My computer: Windows 8.1 64bit i7 intel chip 8gig RAM.
I installed sonar x3 32bit last night and cakewalk TTS and roland groove synth work in the 32bit version. However they do not work in the 64bit version (soundbanks not available so no sounds other than a horrid generic synth sound). I just wanted to confirm with someone else that I am right (99% sure it's a problem with the 64bit version of sonar x3).
 
It really astonishes me that off all the buttons (x3 has dozens of them - most I have no idea what most of them do) they chose to permanently remove two of most important (and understandable). Lucky they left the record button! Wonder if there are any recording musicians amongst the software developers. Try standing at a microphone and after each take leaning over to a keyboard (in my case the keyboard is at the other end of the studio on the other side of sound baffles to minimise computer noise) - not a prospect I look forward to given the number of takes I do. But I can imagine a software developer who sits in front of a qwerty keyboard all day not realising this. I run extension cables for a screen and mouse, but don't know where I'm going to place a keyboard in my recording booth. Seems a major fault to me. Been using Sonar for over a decade as my only recording software and there's always been a save and undo button.
 
I'm a writing/recording musician rather than a computer enthusiast - I thought sonar was in the business of supporting musicians rather than computer buffs. It's taken me 3 months to get x3 installed (all the while continuing to use 8.5 on a daily basis) and working - really not satisfactory. Personally I don't get what's so great about x3 (seems very cluttered on the start screen compared to previous versions - I've managed to get rid of most of it however). I have yet to figure out how the prochannel works (I have a very nice set of waves plug-ins that are a breeze to use but am willing to give the prochannel a go if I can figure it out). And there's the much vaunted "skylight" interface - I haven't figured out where or what that is. But I'm sure it's wonderful.
 
There's a ton of videos out there (my download of x3 came with a bunch). The frustrating thing is I've sat and watched several hours worth - but they all seem to be aimed at someone different to me (either non-musicians who have never used recording software before and just want to drag and drop prerecording audio samples, or the computer buff enthusiasts who want to know the intimate details of the computer code that go to make up sonar). Here's my situation: I write, record and release as a professional musician what I produce in sonar on a weekly basis. I don't have 3 months to go to "sonar" university - but I have been using their software for a decade (and from the results I get, with moderate success, at least people buy my stuff). I need someone to make a manual/video showing a proficient user of previous sonar versions who is musically astute how to record midi and audio and mixdown, quickly and efficiently (like the someone who buys a new Toyota for business reasons). When I dial up my favourite softsynth with a deadline looming on a TV show and it doesn't load or when I can't hit the save button or figure out how to change the midi tempo mid-way through a piece of music, I begin to gnash my teeth! Imagine if they released a Toyota with no steering wheel or pedals - to stop/turn right just type in control alt fn alt S4 on your keyboard you dummy! Yeah I know Google has designed a driverless car, but I think I still have a point.
 
Enough.

Sorry about putting in another post - I wanted to ask Bob Bone a question.
In point 6 he referred to "Comping" with a link to some sonar documentation (which I have read - I have also watched some sonar videos about this). I don't understand the documentation (or the videos). Here's how I have always operated re. recording vocals. I set up a project with hundreds of audio tracks. I break my song up into little chunks (sometimes just a phrase, sometimes as long as a verse/chorus/bridge). Then for each chunk I do multiple takes, each take (of a chunk) on a different track. So by the end of recording a song I will have hundreds of takes of dozens of chunks of the song, which I go through to select the takes that work well. If that's comping then that's what I do. Or is comping something else? That's my question for Bob - the documentation is very elliptical (and also a mite condescending - I can sing a whole song in a live setting because of the audience but recording is best done in tiny bits and stitched together in my not so humble opinion). Sorry, I don't get it - I imagine the computer buffs at sonar getting very enthusiastic thinking they have discovered something important to tell their users: record vocals in multiple short takes and stitch them together! I've been doing that with Sonar for years! That's what most recording vocalists (with the exception of the likes of Ella Fitzgerald) do! Why is comping such a big deal with sonar - any software that lets you record multiple audio tracks lets you comp presumably?
 
Apologies, no intention to come across as rude. I simply don't understand what the difference is between sonar x3 and the earliest version of sonar I used back in 2002. I can think of one difference - they used to have a wonderful softsynth called virtual soundcanvas which no longer works (since 8.5 anyway).
 
 

I don't understand why you can't just go into the file menu and click save, if using the keyboard is such a drag for you. Same for undo, it's in the edit menu. I realize that this is inconvenient for your specific setup but I would suggest that your recording setup and workflow is rather unique. That's not to say it's not a valid and well working setup but it doesn't seem fair to extrapolate from that and say that Sonar is not developed for the professional home-producing musician. I'm one and the lack of a save and undo button has never even registered. I never used them and I've been with Sonar since version 6.

Moreover, you have already been given a solution! Install duckbar, it's a common and popular mod for people who want more buttons and customization.

As for your synths not working, that is of course disappointing. I don't really use those two myself but they seem to work fine in my x64 version. I wonder if there is a problem with your installation. Nevertheless, if they are working in your 32 bit version, why not use that? 64 bit is mainly for memory hungry VSTis. Neither of those synths are that, in fact I would say they are designed to be as memory friendly as possible.

The tempo changes, I don't get your issue. I'm pretty sure it goes the same way it did in 8.5, unless you had some other unique workflow that we don't know about. Just use "insert new tempo" and make sure you set the starting point for the new tempo.

I agree with Robert Bone, check out the new comping. It should give you something new to really enjoy in Sonar, for your kind of work.

Your post comes across as extremely condescending.  Many of the Cakewalk staff are indeed recording and performing musicians, by the way.
 
I think it a bit off-putting to refer to someone's career as a software developer as them being a 'buff'.  I spent 38 years in the IT field myself, and would like to imagine it as more than a hobby.
 
You can set it up so that Sonar will loop through song sections and record as many takes as you wish, without having to re-position anything, and without having to keep starting and stopping.
 
http://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR%20X3&language=3&help=Arranging.45.html
 
Sonar can also auto-save, by the way.
 
The above link took less than 20 seconds to locate and paste into this post.  I suggest you spend some time exploring the documentation, videos, and books, to get familiar with X3.
 
The rest of the planet seems to enjoy the stability and features of Sonar X3, come join us.
 
Many folks initially were not at all happy with the massive redesign of Sonar, that began with X1.  Many of those same folks came to appreciate the new ways of doing things in the X series, culminating with the current X3 iteration.  Their viewpoints changed as they invested time and effort into learning to change their approach to performing some functions, and learning new functions.
 
If you would rather stay with 8.5.3 that's fine too, I am simply suggesting that X3 is as good or better, IF you invest in learning it.  It's entirely up to you, either way.
 
Bob Bone
 
 
 

kidsinglish productions
Is there a save button or undo button? You mean in the days of the computer mouse and touch screen I HAVE TO input some combination of key strokes on a qwerty keyboard. 

You can bind save, undo, save as, etc. to keyboard keys. The way it works is you assign a controller that alerts Sonar that the next note it receives is a keyboard shortcut (conceptually like a "shift" key). This can be any controller (e.g., a footswitch plugged into the sustain, footpedal, breath controller, etc.) Then you hit a keyboard key. This is incredibly useful as you can not only bind save, undo, etc. but can also control your transport and do track management like insert tracks, all from your keyboard.
 
I have a Korg nanoKEY2 hooked up that's basically a remote control with a lot of functionality. I also have a wireless keyboard for when I'm away from the computer itself.
 
There's also auto-save that you can set based on number of edits or time so you don't even have to remember to hit save.
 
If you really want to go to town, the POK wireless footswitch lets you bind a bunch of footswitches to various functions - hands-free, instant control over all Sonar functions. (I even use it for Word to do bold, italics, etc.). It's not cheap, about $300, but it's an investment that pays for itself.
 

I wonder if cakewalk tech support ever view these forums - I can't seem to get them to reply to requests for help.

 
This is not a tech support forum, it is peer-to-peer although Cakewalk reps often do step in to help. However, as you're the only person saying that the TTS-1 and Groovesynth don't work in 64-bit Sonar, they do not have any prior history of fixes (e.g., "this is a known issue, you need to...") Nor do you give sufficient detail for them to figure out what's wrong. I suggest calling them up with your computer on in front of you so they can tell you where to look for issues.
 

 It's taken me 3 months to get x3 installed (all the while continuing to use 8.5 on a daily basis) and working - really not satisfactory.

 
That kind of mystifies me. I had to do a fresh install on a laptop and it took about an hour, including downloading the registering Addictive Drums. I loaded a project I was working on and everything was good to go.
 

Why is comping such a big deal with sonar - any software that lets you record multiple audio tracks lets you comp presumably?

 
Because the way they implement "speed comping" is a big deal. It's incredibly fast once you figure it out. A Porsche and a Yugo will both get you to the grocery store, but the Porsche is a lot faster and more fun to drive.
 
You are suffering from what I call "Ableton Live Syndrome." I know extremely intelligent people who can fly around a DAW yet they run screaming from the room at the thought of having to navigate Live's interface, which makes no sense to them. Yet I know others to whom Ableton Live is super-intuitive and they find conventional DAWs cumbersome - because they use Ableton more as a big virtual instrument than a big virtual studio. Also, you have to get used to "the Ableton way" of doing things. Live was one of the first programs to totally embrace drag-and-drop for everything. People would go nuts looking at menus trying in vain to find commands to do things that simply required a drag and drop. It took me a while to wrap my head around Live, but I did and it's what I use for live performance (I guess the program name is a hint, LOL). Sonar is what I use for the studio...right tool for the right job and all that.
 
Please see my post in your other thread about the two questions you need to ask.

kidsinglish productions
No help, I'm afraid. Soundbanks for Cakewalk TTS (and roland groove synth) don't work.
 
Is there a save button or undo button? You mean in the days of the computer mouse and touch screen I HAVE TO input some combination of key strokes on a qwerty keyboard. Surely that's a move back 15 years or so. When I'm playing the keyboard (or singing into the mic) I don't have time to stop what I'm doing to type instructions into a qwerty keyboard. At most I have one hand free to hit the mouse (on a save, record, undo) button.
 
Anyone else out there able to help me?

Interesting. TTS-1 is the same in X3 as it was in 8.5. If you used it before you should be able to use it now. 
 
There was a save button in 8.5 true enough but I never used it. I wanted a save as button that was never available. I suggest you use save as and not save. This will allow you to go back to an older project if you need to.
 
I'm not as sympathetic to these kinds of posts as some are.  Its still Sonar and once you figure it out you will see not as much as you think has changed. 

Because I like kicking dead horses, none of those Directx plugin synths work properly if the sample rate is 96K (at least not for me).  At 44.1, they sound fine, but at 96K, I'd rather listen to a chainsaw.

Edited - never mind - I REMAIN an idiot (was the OP from his other thread - I thought another poster was having TTS-1 troubles).
 
Bob Bone

gbar
Because I like kicking dead horses, none of those Directx plugin synths work properly if the sample rate is 96K (at least not for me).  At 44.1, they sound fine, but at 96K, I'd rather listen to a chainsaw.

To get TTS-1 to work at high sample rates the "Light Load Mode" must be enabled. The setting is found in the TTS-1 UI by:
Clicking the System button
Clicking the Option button on the System Settings dialog
Opening the Options tab in the Options dialog
 
Unfortunately the setting is not stored so it must be enabled with each session.

Gee, people get their feathers easily ruffled - honestly no intention to condescend to anyone. I got a couple of good tips of the forums so much appreciated (how to alter the midi tempo mid way through a piece of music being one!).
 
Spent the morning working in x3 (finally, after 3 months of getting it up and running!) - did some voiceover work, with an midi incidental instrumental. Then a jingle with vocals and midi instrumental.
 
My impression: I'm blown away. Very fast to work in. And the audio quality of the results is out of this world!
 
It's taken a long time to get there. But is it worth it? Yes.
 
I will not be using sonar 8.5 again.
 
It is a bit of a pain having to reach for a qwerty keyboard to save when I'm standing at the mic (closest I can get the keyboard is a metre and a half from the mic) - it was easier with a mouse and a save button.
 
Not many of my older 32bit softsynths work in in x3 64bit - including Cakewalk TTS or Roland Groove Synth. But as I'm running x3 32bit (and my 32bit synths work in it) it's not a problem.
 
Wonder if there's any advantage working in 64bit. Anyone know what the difference is (audio quality-wise especially)?
 
I think the sonar/cakewalk folk could probably provide more tech support for folk like me who struggle to get the software up and running, and provide more resources targeting my needs - the software continues to improve but the tech support and resources continue to decline in quality my opinion. I figure the older generation of users get passed over in favour of a younger more tech savvy bunch. Pity, because I run a music business myself and reckon the ultimate success or failure of a company depend on how you treat your loyal/repeat customers rather than the new ones - given the amount of money I've spent on cakewalk hardware and software over the years I rate myself quite high in that regard. Note: this does not mean I am uncritical or slavishly complimentary - I prefer to speak my mind.