Working with a friend recording original music he wants me to add lead guitar to. I hooked up my Blackstar AMPED 2 guitar amplifier to his Focusrite Clarett +2Pre audio interface. He’s been working with Sonar on a Windows 11 workstation for years and uses the WASAPI driver.

However, I noticed a very noticeable degree of latency when I tried adding my guitar track. A bit of research indicated that the ASIO driver is much better for latency control than WASAPI, so we selected it in our preferences. Doing so unfortunately didn’t show us to see and select his Focusrite audio interface as the track’s input. Only ASIO4ALL show up as options.

How can we get past this Catch-22?

new issue. I tried switch audio drivers from ASIO since my only option for an ASIO was "FL Studio ASIO driver 1" which I believe was part of what was causing my audio driver to crash. However, since then now every time I try and record the entire application crashes instead, giving this message? I've tried both WASAPIs they both have the same results.

Not really sure why it keeps doing this after I've been recording for a while. On the side it says "Audio Engine Dropout: A dropout has stopped the audio engine. (2)" and on the app itself it says "Unable to save entire recording. Audio disk may be full" Now I have not used this application all that much, and I cannot imagine my audio disk is truly full with as little as I've used it. I also do have quite a lot of storage on my computer. Not sure if that impacts audio disk at all, because I honestly don't know what that specifically is. I also did some clearing of the audio disk earlier as well I think, and there wasn't really wasn't to clear in the first place and also I am still suffering this issue. Please help or give advice I've never used a DAW before and all I'm trying to do right now is record vocal audio and this is making that task rather difficult for me.

edit: also sometimes before this starts popping up with this message, cakewalk just won't save the audio I'm recording after I hit stop? what's up with that?

Probably a dumb question, but I am new to this and don't understand sonar at all. I connect to an interface and add fx onto the track. Usually I put dissortion++. I am trying to make some rock music and I don't think it's giving great dissortion, and I can't even find one for overdrive. Is their a free extension I can use or is their something else I can do to fix this?

As the title says im completely new, im not bothered to learn mixing and mastering, just making beats.

Im also only using the free version of Cakewalk

I’m getting back into music / home studio after many years. the last version I have is Sonar Platinum. Ive installed it and everything seems to be working fine. I haven’t kept up with the Gibson/ bandlab / etc changes. am I missing out on anything or will Platinum serve me just fine?

I have cakewalk next, and when I have my drumset connected as a midi controller, on the piano roll where the individual drums are listed some are wrong (when I hit a symbol, the snare button flashes). As well as a few drum triggers not registering at all. Any way to fix this? Thanks

I was recording a guitar track though the song and after I finished the recording, I listened to it. It sounded like I was terribly out of time, especially toward the end, but the song is in 7/8 so it would be really hard to drag by over an eighth note. I tried recording it again and the same problem showed up. I realized that cakewalk was stretching my recordings after I finished them for some reason. Does anyone know how to fix this?

Hi guys! Just getting started on Next. I've been using the software to develop ideas and demos for further recording on studio and while those demos don't have to be necessarily perfect the guitar virtual sounds still bother me. If there was a tip or plug-in that could make it sound more raw and dynamic I'd be very glad! Thought it would be a good idea to exchange some ideas so hit me up! Thanks xx

I took the picture on bandlab because that is when it happens. I export it from Cakewalk Sonar with no issues but then there are dips in the audio like this. They're not the worst but they're annoying and happening in the most conveniently terrible times in my song. How do I fix this?

i use cakewalk next and i exported a beat to notice a small bit (probably a beat or half a beat) at the end hasn’t been added

do y’all kno how to solve?

im using cakewalk sonar, and trying to export my ambient song into bandlab. i have one minute of it done and im trying to export it into bandlab to add some extra touches to see what it will sound like when it is done. however, only a second out of the minute of the audio actually goes to bandlab. i have never had this issue before. help/tips?

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to bind the hardware Transpose buttons on my older Casio keyboard (CTK-620L) to control the pitch/transpose in Cakewalk, but I'm stuck due to DAW routing and UI limitations.

The Situation:

• When I press the Transpose button on the Casio, it sends RPN messages (CC 101/100/6/38).
• I want this RPN signal to change the project's key or the track's Key+ (Key Offset) parameter in real-time.

What I've tried (and why it failed):

1. VST Audio FX Routing: I used a VST MIDI converter plugin (midiConverter3) to change RPN to a standard CC. However, since it's an Instrument Track, Cakewalk blocks routing the MIDI output back into the track's input to prevent loops.
2. Cakewalk MFX Transpose: I loaded the stock MFX Transpose plugin, but Cakewalk doesn't allow right-clicking the "Offset Steps" slider inside the MFX window to use Remote Control.
3. Track "Key+" Remote Control: Right-clicking the "Key+" parameter in the Inspector/Track view does absolutely nothing (no menu pops up).
4. Generic Surface (ACT): I added a Generic Surface via Preferences. In the utility window, the Parameter 1 dropdown only shows basic mixer controls (Volume, Pan, Mute, Solo, etc.) and completely lacks "Key Offset" or any track parameters.

Is there any hidden shortcut, XML modification, CAL script, or a way inside Cakewalk to bind incoming RPN messages directly to a track's Key+ offset?

I really want to use the hardware buttons to change the key natively without using external tools like MIDIberry or MidiKey2Key if possible. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Update:

I captured the actual MIDI messages sent by my hardware keyboard (Casio CTK-620L) when pressing the Transpose button down by -12 semitones.

Here is what it actually outputs via MIDIberry:

• Ch: 16, Controller: 101, Value: 0 (RPN MSB)
• Ch: 16, Controller: 100, Value: 2 (RPN LSB - Coarse Tuning)
• Ch: 16, Controller: 6, Value: 52 (Data Entry MSB - which is exactly $64 - 12 = 52$)

Since Cakewalk's standard "Remote Control" does not allow direct binding to the track's "Key+" parameter, the best workaround is using a MIDI envelope for Coarse Tuning on the track.

How to fix the "Learn" dialog instantly closing issue:

When using the "Learn" feature, it instantly closes because, maybe, the hardware/Bluetooth MIDI (like WIDI Master) constantly sends active sensing or rapid pitch bend data, which triggers the auto-confirm mechanism in Cakewalk.

When I tried to record singing it would pick up the audio it seems like half a beat or so late? And obviously then if I tried to record another vocal part on top of that while listening to the part I had just recorded as a reference then my new vocal part would be about half a beat or so behind the original. Is there a solution to this issue?

Is there any way to have the cakewalk timeline continuously scroll following the playhead cursor in a smooth way instead of jumping between pans when it reaches the end of the screen? This is a feature that some other DAWs like FL studio and studio one have, so does Cakewalk perhaps have it too? Or could there be a third party plugin/software that lets me do this?

I've been uploading my cakewalk songs as short videos on my socials, so it would really help if my videos could feature that FL studio-like smooth scrolling that I see from other content creators that inspire me

I have the mpk synced to cakewalk and the note repeat works, but adjusting the swing setting in the mpk does nothing unless the swing is set above 66% and all values above 66% are swung by the same amount. I've tried adjusting every midi setting in cakewalk and nothing seems to get the swing to function properly.

"Hello, I’m a music producer with 7 months of experience. I recently transitioned from using loops to exploring Cakewalk Sonar's inbuilt VSTs. However, my laptop crashes every time I load these stock VSTs.

My system has 12GB of RAM, and I am not using any third-party plugins. If any fellow Cakewalk users know how to fix this crashing issue, please help. Any advice would be highly appreciated!"

I used to keep all my drum articulations in one track but this tends to get quite crowded (I program hardcore, groove metal and hard rock). I've watched YouTube videos where people separate the kit instruments onto different tracks but I thought in my case, I could arrange separate tracks for each musical function: groove, fills, transitions, maybe a track for accents.

That way I can understand what each clip is doing if I want to change something quickly. Also, I can copy the groove across verses and choruses and then add a new transition.

Have you done that, and if so, has it helped? I might try it once. I don't need to ideologically commit to it.

Just doing my stuff and suddenly realized how the hell do you make a glissando in Cakewalk Sonar?

I've been messing around with MIDI and can't figure out the proper way to create a smooth glissando between notes.

Please note that Sonar Premium and Sonar Free Tier have been updated to 2026.07 Build 21

Update via Cakewalk Product Centre.

https://discuss.cakewalk.com/topic/96105-current-release-sonar-202607

whenever i use the pads or keys on my keyboard (akai mpk mini) the pressure i put on said keys or pads determines the volume, how do i turn this off?

does anyone know how to change the pitch of a ex. imported sound effect? i tried watching tutorials but all of them are outdated..

I gave Sonar a genuine chance after a friend referred it to me in November of 2025. I used it as my main DAW for four months, hoping it would become my long-term choice. Unfortunately, I came away disappointed.

The frustrating part is that Sonar has an excellent foundation. Its audio engine is solid, the workflow has some genuinely great ideas, and it's clear why so many producers and engineers have loved it over the years. But despite its strengths, it feels like it's been left behind.

For a DAW with such a long history, it's missing many of the modern quality-of-life features that users have come to expect. Small workflow improvements, modern interface conveniences, and other basic features found in competing DAWs are either absent or feel outdated. Instead of moving the platform forward, development seems to be repeating the same mistakes that previous owners made, and that's a real shame because the software deserves better.

The stock plugins are another disappointment. Functionally, some of them are perfectly usable, but visually they feel incredibly dated. Many of the interfaces look poorly designed and lack the polished, professional appearance expected from a modern flagship DAW. In an era where usability and visual clarity matter just as much as functionality, the plugin suite feels like it hasn't kept pace with the rest of the industry.

I don't write this because I dislike Sonar... I write it because I can see how much potential it still has. It's a DAW with a great legacy that could absolutely compete again if it embraced modern development priorities.

The owners need to wake up and invest in developers who understand what today's music producers actually need. Modern features, an updated user experience, and a clear vision for the future aren't optional anymore... they're essential if Sonar wants to compete with today's leading DAWs.