Audio playback in SONAR

To use digital audio in SONAR, you first have to make sure that your sound card and its driver are properly installed. For information about sound card and driver installation, see your sound card’s documentation, and also Audio hardware (sound cards) and drivers.

After you’ve successfully tested your sound card and driver, you should play back one of the sample files that came with your Cakewalk software.

To play back a sample file, use the File > Open command, navigate to a folder that has bundle files in it (they have the extension .bun or .cwb), select a bundle file, and click Open. After the file loads, make sure that your speakers are turned on, and play the file by pressing the SPACEBAR. You also can stop the file’s playback by pressing the SPACEBAR again. You should hear something. You can rewind the file by pressing W, or by clicking the Rewind button in the Control Bar.

If you don’t hear anything, here are several steps to take:

Playback troubleshooting table

 

Possible problem	What to do
The volume setting is turned down on your software mixer, or wave playback is muted.	If your sound card only has one stereo output, your sound card probably responds to the Windows Mixer. If your sound card has more than one stereo output, it might not respond to the Windows Mixer—launch your sound card’s own mixer software if it has it, and make sure all volume settings are turned up and nothing is muted. To open the Windows Mixer—double-click the Speaker icon that’s on your Windows taskbar to open the Play Control dialog box. If you don’t see the Speaker icon on your taskbar, you can open the Windows Mixer by using the Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Volume Control (Windows 7) command. Make sure that both the Wave Direct Sound slider and the Play Control slider are turned up, and that none of the Mute or Mute All check boxes at the bottom of the dialog box are checked.
Your speakers aren't connected properly, or the volume is turned down.	Make sure your speakers are on and the volume is turned up.
Your sound card isn't hooked up correctly.	Run the Microsoft Sound Recorder (Start > Programs > Accessories > Entertainment > Sound Recorder). Open any wave file and see if it plays sound correctly through your speakers. If not, check your sound card documentation to make sure it is properly installed and configured.
Your tracks’ initial volume settings are too low, or the tracks are muted.	See Track-by-track playback.
Your audio tracks are assigned to the wrong playback device.	Check the playback device assignment for an audio track by clicking the track’s Output button or Out field. If the name of your sound card (the one you have connected to an amp and speakers) is not selected on the pop-up menu, select it. If it’s not listed, go to Edit > Preferences > Audio - Devices and make sure the name of your sound card is selected in the Output Drivers list. Next, go to Edit > Preferences > Audio - Driver Settings and make sure the sound card is selected in the Playback Timing Master list. If you don’t see anything resembling the name of your sound card, anywhere, see the next step.
SONAR doesn't recognize your sound card.	Go to Edit > Preferences > Audio - Driver Settings and click the Wave Profiler button to test your audio hardware. Then try playing the file again. Note: It is not necessary to run the Wave Profiler for a sound card using an ASIO driver.

For more information, see:

Tracks

Clips

Track-by-track playback

Connecting an instrument, home stereo, or microphone to your sound card

Choosing inputs

Audio recording

Audio hardware (sound cards) and drivers

MIDI