Project Sync Groups (PSG's)This is not a new idea. I've suggested it a couple of years ago.
Scenario(Example) I recorded a 15 song (15 projects) of a punk band, where the drums, bass, and rhythm guitars are all recorded the same way. I mix one song, and within seconds, can copy the mix of drums, bass, guitars (maybe even vocals) over to the other 14 songs in a simple dialogue/wizard. If I go back and change a kick drum, for example, I can merely
update the other mixes without even having to load them in Sonar by the click of a single button.
What can a PSG help with?After mixing song #1, I put on a movie and manually copy all settings from the one mixed song to all other projects. It takes hours in some cases, because there is currently no suitable method to automate this. After all mixes are submitted to the artist, if the artist later decides she doesn't like the sound of the bass, for example, I will update one mix, get her approval, then have to open all other projects and update the bass there, as well.
Notes- In the dialogue/wizard, you can choose what elements on which tracks in a list of projects need to be updated/copied. Think of the wizard as being sort of like the Export dialogue.
- Only the active project in Sonar is the current master.
- Only changes are applied. If a project's settings are corrupted, the engineer can opt for a full-sync of all PSG elements.
- As the mix progresses, you can add/remove elements or tracks and even remove or add projects from the PSG (Project Sync Group).
- (software) If a new Send is created, ask to create it, or automatically create it and report it.
- (software) If a failure occurs, report it (may be reported before changes are applied)
- Templates are 'a' way to accomplish this, but require the arduous, time-consuming process of importing audio, something not practical until all editing is done. Editing requires commitment, and Templates only give you one shot at synchronization.
Low-hanging fruitWhile this idea might seem expensive or time-consuming, here's a start: Simply decrypt all element settings (fader, pan, Gain, FX Bin, PC-Channel, Sends, etc.) and outline them in a way so that external code can be used to edit the project files. This could be a read-writable section of the project, where any syntax errors will not affect loading of the file into Sonar, meanwhile can be reported.