Smart Tool - How long does it take to get used to it???

Tripecac


I've been using Sonar since the Pro Audio days, and am accustomed to the old way to selecting tools (one hand on ASDF and the other on the mouse). 

I've tried Sonar X1 several times, but the Smart Tool keeps throwing me off.  I am used to right clicking to view/edit properties, but with the Smart Tool, right click deletes the note, which is very frustrating.  The other (non-Smart) tools are no longer accessible via the ASDF keys, but instead require me to reach over and tap function keys. 

I'm finding it very hard to train my fingers to either use the Smart Tool or switch to the other tools.  I could try to remap the keyboard shortcuts back to the old way, but before I do that I am wondering what is the best strategy in the long run: change my habits or change Sonar to suit my habits?

So I am curious: how have you long-time Sonar users been finding the switch to the new X1 tools?  Have you converted to the new tools and keypresses or did you customize X1 to work the old way?

Tripecac

 I've tried Sonar X1 several times, but the Smart Tool keeps throwing me off.  I am used to right clicking to view/edit properties, but with the Smart Tool, right click deletes the note, which is very frustrating. 

mike_mccue
I'm not saying I'm smart enough to understand... but this guy seems to know what's up:
http://youtu.be/DeH6c4IRKcI?hd=1

zoobooboozoo



1) Hovering over the upper half of a clip will automatically bring up the select tool
2) Hovering over the upper LOWER half of a clip will automatically bring up the Move tool
3) You'll get stretch when you click the edges of a clip
4) You'll get fading control when you click the upper corner in the edges of a clip.

these are the basics...

Tripecac


I have X1 open now and am trying to get used to the Smart Tool (and other tools).

One thing I am used to doing is left-click-dragging to select a bunch of notes and then hitting "D" for the draw tool, so that I can quickly redraw multiple notes' velocities.  I do this while the song is playing, so I need to be fast at it.

The smart tool forces you to click-drag on the upper part of a note to change its velocity.  That might be find for one note, but not for a bunch of notes, especially if you the music is playing.

So let's say you are looking at a hi-hat track and want to quickly redraw all the velocities for the open hat hits (some you want lower, some you want higher).  How do you do that?

Regardless of Sonar version, you first need to select the open hat notes (by clicking on the appropriate key in the keyboard to the left).  The selected notes' velocities should now appear in the Velocity pane at the bottom of the Piano Roll.

Now, once you have those notes selected, here are the ways Sonar 8.5 and X1 let you change the notes' Velocities:

Sonar 8.5:
1) press D to switch to the draw tool
2) click-drag through the notes in the Velocity pane
NOTE: This is one keypress and one fluid mouse movement (very fast)

Sonar X1 - Smart Tool
1) position the mouse over one of the notes' tops
2) drag upward (or downward) to raise/lower the velocity
3) repeat for each note
NOTE: Selecting the top of a note is very hard compared to drawing a line through a velocity!
NOTE: Having to repeat for every note means this is very hard to do while the song is playing.

Sonar X1 - Draw Tool (method 1)
1) press T to display tool selector
2) click the pencil to switch to the draw tool
3) click-drag through the notes in the Velocity pane
NOTE: T is a little harder to find than D (for those of us used to ASDF positioning).
NOTE: This is two mouse movements, which is a lot slower than one.
NOTE: Playback redrawing stops while tool selector is active, which is strange

Sonar X1 - Draw Tool (method 2)
1) middle-click to display the tool selector
2) click the pencil to switch to the draw tool
3) click-drag through the notes in the Velocity pane
NOTE: This is three mouse movements, which is even slower.
NOTE: Playback redrawing stops while tool selector is active, which is strange

Sonar X1 - Draw Tool (method 3)
1) click F9 to switch to the draw tool
2) click-drag through the notes in the Velocity pane
NOTE: F9 is harder to find than D.

To me, the fastest is the Sonar 8.5 method.  Next up is Sonar X1's F9 method (which is harder to find).  Worst of all is the Smart Tool.

Am I missing something?

bitflipper, I am curious why you haven't completed the switch to X1. Is it for interface reasons or bugs?

Tripecac

Ctrl + Right Click to bring up the note property window.

Seth, did you read my previous comment:

"Control-right-click works, but it's one more step.  Since I edit properties far more often than I delete notes, is it possible to change the keymapping around, so that right-click edits properties and control-right-click deletes?  If so, what menu would let me customize clicks like that?"

...or is the wink emoticon an indication that you read my post, and that Cakewalk's response is that there is no point in further discussion, so our only option is to shut up and learn the new keymapping?