Using the Plug-in Browser

 

Note: The core SONAR installer does not include all available plug-ins. If the plug-ins listed in this section are not available in SONAR, please download and install the optional plug-ins via Cakewalk Command Center (see Cakewalk Command Center).

The Plug-in Browser lets you insert effects, instruments and ReWire devices into your projects. The following plug-in types are supported:

DirectX and VST audio effects.

MFX MIDI effects

DXi and VSTi instruments

ReWire devices

Plug-ins are displayed according to their organization in the selected Plug-in Layout. Custom plug-in layouts let you organize plug-ins any way you want: alphabetically, by vendor name, by effect type, etc.

Effects can be added to tracks, buses and clips. Instruments can be added to audio tracks, Instrument tracks and the Synth Rack.

Plug-in Browser interface

Figure 284. Plug-in Browser.

A. Show Plug-in Browser B. Plug-in Layout menu button C. Dock/undock D. Docking options E. Expand/collapse F. Plug-in Type buttons G. Search filter H. Plug-in list

Show Plug-in Browser . Show the Plug-in Browser.

Audio. Show available DX and VST audio effect plug-ins.

MIDI. Show available MFX MIDI effect plug-ins.

Synth. Show available DXi and VSTi soft synths.

ReWire. Show available ReWire devices.

Plug-in Layout menu. The Plug-in Layout menu lets you specify how plug-ins are organized. The menu contains the following commands:

Manage Layouts. Opens Cakewalk Plug-in Manager, which lets you create, delete, and edit plug-in layouts. For more information about Cakewalk Plug-in Manager, see the Cakewalk Plug-in Manager online Help.

Sort by Category. The default layout, which organizes plug-ins into category subfolders such as EQ, Dynamics, Reverb, etc. If a plug-in has more than one category, it will be listed in each category subfolder. For information about assigning and creating categories, see To assign a plug-in to an existing category and To create a new custom plug-in category.

Sort by Manufacturer. Sort plug-ins alphabetically by manufacturer name.

Sort by Type. Sort plug-ins by their native format (VST3, VST2, and DirectX) and manufacturer.

Scan VST Folders. Scan to detect if any VST plug-ins have been added or removed.

<list of layouts>. The Plug-in Layout menu lists all layouts stored by Cakewalk Plug-in Manager. Select a layout to change the plug-in list.

Search filter. The search filter allows you to only show plug-in names that includes a specific text string.

Plug-in list. The Plug-Ins list is populated from the currently-selected layout from the Plug-in Layout menu and the plug-in type selected from the Plug-in Type menu.

 

See:

Adding effects and instruments to a project

To insert an effect in a track or bus

To insert an effect into a clip’s FX Rack

To insert an instrument

To insert a ReWire device

To assign a plug-in to an existing category

To create a new custom plug-in category

Using the Media Browser

Using the Notes Browser

Using the Synth Rack

Keyboard navigation

Browser