http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/Up-Next#start
 
i was a little underwhelmed until i saw this.  now i'm at least intrigued.  
drum replacer?
quick fx?
a special surprise?!?!?!?!!
 
for MEEE?!?!?!?!!?!?!
 
Who am i kidding.  I'll always upgrade.   

Hi,
 
this new stuff looks interesting, However, I would be extremely happy if we eventually get something to improve the notation view. I am not looking for something similar to a real notation software such as Finale or Sibelius. I don't want to print score or partitions. I am thinking about a different way to manipulate midi data similar to the PRV but with a notation GUI. For example:

• velocity and/or CC11 (expression) that convert to crescendo and decrescendo
• tempo that follows ralentendo/accelerendo marks
• repeats, codas for sections
• articulations that reflect standard music notation such as legato, staccato, accent, without having to play with keyswitches or midi channel assignment, etc.

And that would work both ways : midi data that is properly reflected to notation view or music data entered notation view that plays properly via midi. Not something that looks good but something that would be a natural tool to edit music data for those of us with formal music training that have been raised with printed music and notation.
 
For me that would be a dream come true.

I would also benefit from improved notation because I use it in the classroom almost every day.
Unfortunately, in modern music creation, the prv is much more important.  
Eventually, notation will get improved as they run out of other things to improve :)
 

+1 for both previous posters. I've been reading music since the 2nd grade, using the piano roll is awkward when you're used to working with a staff. It would be really sweet if the notation editor gets enhanced.

TomHelvey
+1 for both previous posters. I've been reading music since the 2nd grade, using the piano roll is awkward when you're used to working with a staff. It would be really sweet if the notation editor gets enhanced.

I use Sibelius for notation (I'm not "cement head, and have to have sheet music in front of me when I play a song) but find the piano roll mode useful when I'm tweaking a part to get the timing of the parts just right as opposed to tieing an additional 32 note in notation mode to see if that sounds right.

I have been using Cakewalk for a few years and I know that almost everything I need to do is available in PRV, or Event list, using envelopes, CAL, step sequencer, various midi tools, etc.
 
What I would like is a GUI that would facilitate the workflow for musicians that have been trained with standard notation. Some ideas:

• a legato mark could initiate the Legato CAL already available for the notes it relates to
• a staccato mark could mean "divide duration by 2", so an eight-note becomes a sixteenth, etc.
• I could build a table of correspondance that would say PP = velocity 32, P = 48, up to FF = 120 and also relate it to any CC (CC11 or 7 for example). And I could even have several tables for various soft synths or sound libraries
• A crescendo mark (+ x%) could mean "gradually increase velocity and/or expression (CC11) by x%" over the notes the sign relates to
• build a logic of repeat sections, tags, codas, etc. in the song structure using markers. Could also be very useful for video work (film and game composers for example) 

I think we have enough soft synths, plugins and and other similar tools. Who really needs another sampler, another reverb or compressor, etc. I think what would make SONAR standout among other DAWs would be a very flexible and versatile toolkit to manipulate data (midi and audio) in any ways possible. We are very close to it with the tools we already have: the Track view, the PRV, the Event list, the Console, even the Matrix. Notation is the only missing piece to make it really standout. 
 
But overall we already have a very nice piece of software. Un believable step from the 2" 24 tracks I used back in the 80's!

Add me to the list!

And like others here, I am not looking for a Finale replacement, but rather a way to enter and edit MIDI data with a more familiar interface. I grew up with standard notation, and still find it easier and faster than a PRV for some tasks.

I do not expect a notation view to provide the level of detail I get from Finale, just want to be able to speak standard notation to my sequencer.

Ok, what I really want is the direct neural interface, but that is probably months away.

Add me to the list!

And like others here, I am not looking for a Finale replacement, but rather a way to enter and edit MIDI data with a more familiar interface. I grew up with standard notation, and still find it easier and faster than a PRV for some tasks.

I do not expect a notation view to provide the level of detail I get from Finale, just want to be able to speak standard notation to my sequencer.

Ok, what I really want is the direct neural interface, but that is probably months away.

BlixYZ
I would also benefit from improved notation because I use it in the classroom almost every day.
Unfortunately, in modern music creation, the prv is much more important.  
Eventually, notation will get improved as they run out of other things to improve :)
 

Hope so.  I'm not looking for a full blown competitor to Finale or Sibelius - but it would be nice if they could at least throw a bone at the notation view that has been stagnant for what 5+ years?  Just some new workflow improvements and tweaks.
 
 

Yes, the notation view badly needs an update. I don't use it often, but when I do need it it's because notation can do some things far better than a prv. Not only for composing either, it's very handy for quickly and easily finding out exactly which notes a hardware sequencer or arp is putting out.