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How to Control Waves Plugins with MIDI in Cakewalk Sonar

Oct 14, 2026

Learn how to set up and control Waves MIDI instruments and plugins in Cakewalk Sonar.

  1. Create an audio track.
  2. Create an Instrument track, and set the Instrumet to MIDI Only. Create an Instrument track, and set the Instrumet to MIDI Only.
  3. On the Audio Track, add a Waves plugin.
  4. On the plugin, click on the Gear icon in Sonar’s toolbar and select "Enable MIDI Input": On the plugin, click on the Gear icon in Sonar’s toolbar and select Enable MIDI Input
  5. Set the output of the Instrument track to the Waves plugin you wish to control: et the output of the Instrument track to the Waves plugin you wish to control
  6. Open the Waves plugin, right-click on the parameter you wish to control and click Learn. Open the Waves plugin, right-click on the parameter you wish to control and click Learn
  7. Send MIDI control information to the plugin in one of these 2 ways:
    1. Use a MIDI controller – Set the Instrument track to Record Enable, then move the knob/fader on your controller.
    2. Program it into the Instrument track – program MIDI CC information into a clip on your Instrument track, and hit Play.
  8. Now, the parameter you selected on the plugin is controled by MIDI Control information.

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