone, but I stll hear audio. It says "busy" in the corner of the clip.

If your Audio Clips are labeled "Busy", go to EDIT | SELECT | ALL, type ALT+ENTER, go to the Audio Files tab and click "Recompute Picture(s)"

There are 3 new INI variables in SONAR 6.2 and higher that are used by picture cache generation and display. You will need to search your hard drive for the following INI files then open them in Notepad to make the edits or add the new line:

This option creates extra background worker threads for the generation of wave pictures when you load a project. One worker thread is automatically created per CPU/core. Setting EnablePicCacheThreads=0 reverts back to only using a single thread for picture computation. If you are running a system with multiple CPU's or cores setting this to 1 can greatly speed up the computation of pictures. Notes: · These threads are only active while the picture is being computed. · This option is only applicable on multiprocessor/multicore systems.

This option allows waveform pictures to be computed in the background while audio playback is in progress. Most modern computers should be able to handle this load with no problems. Note that work is only done while new pictures are actually being computed - once the pictures are finished rendering there is no overhead.

This option enables progressive display of waveform pictures. When enabled you will see pictures being displayed in the clips view dynamically as they are being computed. The waveforms will update in the background when the application is idle. If the ComputePicturesWhilePlaying flag is set to 1, waveforms will continue being displayed progressively even while audio playback is in progress. This can save time waiting for a complete picture to be finished before you can see it.

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25) How do I record my MIDI down to Audio tracks?

There are several ways to do this depending on your MIDI setup. Please click here for a tech tip that goes over the various methods of converting MIDI to Audio.

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