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How to Convert From Sonar to Pro Tools

Pro Tools is the de facto standard digital audio workstation (DAW) software platform for professional studios, giving its name to the generic term for recording music with software. However, there are other full-featured DAWs that have loyal followers. Different layouts and workflows suit different users. Fortunately, there are common cross-platform elements that allow a project started in one software to be shared or completed in others. You can change files from Cakewalk's SONAR to Pro Tools when you learn the steps.

Things You'll Need

  • CD or DVD burner or other high capacity portable storage medium
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Instructions

    • 1

      Save each track of your SONAR project as a separate WAV-format file. It is important to save each track from the 0:00 time point, regardless of where that track starts playing. Select one track by clicking the track icon. Use "Ctrl" and "F9" to set the start and "Ctrl" and "F10" to set the end point of the project on this track.

    • 2

      Bypass any effects that you do not want to include with the track for transfer. This is advisable if you are moving tracks from a home studio to a professional studio, as higher quality effects are likely to be available. Use the "Bypass All" button to temporarily disable the effects as you convert the track.

    • 3

      Select "File" from the menu bar, "Export" from the drop-down menu, and "Audio" from the pop-up box. This will open a dialog window for saving the file. Create a folder to organize the track files, using the "Create New Folder" button in the upper right. Use an informative name for the file, for example: "MySong1Track01of24ElectricBass.WAV." The file name may be the only documentation used to re-assemble the project in Pro Tools. Be sure to use "WAV" as your file type. Click "Export" to save the track.

    • 4

      Repeat the previous steps for each track in your project. A large amount of data is created as each track is the length of the entire song. Therefore a 3-minute song with 24 tracks will require 72 minutes of storage space. This example would fill about one entire CD for a single song. Use the software for your CD or DVD burner to create a disk with your individual track files on it.

    • 5

      In Pro Tools click "File" and select "Import Audio to Track." Select your track file WAVs as needed and click "Done". Your tracks are now ready to work with in Pro Tools.

Recording Music

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