Complete Newbie Needs Help/Understanding

What soundcard are you using? 

In SONAR 4 you need the VST Adapter to use VSTs. Did you use one?

"Wasn't able to get EZD to work" doesn't actually tell us anything. How exactly did you try to use it? Do you know in general how soft synths are used? If not, theres a tutorial about it in the X1 help.

The integrated soundchips are really not capable of fluent DAW work, so you do yourself a big favour
if you get yourself a proper audio interface.

Thanks for the responses even though my question is pretty vague. As the title says I am a complete newbie so I don't know what ASIO and DAW mean.

Here's my problem in nut shell. I want to make my computer a recording computer. I only need 2 inputs as it's a desk top and I won't be dragging it out to record a whole band. Right now I have the trial version of X1 and though I would love to buy it I'm hoping to get by with sonar 6. I'll be recording guitar tracks and using EZDrummer for the drum tracks. I will e-mail the recordings to my friend who will record the bass line from his house and e-mail the song back.

After doing some research I've learned a little bit about what I need to do. However I would much rather hear what I'm doing through my computer speakers and not have to wear headphones to hear. I'm looking at buying the Line 6 Toneport UX2 because it's cheap and I have a long way to go before I'll feel comfortable enough to advance into more serious equipment.

My problem right now is I can't make EZDrummer work with Sonar 6. By that I mean I can install it on the computer but I can't find it through Sonar 6 as a soft synth or anything else. So I can't even open it to do anything with it. With X1 I can find it as a soft synth and get it to open but I have no sound from either X1 or EZD.

So what do I need to do to run Sonar 6 with EZD and not have to use head phones to hear. I'm kind of a purist and would probably choose to mic my amp over using the Line 6 but if it's cheaper to buy the Toneport then to upgrade my sound card I'll go that route. And by cheaper I'm mean $200 - $300 if it's only $50 - $100 then no biggie.

Thanks in advance.

I have been recording for a few years, and this is what I have picked up.

you can get a small usb mixer which would also work, for $100 or less.  ASIO, i beleive is the apple audio format (seems to be preferred drivers for most interfaces), WDM is the windows audio format. Try chaning the driver in your version of SONAR to use WDM drivers, then you will hopefully see your sound card, if you want.  DAW = Digital Audio Workstation.  When/if you get an interface, it will act as your preamp inputs, sound card, headphone monitor etc (you can attach speakers to the interface).  The tone ports/guitar ports are pretty much the same as any other interface, they just come with guitar amp modeling software and may be optimized for guitar players (perhaps have additional tools/software for recording guitars), however they have pretty much the same preamps as most other interfaces. I have a friend who has the guitar port and the mic pre is pretty good and overall the unit is very cool. If you are going to utilize midi, make sure you choose an interface which accepts midi inputs.

Go to any musical instrument seller's website and browse the interfaces. you will see there are several in the $80-$200 range, and all are similar. the USB mixer works like a mixer and send 2 tracks in and out.

Hope this helps a little.

ToneWarrior, can you see EZdrummer in the cakewalk vst directory?  If this question doesn't make sense then we may have been answering the wrong questions.

Glen

Do you mean Sonar 2XL?

I do not remember a Sonar 4XL.

LAnce

I should add that I refer to using headphones because I'm told if I use a Toneport type interface I will only be able to hear via the headphones.

That is False!