skullsession


I also do only live drums.  And it's rarely easy.

But I'm not sure I even understand why you'd need layers when tracking live drums.  That just seems like a hassle to me.
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A1MixMan

chuckebaby

a-1..i swear you have sublimtile messages of burt and ernie on your avatar

Or maybe you're having flashbacks from childhood? 

revsnd


AMEN to that pinguinotuerto!!! 
I Love Sonar, but am very frustrated by things (that on the surface)  seem to be so apparent. I would give anything including $$$ (call me crazy) for a paid minor update of user complaints like layers, console layout, V Vocal etc.  Like so many things, these aren't deal breakers, and I believe Cake staff are really trying hard to listen to users, but very annoying none the less. On the surface these things are amazing, but once you dig in a tiny bit, you can really expose the (easy to fix in my opinion) flaws. 

...wicked


. 

I suppose you could still do that, it would only really be a headache if you wanted to "go back" and make different decisions about your comp track.

I've posted elsewhere about how layers could do with an overhaul. I'm surprised you didn't mention the fiasco that is "Rebuild layers" - I have yet to see any logic or sense behind that - to the point where I daren't use it. If they renamed the menu option "Randomly mix up the layers in a different order for each track" it would at least be an accurate description of what seems to happen.

ba_midi

I've posted elsewhere about how layers could do with an overhaul. I'm surprised you didn't mention the fiasco that is "Rebuild layers" - I have yet to see any logic or sense behind that - to the point where I daren't use it. If they renamed the menu option "Randomly mix up the layers in a different order for each track" it would at least be an accurate description of what seems to happen.

LOL - that cracked me up Karl!   There's a lot of truth in there too ;)

pinguinotuerto

Brandon Ryan [Cakewalk
]

I'd also like to add that we know layer management can use some help. It's not that Cakewalk is unaware or that SONAR is not geared towards that kind of work. Layers in SONAR were rather advanced at the time they were introduced, but time passes and they can now stand some tweaks to make them more manageable. I hope it gives some comfort that we are well aware, have discusses it internally at length, and intend to improve the feature. As usual I cannot promise when, but we realize the need.

Brandon,
I appreciate the response and you taking the time.  One thing I don't agree with, Sonar layers were hardly advanced at the time.  Pro Tools has had Layers (playlists) for years before Sonar and if I'm not mistaken so did Cubase and Logic (I could be wrong).  Nevertheless, don't you think it's time Cakewalk devotes some time to them and not only add the feature I'm requesting, but also fix their random and erratic behavior?  Thanks.

pinguinotuerto

Keni

 

Sorry to intrude, but PT's layers were far more difficult to work with than Sonar's when this tool appeared. Maybe only for my work, but I sure didn't like using PT then even more than now! 

Ken, you're not intrudung at all! I never said Pro Tools layers were better (or worse), one thing's for sure, since the beginning with PT you could select which layer you wanted to work on/display. Haven't used it in ages so I don't know how they work presently.  Besides, I don't care about Pro Tools, I love Sonar and I wish it would do what I need it to do.  Like revsnd said, this doesn't apply to just multi-track drums.  The clutter can be overwhelming even in a single track.

UnderTow

pinguinotuerto

One thing I don't agree with, Sonar layers were hardly advanced at the time.  Pro Tools has had Layers (playlists) for years before Sonar

I think it is fair to point out that the Playlists in Pro Tools are very different to the layers in Sonar. In PT you only have one active playlist per track at any time. The other playlists are not playing back and are hidden. This has advantages and disadvantages but they are very different systems and can not be directly compared to each other.

Cubase has something that is a cross between the Pro Tools approach and the Sonar approach: There are layers but only one layer, the bottom layer visually, is playing back at any time. This is made clear by greying out any overlapped areas of the layers that are not playing back. Here is a picture to make things clear:



The green parts play back (bottom layer) and the grey parts are muted. This is done fully automatically. Just drag or edit any of the clips and the muting/colouring are done by Cubase. This makes take management quite a breeze. Just pull the one you want to the bottom and it will be active.

Personally I would like a combination of all three approaches: An option in Sonar to only allow the top (or bottom) layer to play back at any time just as in Cubase together with some visual layer management (hiding/showing) like in Pro Tools and of course all the current Sonar functionality. That would be the best of all worlds.

Now combine that with a comprehensive grouping system like in Pro Tools and I'd be a very happy camper indeed.

UnderTow