This old man needs help...

Jeez, that is a whole kettle of fish.

A sample is just a digital piece of sound.  Usually it refers to a single sound - like a drum hit.  Or a piano keystroke.  These "samples"  can be organized within a sampler (sample synth) to play back when you hit the key (or fire the midi note).  Usually there are multisamples across the keyboard, so one note doesn't get shorter as you go up the keyboard, even tho it is in tune.  A loop usually refers to a series of notes, or different instruments playing a short piece.  Acid files are loops, but with the timing/pitchinfo imbeded into them.  You can have them keep the pitch and change the timing, or change the pitch while the timing stays the same.  Wav files are simply digital recordings.  They is what you manipulate in SONAR like tape or what you hear on a CD.  Rex files are kinda like ACID files, but are chopped up.  Usually a loop is arranged over a keyboard so you can "fire"  a note or hit (if it is drums).  For instance, you could have a blues riff as a Rex and "play" a different variation on the keyboard since each lick of the guitar is assigned to a different keyboard key.  Or a drum bit.

Loop construction allows SONAR to imbed ACID info into a loop.  It imports ACID files correctly.  Yes, there should be a section in the help files.  The Matrix lets you drag/importat wav files, audio loops and midi clips into a grid.  Hit play and it runs through the grid horizontally.  All the clips etc. vertically under trigger.  It is a loop sequencer and will play to the end of the matrix and can start again.

Use the groove clip function (double click on a sample) to open an audio file.  You can tell SONAR to apply the correct pitch/tempo to the sample and save it back into the project.

My suggestion is to look at the videos here at the Cake site, read the manual and then go through the tutorials.  If you are new to digital audio projection, a lot is different than tape, but the basics are the same.

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If you are looking to get into "loop" style production the easiest thing to do is get your acid files.  Import them into a project.  SONAR will match the tempo for you.  Then roll them out.  Say you have a drum loop - always a good place to start.  4 measures.  Roll the clip out to 12 or 16 bars.  Then find a bass loop you like and works with the drums.  2 measures.  Roll it out to match.  You can play some riffs over them w/ midi or audio.  Say you do 4 bars of rhythm guitar, audio.  Record, trim and double click on it to turn it into a "groove clip."  It will then follow tempo changes or pitch changes - same as your prefab bass.    Now an organ part via a softsynth.  It is probably easiest if you turn it into audio, groove clip again.  8 bars, roll it out twice.  There are your rhythm tracks.  Say they are the verse.  Copy it and paste it twice.  Now you have section A of a pop song.  Reapeat the loop match process to do the Chorus or part B.  Copy the entire section A and paste at the end.  Now you have ABA.  Add a bridge, outro, intro whatever.  Then play your guitar for lead stuff live, piano, whatever over the entire recording.  Add vocals.   Volia.

The technique works well for electronic, rock, anything that repeats parts - which is most music styles.  When you get comfortable w/ groove clips (or acid files) you can go in and edit them internally to come up with variations.  Or add some drum hits for that live feel. 

Basically, it is somewhat like working with a band except without the players, which puts a lot of pressure on you to pick the right loops.  And your composition skills.

Hope this helps.  If you are old school it helps to have programmed drum machines.  But the groove clips are the key.  Just grab some loops and double click.  Play with variables to see how well it works (or not).  You'll get the hang of how it works for you.

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Excellent info!!  One question... will SONAR "acidize" the clip or is that done in other software?  Still not quite sure how to "acidize".  And I am Googling this to find out as well, but no luck so far.
Thanks again.

Tony

Many thanks for the tips.  Now I feel like an idiot...  I own Scott Garrigus' SONAR 8 book (even though I use X1) and it has a whole chapter on this topic.

Tony

You will be assemilated with the Beatz borg.  Join the dark side, timidi.

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AT


You will be assemilated with the Beatz borg.  Join the dark side, timidi.

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Actually. Could be the 'singer/songwriters of this generation. idunno. I just don't get it. 
I guess a good beat is just another commodity that someone somewhere wants.
I get like 5 friend requests a day on soundclik from guys like 'johnny beetz'....LOL.
Maybe I'm missin the boat.


tbosco, I meant no disrespect. Just sayin.

timidi, you are not alone. The dark side beckons seductively, but be strong. The rebel alliance may be less visible these days but it is still alive, having merely gone underground after disappearing from the top 40.

And please, please, please keep pluralizing your nouns with an 's'', not a 'z'...
Do what you like with your music, but just don't kill the grammar.

LMAO--- y'all crack me up!  Hey... I'm a guitar player... so if there is a great sax lick out there somewhere that would fit nicely into one of my tunes, I probably oughta use it, cuz if I tried to blow a sax, it would at least scare all the critters outta my home for a few days.

And hey... I love beets.