Sonar X2 Advanced Workshop: Studio Effects by Karl Rose. You should buy it.

Note: I am not a pro nor do I work for Cake or get compensated in any way for any endorsements I make. I am a beginner/intermediate Sonar Producer user who has been trying to make sense of all the doohickeys it contains. The following is purely personal opinions on a product I have found useful.
 
So I bought this vid a couple months ago on special because although I've studied general overviews of what effects are what and what they are supposed to do (thanks to the Groove3 series FX Explained) looking at the rather massive list of effects in Sonar Producer and then all the confusing dials, buttons, doodads, displays and general dorkery on said effects when they were open was rather intimidating. The help files on these effects aren't exactly helpful aside from dry descriptions of the controls (which you kind of have to know a lot about to even understand the descriptions) and most certainly not inspiring.
 
So basically I said when I bought it I would let you guys know what I thought and my thoughts are...
 
1) This is a very useful vid for learning general principles of what effects are supposed to do what. Not Sonar specific principles but what common things like EQ, reverb, compression, gates, etc actually do and how they are commonly used as well as weirder stuff like modulation type effects. He gives audible examples of what pretty much all the parameters do and since he covers all the included effects (which Sonar seems to have at least two of everything) and organizes them by type (all reverbs together, all choruses together, all compressors together) you get a good idea of varying terminology that can be applied to other non Cake/Sonar effects. I mentioned the Groove3 FX Explained vid which was extremely helpful to me as a beginner but it left a lot of unanswered questions and since they used a lot of plugs I do not have was harder to visualize and impossible to put into practice (without buying those plug ins). I think Karl has gone above and beyond with that here and my GENERAL knowledge of effects has/is being expanded vastly.
 
2) Setting effects up in Sonar. He doesn't go into great detail here but the snippets he provides are concise and will give you multiple options of how to approach the ProChannel, FX Bin, presets and Sends/Busses within Sonar without distracting from the real subject of the vid which is the actual effects. When he broaches these subjects they happen quickly but provide enough info to get going. For more in depth set ups I still like Craig Anderton's X1 Advanced Workshop series which is a little outdated but still extremely relevant in many cases (I just rewatched both those vids too and it they are a goldmine of really cool stuff I can't wait to try out).
 
3) Thorough in regards to detailing every control of pretty much every effect included in Sonar X2 Producer. I've spent a lot of time just tossing plugs around willy nilly just to see what they are and gotten absolutely nowhere because there are so many of them and within each one there are so many specific controls with varying names (many of which do the same thing but just have a different label) that I got frustrated and just thought I was too dumb to use them. The Sonitus plugs are a good example. That stuff is COMPLICATED if you don't know exactly what is going on. Every time I opened one of them up I just shook my head and opted for something simpler... besides, they're ugly. They couldn't possibly be as good as something a little more sleek and pretty, right? Now I appreciate just how in depth and valuable those Sonitus plugs are and although it's gonna take some work I know I can make them do a lot for me. Also due to those particular plug's complexity compared to the simpler ones with prettier interfaces by understanding them it seems like I will understand other plugins better. Really I like the way he mostly focused on them and what they can do and then applied it to the other plugs which although flashier looking do not have nearly as much depth in many cases. On that note he was smart enough to use the Breverb VST to show reverb concepts before dealing with the Sonitus reverb plug because Breverb (in VST form) is seemingly more in depth than the Sonitus. Perhaps that was not his intention but still it works out better for the viewer IMO. I had also given up on Breverb because I found it heavy handed and annoying. Now I know I was just using it wrong and know to use the VST instead of the PC module to satiate my finicky reverb tastes. Point is he goes so in depth with ALL the controls of ALL the plugs and provides relevant audio examples as he goes so you can experiment yourself whereas many other vids I've seen give rigid examples to produce specific results for specific purposes which isn't very useful unless you just want to use the "paint by numbers" approach to audio production.
 
4) I think unless you have spent a ridiculous amount of time studying all the effects included in X2 and know exactly what every dial, knob, switch, doodad, whatever does on every single effect you could probably benefit from this vid as a Sonar user. As a beginner or intermediate user it's a no brainer. One of my fine friends here mentioned he bought the video after I initially posted I was buying it even though he's been a Sonar user for years and knew the effects in and out/backwards and forwards he said he STILL learned a few new things. I'd say considering that it's still on special for $8 even the old timers would find value in it.
 
5) Production value and conciseness without confusing the viewer. I have always like Karl's teaching method and I am glad Cake got him to do some vids. I've watched a lot of videos on Sonar in the past year or so and for the way my brain works Karl just makes things click. He doesn't veer off topic or skirt over details yet he doesn't lollygag and pontificate unnecessarily. All the pertinent info is there in extreme detail without rushing the subject nor lingering too long pontificating on personal preferences or opinions. It also seems he has taken great lengths to get the best takes possible and overdubbed crucial information. Most vids I've seen showcase Sonar's little quirks or glitches (even the official Cake vids) which can be distracting. Either Karl has the best system in freaking world for Sonar or he spent a lot of time getting things right. Some folks complain he's a little dry or boring and if you prefer a more bombastic teaching style then perhaps this isn't for you but for me I like it that way. The info is there, presented logically and with stunning brevity. I could see other presenters I like taking 10 hours to describe what he's done here in two. Different strokes and all that but if you can pay attention and make use of the rewind function it's all there.
 
So there it is. A long winded review but I did say I would provide one and I don't think this vid is getting enough love. Frankly I'm surprised to see it is still at such a reduced price. $8 is peanuts for what this vid contains.
 
Cheers.
 
http://www.store.cakewalk...ductid=10-X2AW1.00-20E

Karl (AKA FastBikerBoy) is very thorough...

I highly recommend any of the videos he does...Sonar related that is
as I have no idea about anything else...

The best thing about this is with my admittedly mediocre production knowledge/skills I actually understand everything without having to test it all out (which even when I have with other tuts I still didn't understand). Concepts I've studied in passing are being solidified/clarified with tools I actually have. I'll have to download Quicktime or some other non ridiculous video player (WMP is a joke) to access the chapters for more quick reference as I work but I could see this being a great companion for the help files as I mix and try out new things. 
 
Thanks, Karl.
 
Bakers... be sure to keep this man on board for future vids. Especially now that Mr. Anderton is no longer available for the Advanced Workshop stuff.
 
Cheers.

@Mesh... There is a lot of info in there. I'll admit there are quite a few things I'll have to review over and over again but I feel I'm retaining a huge bulk of the info more easily than other vids. I haven't even felt the need to start one of my wacky note files on it. A few passes and some specific trial/error tests of the concepts I think I'll be able to yank out any one of these plugs and get the effect I want. It's infuriating looking at all this fancy stuff I have and not knowing what the heck it all does. lol
 
@Larry... Indeed. His other interests seem to include hurtling himself through this physical plain at high velocities (sometimes at stationary objects apparently) which doesn't seem quite as productive but he seems to enjoy it so who am I to judge. I prefer a nice cold beer and some boobies meself.

Just got it!

Beepster
I'm curious, Karl (and yes I'm intentionally bumping this thread so people buy your vid for THEIR benefit as well as yours)... how the heck did you learn all that stuff? I mean, that's like OCD territory. Sooooo many knobs and buttons. :-/
 
;-p

 
I'm just one of those sad people that isn't just happy that something works, I want to know why and how it works so I tend to immerse myself in something until I'm satisfied that I've "got it". Just sharing some of that "I've got it". 
 
Thanks again.

Bought this for $8 on the strength of that recommendation. What a bargain. Excellent video. On a side note, I notice that Groove 3 are also selling their Melodyne tutorial for $8, which I got for $5 recently. Just wondering if $8 is the new $5...

+1 to this video. Now I can mess with the effect with more confidence. Thanks Karl.

At the Beepster's recommendation,  I've purchased "SONAR X2 Advanced Workshop: Producer Effects - Video Tutorial".  I cannot complain for $8.00 and we'll see if it helps me sift through the various effects. 
 
I've also added "SWA Complete SONAR X2" as it's been quite a few years since I've had a current version of a Cakewalk product, however I'm not sure if "SWA Complete SONAR X2" really puts it together any better than the free media on Cake TV and such.
 
The total cost for both is $27.94, that's very cheap for good educational material, so at worst I may glean some few insights not otherwise easily available, and at best it will be an ongoing useful source of information not easily available on Cake TV and such.
 
Long live the Beepster.

mettelus
Excellent video for sure, and what is more is that Karl is often around to answer other questions too!! Karl knows his stuff!
 
OMG Beepster... as soon as you said "I am a beginner/intermediate Sonar Producer..." I sat back and might need to re-evaluate myself... I have been demoted to "novice." I disagree with your statement due to many of the posts you have made! Come on... 7550 posts... as a "beginner/intermediate"? I will be a novice forever :(
 
SONAR is an interesting playground... the more I learn, the more I realize I have no clue about!

I have been told post count means nothing. ;-p
 
In my case that is however true. A bulk of my post count is from me harassing these guys trying to figure out what's what and/or just blathering about this that or the other. Any time you see me being "smart" is because the topic is something I've recently learned and am usually just parroting out of the manual or something I've seen other users post because it helps me retain the info better and... well I like to help where I can because it's only fair after all the info I've bled from the forum. Fact is all I've really done the past year is study and done some tests to get my bearings within the program. I have not done anything particularly substantial or noteworthy with it yet. Basically if you have put together more than a few complete songs you are more advanced than I am. This winter though after I do a review of everything I've learned and some more test projects I intend to take everything I've learned and start REALLY producing. Hopefully by next spring I can drop this beginner shackle I've chained to myself and move into pro territory. I just don't want to start writing/recording and get stuck because I didn't learn everything I needed to before hand. That's a real buzzkill.
 
;-)

Bumped.

bandso
I bought it about 6 months ago and never watched it. Doh! I know what I'll be doing tonight. Groove3.com's mixing in Sonar taught me a good bit, so I hope this one will extend my mixing skills as well.

I've watched an insane amount of vids on Sonar and how work with it and although that was all great for navigating the program and included a few insights to some of the effects nothing compares to this one. It's not about mixing per se but considering the things some of these effects do I don't anyone but highly educated/experienced pros couldn't make their projects sound better with this info.
 
Seriously trying to sort through what should be used where and how to actually use them accurately was driving me BONKERS. An enormous amount of my notes are me trying to write down specific info on settings the tuts describe because they don't actually explain what the controls are doing. They just say "Set this to this and that to that" and move on. I can pretty much toss all that out the door now because I can make informed decisions that suit my material/needs.
 
The one thing that still bends my brain is the VC-64. Not because Karl doesn't describe it well, he explains every single option on that damned thing, but because it is just ridiculously complex. Now though I realize that the most important part of that entire effect is the routing section. It seems so innocent and inconsequential sitting down there in the corner looking like it doesn't do anything but it's like the heart of the beast. No wonder I couldn't get the darned thing to do what I want. lol
 
Also I was kind of upset that I didn't have access to the new fancy Tape Sim because I'm too cheap/broke to upgrade to X3 but after watching him showcase the old VST tape sim I think that's going to be just fine. In the same vein some of the innocuous mastering things that I had no idea about like the Phase effect (not Phaser but the one that simply checks and fixes phase issues) or the Tube Leveler (which I could never get to work right) or any number of tools I had no idea were for mastering should get my final "masters" a hell of a lot better sounding than they've been so far.
 
All I was doing before was a bit of EQing because... well that's all I knew how to do... and even then I was doing it wrong. lol
 
Sorry, just can't say enough about how useful this vid has been. Cheers.

I still have X1. (waiting for a new computer for x2 or 3..might be a while) Will there be a lot of irrelevant info for me?

Thanks Skook, just bought it then.