Getting the right work platform (Also in Sonar Pro forum)

If you can afford it get the V Studio 700 system. That gets right out of the way of the computer and right into creativity where the energy should be. What about one of those all in one studios and one really powerful hardware synth.. But I can understand it if you dont want to spend a whole lot more on gear.

You do bring up a good point though. All this technology is great but really its music that is what we have to do.

I think just keep on working at setting things up till they work perfectly. Then at some point stop that and start playing!

Steve,
  That Novation unit is pretty sweet!  What a shame that it doesn't provide the ease of use with Sonar that you would like.  I don't have a controller so unfortunately I can't help solve those issues.  But I thought I would reply because I think a lot of us struggle with our setups and maybe a few observations might help you think down a different avenue.

Your budget is pretty much blown but you still have one thing you can change without spending  money.  Yourself.  Not trying to be a smart ass here at all.

So here are a few observations based on my setup and work routine which has evolved considerably over the last three years and by my own admission is still in need of help.

1.  For my methods, the PC/DAW is a crucial part of my songwriting routine.  I'm not saying I'm incapable of writing without it but I find it much more enjoyable to include it in my creation of a tune.  If you are a guitar player (I am) and you are relying on virtual drums (which you appear to be based on the post) then you are in a similar situation to mine.  What I found out (I used drum loops since I did not prefer to build drums from scratch using the various software apps out there) is that I could start creating a song with a drum loop and as the song evolved, I could change those loops up very easily.  In fact so easily that I began writing songs using one loop for the whole tune.  Once the song had it's basic structure, I went back and created a completely new drum track to be more interesting. Did that perhaps stifle my creativity in some way?  Maybe but I would say it helped more than it hurt.  When I first started trying to write a guitar part and change drum loops to work was a real pain.  So starting the way I did, I was able to evolve to a point where I could write parts and change drum loops on the fly.  Sometimes you just have to get in at a low level and find your way up as you make music.  It doesn't necessarily mean that you don't play music at a high level already, it only means that as a solo musician with a particular setup, you'll need to adapt if the equipment is operating at it's fullest potential.  I found the more music I created the more I was able to tweak the equipment to my needs and every time I used the software, I found shortcuts and such.

2.  Consider your chair in front of the DAW as the focal point and surround it with your equipment.  In my case a long table like you would get from Office Max is my desk.  It is nice because you don't have to sit "at it" like a traditional desk.  Also I use the underside to route cables and such.  I feel like I'm in my own music lab when I sitting at my PC.  It is like being out in the workshop at the workbench tinkering with something or building something.

3.  Embrace your PC.  I would guess you are computer literate based on your post.  Were you perhaps a recording musician from an analog background?  Many folks come from that and have a hard time embracing the mouse to screen manipulation of the DAW (of course just as many love it).  As far as searching out sample and such, I can't really think of another way to make it easier other than the keyboard and mouse.  Do you have a keyboard controller for synths or are you step sequencing?  I have sat with my keyboard (synth) and my mouse and searched through patches and such with relative ease.  Of course my day job involves a lot of that type of computer work, manipulating files and such so spending a lot of time at the PC is normal for me.

4.  You are the crux/talent of your studio, not the equipment.  Instead of making your PC/DAW controllable from your various instrument stations, make all those things accessible to you as you sit (or stand)  in close proximity to your PC/DAW.  I would suggest going easy on the Pete Townsend windmills though.  It isn't glamourous but that isn't the goal anyway, right?

The biggest thing I get from your post though is that you are reluctant to use the mouse and PC keyboard during the process and prefer to be away from it with your instruments and controller.  I think if you really want to make the DAW thing work well for you, you have to consider the PC an instrument too.  I can certainly understand the desire to have equipment work the way it is advertised or to it's fullest extent but I think DAWs are always going to have differing results just because they are computer based and we all know how strange computers can be from day to day.  

I don't know where you are at with your recording (creating songs currently or just getting started) but let your desire to make music override and make it however you have to with your setup.  You might be surprised how much will be resolved as you make the journey through each song.  If you are trying to set up a perfect studio for recording your music before you start making your music, I believe you are handicapping yourself from the start.

Well, my post was a bit more rambling than I thought it would sound, sorry!

Good luck with your ongoing quest.  I hope you find a happy medium.   I hope my reply is more insightful than frustrating, it was meant in that vein.

 

Hi Steve, Another option is to also really get into the keyboard shortcuts that are provided in Sonar. Your QWERTY keyboard has got many many shortcuts and lately I have spent a lot of time setting them up so my QWERTY keyboard is also very well setup. It can make a big difference.

Many people dont use this facility anywhere near enough. In some ways it is better than the console because nearly all console functions can be had from the QWERTY keyboard and the QWERTY keyboard is smaller and right in front of you as well.

Dont be content to work with the standard Sonar key bindings either. Many of them are fine but there are much better alternatives.  eg the UP/DOWN arrows allow you to move freely between tracks. I have set S to solo a track, M to mute a track, R to record arm a track and E to echo the input signal. These are the big ones and it really speeds up the process. Sonar did not have these functions set that way but I changed them around. (from my old Logic days) The key binding area of the program is a bit fiddly but keep at it and you will figure out how to reset them OK.

Hi Jeff, Edentowers.
 
Your both saying I need to adapt and your right from a practical point of view. And I know now I will have to. I have used the keyboard and templates but didn't like them compared to using a controll surface which is a vast improvement and is brilliant for the basics such as SMR, level etc. Life is smooth and simple.
 
But the constraints that exist on using the control surface for management type jobs (eg. create a new track using template 'X', or select and launch plug-in synth/effect 'Y') mean that I still need mouse/keybd now as well as a control surface.
 
It seems that as yet, the design of these things hasn't gone far enough to enable the likes of me to feel at ease with it. I think the correct approach might be for the User Interface of the management part of the DAW to be designed with out a mouse or screen in sight. Just midi and an LCD readout. Alternatively just make all the management operations controlable via midi and leave the end user to map things out. Cakewalk gave us ACT for this purpose. It gets us very close but doesn't quite make it. Which is kind of really frustrating. Like Moses, I can see the promised land but can not enter.
 
In the mean-time I have to accept your advice, stop complaining and adapt.
 
Thank you all.

I was going to suggest using templates, but as usual, Phil beat me to it!!!

Sorry Colin. I've just got too much time on my hands.

Also, consider getting a copule of extension cables for the keyboard/mouse.

Windows is quite happy with two mice and two keyboards. Just get two 15 foot USB extension leads (or one and a USB hub) and off you go.

Phil

Hi DLM_Drown.

I kind of agree with your take on keeping it in the head. And for me  the drums are crucial. But I like to experiment a little with drum and other loops, just to get a different take and to get the basic groove of the song right. It can radically change the direction sometimes. My song-writing process is somewhat free form and playful. In part it's R&R from the day job. Ultimately - if/when the song merits it and cash permits, I get a live drum take done.
(You can't beat a live drummer ) Or for that matter creating a song with other musicians to add their input.

By the time I'm ready for the mix etc. all the technology, mouse/keyboard works very well then. I'm sat at a desk with speakers. It's just the creative phase that gives me grief.

Hi B_jonesey.
Long cables it has to be, at least until the technology catches up with the needs of us over-sensitive creative types . It's the only efficient/cost effective way, for the lay out of my work/music room.

Thanks fellas.

Regards,

SJ