It is really not more that a small annoyance. Specify time range, after selecting tracks, before exporting and the exported file will start and stop exactly where you want.

 
Edit - I forgot to refresh the page before replying
 
Glad you got it sorted.

I just Write Enable Master and pull the fader down.  You can always turn Read off.

Thanks for the advice everyone, It's great to be able to come to the forum for solutions to my sonar challenges....

I set the fade clips to a key stroke...

• I bounce my master bust to a track so I can see the wave form before exporting.
• I solo the new track and ensure it is routed directly to my interface (not the master bus with fx on it).
• I select the clip and hit ctrl+shift+e (you can find fade clips under the clips menu) and it brings up the fade clips window.
• I usually just set it to 500 ms or something. It doesn't matter at this point, it just makes it easier to grab the hotspots for me.
• Then I turn on snap and drag the start of the track to a zero crossing and then switch snap off and move the fade in hot spot to where I want it, auditioning the track.
• Then I go to the end of the clip and drag it to a 0 crossing too, using snap to as well. I hit N to turn off snap move the fade out start hotspot to where I want it and audition.
• Then, I hit shift+g to go to the beginning selected clip and listen to it.

 
:-)

gswitz
I set the fade clips to a key stroke...

• I bounce my master bust to a track so I can see the wave form before exporting.

How exactly do you do that?..I'd like to give that a try.
 
Thanks,
 
Donny

Donny... haha... I presume you know how to bounce to tracks... so you must be asking about how to set fade clips to a key stroke...
 
This is actually in preferences ... I'm at the beach with my linux computer, so I can't look it up in Sonar, but there is a section for assigning hot keys. You click in the box and hit the key chord you want -- like ctrl+shift+e then to the right, you select the category (like clip functions) and the type in the search box and it shows up. then you click the bind button and it binds the shortcut to the key stroke.
 
is that what you wanted to know? :-)

I do fades in the mastering part of the exercise.

gswitz
Donny... haha... I presume you know how to bounce to tracks... so you must be asking about how to set fade clips to a key stroke...

I've had Cakewalk since Cakewalk Pro Audio around 1999 or so and I actually I had to look up bouncing...I've never done that before.  LOL!  It did work though and I'll try the other suggestions as well.  

gswitz
I set the fade clips to a key stroke...

• I bounce my master bust to a track so I can see the wave form before exporting.
• I solo the new track and ensure it is routed directly to my interface (not the master bus with fx on it).
• I select the clip and hit ctrl+shift+e (you can find fade clips under the clips menu) and it brings up the fade clips window.
• I usually just set it to 500 ms or something. It doesn't matter at this point, it just makes it easier to grab the hotspots for me.
• Then I turn on snap and drag the start of the track to a zero crossing and then switch snap off and move the fade in hot spot to where I want it, auditioning the track.
• Then I go to the end of the clip and drag it to a 0 crossing too, using snap to as well. I hit N to turn off snap move the fade out start hotspot to where I want it and audition.
• Then, I hit shift+g to go to the beginning selected clip and listen to it.

 
:-)

Hi Geoff
 
It's always fascinating to see how different folk approach similar tasks, but I think there might be an easier and quicker way to accomplish this.
 
First off, if you need to see the 'master' waveform, just turn on Waveform Preview on your Master Bus. I have this switched on permanently in my Master Bus, but you can switch it on and just play the last few measures of your song if you need a visual cue to decide where to start and end the fade out.

 
Then insert a Bus Output Volume automation envelope to the Master Bus, add a node where you want the fade to start and another where you want the fade to end. The usual fade options (Linear/Fast Curve/Slow Curve) are available if you right click on the envelope, plus, of course, for even more control, you can add more nodes in the fade section. I open the separate Automation Lane to edit the envelope, as it's easier to see separately with Waveform Preview switched on.
 

 
Alternatively, you could do as Konrad suggests and create the fade envelope on the fly by switching on Automation Write and dragging down the Master Bus's fader as the song ends (the nodes created by this process will still be editable).