wayofmind
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Things that would make me return to Sonar.
So, even though I've been using Nuendo for the past 5-ish months, I still come back to Sonar quite often, since there is roughly 4 years of old projects, many of which aren't finished.... So I still come back to it pretty frequently. Sonar still has some really cool built-in features that I employ now and then as well.
Now some might consider putting Sonar up against Nuendo as unfair, but really, the heart of the features that are missing aren't really neck-breaking technology by any means. For a time, Nuendo completely demolished Sonar for me in terms of stability and performance, but with the last couple of patches, Sonar holds its own IMO in that area.
But now, coming back to Sonar now and then, I find myself frustrated that there aren't some simple (yet incredibly useful) features that have since become essential to my workflow.
1) Nested folders. Folders within folders. When a project gets intense (especially me, with scoring, or a bazillion tracks in a rock song), this can really have a drastic effect on how I navigate the project.
2) Color-coded tracks/folders/busses. Again, this is something that is immensely useful in large projects, and makes navigating dozens of tracks so much easier on the eyes.
-------These two points alone are so useful to one's workflow that implementing them would honestly be a game-changer, in my opinion, considering the other great features Sonar already has, INCLUDING its awesome price bracket.
Now among other things... Such as Sonar having issues properly taking up the audio driver, or some synths not showing in an export if the track isn't frozen... These are things that can be worked around with relative ease, but again, not having to really deal with that at all in a competing DAW means something.
Just my two cents!
www.richieblac.com Sonar X3e Producer x64 Nuendo 4 AMD FX 8350 16gb RAM 1600mhz Windows 8.1 PreSonus Firestudio
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bapu
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Re:Things that would make me return to Sonar.
2012/05/10 21:27:40
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wayofmind
1) Nested folders. Folders within folders. When a project gets intense (especially me, with scoring, or a bazillion tracks in a rock song), this can really have a drastic effect on how I navigate the project.
2) Color-coded tracks/folders/busses. Again, this is something that is immensely useful in large projects, and makes navigating dozens of tracks so much easier on the eyes.
3) Colored markers
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dlesaux
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Re:Things that would make me return to Sonar.
2012/05/11 05:15:52
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Peace! Daniel Sonar Platinum - 2017.10 and PreSonus Studio One 3.5.5
Windows 10 64 bit
Studiocat Skylake Desktop PC with Intel i7 6700k processor @ 4.20 GHz / 16G RAM
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Audio Interface and Cakewalk UM-2G Midi Interface Check out my website
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bitflipper
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Re:Things that would make me return to Sonar.
2012/05/11 10:03:36
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I don't think it's going to happen.
I have a long list of small usability and convenience improvements, but they all fall under the heading of workflow enhancements, a category CW used to champion but has been drifting away from for years.
Screensets are a nod to that cause, as is the improved browser and better-organized options dialog. But along the way, automation editing got hosed, folder indentation and fundamental controls have become obscured, there is still no rational scheme for color-coding tracks, still no way to indicate where a song starts and ends, still no advanced automation editing, still no way to perform operations on every track within a folder (e.g. freeze, minimize, restore), no utilities for determining RMS or running time for an arbitrary block of audio, no improvements to V-Vocal, no routing matrix view, no reporting.
But these kinds of enhancements don't advertise well. They can't be clearly summarized in a competitive features matrix, and don't demo well on YouTube. In the short run, they would not sell a whole lot more product. Only over time could SONAR gradually restore its reputation as a logical, easy-to-use and complete audio workstation.
 All else is in doubt, so this is the truth I cling to. My Stuff
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stickman393
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Re:Things that would make me return to Sonar.
2012/05/11 12:46:11
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damon777
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Re:Things that would make me return to Sonar.
2012/05/11 12:58:50
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Im sure all these though appearingly small usability and convenience improvements would cost a great deal to sort out, you`d think "Roland" would have the foresight to see the world leading potential of Sonar and pump some money into its development as that could only result in benefits for Roland too.
Dell XPS 430, 8GB Win7 64 VS 100 x2 PCR 500 8.5 PE X1D Expanded X2A Producer E Omnisphere, Stylus, Trillian Alesis M1 620`S Alesis M1 520`S. Novation Nocturn.
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JazzSinger
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Re:Things that would make me return to Sonar.
2012/05/11 13:08:16
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Just make the folders work properly, that's all I ask.
Clone the last track? - lands in the next folder.
Drag-drop to the bottom? - Cannot be done.
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ampfixer
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Re:Things that would make me return to Sonar.
2012/05/11 14:28:03
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bitflipper
I don't think it's going to happen.
I have a long list of small usability and convenience improvements, but they all fall under the heading of workflow enhancements, a category CW used to champion but has been drifting away from for years.
Screensets are a nod to that cause, as is the improved browser and better-organized options dialog. But along the way, automation editing got hosed, folder indentation and fundamental controls have become obscured, there is still no rational scheme for color-coding tracks, still no way to indicate where a song starts and ends, still no advanced automation editing, still no way to perform operations on every track within a folder (e.g. freeze, minimize, restore), no utilities for determining RMS or running time for an arbitrary block of audio, no improvements to V-Vocal, no routing matrix view, no reporting.
But these kinds of enhancements don't advertise well. They can't be clearly summarized in a competitive features matrix, and don't demo well on YouTube. In the short run, they would not sell a whole lot more product. Only over time could SONAR gradually restore its reputation as a logical, easy-to-use and complete audio workstation.
As usual Bit has hit on many good improvements that I'd love to see also. The routing map would really be helpful. I think the one ray of hope for these types of improvements is the fact that most DAW software is running out of flashy new features. They're all maxing out on main functions and will soon have to look at implementing these "secondary" features in order to fill the list of new features for subsequent releases. Throwing in new plugs will not generate big sales. I bought in to version 8 because of all the producer plugs, but they hardlu get any attention from me or Cakewalk. All those fancy plugs like PX64, the channel strip, vocal processor seem to be orphaned. I like them and was hoping that updates would have shown up by now. Too much orphan ware.
Regards, John I want to make it clear that I am an Eedjit. I have no direct, or indirect, knowledge of business, the music industry, forum threads or the meaning of life. I know about amps. WIN 10 Pro X64, I7-3770k 16 gigs, ASUS Z77 pro, AMD 7950 3 gig, Steinberg UR44, A-Pro 500, Sonar Platinum, KRK Rokit 6
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Savagery
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Re:Things that would make me return to Sonar.
2012/05/11 21:13:11
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I'm not actually advocating Cake do this, or expecting anything like this, but I think issues like this get solved with a total re-write of the SONAR code. I wrote code for a few years, and sometimes a program would be revised and revised and added to and modified so many times, that it became hard to navigate. There were areas that I would not dare touch, because I honestly forgot how they integrated with the main program. Couldn't see the forest, if you will, just a lot of scraggly trees.
Again, I wouldn't expect this from a large and complex program like SONAR. But, remember at one point SONAR existed in a state where it had no track folders, skylight, pro channel, etc. If a program was written KNOWING it would have track folders, I'm sure they would have been nested, and work well without the idiosycracies they now have. Tack on those features later, and this is sometimes what you get.
Not that my opinion helps anything. But I can understand how head-shakingly obvious features and enhancements could be omitted... it's probably to maintain stability.
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Bub 
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Re:Things that would make me return to Sonar.
2012/05/11 22:31:57
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bitflipper
I don't think it's going to happen.
I have a long list of small usability and convenience improvements, but they all fall under the heading of workflow enhancements, a category CW used to champion but has been drifting away from for years.
Screensets are a nod to that cause, as is the improved browser and better-organized options dialog. But along the way, automation editing got hosed, folder indentation and fundamental controls have become obscured, there is still no rational scheme for color-coding tracks, still no way to indicate where a song starts and ends, still no advanced automation editing, still no way to perform operations on every track within a folder (e.g. freeze, minimize, restore), no utilities for determining RMS or running time for an arbitrary block of audio, no improvements to V-Vocal, no routing matrix view, no reporting.
But these kinds of enhancements don't advertise well. They can't be clearly summarized in a competitive features matrix, and don't demo well on YouTube. In the short run, they would not sell a whole lot more product. Only over time could SONAR gradually restore its reputation as a logical, easy-to-use and complete audio workstation.
*bUb StAnDs Up ClApPiNg HiS hAnDs RaPiDlY wItH tEaRs RoLlInG dOwN hIs ChEeKs ShOuTiNg*, "Bravo man! Bra-vo!"
"I pulled the head off Elvis, filled Fred up to his pelvis, yaba daba do, the King is gone, and so are you."
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JazzSinger
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Re:Things that would make me return to Sonar.
2012/05/12 04:08:27
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"Throwing in new plugs will not generate big sales. I bought in to version 8 because of all the producer plugs, but"
You bought v.8prod because of the plugs? So it DOES generate sales!
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ampfixer
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Re:Things that would make me return to Sonar.
2012/05/12 20:25:50
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Only because I had none at the time. Had I bought komplete before Sonar producer, I'd still be using the studio version.
Regards, John I want to make it clear that I am an Eedjit. I have no direct, or indirect, knowledge of business, the music industry, forum threads or the meaning of life. I know about amps. WIN 10 Pro X64, I7-3770k 16 gigs, ASUS Z77 pro, AMD 7950 3 gig, Steinberg UR44, A-Pro 500, Sonar Platinum, KRK Rokit 6
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