Okay, I give. Still new to this forum and just upgraded from MC5 to Sonar x-2 studio. Long story short, I'm new to this layout and can't find how to bring up Studio Instruments Drummer, or whatever replaces it in this app, so I can listen to and choose whichever drummer I want for this session. If anybody out here can help a newbie, it would be greatly appreciated and I will be sure and acknowledge the "little people" that helped me along the way :) That was tongue in cheek, appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks

You need to add a soft synth...you have either SI Drummer or Session Drummer...SI might be easier for you to start with. open up X2 and press F1 for the help file. This will bring up the help file. Click on the "Playing and recording with software instruments".... then click the link that says "adding an instrument track to your project"...it shows how to insert Drop Zone, but don't worry...every synth is added the same way...here is the link....http://www.cakewalk.com/D...torial4.1.html#1116525 ...hope this gets you started, as I have to go to bed...others I am sure will chime in and help you! Good luck and welcome!

Ooops...you won't have Session Drummer...that comes with X2 Producer...but you should have SI Drummer.

appreciate it Frostysnake. gonna try it now

I guess I'm not catching on to this very well. MC5's drummer kit, whatever it's called could be pulled up and I could "click" on different drum patterns and grooves, load that on a track and I've got a drum track. I'm not a synth man and I'm just looking for a "groove" to throw some guitar at. I'll go online tomorrow and hit those tutorials you pointed me at and see if I can stumble into it. Thanks for the help, it's appreciated

To get up and running quickly, just do the following...
1. With a project already open, choose Insert > Soft Synth > Studio Instruments > SI-Drum Kit from SONAR's main menu.
2. In the dialog box, put check marks next to the Simple Instrument Track and Synth Property Page options.
3. Click OK.

SONAR will open the Studio Instruments Drum Kit interface and add a new track to the project. Put your MIDI patterns in that track to create a drum track.

Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://garrigus.com - SONAR X2 Power! - http://garrigus.com/?SonarX2Power
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar ProAudioTutor video tutorial series: http://garrigus.com/?ProAudioTutor
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Maybe Sonar X-2 Studio doesn't come with drum loops. What I'm gleaming from what you guys are telling me is that I need to use MIDI to lay down drum tracks, which would be great if I had and/or knew how to use a MIDI interface, but I don't. No loops? and no MIDI knowledge....bummer

What I'm gleaming from what you guys are telling me is that I need to use MIDI to lay down drum tracks,

No you can download audio loops or use the ones that come with Sonar and make them into Groove Clips. Its very easy, but you have to learn how to do it. Use the Help Menu, its loaded with good information. 

If you want to work with audio loops use the browser to audition some of the loops (X2 Studio has 3000+ some of which must be drum loops) and one shots (X2 Studio has 500+) to build the groove you want. The reason for the MIDI advice was the original reference to SI Drums. You can work in X2 without ever learning MIDI but you will be missing out on a lot of the power of the tools that you purchased. MIDI is not that hard and you might find that it is extremely useful. There are some videos that cover many of the features in X2 here http://www.cakewalk.com/C...ONARU.aspx/Get-Started

You can also learn how to create your own drum clips through using the Step Sequencer - it's what I use (I am a keyboard player).

It presents you with a matrix of little boxes, for beats and their sub-divisions, and you can just start it looping through the loop and use the mouse to add or remove each drum or cymbal strike, and the loop will just keep looping.  At the end of all of that you have a usable drum clip that you can populate your song with.  There's a bit more to it but that's the easy peasy explanation of one method of getting drums into your projects.

Bob Bone