Sonar for making tracks with Loops and Sample Packs eg Dance/ EDM

Hiya,
 
Just wondering is anyone creating tracks using Loops and Sample Packs in SONAR? Exclusively or otherwise ..
 
Back in the early sampling days it was "nicking" bits of samples from old LPs particularly back in the 90s. Like MOBY for example.
 
Now a days we are spoilt for choice with various companies selling royalty free high quality sample packs. Best I have come across is SAMPLEMAGIC - www.samplemagic.com 

I already have quiet a few of their sample packs inc most recently:
 
https://www.samplemagic.com/details/558/future-revolution ... some real nice FX, Hits, Risers etc in this for EDM
 
So do you use samples / sample pack? Do you Slice and dice these samples, completely change them? What techniques / tools / plugins do you use in Sonar to do this?
 
In fact I would propose a section here at the Sonar forums for this kind of music making AND also would love to see a video / blog tutorial on same using sonar. Get MOBY in as the guest writer :D
 
Cheers ... Aidan
 

I'll confess I've never delved that deeply into doing what you're describing, but it certainly interests me to try and learn these sort of techniques.
 
A range of sub-forums dealing with a few different genres could be extremely useful.

Sonar could do with some better tools for sample triggering and manipulation. It's such a large part of modern genres these days, and other DAW's like Ableton beat Sonar in this regard. Personally I use Geist for sample chopping and mangling, it just offers a very convenient workflow for doing it, plus it has an excellent step sequencer.

Anderton,
 
Thanks for all the links to those tips and tutes. 
 
I wonder and ask again would it be possible to tie all that together in a big tute maybe. Step 1 on, all the way through. Pretty much a walk through with a few loops from a sample pack. Slicing and then using the step sequencer maybe. Maybe using a sampler .. dimension, cyclone or recommended other. How to do this kind of music making the Sonar way?
 
A run through to show how sonar would handle a similar process in fruity loops or reason?
 
I know you say the tools are there but buried. Could a light be shone on them all tied together? Which tools need more love and TLC for future updates. As others mentioned here - the matrix view. Are tools like cyclone and dimension still useful or outdated?Will they be updated? 
 
As others mentioned here will Cakewalk be paying more attention to toolsets for this kind of music making going forward? 
 
I use Fruity Loops, but would like to not use it if all could be done in Sonar :D
 
AND .. I still call for a new section to be opened at this forum to discuss on going, this kind of music where sonar is concerned ..
 

aidanodr
Anderton,
 
Thanks for all the links to those tips and tutes. 
 
I wonder and ask again would it be possible to tie all that together in a big tute maybe. Step 1 on, all the way through. Pretty much a walk through with a few loops from a sample pack. 

Well...each one of those topics is a mini-tutorial on a particular tool. The biggest issue is there are so many ways to create music using loops that yes, there could be a tutorial on how to do it, but it would cover only one of those ways. If you know how to use each tool, you can then find your own optimum combination of those tools to create your desired workflow.
 
Here's an example. I use SONAR for EDM projects in the studio but I use Ableton Live for live performance (although I create and prepare all my files for a Live set in SONAR). I use Live in what many would consider a unique way, so I was surprised when I was wandering around Musikmesse in Germany and heard someone who sounded like he used Live the same way I do. Sure enough, it was someone with Live - but he used it with a totally, and I mean totally, different workflow!
 
SONAR takes the same "a la carte" approach to EDM that it takes to other applications. Do check out the links and articles I've mentioned, in particular "Fun with Loop Legos" and "Tips for Better Loop-Based Music." There are quite a few people here who feel SONAR is lacking in tools for EDM, but as I'm very fluent with Live, Reason, and Cubase, what I find is that SONAR has a different approach and toolset. Although it's not a "purely" EDM program where everything is focused toward that goal, when I want to stretch out of the conventional EDM box, it's easy to do so in SONAR.
 
What I could do is a tutorial on how I create dance music in SONAR...but there's no guarantee it's the way anyone else would want to create dance music in SONAR.

Anderton
 
What I could do is a tutorial on how I create dance music in SONAR...but there's no guarantee it's the way anyone else would want to create dance music in SONAR.

 
In a nutshell Anderton ... YES PLEASE :D Thats what I am looking for. A kickstart point. From there I can then find my own way and am sure others will too .. much appreciated
 
How about this .. base it on using some samples from this free sample pack at samplemagic that all could download as part of this tutorial???

https://www.samplemagic.c...ntage-breaks-free-pack

Anderton
 
That's a great idea! Now all I have to do is find the time to do the tutorial , but it is something I've wanted to do so that increases the odds of finding the time.

 
Nice one Anderton, much appreciated. I think it would be a great thing to focus on. How Sonar can easily replace Fruity Loops or Reason :D .. Show how Sonar can do the business in this EDM / sample type music making field.
 
Going beyond just dropping samples from packs and pressing play .. music by numbers. Looking at stuff like slicing sample pack drum loops, piano lines, bass lines. Pitch changing individual sliced parts, swapping around sliced parts to make new drum lines, keyboard lines, bass lines etc. Then also adding in "traditional" own vst lines.
 
Also using samplers like Dimension Pro, Cyclone maybe or 3rd party loop plugins like MOBIUS - http://www.circularlabs.com/
 
Use of Sonar step sequencer to be like usage in Reason Fruity loops ...

Loads there so no rush :D
 
Speaking of loops ( back to the 80s and early 90s ) .. Im on my MOBY trip at the moment, currently reading his self written biog called PORCELAIN. Well worth a read for ALL MUSICIANS. I recommend highly
 
https://www.amazon.com/Porcelain-Memoir-Moby/dp/1594206422
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Forkol,
 
I have FL Studio with Slicex and Edison already. In my case I want to do everything in Sonar.
 
To an extent the LOOP CONSTRUCTION view in Sonar does some of what Slicex does. Load a Sample Wav drum bass or keyboard line into an audio track, open the Loop Construction view for that audio file, click Loop On and off you go slicing using threshold etc. Once sliced to the way you want close the Loop Construction view, put the cursor at start of audio track and tab plus S ( Split ) along the track to break it into sample pieces for each note or drum hit. Right click each split sample piece and select Bounce to Clips. Now you can drag drop these sample pieces any where you like in any order and even drop them into a sampler plugin I think ..
 
Edison is an audio editor plugin - so I suppose in Sonar, as you already have the individual sample pieces broken up and in clips you can assign or patch an effect to each of the clips as you like.