SONAR 2017.03 Update Now Available!

This month’s release for SONAR Platinum, Professional, and Artist brings new features to the Piano Roll view and introduces MIDI Bluetooth Support using the new UWP MIDI Engine. This release also contains additional fixes & enhancements to many key elements of SONAR.

New Features

Piano Roll View Enhancements
Cakewalk reaches back to its MIDI sequencing roots to optimize SONAR’s core MIDI editing for today’s generation of virtual instruments. The SONAR 2017.03 update addresses modern MIDI music production needs through a redesign of the Piano Roll View (PRV) Track Pane and the Controller Pane. From efficient, simple controller editing to clean and focused MIDI track selection, SONAR has transformed MIDI editing from tedious to transparent.
 
You can now click any MIDI track to bring that data into focus, while Auto Lock prevents you from accidentally editing MIDI data from other tracks. Color-coding relates tracks to data for easy identification in complex projects. The re-designed Track Pane displays twice as many tracks in the same amount of space as before, and now allows you to take advantage of SONAR’s unique Smart Swipe feature that lets you select, mute, solo, or arm multiple tracks with a single, quick gesture.
 

UWP MIDI Engine & Bluetooth MIDI Support
Microsoft have introduced a new API standard for using MIDI on Windows as part of the Universal Windows Platform architecture. With this comes many new advantages including Bluetooth MIDI support and Multi-Client access to MIDI ports. UWP MIDI provides a modern way to communicate with MIDI devices and can be extended to support newer MIDI protocols/interfaces. To enable this in SONAR go to, Preferences | MIDI | Playback and Recording and set the MIDI driver mode to UWP
 

Fixes and Enhancements

• Double-clicking a track could fail to maximize strip height in some situations
• Track view no longer flickers when reordering tracks in large projects
• Adjusting Take lanes height longer allows the Edit Filter to overlap other controls
• Excluded synths no longer show in Instruments plug-in lists 
• SONAR no longer disappears behind other programs when switching Lenses
• Help will now correctly launch from Preferences | MIDI | Playback & Recording
• Exporting as Raw Tracks - No Automation/FX now preserves the Comp on an audio track
• New updates to SONAR no longer revert the theme to Tungsten after installing
• Fixed a possible crash when dragging a MIDI clip to Matrix in localized versions of SONAR
• The power indicator for a FX Bin will now stay in sync with the Frozen/Unfrozen state of a track
• VST3 plug-ins now display correctly in the registered Plug-ins list in Plug-in Manager
• Aim Assist now displays correctly when using the arrow keys to scroll in the PRV
• The mouse position no longer displays only in the PRV when Aim Assist is turned off

To learn more about this update visit our Knowledge Base using the link below.
Learn More
 
If you are using Command Center, make sure you click the [Check Now] button in the Setting tab to see the latest update.
 
Thank you to everyone who checked out the Early Access version this month and reported issues. It's much appreciated and greatly helps us put out stable versions for the community.

Oh damn. Just saw the email and my heart fluttered in joy. I hope this is the long awaited revamp we've been waiting for that finally gives Sonar the edge in midi editing! :D

I don't know if it was in this release or one of the previous releases, but Sonar no longer blocks my audio from other programs when it is running. Previously, I would have to shut Sonar down to listen to a YouTube video.

Lance,
If tracks are visible in the PRV those not in focus are greyed, is this intentional? For this update it says "Color-coding relates tracks to data for easy identification in complex projects".
 
Prior to this update the unfocused visible tracks retained the note color in a dimmed form, which I found particularly helpful! If greyed is intentional, is there any way that there could be a display option in the PRV, the option would be simply "dimmed" or "greyed", and I'd choose dimmed... I would hate to roll back just for this.

synkrotron
Thanks for the update

I haven't installed it yet though. Given that it sounds like there are a couple of minor niggles I think I will wait for the next release...

rolling releases = endless minor niggles.  You will never upgrade.
 
Old way = major niggles stay for years.

Cakewalk did not include any additional plug-ins with this release but there are a few installed with the SONAR core. These show up as new.

Pingkachu
VST3 instruments missing in latest update except Rapture Pro and Z3TA+2. C:\program files\common files\vst3 is in preferences, have pushed reset and rescan button (ticked rescan failed and existing plugins). I have also checked plugin manager.
Audio VST3 plugins are fine. Worked in previous update. Does anybody have this?

I had this on a previous update

The update defaulted my PLUGIN BROWSER to the category "Cakewalk plugins". Try checking this and choose a different category then hopefully all of your plugins will show

My VST 3 scanning issue is fixed and was perhaps caused by unnecessary extra file paths for scanning added upon upgrade. I have deleted all unnecessary VST file paths from registry and hope it not happens again. If not I will post next month.

Thank you Bakers.  The update to the PRV should be very helpful to me. 

Great Job!
but the pencil velocity, it still does not hear the velocity note when you modify it ;-)
 
And please, keep the metronome value in the preferences, for each project you are forced to redo this manipulation.
 
Marc
 

pwalpwal
missed opportunity for marketing, all this new prv stuff, should have been in the rolling updates bit (coming soon) or did i miss it?

Can't argue with that...    these PRV changes seem like good rolling updates material!     Well, unless I missed it too.
 

Lance Riley [Cakewalk]

WallyG
Since no one is mentioning the issue of Sonar crashing when reopened with the PRV un-docked, am I correct in assuming that this has been fixed in the final 2017.03 update? There is no mention of it in the "fixes/enhancements".

That issue was reported from Early Access and has been fixed in the Public Release for SONAR 2017.03. We typically don't include fixes from Early Access in the public announcement because these were not bugs in the previous public release. That issue was fixed between the last updated Early Access build and the public release so it didn't get any mention since we didn't update Early Access a 3rd time before going public but that crashes is resolved in the update.

Lance,
 
Thanks for the clarification. Makes sense and is what I suspected.
 
I use the PRV quite a bit especially with Steel Pedal Guitars softsynths where you absolutely need to draw in CCs to vary several parameters. CW has done an excellent job on the PRV with this update and will definitely improve my workflow! 
 
Walt