Update 2: The Early Access Program is Now Live for the Upcoming Release of SONAR 2017.03

3/24/17
The SONAR 2017.03 Early Access builds have been update from build 36 to build 44.  
Latest Fixes:

• UWP Mode MIDI recording now works on x86 systems.
• The current note name has now been added back to the keyboard UI in the PRV.
• Lanes and Automation Lanes can again be added to new or existing Buses and MIDI & Audio tracks.
• When undocked, the PRV titlebar again properly displays the track name (if only one is shown).
• Controller data now properly displays when expected in the PRV grid when the Controller Pane is closed.
• The Controller Pane now displays controller data for selected tracks.
• Mute and other buttons in the PRV Track list no longer causes focus to change unexpectedly.

 Known Issues (currently being fixed for final release):

• Tempo View drawing is broken.
• Drawing of controller data in the PRV note grid with the Controller Pane closed is not working properly.
• Projects saved with the PRV undocked may crash when reopened.
• MIDI scrub is not working correctly.

To obtain the latest Early Access build please see the instructions in the original post below from 3/21/17.
 
Thank you for your participation,
Cakewalk
 
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3/22/17

• Please note that Artist 2017.03 Early Access is also now available.  The original post below has been updated to reflect this.

 
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3/21/17
 
This month’s release for SONAR Platinum, Professional, and Artist brings new features along with fixes & enhancements to many key elements of SONAR.

New Features

UWP MIDI Engine & Bluetooth MIDI Support: Microsoft have introduced a new API standard for using MIDI on Windows as part of the Universal Windows Platform architecture. With this comes many new advantages including Bluetooth MIDI support and Multi-Client access to MIDI ports. UWP MIDI provides a modern way to communicate with MIDI devices and can be extended to support newer MIDI protocols/interfaces. To enable this in SONAR go to, Preferences | MIDI | Playback and Recording and set the MIDI driver mode to UWP
 
PRV Enhancements:
Streamlined Track pane: The redesigned Track Pane now displays in single-height rows with track-color boxes and new controls for filtering, as well as an additional mode to Auto Lock tracks that are selected but not being edited. The Track Pane now also supports collapse and expand via the same controls as other views in the Skylight interface.
 
Improved Controller Editing with Single Lane mode: It is is now possible to have a much larger editing area for controllers while also having access to many controllers on the same track. Switching this mode is done with the View menu by selecting Show Multiple Lanes. Single lane mode is now the new default when opening the Controller pane.
 
Select next/previous Note Event: Just like Tabbing to Transients in an audio track, in the Piano Roll view it is now possible to use the Tab key to select the next note or Shift+Tab to select the previous Note event.
 
Aim Assist support for Controller pane: When Aim Assist is enabled it now extends into the Controller pane for improved feedback when editing the Controller data for a note.
 
Two-tone Color-coding of sharps/flats: When using the Piano Roll view, we’ve now made it easier to identify different notes by adjusting the hue of different Sharps & flats. Gb, Ab, and Bb are now shaded slightly different from Db and Eb to better separate them when editing. (taupe-color for Gb, Ab & Bb, blue-color for Db & Eb).
 
New Collapse button for Controller Pane: The Controller Pane now features its own collapse and expand button similar to the Bus Pane. This can be opened or closed by simply clicking the button or using the shortcut [Alt] + [C] when the Piano Roll view is in focused.
 

Bug Fixes

• Double-clicking a track could fail to maximize strip height in some situations
• Track view no longer flickers when reordering tracks in large projects
• Adjusting Take lanes height longer allows the Edit Filter to overlap other controls
• Excluded synths no longer show in Instruments plug-in lists
• SONAR no longer disappears behind other programs when switching Lenses
• Help will now correctly launch from Preferences | MIDI | Playback & Recording
• Exporting as Raw Tracks - No Automation/FX now preserves the Comp on an audio track
• New updates to SONAR no longer revert the theme to Tungsten after installing
• Fixed a possible crash when dragging a MIDI clip to Matrix in localized versions of SONAR
• The power indicator for a FX Bin will now stay in sync with the Frozen/Unfrozen state of a track
• VST3 plug-ins now display correctly in the registered Plug-ins list in Plug-in Manager
• Aim Assist now displays correctly when using the arrow keys to scroll in the PRV
• The mouse position no longer displays only in the PRV when Aim Assist is turned off

 
To participate, you can obtain the Early Access release via:

• Cakewalk Command Center under the Rollback menu. Steps:
  • Start Command Center
  • Click the Settings button
  • Click the Check Now button
  • In the Connected Products list, right-click on the product or suite name you want early access to
  • Choose Rollback > Early Access 2017.03 from the context menu
• Through your products download page, under "Available Downloads."
  • Click the "Show Other Downloads" button to reveal the link.

If you encounter any critical issues prior to official public release, post them to the Problem Reports Forum. Please include SONAR 2017.03 in the post title, and refrain from including issues not related to SONAR 2017.03 as they may get missed. We’ll do our best to lock posts as we confirm the reports.
 
Thank you for your participation,
Cakewalk