[Answered] Has anyone found any free X3 tutorials anywhere?

CakeTV

Likewise - CAKETV provides three different levels of  training...

DrFrederico
I think it's a little crappy of Cakewalk to charge for them. We spent a lot of money on the (complex) program already. Digital Performer isn't that way. http://www.soundonsound.com/articles/DigitalPerformer.php

Aside from the free videos on caketv (which is on par with most free training vids given by DAW makers), there are great blog posts that sometimes have video and searching for "Sonar X3" on Youtube will give some alternatives as well. Also, for many of the videos (like the Groove 3 ones) it's not Cakewalk charging for the videos you see in the store.  These are made by independent people and Cakewalk sells them at their online store as a matter of logical convenience to us.  Cakewalk is probably not making much if any profit even on the ones bearing their names since most (if not all) were made by non-Cakewalk employees.  Even the ones by Craig Anderton were made before he was employed by Gibson..  Most of those videos end up on sale for next to nothing anyway.  If you got the survey you can get $25 worth of them for free anyway. There's a good chance that for any high level software you purchase, there is a commercial tutorial product that  is more thorough than what the maker offers for free. I'm grateful for the free stuff, but Cakewalk owes me nothing but the product they sold me and proper support for it.
 
We also have a great and active forum where helpful members AND Cakewalk staff often help all of us get through any growing pains.

There are also a whole bunch of free videos on YouTube if you just search for Sonar X3 and whatever you are trying to learn about, like how to find the documentation, or how to run the included tutorials, lots of stuff.
 
Sonar X3e is quite stable, and if you invest some time and effort into it, you may find it meets and possibly exceeds your needs.
 
Bob Bone
 

^ +1

John

DrFrederico
I think it's a little crappy of Cakewalk to charge for them. We spent a lot of money on the (complex) program already. Digital Performer isn't that way. http://www.soundonsound.com/articles/DigitalPerformer.php

Most tutorials that cost are from third party providers. It is a lot of effort that goes into a tutorial and though CW doesn't charge for the ones it does I see nothing wrong with those that do charge get something for the effort. 
 
Scook has linked to CakeTV which as a huge number of good videos on all the X series as well as some going back to pre X. What you  have posted is singularly uninformed.  

 The Cake shop will have those on sale quite a bit.  I got most of mine that way for under $20.   
 

 
Cakewalk's very generous sales, promotions and giveaways make the videos available more or less for free to those who want them (like me).
 
I just wish there was a printed manual.  I'd have read it cover to cover by now, comfortably sunk into my couch or rocking chair.
 

I mean no disrespect.
 
Assumption: the OP is a new CW customer, fur shur, a new X3 user.
 
'Tis a clear an inverse relationship: the less something costs the more is expected.
 
Not sure why I am repeatedly amazed at the expectations that something that costs next to nothing
and is as powerful as Sonar should provide complete handholding.
 
Warning: Proper use of this product requires significant frontal-lobe development.
 
Chief Architect: $2,700  Training:  2 days in vegas: $700   
(Training assumes experience with the program. Close to architect-level education.)
 
Black Baud accounting: $6k+    Training: 500-1000 per day.  
And $2.5k renewal per year.
 
How much did you spend to purchase Sonar? Your computer? Sound interface?
 
And you did not read the manual?   To find the tutorials?
 
And you have not clicked the sticky labeled, "Helpful Sonar videos?"
 
And you have not searched the forums for such information?
 
Before admonishing the dudes who created the program for you to complain about?
 
--------------------------------------------------------
 
I still think Sonar costs less than a 1/4 of what it should.  It is way too inexpensive. And
consequently those who should have purchased Music Creator, or M-Audio Vocal Studio,... are
confronted with a longer learning curve than expected because of their inexperience.  And they have the audacity to blame the CW dudes for the frustration they experience at not being able to just understand and use the program right out of the box without reading the instruction manual.
 
Business dudes know, there IS a direct relationship between low product price and high support costs.
 
Higher price, fewer users, lower costs, higher profits.
 

kitekrazy1
 BTW I do miss the .chm help file in Sonar.

Cakewalk still bundles a .chm file with SONAR. When not connected to the internet, the chm is used instead of the web-based help system. To force SONAR to always use the .chm file enable "Always use Offline Help" in Preferences > File > Advanced. To see the Advanced options make sure the Advanced radio button is selected at the bottom of the Preferences dialog.

Keep in mind the local chm is not updated as frequently as the web-based help. In the past the chm updates have been delivered along with program updates. The web-based help may be updated at any time.

Though it is not free, you can pay 15 bucks a month for a month or two and watch more than you'll need on Groove3. It's a good deal. They have good Sonar vids and also good generic mixing vids and others that are good, so say for 30 bucks, two months... you get a LOT!
 
Youtube and Cake TV are both good too.
 
J

Just an FYI - I'm starting a new series of articles for the Cakewalk blog that's designed for those who need basics. They're in a "Five Questions About..." format and I try to give answers that don't go over peoples' heads but aren't simplistic, either. The first one is on latency. The next is on understanding crucial audio specs, and the third on different filter responses....with more to come.

John
Maybe you forgot Craig but aren't your tips in the sticky section above free? BTW, I copied them all and have then neatly in a WP file including your graphics if you need it in say a PDF format I can send it to you free of charge too. LOL
 
I also have many of those articles from SOS by you in a notebook. I may even have the ones from 2001.
 
And another thing by your being here offering help and insights wouldn't you say that is a huge free benefit for us?
 
 

I put a link to first round in PDF in the thread and was waiting to revise and add on. I think there is lots of valuable info that is nice to have offline.

Thank you very much. I'll check it out. My biggest problem is the way Sonar Producer was re-arranged sometime between 8.5 and X3. I still haven't found a button that minimizes/maximizes tracks. Used to be in top right corner, you could expand/minimize with same button. The only way I can make it happen now is dragging it to size. Sometimes when I drag a track to make it bigger, they all get bigger. I've searched through the manual under tracks, can't find anything? They probably call it something else? There are a lot of little things like that, that are bugging me. I wish there was an option to go to sonar pro 8.5 view.