Since it's on the topic I'll stump for this feature to be included in SONAR like in Logic 9 (See Feature Request from October 2014 http://forum.cakewalk.com/Tempo-Fader-m3105309.aspx

Well since this zombie thread has re-surfaced, a slightly on-topic point that I don't recall being mentioned is that MIDI clock and MIDI stop/start commands are different animals. You can cause SONAR to start from a master, but unless the master is also transmitting MIDI clock (and of course, SONAR is set up to receive it), the tempos won't sync.

ose

Anderton
Well since this zombie thread has re-surfaced, a slightly on-topic point that I don't recall being mentioned is that MIDI clock and MIDI stop/start commands are different animals. You can cause SONAR to start from a master, but unless the master is also transmitting MIDI clock (and of course, SONAR is set up to receive it), the tempos won't sync.

Midi-Ox is (supposed to be) transmitting Midi Clock. Since my post above I've tried a couple of other software app freebies that also (are supposed to) transmit Midi Clock, including this one: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-Enhancements/Clocks-Time-Management/MIDICLOCK.shtml
I have tried every possible permutation in Platinum, and both virtual midi loop and hardware (via 5 pin DIN i'Face). Each time, SONAR waits for the Midi Sync signal from the master app, then begins when I start the Clock in the app, stops when I stop the Clock in the app, but at no time does it attempt to lock to Tempo - SONAR continues to play to, and display, its own Tempo no matter what the Clock application is sending to it.
I just downloaded the trial of Timelord MTC, and also Reaper - thinking I would try a SMPTE/MTC approach via software in the former, and the same Midi Clock apps in Reaper.
I recognize there could be some (!!) flaws in my little experiments - however the whole objective is to find out if Midi Sync (via Midi Clock) actually controls Tempo when SONAR is configured as slave. I am trying to figure out if I should invest either time or money (likely both) in a solution that would give me a hardware Master Clock whose tempo SONAR would follow. If you (or FBB, or whoever) can tell me with reasonable certainty that current (SPlat) SONAR does sync Tempo when configured as a slave to a (hardware) MIDI Clock I'll bite and look at my best options. So far I am considering everything from very pricey standalone master clocks to a DIY Arduino-based solution.
(EDIT) - I should add, that FBB's instructions from above:
 

FastBikerBoy

1. Open Preferences--->Project--->Clock and set to "MIDI sync"
2. Press play in Sonar. At this stage the transport message will read "Press<Esc> to cancel. Waiting for MIDI Sync"
3. Press start or play on an external device. Sonar should start, or does here anyway.

Does that not work for you?

Work fine - but that's all I get. My question is - if you change the tempo on your hardware device - in FBB's case, his drum machine (if it is capable of controlling tempo as Master), in the same configuration (SONAR as slave, DM as master), does SONAR follow tempo?
 
Thanks,
 

FWIW, Reaper responds to midi clock tempo changes (must be set up as SPP in Reaper - song position pointer)- when sending midi clock from the midi clock app referenced above. The bpm display in Reaper doesn't update but the tempo clearly changes. However it sounds like crap in doing so. Reaper doesn't appear to be well equipped for the task (several forum posts allude to issues when syncing to midi clock), but it does tell me the Midi Clock app is outputting more than just start/stop and that SONAR (unless someone tells me different) is just not responding to tempo changes. I think I'll try the demo of Ableton Live but was really hoping to just get a definitive answer for Platinum.

Brando

Anderton
I can also vouch that SONAR syncs to external clock...I've done it with everything from another computer to a Korg M3.
 
But as pointed out in the previous post, the device transmitting has to be set up correctly for whatever is synching to it. For example some MIDI masters have options for sending just MIDI clock, MIDI clock+start/stop commands, song position pointer, etc.

FastBikerBoy
I'm not sure of the cause of your issue but it is definitely possible to slave Sonar to external equipment. I do that myself regularly, mainly with a couple of drum machines.
 
Here's my sequence
 

1. Open Preferences--->Project--->Clock and set to "MIDI sync"
2. Press play in Sonar. At this stage the transport message will read "Press<Esc> to cancel. Waiting for MIDI Sync"
3. Press start or play on an external device. Sonar should start, or does here anyway.

Does that not work for you?
 
 
 
 

FBB - Does this also work for Tempo changes from the master device? I can't get Platinum to follow a tempo change, (albeit in a 'McGyver'd' setup). SONAR starts and syncs correctly, but won't change tempo, which sounds like the issue the OP was having.
I am just running some experiments now trying to get Midi-OX to transmit Midi Sync to SONAR so I can trial making tempo change adjustments in SONAR to see how it performs. I am looking to buy or build a box for live Tempo adjustment of SONAR (or another DAW, using an encoder or fader).
This seems to be the case for both Midi Sync and MTC/SMPTE, but it may be a limitation of Midi Ox. I just don't want to invest in something specifically for Tempo Control if SONAR can't do what I need it to do.
Just looking for confirmation that current version SONAR responds to Tempo Change from a master device when configured to work as a MIDI slave - It's quite possible my little experiment isn't real life capable.
Thanks!
 
 

 
Yes. Sonar is following tempo changes here okay but I have noticed that the metronome will follow the project tempo regardless of actual tempo as dictated by the external device.
 
Sonar doesn't record those tempo changes either.

FastBikerBoy

Brando

Anderton
I can also vouch that SONAR syncs to external clock...I've done it with everything from another computer to a Korg M3.
 
But as pointed out in the previous post, the device transmitting has to be set up correctly for whatever is synching to it. For example some MIDI masters have options for sending just MIDI clock, MIDI clock+start/stop commands, song position pointer, etc.

FastBikerBoy
I'm not sure of the cause of your issue but it is definitely possible to slave Sonar to external equipment. I do that myself regularly, mainly with a couple of drum machines.
 
Here's my sequence
 

1. Open Preferences--->Project--->Clock and set to "MIDI sync"
2. Press play in Sonar. At this stage the transport message will read "Press<Esc> to cancel. Waiting for MIDI Sync"
3. Press start or play on an external device. Sonar should start, or does here anyway.

Does that not work for you?
 
 
 
 

FBB - Does this also work for Tempo changes from the master device? I can't get Platinum to follow a tempo change, (albeit in a 'McGyver'd' setup). SONAR starts and syncs correctly, but won't change tempo, which sounds like the issue the OP was having.
I am just running some experiments now trying to get Midi-OX to transmit Midi Sync to SONAR so I can trial making tempo change adjustments in SONAR to see how it performs. I am looking to buy or build a box for live Tempo adjustment of SONAR (or another DAW, using an encoder or fader).
This seems to be the case for both Midi Sync and MTC/SMPTE, but it may be a limitation of Midi Ox. I just don't want to invest in something specifically for Tempo Control if SONAR can't do what I need it to do.
Just looking for confirmation that current version SONAR responds to Tempo Change from a master device when configured to work as a MIDI slave - It's quite possible my little experiment isn't real life capable.
Thanks!
 
 

 
Yes. Sonar is following tempo changes here okay but I have noticed that the metronome will follow the project tempo regardless of actual tempo as dictated by the external device.
 
Sonar doesn't record those tempo changes either.

Hi Karl - thanks for the reply and the confirmation that it works. I really appreciate it. Not too concerned about the metronome specifically. I think I'll look for hardware clock options that I can try/return if they don't work, although the Arduino seems like a lot more fun.
Thanks again Karl best regards,

I just figured I would come chime in here on this thread. 
 
For those who doubt and want to defend Sonar as a good midi sequencer...  
 
Sonar is NOT following midi sync correctly.
 
How can I say this?  Because I wrote my own midi sync source using nAudio and c#.  My source plays Yamaha style files.  The START (0xFA), STOP (0xFC) and CONTINUE (0xFB) events function correctly, but the clock event (0xF8) is *NOT* implemented correctly, and, as everyone on this thread has already stated repeatedly, Sonar is basically ignoring the clock events and using it's own internal clock for the timing of the midi events themselves (regarding beats and measures).  How do we know this?  A simple look at the Piano Roll reveals all (as the timing is very clearly not synced).  The best test is to make no manual attempt to synchronize the tempos between the source and the Sonar project.  In fact, make them wildly different, just to illustrate the point.  The tempo in Sonar should have no impact on anything.  In fact, in slave mode, it should be greyed out.
 
But then the developers stand up and say "Not so!  The midi clock events are NOT being ignored!".  =)  Well... this is true.  So long as I leave my Sonar sequence in slave mode for the rest of all time, all "appears" well with the world.  I struggle to understand why I would want to do this, though, since I can't quantize anything in Sonar this way, but Sonar does drive playback and recording from the external clock events with each recording pass.  But... with just a little extra attention to detail, the implementation could have been written to line up the notes to beats.  Why would we want to do this?  So that we could eventually cut out the external clock and run strictly with our sequence as it exists in Sonar.  It is truly sad to see midi being treated as some kind of inconvenient afterthought by Cakewalk.
 
So then... in this experiment of mine, what is my "control"?  To what can I compare Sonar to show that they are doing it wrong and someone else is doing it right?
 
Well... believe it or not, I'm the last kid on the block that is running Windows 7 32 BIT expressly for the purpose of continuing to run Cakewalk 3.0.  And miracle of miracles, when I conduct my exact same test with Cakewalk 3.0, it works, and all of my drum beat notes are nicely lined up on the beats.  I turn off the midi sync and run the sequence and I am golden for coming in and laying in some additional tracks in Cakewalk itself (and being able to quantize later).
 
Now... I realize that Cakewalk 3.0 may represent the last time that cool kids actually worked at Cakewalk... and judging from the complete lack of follow up on that EXCELLENT midi equivalent of notepad, we might assume that the cool kids left the company and didn't leave any backups of their source code.  However... if this is not the case, it seems to me that the current developers could go dig up the old code and find out what the old timers had done right.
 
Just from reading the comments on this thread, it shouldn't be confusing what people want it to actually do, and there is no really good defense for why it doesn't.
 

So... before I wandered over to the bug submission form, I thought I would give them the benefit of the doubt.  For others following this thread, I started out with Sonar 21.1.0.5   I just patched up to 21.9.0.40 and this bug persists.
 
For the fellow who called this a zombie thread, the reason it doesn't seem to want to go away is because there is actually a bug in the software (that also doesn't seem to want to go away), and reciting very basic midi clock configuration instructions and making comments such as "well, don't do it the way that should work but doesn't work right... make everything slave to Sonar instead" aren't helpful, and in fact off-topic for this thread... but I'll hop over to the bug submission form to continue this conversation.
 
 

I know people say they have this working correctly but I can't for the life of me get it to work. I bought a (hardware) midi clock expressly for trying to control tempo in sonar but can't get sonar to slave to midi clock. Thanks for generating a problem report.

In my experience, just as someone else mentioned, sonar will follow midi clock once set up correctly, but only for a single star/stop event. It will then, more often than not, give an audio engine stop error. It will stay in Sync as well as any other daw as long as it is left playing.
 
Ableton live, on the other hand, will sync to the same midi clock, and stop/restart with any new midi stop start event - just as midi clock should. Sonar coud certainly use a litle tweaking in this area.