Geeze, you don't use Sonar for a couple of months and you forget everything

There for a while I was getting a good grip on Sonar. I got sidetracked over the last several months with another hobby, come back into Sonar and I've forgotten a lot. Glad I've purchased some videos. 

What's SONAR?

I know what you mean. It's a vicious cycle - I'm away from Sonar, busy at work, for a few weeks and then:
 
1. I finally get a couple of days off, I'm all thrilled, "Yay, I can record that new song I wrote!"
 
2. Fast forward a couple of hours: Here's me, stomping out of the music room, "Why doesn't ANYTHING I try to do work? All I want to do is record the first flippin' track! GRRR, I'm so STUPID!!"
 
3. Next scene, end of my few days off, "Boy, that Sonar X2! What a great programme! If only I hadn't had to waste so much time re-figuring out everything I thought I already knew, I could have made so much more progress - if only I'd had a little more time! Sonar X2 - I finally get it now, it's all so logical, I LOVE it!"
 
4. Back to my day job, sure I'll remember everything until the next time I have a few days off and looking forward to using Sonar X2 then.
 
5. It's two months later. I once again have a few days off.
 
6. Repeat steps 1 to 5. Rem: This programme is recursive and seems to be caught in an endless loop.

Yup me also.

With everything tucked away in menus and buttons doing a million and one things, it's often hard to just jump straight back into it.

It's amazing how fast you can get things done when you have a good handle on the keyboard shortcuts. After a couple of months away myself I found myself holding combinations on shift/ctrl etc. and scratching my head wondering what change I hd e just made. Like they say 'use it or lose it'

redbarchetta
Yup... I know that cycle all to well. Usually it's sweet guitar riffs I've come up with... Should I record it? Na, it's late, I'll remember it tomorrow.  Yeah... Right. 

I picked up a little Zoom H2 just for that purpose. As long as you have an amp or an acoustic guitar, you can turn the Zoom on with one button and start recording. I usually start the recording with saying the date, then play the riff, then play it with narration about the chords, notes, etc. I've had some in the past where I recorded them but couldn't figure out how to play it when I went back to it some time later.

Beepster
I did the same thing but I took elaborate notes so if I get confused I just pop those open or the manual or Mr. Garrigus' book or check my internet bookmarks.

Thanks, Beepster!
 
Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://garrigus.com - SONAR X2 Power! - http://garrigus.com/?SonarX2Power
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar ProAudioTutor video tutorial series: http://garrigus.com/?ProAudioTutor
* Publisher of the DigiFreq free music technology newsletter: http://digifreq.com/?DigiFreq
* Publisher of the NewTechReview free consumer technology newsletter: http://newtechreview.com/?NewTechReview

@Scott... You know the Beepster loves ya, buddy. ;-)

Heh... well I very much dislike FB and their intrusive buttons/general creepiness all over the tubes so I'll have to disagree with you there but your passion for accumulating and sharing knowledge is inspiring. I know that that is how you make your living but I have a feeling it is not just about monetary gain with you and that I have tremendous respect for. Keep up the good work.
 
Edit: That said... once I start creating my own site and becoming more active in teaching what I personally do your articles and books will be linked to and recommended frequentally.
 
Get it? 'Cause "freq"... oh boy.
 
How do they say it? I'll get me coat?
 
;-p

I've done that more than once... get frustrated with hardware that wasn't up to par, spend hours trying to learn some basics. Finally lose all inspiration... grt distracted by something else and have to do it all over again. I am going REALLY slow this time. Baby steps. It is easier now than it was with S2 and S5... finally I can afford a computer and interface that will actually work. Things are getting better. Heck, I know most of it was always my fault but it is so much easier to blame the equipment.
 
J

The problem is that these DAW's are so big and complex that they can't put as much time as they should into making them intuitive and foolproof. When I think of how some of my favorite phone apps have progressed over the years, it's amazing to see them constantly redesigned and made more efficient, easier on the eyes, more convenient and easier to use. When you're coding a very narrow band of functionality it's a lot easier to think of ways in which to improve the user interface and functionality, and put those changes into practice. Huge apps with a history as long as Sonar are far less flexible and a lot more work to redesign. I'm sure if the Bakers put their minds to it they could devise a thousand ways to make Sonar more intuitive, more foolproof and a lot easier to learn. But that's not practical or economically viable, so we have to accept a very slow pace of design improvement and ultimately a program that's needlessly complicated in lots of ways. I get so frustrated with Sonar sometimes, I just want to reach into the screen and wring its neck. So I worry that if I even have a month's break, I'll be threatening the already shaky grasp I have of what's going on to such an extent that I won't want to get back into it.