I don't understand your question - "How do you remember which track number corresponds to which folder?" Then again, I don't experience the problem you've had - the cloned track never shows up in the next folder. If it starts from a folder track, it ends up in the same folder track if I specify the "starting at" track number as the last track within the folder. If I don't specify a track number, it defaults tp being the first track immediately after the folder track.

Then I can create another folder track, and put the cloned track in there. Or not, depending on whether I'm just doing one extra track of vocals, or I plan to do something like massed harmonies.

Maybe I just don't understand the problem. Is it that you want to be able to specify a particular folder as a destination when you clone a track? In other words, you want a "Clone to specific folder" command?

I agree with the view that the current implementation of this is kind of "coder-ish", rather than working well from a "user" point of view.

I do a lot of work with Photoshop, and the way that handles folders for layers is much nicer. Basically, there's a "duplicate layer" option, which creates a copy next to the original. If the original's in a folder, then so is the copy. Simple as that.
Asking the user what track number they want the copy to go to seems to me a very "programmer" type of question. It makes a flawed assumption that all answers are equally likely.

I would imagine this is not the case. I rather suspect that 99% of the time, you want it next to the original, and then 1% of the time, you want it somewhere else. But I reckon that 100% of the time, it's easier to visually drag it to where you want it after copying than it is to think up what number it should be; especially given that the numbers aren't fixed. Track *number* is actually fairly meaningless, and arguably could be dispensed with entirely.

What's a FUI?

<<In other words, you clone a lead vocal track and you want it to land in your, lets say, Lower Harmonies folder? That folder contains lets say (at the moment) tracks 23 to 28. You have to remember that. Then you open the Clone Track dialog and you set your Starting Track to a number from 23 to 28! (correction, 23 to 27)
 
That is a workaround based on your knowledge of the way track numbers and folders relate to each other. To someone at your level, it is probably second nature by now. 
 
For most normal users, it would be far easier to select a Folder name, not a starting track.>>

Okay, I see what you're saying now. The reason why this never was an issue for me is because that's not the kind of workflow I use for clones and folders. I use folders more like the way Logic does - when I have tracks I want to organize, I create a folder and "pack" them into it. At that point, it's almost 90% certain that if I want to clone a track that is in a folder, I'll want the cloned track to remain in that folder, as it will clone the characteristics of the other tracks in the folder. For example, if I'm doing tripled vocals, I'll want the same processing, levels, sends, etc. The one parameter that gets changed in the clone almost all the time is panning.

The other 10% of the time I'll want to use the clone as a basis for an individual track or populating a new folder. That's when I clone "outside the folder" and create a new track. Sometimes I'll leave it as a track, and sometimes it will be the basis for starting a new folder to "pack" tracks into.

That's also why I like the "repetitions" option, and use it a lot. When I get a remix that has, for example, six backup vocals, I can bring in one track and tweak it the way I want, then create five additional clones and drag the clips into those tracks. So that's a very fast way of working for me.

It sounds like you create the folder first to hold the tracks, then create the tracks to put in the folders. I create the track or tracks first, then create the folder or folders to hold them. I never find myself, for example, cloning vocal properties and having them end up in a folder with drum tracks.

So basically, it seems like the workflow for clones and folders was designed for the way I want to use them anyway, so I don't have a problem. OTOH you use clones and folders in a different way, so it doesn't work for you. I guess the question then becomes, as you stated, how to reconcile applying very different workflows to an identical function.

+1 as

Anderton

...when I have tracks I want to organize, I create a folder and "pack" them into it.

At that point, it's almost 90% certain that if I want to clone a track that is in a folder, I'll want the cloned track to remain in that folder, as it will clone the characteristics of the other tracks in the folder. 

Yes! Even you agree that 90% of the time, that is what one wants. But clone the last track(s), and they'll drop into the next folder.

 
When I get a remix ... I can ... create five additional clones and drag the clips into those tracks. So that's a very fast way of working for me.

But not very fast if you need to drag them to the BOTTOM of a folder! 

It sounds like you create the folder first to hold the tracks, then create the tracks to put in the folders.

First I record the whole band live with a 16-input interface. 
 
Then I put each track into its own named folder.
 
Later, each musician comes in separately to redo his/her track. This can mean doing many takes until the artist is satisfied.

To preserve each take I clone it with settings but without audio, ready for the next take.

Since the last take is inevitably the last track, cloning always drops it into the next folder! Each time I have to drag it back, ABOVE the originating track (you CANNOT DRAG TO THE BOTTOM OF A FOLDER), and then re-drag the originating track ABOVE the cloned track!!!

Sometimes my fiddling breaks the artist's flow. Not good at all.

I create the track or tracks first, then create the folder or folders to hold them. I never find myself, for example, cloning vocal properties and having them end up in a folder with drum tracks.

That happens to me nearly all the time.

So basically, it seems like the workflow for clones and folders was designed for the way I want to use them anyway, so I don't have a problem.

Strange. From your description, our workflow habits overlap in places. I'm surprised you haven't run into this issue yet.

pwal


the cloned track, by default, should be in the same folder, simple as

Yes, it's pretty simple.
If you're dealing with tracks in a folder then adding ,deleting or editing them should be folder dependent.
 
 

the fact that this is 2011 and SONAR 4 came out in 2004 should indicate that Cakewalk view it as the way it's supposed to work. despite the numerous times it's come up in threads over the years and now again 9 months after X1 was released. I can't see it changing considering there is as it's been explained a perfectly adequte work around.
Maybe what we really need is a list of work arounds so we don't continue to make the mistake that what we consider is a bug or poor implementation is infact working as intended and here's a work around for the occassions when you want to do it differently than intended.

Im serious. I'd like to see that list.

You're probably right - it is not high on their priority list.  But the time they've had to spend reponding to the feature requests throughout the years is probably way more than the time it would have taken them to make this change.

@jm24: Are you suggesting a "keep in folder" checkbox, default = TRUE?

This is a simple solution, but again this introduces something that only makes sense if the last track is being cloned. Suppose you set the starting track to one that is in the middle of a different folder?

And inheriting the starting track property will mean the clone always ends up ABOVE the originating track. Also not what you'd expect.

why was it closed?? imagine if i copy/pasted (explorer doesn't have a "clone" fn) a file in windows explorer, and the paste went into the next folder/directory... i can only imagine there's some technical reason it hasn't been fixed already... surely, a clone is a clone?