How To Make a Song in Cakewalk - Gear, Recording, & Mixing for Beginners [Updated 2022]

The latest installment of one of my most popular series: How To Make a Song. This episode utilizes the free software Cakewalk, and covers gear, recording vocals, free plugins, and mixing for beginners.
🟠 Listen to "Sunset Drive" on all platforms:
- All Platforms link: bit.ly/jasonrcc
- KZbin: • Jason R. - Sunset Driv...
- Spotify: spoti.fi/3cQ5TPo
- Apple Music: apple.co/3BAwni2
- KZbin Music: bit.ly/3PN5z2m
🔵 Buy my mixing presets on SALE!
[$10!] Cloud Cover Vocal Presets: bmc.xyz/l/ccpresetssale
[$15!] Cloud Cover Vocal Presets Premium: bmc.xyz/l/ccpresetss2
🟢 Get the software and plugins used in this video:
Download Cakewalk: bandlab.com/products/cakewalk
How to install plugins: • Make Any Mic Sound Bet...
- Download MAutoPitch: bit.ly/3oINBSZ
- Download TDR Nova: bit.ly/3fq3t75
- Download TDR VOS SlickEQ: bit.ly/37mlTn7
- Download T-De-Esser: bit.ly/3bgTMdP
- Download TDR Kotelnikov: bit.ly/3m4CXUz
- Enable VX-64 Vocal Strip: • Cakewalk by Bandlab: T...
- Download Fresh Air: bit.ly/3u36xO5
- Download H-Reverb: bit.ly/3JgzNIM
🟣 Good mics for music from $50 to $500:
[$30] Fifine K669B: amzn.to/3R58uVp
[$55] Tonor Q9 kit: amzn.to/3OX3O1W
[$100] Movo UM800: amzn.to/3uZ7K84
[$167] Rode NT-USB: amzn.to/3ac93fn
[$300] Rode NT-1 with accessories: amzn.to/3dqA5hS
[$350] Rode NT-1 + AI-1 bundle: amzn.to/3dpGFFk
[$400] Shure SM7B: amzn.to/3oG6lSY
[$678] Lauten Audio Black LA-320: amzn.to/3BsJnqf
0:00 Intro
0:31 Preview of Finished Song
0:52 “Sunset Drive” on All Platforms
1:07 Recording Gear
1:50 Recording Process
2:44 Finished Session
3:18 Basic Editing
3:31 Mixing, Unedited Vocal Sample
3:54 Plugins Used
4:30 Pitch Correction | MAutoPitch
5:20 Subtractive EQ | TDR Nova (1)
5:55 Additive EQ | TDR Nova (1)
6:16 High Shelf | TDR VOS SlickEQ
6:45 De-Esser | T-De-Esser
7:09 Compression | TDR Kotelnikov
7:37 Delay & More | VX-64
8:10 Exciter | Fresh Air
8:32 Room Reverb | H-Reverb
9:03 Large Reverb | H-Reverb
9:26 Important Non-Advertisement
10:15 Wrap-Up
10:28 Outro
I make tech videos + occasional audio tutorials. I'm also a full-time student studying mechanical engineering.
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[@jasonrtech]

At the very least I'm offering updates on my preset packs for six months: so as I work on my album's deluxe and find new techniques and plugins I'll add presets for those too!

[@max.wingert]

You are the absolute man, man. I've made my way through only a handful of your videos so far and my understanding of Cakewalk and vocal recording/mixing has improved by leaps and bounds. All I can say is, this simplified breakdown and overview is brilliantly useful. I'm just starting out and I could use a dozen more exactly like this. Explain like I'm...well, not 5, but maybe 15, ya dig? Inexperienced, but eager to learn.

[@mpyc81]

You sing sooooo well man! You don't even need editing!

[@Wes_positivity]

amazing tutorial, so easy to follow and straight to the point!

[@cr_____________]

Make more videos on Cakewalk mixing vocals bro

[@SohilShah_Melodyman]

Very helpful... Thanks for sharing!!! 😊🙏

[@n.6036]

You helped me a lot bro thank you

[@TyasAlfisa]

thanks so much for the tutorial, you da best!

[@unbeatablesoul6562]

U r a god-gifted piece bro💖

[@chillwalker]

...and the community is growing! As a 15 year long Cakewalk User, (actively switched from cubase and Logic) I have to say: This is a legid good vid for Beginners!!! Good Job. BTW: Is this really your voice? Dude...you got a talent there for narration!

[@Anthony-kp7sf]

yeah i use logic a lot still but cakewalk is slowly winning my heart. the fact that this is free is just absolutely ridiculous. they're definitely gunning for top DAW. there is almost nothing that i cannot do with cakewalk that i can do in logic, seriously. flex time comes to mind with logic, but im wondering if i just havent found the function for it in cakewalk considering cakewalk gets wonderfully deep. the amount of money ableton has been milking out of the community for their DAW is obnoxious so seriously cakewalk in 2023 for any PC musician is a no brainer unless you need the live functions from abelton.

[@SoumoMukherjee92]

Great tutorial.

[@RandyReviews1990]

cakewalk is nostalgic for me bought the software from best buy when i was a teenager i couldn't get it to work on my pc but i never gave up on cakewalk!

[@elijahjflowers]

Impressive tutorial.

[@ashleyanderson5300]

bro your content is FIRE 🔥🔥🔥

[@jasonrtech]

Thank you bro 😤👊🏼

[@Soumilbharatendu]

Great tutorial bro! Quick question: During recording how can i avoid my vocals from clipping particularly in parts where I am screaming?

[@jabrown1978]

With social media being such a force for negativity, strife, conflict and hurt in the world, you represent the good and generosity that social media can also bring to the world. Thank you for sharing your gifts, talents, knowledge and time with us because you didn't have to. I'm not sure if people realize the significant amount of time it takes just to put a video like this together and have it be presentable, interesting and make sense. I've always said musicians are the salt of the earth. Thanks again, bro and all the best to you. Oh and I subscribed! Lol

[@wiratmangunza7237]

Nice Bro❤

[@absstudiobeats]

Bro you're so helpful, shout out to you bro . Dope 🔥. Please we'd like to see how you make your Beats in cakewalk. They're so awesome.

[@Destroyer125ugh]

Really appreciate this! P.S can you make a video on making beats with cakewalk?

[@bpindustros5554]

Fresh air was asking me to buy a license, but thanks for the vid

[@exhaust4246]

Use high pass Filter vocals bro and lil bit of saturation wouldn't hurt (Tuba is a grate free plug-in) And after you done comping just hit Bounce to Tracks option it'll get raid of unwanted recordings you're not using . Will sure look much Clean that way, Lastly print you Fx to the Audio to save CPU and I'm going to buy autotune pro so please do lemme know if autotune still sounds same after printing it to the audio (I'm positive it would still be the same but just wanted to know for sure) Looking for to your new album Dawg 🔥 you came along way. Being following your tutorial since Audacity saga lol cheers man much love ❤

[@elijahgaskin5358]

THANKS

[@rfadusto]

Ayee tha song lowkey hard

[@flite4u]

your song clouds deserves the world

[@covers4u]

How do you measure the loudness of your vocals with respect to the instrumental? Great content btw

[@amitspecially]

The video is exactly what I was looking for, but it lacks clarity at some places. Being an Instructional Designer I feel imparting knowledge like you do to an 8 year old is the key for effective tutorial videos. So I would say that this video is 85% there, but some places like the over the shoulder shot of the monitor screen, or when you drag the MautoPitch to the track we missed seeing what you typed and how you located the tuner. May be that was for another video. Net Net I enjoyed watching the video. It helped a lot. Good Work.

[@ashleyanderson5300]

those arboretum shots 👌🏼👌🏼

[@jasonrtech]

🙏🏼

[@at_jsmt_]

This is a pretty awesome video. Cakewalk isn’t too big yet but it’s cool some videos are talking about it. If you have any tips on underwater effect for cakewalk that would be sweet. If not no worries !!

[@racl1954]

Hiya.......Cakewalk is absolutely massive and has been around for as long as any of the DAW's out there like ProTools, Logic, Cubase etc. It used to cost the same as any of the major players offerings. Cakewalk Sonar Platinum which was the professional version used to cost £499.00 when it was provided by Roland and later Gibson Guitars who offloaded it to Bandlab when they were having their financial difficulties.. Think about this for a moment. Ray Charles recorded his last two albums on Cakewalk Sonar as did many other professional artists. It is a totally professional DAW. People now think that it can't be any good because it is now free of charge. It is up there with the best of them. I would still be happy to pay for the software and any updates. As it is it is free. I won't complain when and if BandLab decide that it is time to pay for it.

[@Antara755]

what gear do you use to project that stuff on your wall, thanks, great tut

[@terremoto6663]

What microphone would you recommend for a bearable sound quality of vocals

[@pelcbrostjpcep123]

Bro that song in the beginning is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@jasonrtech]

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@sidperry3225]

Can someone plss tell me. How to put a noise gate on there. Is there one already on cake walk if so I can’t find it !

[@LordSiah]

I've been making music and Cakewalk for a while now I've gotten hang of it great video my G

[@jasonrtech]

Good stuff, glad to hear people are getting it down!

[@LordSiah]

Yeah most definitely I will probably get one of your plugins the auto-tune one because I use g-snap and it's pretty trash lol and your plugin that you used didn't sound too different from the professional one. If isn't too much to ask it would be nice if you can go and check out one of my songs called warped sense want to know what you think about the mix and the song itself

[@danna1761]

hi i need help pls...im using Shure SM7B and when i record my vocals it also records the instrumental...how do i record the vocals only? 😭

[@jermainemcqueen8997]

i'm using this software with the rode nt1 mic and rode AI-1 interface kit, have everything plugged in correctly.. for some reason the cakewalk won't pick up the mic when i try to record an audi track. any help would be greatly appreciated as i'm getting very frustrated.

[@user-pv2po6hq3c]

Hi, I do not have iLock, so what kind of alternative to Fresh Air plugin is the best to use? And a iLock is not possible to get hold of in the country I live.

[@RandyReviews1990]

great video just curious if anyone buys beats online and records with them in cakewalk instead of starting from scratch in cakewalk!

[@Ju_lourembam]

Bro can i know the name of your laptop that you used for your music production as shown in your video

[@tekktori]

when i add another track like you showed me it just overwrites the previous one so i cant do any adlibs at all ... tips ?

[@cr_____________]

Make a video on Mastering vocals bro

[@user-pv2po6hq3c]

MAudio Pitch. When I try to download it, the only thing I find, is a total system clean, but no plugin. Do you have a link?

[@TariqSaleemOfficial]

i didnt understand about room reverb and large reverb can u tell me?

[@thomasperry509]

Sadly the vx 64 vocal strip is no longer available

[@lionheart2663]

he speaks my language , its called easy :)

[@MottsusSapiensEst]

what did you use to make the instrumental?

[@O8beron]

"and the sun shine dead in my eyes....squint cuz thats my breed." you funny man lol😂🤣

[@stealbeam]

Hello how are you doing , nice video i an looking for MPK25 do you have that script thanks

[@jorgeisrael46]

Can I legally distribute what is created in this daw to digital platforms?

[@masthan4315]

In this video wich kick bass you adedd bro reply ❤ the name

[@wrestlewithgary]

Hey can you make a song using Graillon 2 please

[@ZleezyMusic]

Where do you download the presets?

[@M.F22]

why do you record your vocals in stereo?

[@babygoatforex99]

Heat I want a feature🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@parthp1874]

Don't have uncategorised folder please help 🥺

[@absstudiobeats]

Please we'll like also to see how you Do mastering of your songs 👀🙏

[@donpablo3267]

Is the fresh air plugin free?

[@Soumilbharatendu]

Is there a way to generate silence in cakewalk similar to audacity? Great content btw!!

[@jasonrtech]

Thanks! You shouldn’t need to “create” silence as you can drag tracks around and the empty space will be silent.

[@kingmoses558]

for some reason sound doesn't work on cakewalk none of my recordings or beats have sound

[@joehumeas7196]

How do I create the song instrumental??? You just magically had one haha.

[@Sultan1sablja]

Good video but I was thinking you should maybe record mono and not stereo. Other then that good vid.

[@kingi1flash981]

Do you record with monitoring and the effects with it or just raw voice and effects after

[@kingi1flash981]

And if u do raw voice do u recommend using monitoring with effects

[@ChilledRythm]

nice

[@jasonrtech]

🙏🏼

[@itschrisgaming1416]

why does my mic sound super staticky?

[@MadeinHMK]

Please at the very least can someone show me a video where they use the actual presets in the app? These external presets aren’t downloading I’m exhausted.

[@over1oad336]

Yo can you do some mastering vids?

[@jasonrtech]

I might in the future! For now I use LANDR, but if I switch to doing it myself, I'll definitely document that.

[@malibou5903]

can i use autotune in cakewalk?

[@thesingh1108]

When I record something the audio sound really bad . It makes me sound like a robot and has too much static to it. I’ve tested my mic its all good

[@Thanos-lx9vi]

Check your inputs. It happened to me. I just didn’t have my mic selected as input.

[@ArenderBros]

ah the same as other tutorial, we started with baasic, and skipped to the finnish then edit it a little in the end

[@jasonrtech]

I don't think you understand the format of the video. I didn't "skip to the finish then edit it a little," I explained the recording process, then skipped to after I was done recording. You wouldn't gain anything from hours of me laying down vocals when I already explained the process. And in the mixing section, I broke down the full plugin chain and covered what each plugin does without skipping any effects. What I showed was exactly what I used on the final song.

[@atlanticastt]

what headphones are you using?

[@jasonrtech]

Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 👍🏼

[@RandyReviews1990]

if anyone looking for great beats there are some on fivrr some are for cheap!

[@meezietv3230]

Thought u said plug in were free?

[@SV-yj9yg]

How to u import the instrumental though

[@jasonrtech]

Just drag the audio file into Cakewalk 👍🏼

[@SV-yj9yg]

@@jasonrtech yeah but how do u get a instrumental and then put it to a file

[@jasonrtech]

@@SV-yj9yg Usually when you lease a beat they'll give you a download button. Alternatively you can use a KZbin to MP3 downloader but then you can't distribute your music anywhere.

[@bastiisalive]

hello, can you by chance also make a tutorial or at least a help guide how can indie artists get their songs on Spotify? I don't think people are even on soundcloud anymore :/ #SpiritualLyricalMiracleIndividual

[@ceed3d396]

Cool informative video. Auto Tune on a striving artist demo song just sounds like somebody trying to to get in sounding like the next rapper. It’s no longer original. You’d probably do way better just using saturation and a air plugin on your IMHO. 👍🏽

[@Andrethebum]

Hey man, what is this

[@Supha07]

bro i wanna learn to mix vocals but dont wanna become travis scott

[@L1ghtOn3]

You have a good voice for talking. Not a big fan of the "Digi" singing these days, where anyone can sing through any mic and it can become "fixed", where most of the males and females singing, all the singing sounds the same these days, just my opinion though and I come from more of an "Analogue" Dj background from yester-year...yes I'm ancient lol. I've had to come kicking and screaming into the future of "Digital". Could not BELIEVE how easy the Djing equipment is to use, pretty much does it all for you, bizarre, but most definitely is missing some depth in the recordings, can't quite describe it, but the soul doesn't lie! I could easily see you as a talk show host, or voice-overs for many things, especially in this day and age. In no time you will be out of that dudgeon under the sea of yours! 😉✌

[@jasonrtech]

I'd love to move my full vocal chain to physical gear, it's just too expensive for where I'm at. I respect the view on digital mixing, but I think it's good to lower the barrier of entry so more people can pursue music!

[@forevercoold]

Cakewalk isnt free no more bor.. your thoughts?

[@jasonrtech]

Just went to the website and it says "Cakewalk by BandLab is free" right on the download page. Think you might have went to the wrong place 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@Anthony-kp7sf]

anyone whose dogged on cakewalk bandlab has been real quiet since my boy dropped this lmfao

[@sourich3]

First

[@mohammadhussain3273]

suddenly he sounds like travis scot

[@MatthewSimpson-nd2xn]

anyone else still lost?

[@ogcdx66ofmadpoets]

Need more engery in your vocals.....

[@enzoescobarr]

This is the worst software I’ve ever used every time i load it up it instantly puts this little kid voice on and I can’t take it off

[@jasonrtech]

That’s a new bug to me… You try Googling for possible causes and solutions?

[@raginald7mars408]

Millions of Home recorders make Music and Music gets totally destroyed without tech there was real Music

[@jasonrtech]

Taking time to complain That many people can now be creative Says more about yourself Than the music being made Especially since You don't have to like it You don't have to leave comments You could simply: find something you do enjoy

[@raginald7mars408]

@@jasonrtech right! Pro Techt yourself!

[@obcacywilizacja8483]

Bro you could just learn to sing and it would save you like 3/4 of the plugins

[@jasonrtech]

This is a common misconception, but mixing is not about compensating for a lack of skill: it's getting the audio to a baseline level that's sonically pleasant 👍🏼

[@obcacywilizacja8483]

I know that, the raw sample could sound better though, I'm just saying that there's a room for improvement in your vocals. The mixing skills are great though 👍

[@austinjones-yz7om]

Auto tune is more of a culture nowadays. I mean, unless artists can learn to snap their raw vocals using their own voice (which would be extremely hard to do)

[@longhairrasta]

thought this shit was for beginners.... jesus murphy. how about this is you record a take. why cant i hear other tracks while im recording new tracks??? help yo! im lost!!!

[@RylanStorm]

Ok.. I've given this 7 minutes and I've learnt precisely nothing.

[@jasonrtech]

Whose fault is that?

[@RylanStorm]

@@jasonrtech in this case, definitely yours. As a "beginner" video it doesn't cover any basics.

[@misterbeeman3779]

You go through your tutorials to fast for a beginner.

[@jasonrtech]

I hear you, but I also get a lot of comments saying I go too slow… I’ll do a longer realtime music mixing video soon 👍🏼

[@flexxrar]

i want my time back wtf is this

[@jasonrtech]

No worries, here you go: 🫱🏼🕜

[@flexxrar]

​@@jasonrtechthxthx 🙏

[@yesterdayoncemore7130]

Constructive crticism: Can you please slow down just a bit? Right off the bat you say Click New Project and then empty project. Where in the world is the empty project? A lot of us older people are not up to par on understanding some things. For you it is easy to know because you are making video and know all about it. So please slow down just a bit. To say once again this is only constructive message. Don't be alarmed OK? Thanks Brian

[@selfactualizer2099]

That music was painful and not professional at all for a tutorial video Rap heads, please stop trying to put it into everything. I wouldn't put metal in a tutorial either.

[@jasonrtech]

No worries if you don't like the music, obviously it's subjective. But you can't tell me not to use _my_ own music in _my_ own tutorial 💀

[@sorayarodriguez5924]

@@jasonrtech😂😂😂

[@abc456f]

Vocals? Oh you mean talking, got it.

[@philfoster3701]

talks too fast