The best purchase that I've ever made to improve my mixing with Sonar

This is sort of a post to some of the new users that have come to our little community as of late.
 
For the past decade or so I've had a bad case of gear lust. I've bought entire effects suites from Nomad, Slate, Izotope, IK, (some) Waves, and from anywhere else that I could find; chasing that elusive perfect mix. I just knew that the next plugin would be the magic pill that would put my mixes into the next level. Well I've finally come to realize..I have 15 compressors, 5 tape sims, too many EQ's, and my mixes have stayed more or less the same, minor improvements, but alas the same. Major head scratching was going on for quite some time considering the amount of $ I'd spent.
   Then I stumbled into the world of instructional videos. It seemes that I had fantastic tools right in front of me all of the time but I really didn't know how to use them properly. I had an idea, but not real training. Even stock plugins can be made to shine once you really get a handle on how, why, and where they are supposed to be set. Plain and simple, I was ignorant and didn't even know what was out there to be learned let alone how to learn it. I'm still and will always be a student of audio engineering, but once you have a teacher show you what can be learned then your eyes and ears are opened and a whole new way of mixing is opened up to you.
 
So..why did I post this bit of soul searching. Well... I just finished watching Sonar tips and tricks from groove3.com and I'm just totally blown away. All of the Sonar related groove3 videos, the ones in the cake store, youtube, and others have helped me grow way more than any $500 effect bundle ever did. Plus for the most part they are dirt cheap compared to a new mic, plugin, or interface.
If you are looking to spend a little cash to invest in your studio, invest in yourself. Get these videos so you can at least see all that your powerful DAW has to offer. Feed your head, FEED IT!

I can certainly identify with the OP's sentiments after recently picking up a Groove3 instructional video for a different Cakewalk product that I was looking to learn ….
the Groove3 video saved me a lot of time and was very informative ….
 
Kenny

+1 I found the videos on EQ, compression and general mixing, of different styles, to be the most helpful. It's interesting though. watch any number of videos from different sources and you'll notice a lot of different techniques.

Mystic38
There is no point in these at all..
 
They completely violate the "he who dies with the most toys wins" theory.. 
 
Don't do it!.. keep buying more VST that you don't know how to use!!!!
 
:)
 
and a big +1 to groove3 stuff..

Now that is funny stuff indeed! Yea, I lived by that rule for a long time.
+1 to the other replies. Even if you think you know something like using busing and audiosnap, watching someone else tackle the same mixing issues can be quite rewarding. Even if they only do something small like use a tiny hidden button or keyboard shortcut (the midi input quantize button comes to mind for me) that you had previously overlooked, that single tip can become quite a time saver for you the next time you record or mix.
Yes, please look at the videos for sale at the Cake store as well as groove3. They are worth their weight in gold.
If anyone knows other places to get these type of videos, please share.
www.proaudiodvds.com is also good resource for general mixing information (but not for sonar specifically).

+1 on the videos being sold at the Cakewalk store 
I picked up 2 this week …the Rapture and Dim Pro ..together they both ran me $9.99… 
that was a score in my book and I want to get deeper w both synths 
 
I've been eying a couple of Craig's older video's ..they also seem to be on sale ...
after I posted this message ..
I went over to the store and picked up  The SONAR X1 Advanced Worksop V.2 w C A 
I'm still working my way into X3 from 6 …there is no doubt in my mind that I will learn a lot of new things from this vid 
 
the thing that I like a lot about picking up video's , the kind of quality videos we are talking about here ,
they are so much an easier itch to scratch …..a couple of synths and plugs I need are major purchases and it takes a lot to go there comfortably 
I can always seem to find the ability to find a guilt free 20 bucks give or take 10 to  fund a new vid ...
 
Kenny
 

Agreed. About two years ago I flipped from GAS sufferer to minimalist feng-shui. You know what helps that? Rebuild your DAW. You suddenly realize all those goddamned VSTs are causing nothing but trouble. 
 
As for mixing, it's technique really. Anybody who is good and knows their rig can turn out great results with the stock plugs that come with any DAW.
 
There's some Netflix-like service for things like MiLaR and the Nashville Recording DVDs, both of which are EXCELLENT. I still use a slight variation of Dye's MiLaR workflow on my mixes, and have been consistently changing the plugin combos to be SONAR-supplied wherever possible. Actually now my final submaster chain is all SONAR plugs. 
 
I'll tell you what the single best purchase I made to improve my mixing: high-density insulation! I just made about 11 acoustic panels out of the stuff and setup the room a little more properly. WHOAH the difference! With a good frequency neutral (or much closer to it) the clarity clears up so much you can mix better AND faster. 

Sounds like very good advice to this DAW noob. I've been tempted by the many offers from Cakewalk, but for now, the only upgrade I've been seriously contemplating is the upgrade to full Melodyne when it goes on sale. I didn't even know what it was when my upgrade offer expired last February but now that I've been using it a bit the full version looks like a significant improvement. But perhaps I'm missing something about the upgrade? Any thoughts?

Thanks for that mmorgan. I want to get a bit more familiar with Sonar before trying the Melodyne upgrade demo and then with a bit of luck I may be able to wrangle a deal on the upgrade.

1+ for groove 3!  For the last month I've been on the $15 all you can eat plan.  I've got a chromecast, and flinging it to my TV.  It's better than Netflix!!!

About 2 years ago, after a "7 year  lull" (LOL), I went from Sonar 5.2PE on my old P4 XP, to Windows 7 on a new ROG i7 ASUS laptop (intending to build another desktop, which I am still planning) and bought X1PE. Right after that we bought a house (and more studio gear/software ),  which kept me busy enough that X2 came out and I bumped up a level, though I didn't feel I was catching up. At that point I realized how far behind I was/felt! So, I got Craig's vids, ones for Z3ta, Rapture, X2 explained, etc, which led me to Groove 3. I did the monthly $15 All Access Pass, until they had a deal for $10/month, which I did until they had their $99/year! I don't have to go anywhere or know someone who knows Sonar!
    I couldn't be more pleased with it. It is like going to school for the stuff I OWN! How cool! I use CakeTV and whatever Craig does, plus Scott Garrigus' DigiFreq forum, too, and now feel like I am getting up to speed again.
Highly recommended!
Michael

+1 for using what comes with Sonar.  Right now, I am using only PC and Reverberation.  I still have much to learn about both and try to keep my mixing as simple as possible.  My rule is:
- good performance
- good room
- good mic placement
- good mics
- good analog equipment in the input side
- good work with balances, mixing etc
- then I think about PC and plug ins
 
As I do only simple acoustic music, this works for me.
 
Tom
 

pentimentosound
 I use CakeTV and whatever Craig does, plus Scott Garrigus' DigiFreq forum, too, ...
Highly recommended!
Michael

+1 for Craig, Scott and CakeTV (as well as SONAR Power X*)  The Groove 3 Sonar X3 Explained vid is one of the best learning experiences I've had since joining the Cake family many years/versions ago.  Simple, thorough, extremely well produced and executed.  Answered so many questions I didn't even know I had, and touched on processes that I overlooked in the past because I thought they were over my head…but now I know enough to go forward with them...
 
I'm a guitar player from way back.  The advice I always give to new guitar players is, jam with as many other guitar players as you can…you will almost always learn something new from each one of them.  Same goes here with the various Sonar vids.  Watching these guys go through the motions, sometimes in different ways, increases the chance of a lightbulb going off in my head...
 
Love this community
 
Rob

Like Marcus Curtis, after watching Eli go through mixing with/using IK T-Racks (which I had just bought!), I was both amazed at what they could do and delighted with ALL that I already owned... and obviously need to spend some time with! With experts like Craig Anderton, Eli Krantzberg, and all the contributors to CakeTV, I feel completely confident I will learn how to do what I want and way more! I have been really enjoying Seth Perlman's 5 part SD3 and Step Sequencer Master Drum tutorial, and finally feel like I am getting the hang of it and that it will be a major advancement for me. I've been longing after the ease of Groove Agent 2.
   In a way I guess, I feel blown away by all that my studio rig will do! It is nice to be impressed with what you own! LOL
Michael