Mix Recall is the Bees Knees

This feature has to be the neatest feature CW has come up with in a long time. I know all the talk is about the new Drum Replacer but I was just changing how a mix was routed in a recent project. Not so much within Sonar but in BDF3! This is a major ability. 
 
In the past the only way to have various versions of a project was to use save as. Sort of a snap shot of how things are at a given time. A/Bing that way was cumbersome and I avoided doing that, A/Bing that is, unless I really thought I wanted to go back. With Mix Recall its simple to recall a different setup at any time. What is really cool is the outs of BDF3 are respected by Mix Recall along with all the stuff one would expect.
 
This is a fully formed feature that was well thought out and well executed.  Some of you or perhaps all already know about this. I wasn't sure that it would be this thorough in recalling all aspects of a mix even those internal to a sample drum player not native to Sonar.
 
Thank you CW and the developers therein!  

I use descriptive names in Mix Recall as much as I can. For example one mix scene is "multi channel drums" another is "single channel drums". This will help I think. Also use notes in the project notes or in the inspector channel strip note pane.
 
I also save as new versions.  
 
 

So, John, does it even capture and save changes you make to your VTS effects and instruments? Or is it just the fader and knob positions of the Console (including the PC I guess...).
 
 

synkrotron
So, John, does it even capture and save changes you make to your VTS effects and instruments? Or is it just the fader and knob positions of the Console (including the PC I guess...).
 
 

Thats a good question. In BFD3 there is a mixer that you can route the kit pieces to. The default is master. All drums go to that and will then goto the first audio out. If you want drums on separate tracks all you have to do is select what you want to go where. Mix recall can see that and recall it. This is not what is routed to the Sonar Console view but how BFD3 routes internally so it can send out to the audio tracks you choose. That is determined within BFD3. Mix Recall sees all that and will apply those settings to a mix.
 
Basically any and every change you do can be recorded by Mix Recall.   
 
It will as far as I know recall VST/VSTi settings just as a project will. This includes patches loaded and so on. 

Mix Recall doesn't REPLACE versioning your files.... what if you move around audio clips?

John

alewgro
Mix Recall doesn't REPLACE versioning your files.... what if you move around audio clips?

See my second post; the last sentence. 

I did - what am I looking for?

alewgro

John

alewgro
Mix Recall doesn't REPLACE versioning your files.... what if you move around audio clips?

See my second post; the last sentence. 

I did - what am I looking for?

It says I also use versions via save as.

Noel... I use MR all the time now but didn't think of this... thanks
 
It is the bliss and challenge to grasp that sonar can do so much ole' farts like me mostly stumble around and never really incorporate all the amazing power user capabilities of this DAW.  I long for the days when we will be able to just upload the manual into our brains and just know all this.  I'd go there in a sec.

streckfus
Totally agree.  Love Mix Recall.  From now on, no more multiple Save As versions cluttering up my Sonar folder.
 
I remember thinking a year or so ago about how it would be so cool to be able to save a version of a song within that song itself instead of having to create multiple copies of it, then BAM - Mix Recall comes along!
 
Way awesome.

You are psychic! So what is coming up next? LOL

John
 What is really cool is the outs of BDF3 are respected by Mix Recall along with all the stuff one would expect.
 

Hang on, you mean Mix Recall captures changes you make in the BFD routing?
 
I've not used Mix Recall at all; I think I need to put a half day aside to mess around with it at some point. I don't do a lot of A/B comparing, but partly that's because, as you say, it's always been cumbersome. If this is as robust as it sounds from this thread, I can imagine using that quite a lot.

I agree with you John. Mix Recall is "Da Stuff!"
 
I used it when it first came out and thought it was a god send!! Now it's just unreal!! Yes they got this one right!! The first time and just improved it from there.
 
How I have used it is I will get a mix going with just CW supplied FX. Then one mix using Nomad Factory's FX. And another mix using some other combo of Melda's FX (really really good stuff), all the off the wall stuff and so on.
 
This way I can really hear what the differences are between these FX. And I can say, CW's FX that come with SPLat stands up next to some of the best out there!!
 
 

Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]

alewgro
For some reason, I still find myself saving revisions of my project.   
I haven't totally invested my time to check into Mix Recall yet, but I think it can get sort of confusing, here is why:
 
Lets say you have a track and save it as "Scene 1".
 
Then you change a reverb effect.  Save it as "Scene 2"
 
Now you change a softsynth preset and save it as "Scene 3"
 
Now, what if you want to go back to "Scene 1", but keep your new softsynth preset?

Easy, Mix recall allows merging information from other scenes. It is is highly customizable by using the mix recall preferences.
 
Make sure that you are currently on Scene 3
Right click on the back arrow in the mix recall toolbar to open the mix recall preferences
Click Advanced
Uncheck the preference to recall "Synth Rack"
Uncheck "Auto save when switching scenes"
Click OK
Now switch to scene 1
 
This will recall everything from Scene 1 except for the synth settings since you unchecked synth recall.
You can also do a lot more advanced merge operations by checking the Apply to: Track Bus Selection radio choice. When that is checked mix recall will only recall settings for selected tracks or buses.
 
>>does it even capture and save changes you make to your VTS effects and instruments? 
Yes by default mix recall does fx and instruments. You can turn off recall of effects or instruments from the mix recall preferences.

This is directed to you Noel hence the quote. You and the CW crew should get some sort of award for this and all the other things you have innovated with Sonar. You have to be proud of an outstanding job that months after its release still dazzles and pleases those of us that see how wonderful your efforts have been. 
 
Read this full thread and see in it just how impressed we are. 

When Mix Recall was first introduced I made really big deal of it and wondered why there hadn't been much love for it. Seems like folks didn't really get in and play with it to find its strengths. Then along the line it was updated so that bus information was available for saving in a scene.

I think it's the single most awesome feature of Sonar and was worth the update price from X3 just for that.

Oh that i had this before I retired. It just makes work so enjoyable.

If we could add Studio Ones 3s new scratchpad and the arranger track features I don't think I'd want another thing.

John

streckfus
Totally agree.  Love Mix Recall.  From now on, no more multiple Save As versions cluttering up my Sonar folder.
 
I remember thinking a year or so ago about how it would be so cool to be able to save a version of a song within that song itself instead of having to create multiple copies of it, then BAM - Mix Recall comes along!
 
Way awesome.

You are psychic! So what is coming up next? LOL

What's coming up next?  Well, I also had a thought that it would be cool for Sonar to grab a few Pro Tools features, like an analyzer that'll give you an average RMS level of selected audio so you adjust clip gain as needed.  Also, having the ability to highlight/select a portion of a clip with clip gain automation enabled, then being able to grab a handle and adjust the clip gain for that selection without having to split the clip first.
 
I'm sure that since my original thought process resulted in Mix Recall, we can be confident that these other items on the wishlist will also show up in one of Sonar's upcoming feature-sets. 
 
Oh yeah, since there's a constant discussion about notation fixes, I've included those on my mental wishlist as well. :)

stevec

streckfus
 
...Also, having the ability to highlight/select a portion of a clip with clip gain automation enabled, then being able to grab a handle and adjust the clip gain for that selection without having to split the clip first.
 

 
This works just like Track Envelopes...    With Clip Gain active in the Edit Filter, drag across a region within the clip and then hover just above that envelope - the cursor should change when doing this.   Drag up and down and four nodes should automatically be created so that the envelope line between those nodes follows your cursor.  
 
The only time I can't seem to get this to work, and it also applies to Track envelopes, is when the envelope itself is at the very top, preventing that "hover just above the envelope" step.   Otherwise, I use this process for all envelopes whenever possible!
 

Wow.  I actually tried doing that before on a whim and it didn't work, so I just assumed nodes needed to be manually placed and/or a clip had to be physically split for that type of feature to work.  But I stand corrected.  Just gave it another try, and lo and behold, it works.
 
No idea what I did differently last time (is this a fairly new feature or has it been around forever?), but it certainly does the trick now!
 
Thanks a ton!  I guess I'll have to come up with some other features I wish Sonar had which it most likely does. :)