Sep 17, 2007 - Studio Instruments by Cakewalk is a Virtual Instrument Audio Plugin. A high quality Drum Kit, Bass Guitar, Electric Piano, and String Section. A set of 4 virtual instruments for the studio BandLab – Cakewalk. Contains Electric Piano, SI-Bass Guitar, SI-Drum Kit and SI-String Section. Can be used in other DAWs compatible with VST.
Software >DAW >Sonar / Cakewalk
Normally, this column talks about a musical application of Sonar. However, as music software becomes more complex, it becomes necessary to tune your software as well as your instrument. Plug‑ins are a huge part of today's computer‑based recording, so how you work with, manage and select them can have a major impact on workflow, as we'll see in this month's column.
Common Ground
When VST plug‑ins appeared, Steinberg's programs installed them in C:/Program Files/Steinberg/Vstplugins. When installing a non‑Steinberg program, some would install into an existing folder, while others would create their own VST plug‑ins folder. Programs need to know where to look for plug‑ins, using a path typically specified in Preferences. So it simplifies life if you create just one VST plug‑ins folder, put all your VST plug‑ins there, and point all your programs to it.It makes life quicker and easier if you have just one VST plug‑ins folder.
1. Create the folder (mine is at C:/Program Files/Vstplugins).
2. Use your computer's search function to find all the VST plug‑ins folders.
3. Transfer all VST plug‑ins to your main folder.
4. In Sonar, go to Options / Global / VST Plug‑ins tab. To add your new folder, click on 'Add', navigate to the folder, click on it, and then select 'OK'. Now Sonar will look for VST plug‑ins within that folder.
With multiple programs installed, you may have some surprises. Some plug‑ins are 'keyed' to specific programs and won't work in Sonar, while plug‑ins from other programs will work just fine once Sonar points to them. To make sure Sonar sees newly installed plug‑ins, tick 'Scan for VST Plug‑ins On Startup'. Sonar will scan only those plug‑ins that have been added since you last opened Sonar. I would not recommend ticking 'Re‑scan Existing Plug‑ins,' as you'll have to wait for Sonar to scan all your plug‑ins on startup, which can be time‑consuming when you have a lot of plug‑ins.
Missing Plug‑ins
When opening a project, Sonar will inform you if it can't find a plug‑in that is used in that specific project. With VST plug‑ins this can happen for a variety of reasons, including the plug‑in having been moved to a different folder. Look in the VST plug‑ins folder that Sonar points to and make sure that the plug‑in is located there. If not, re‑install it into that folder. Another reason for Sonar not being able to find a plug‑in could be that it was not installed when you installed Sonar itself. This is because Sonar includes most of the older, bundled plug‑ins for compatibility, but may not install them if newer, improved versions exist. To install all plug‑ins included with Sonar:
1. Start installing Sonar from the distribution DVD‑ROM.
2. When you reach the Select Components screen, click on the Options box in the plug‑ins category.
3. Tick any older plug‑ins you want to install.
4. Click 'OK', then complete the installation process.
As for Direct X plug‑ins, if the plug‑in doesn't load it may not be properly registered with Windows (host software knows where to find DirectX effects via the registry, rather than dealing with a file path). To register a plug‑in:Using the 'regsvr' command can make sure that Direct X programs are registered properly.
1. Locate the DLL of the Direct X plug‑in that you need to register and note the file path.
2. Go to Start / Run.
3. Type regsvr32 'file path” (you must use quotes, as in, for example, 'regsvr32 'C:/Program Files/Cakewalk/Shared Plugins/Aliasfactor.dll”').
4. Click 'OK'.
5. A window should appear saying that the registration succeeded. Reboot the computer to make sure the registration 'sticks'.
You may want to unregister a Direct X plug‑in if you don't use it any more or it's corrupted. Follow the same steps as above but type 'regsvr /u 'file path”'. In stubborn cases, you may need to unregister a plug‑in before you can register it.
Bad Behaviour
Poorly written, obsolete or corrupted plug‑ins used in a project can cause Sonar to crash upon loading it. With many programs, you have to look at the opening splash screen to see which plug‑ins are being loaded and, hopefully, you'll see which one is being loaded when the program crashes. However, Sonar makes this process much easier.
Before opening a project file, hold down the Shift key. Go to File / Open and open the project while still holding the Shift key. A window will open each time Sonar is instructed to load a plug‑in, and you'll be asked whether you want to load that plug‑in. If you click 'Yes' and Sonar crashes, there's your answer.
Audio Meets MIDI
Some audio effects plug‑ins respond to MIDI in one way or another, such as BIAS PitchCraft EZ responding to MIDI notes for setting pitch. Installing as a standard audio plug‑in doesn't expose the MIDI inputs, but there is a workaround: tell Sonar it's a virtual instrument.If an audio plug‑in responds to MIDI, you should tell Sonar that it's actually a virtual instrument, otherwise Sonar will not expose the plug‑in's MIDI inputs.
1. Go to Tools / Cakewalk Plug‑in Manager.
2. Under Plug‑in Categories, select 'VST Audio Effects'.
3. Click on the plug‑in in the Registered Plug‑ins column.
4. Click on 'Plug‑in Properties'.
5. In the Properties window, tick 'Configure as synth'.
6. Click 'OK'.
7. The list of plug‑ins should refresh and you'll be able to find the plug‑in under the VST Instruments plug‑in category.
However, as it's a processor, don't use the Insert / Soft Synths method to add it to a track. Instead, right‑click in the Effects bin and select the processor from the Soft Synths choices. You can then create a MIDI track and select the signal processor as the track's MIDI output.
A similar trick works for effects that respond to tempo. If the effect doesn't respond to tempo of its own accord, follow the same steps as before but, in step five, tick 'Configure As Tempo‑Based Effect'.
Properties Window
In Sonar, you can click on the plug‑in name and enter a more descriptive user name. For example, I had two plug‑ins whose names were both 'Compressor'; I just renamed them. Note that this changes only how Sonar refers to the plug‑ins, as they still display their original name to other programs.
The Properties window also makes it easy to find where plug‑ins are located. If you see a VST or Direct X plug‑in listed under Registered Plug‑ins, but it can't be loaded, a VST effect may be in the wrong location or a Direct X effect may not be registered properly, as mentioned previously. Either situation requires finding where the plug‑in resides. Click on the plug‑in in the Registered Plug‑ins column, then look in the Filename field toward the lower left of the window. This shows the plug‑in's path. For Direct X effects, you can drag across the text to select it, copy it, and paste it into the 'Run' text field if you need to use the 'regsvr32' command mentioned earlier.
Management Strategies
I always liked the idea of the Plug‑in Manager for creating custom plug‑in layouts but, with hundreds of plug‑ins, I never could get a grip of the best way to organise them. However, I found that there's an easy way to put together a custom layout.
1. With the Plug‑in Manager open, select a new Plug‑in Menu Layout.
2. Select all registered plug‑ins in the middle column (click on the top plug‑in and then shift‑click on the bottom one).
3. Click on 'Add Plug‑in'. This populates the right column with all plug‑ins.
4. Now create folders, for example by manufacturer, and start dragging the plug‑ins into folders as appropriate.
5. Save the layout, then continue refining it.
Note that you can add a plug‑in to more than one folder, so a Favourites folder containing your most used plug‑ins can be very helpful.
Sample-rate Snags
Not all plug‑ins work well at higher sample rates, such as 96kHz, because the computational requirements are more than twice as heavy, compared to running at 44.1kHz. If you plan to record at 96kHz, create a project and load plug‑ins one at a time while passing audio through them. Keep track of which ones 'pass' (in other words, they pass audio properly) and which ones 'fail', because they cause audible crackling, or other issues.
Cakewalk Studio Instruments is a dual platform Virtual Instrument collection providing a high quality Drum Kit, Bass Guitar, Electric Piano, and String Section.
With Studio Instruments, Cakewalk introduces a virtual instrument collection that is accessible to anyone, not just musicians, through its photo-realistic, animated, and interactive user interface. With point and click ease and professionally recorded patterns, Studio Instruments delivers a simple and fun way for all to make music. Cakewalk Studio Instruments is driven by Expression Engine, the same technology found in Cakewalk's professional line of instruments, including Dimension Pro.
Studio Instruments' feature animated, photo-realistic user interfaces, and each instrument present a true interactive music making experience: just click on a cymbal, and see and hear it crash. Each instrument accurately replicates the sound of its real-world counterpart and features simple control over the most essential functions of the instrument.
In addition, Studio Instruments includes a comprehensive collection of pre-recorded patterns and presets providing a creative jump-start to making music. These patterns can be placed on multiple pads that the user simply clicks to trigger sections of their songs. Cakewalk Studio Instruments also allow the user to play the individual sounds of each instrument from their computer keyboard - if you can type, you can now play drums, piano, bass, or electric piano. More advanced users can easily control Cakewalk Studio Instruments with a MIDI keyboard or other MIDI controller. Each Studio Instrument also features customized companion effects to enhance their sounds.
Load multiple Drum sound programs and play pre-recorded drum grooves in a variety of styles.
Includes patterns in a variety of styles: Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, Jazz, Blues, Funk, and more.
Drag patterns into your recording software to make variations.
Use your MIDI controller, computer keyboard, or mouse to play Drums.
Drums pulse and cymbals crash in time with the music.
Use built-in compression and reverb to get edgy and realistic sounds.
Control tuning, panning, and volume for infinite variety.
Load and trigger multiple grooves for different sections of your song.
Load presets for multiple electric bass sounds from classic to modern.
Play essential bass lines in a variety of styles and easily transpose them to the key of your song.
Includes patterns in a variety of styles: Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, Jazz, Blues, Funk, and more.
You can also drag patterns into your recording software to make variations.
Get bass sounds ranging from aggressive to smooth with control over Bass, Mid, Treble, Drive, and Compression.
Select Pick-ups and Slide between notes for even more realistic sounds.
Use your MIDI controller, computer keyboard, or interactive fretboard to play.
Strings strum in time with the music.
Load and trigger multiple bass lines for different sections of your song.
Load presets for multiple electric keyboard sounds from classic to modern.
Play pre-recorded keyboard chord changes and lines in a variety of styles and easily transpose them to the key of your song.
Includes patterns in a variety of styles: Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, Jazz, Blues, Funk, and more.
You can also drag patterns into your recording software to make variations.
Get awesome tones with special effects like Drive, Chorus, and Tremolo.
Use your MIDI controller, computer keyboard, or click interactive keys to play Keys play in time with the music.
Load and trigger multiple keyboard parts for different sections of your song.
Load presets for multiple string section sounds ranging from lush and ambient to orchestral and cinematic. Play commonly used string section parts in a variety of styles—easily transpose them to the key of your song.
Includes patterns in a variety of styles: Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, Jazz, Blues, Funk, and more.
You can also drag patterns into your recording software to make variations.
Use your MIDI controller, computer keyboard, or click interactive keys to play.
Bass, Cello, and Violin are bowed in time to the music.
Control the nuances of your string sounds with control over Attack, Release, Chorus, and Reverb for the string section, plus pan and tone for each individual instrument.
Load and trigger multiple string section parts for different sections of your song.