Skip to content
DawnamiteSkip to guideUser guide · macOS

The Dawnamite guide

Make yourself at home.

Learn your way around the studio, connect your equipment, and turn a first idea into a mix. Pick a workflow or look up a device.

Dawnamite arrangement with an original drum pattern, a credited CC0 audio occurrence, Library and clip details
Arrange audio and MIDI tracks with the Library and clip editor close at hand. Select the image to view it full size.

Start with one small project

Create a track, play some notes, add an effect, and save your work.

Start here

Your first project

Make a short piece, from an empty project to a saved mix.

Find your way around

Understand the header, arrangement, bottom panel and Library.

Track headers & routing

Choose a track and understand its controls before recording.

Editing

Arrange regions in time

Create, move, trim, duplicate and loop regions.

Arrangement tools

Choose a tool by name or use the current number shortcuts.

Tempo, meter, key & grid

Set the musical structure and snapping for your project.

Audio editing & fades

Work on timing and level while preserving your source.

MIDI regions & note editing

Draw a region, edit notes and use the song scale.

Piano view

Watch notes arrive at a full-width keyboard and adjust the view without losing space.

Connect & record

Audio interfaces & microphones

Connect an input, choose channels and hear the right signal.

MIDI controllers & keyboard

Get notes from a controller into an instrument.

Record audio or MIDI

Arm deliberately, record a take and check the result.

Takes & comping

Keep alternate performances and assemble a main take.

Sound & mix

Instruments & plug-ins

Build an effect chain and understand each stage.

EQ, compression & limiting

Learn what the common processors do and how to compare them.

Mixer & signal flow

Balance tracks, use sends and keep the output under control.

Prepare a final mix

Check the mix, export it and listen to the actual file.

Automation & modulation

Make a parameter change over time, then edit its points.

Library, devices & samples

Find a sound without opening every category.

Reference

Settings & appearance

Configure audio, MIDI, editing, shortcuts and the workspace.

Save, reopen & export

Keep editable projects and deliver audio for listening.

Troubleshooting

Trace a problem from the source to the output.

Keyboard shortcuts

Current defaults, with the editor context made explicit.

Licenses & acknowledgments

Separate product identity from third-party rights and notices.

Sound credits & acknowledgments

Software projects, sound creators and licenses behind Dawnamite.

Sound and devices

Instruments and sound storage

Choose factory synth presets and manage the storage used by installed sampled sounds.

Making music

MIDI Keyboard and Harmony Pads

Play notes and chords across 45 keys, choose registers and resize the whole keyboard.

Step Sequencer patterns

Build a row-based pattern, edit per-step expression and choose Song or Pattern playback.

Stock-device reference

Look up an instrument, audio effect, or MIDI effect in the navigation. Each entry explains its purpose and current controls.

CompressorLimiterParametric EQAuto Filter

Dawnamite user guide for macOS. For changes between versions, see update history.