On quite a few of Sonar's plug-ins, there is a little button with a question mark that you click on to open a window containing information about the plug-in. Awesome.
 
On several more, no such button is present and when I looked up the effect on Cakewalk's site I find a brief description and the note: "For more information see the (insert name of effect here) online Help."
In these cases, where does one find the online help?
 
Thanks. The effect I'm referring to in this case is the Stereo Compressor/Gate.

Try putting the plug in interface in focus (click it) then press F1.

I occasionally have trouble with F1 bringing up plugin help. Generally the help files are located with the plugin dll. I just tried the Cakewalk compressor/gate and F1 worked this time. The help file for this plug (and all the DX effects supplied by CW) is in the "Shared Plugins" directory, for example in 64bit SONAR the full path is "C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Shared Plugins\compgate.chm"

Yeah, F1 can be a little buggy. Also the integrated Online Help is useless if you have your DAW isolated from the internet but unchecking Always Use Online Help in the Preferences menu brings up the help topics from the Sonar files on the computer instead of from the net. (this was for OPs benefit... I know you know that scook... heh)

Beepster - Thanks - didn't know about the F1 feature. So, simply 'click' on the effect and hit F1?

My system is not isolated from the 'net, so what is the integrated Online Help you mentioned and  how does one access it?

Thanks!

You can force SONAR to always use the local copy of the help file (what Beepster calls the integrated Online help) by setting the "Always Use Offline Help" checkbox in Edit > Prferences > File > Advanced You will need to check the Advanced radio button at the bottom of the Preferences dialog to get to the advanced file settings. There is also a pdf of the the documentation http://www.cakewalk.com/S...reader.aspx/2007013290 Although neither the pdf or the local help are as current as the version on the Cakewalk website, they all contain essentially the same information.

scook


 Although neither the pdf or the local help are as current as the version on the Cakewalk website, they all contain essentially the same information.

Well, that's the problem - they don't provide much information at all before they tell you to check 'Online Information'.
 

The SONAR X2 Reference Guide is 1956 pages and is available in three formats. True it does not contain specific detailed documentation for the plug-ins. Plug-in specific help is available on your PC and may be viewed when the plug-in is brought up. That is a problem? If you need an all-in-one source there is always the SONAR Power! series.

scook


 Plug-in specific help is available on your PC and may be viewed when the plug-in is brought up. That is a problem? 
  
 

Not a problem at all, just trying to understand. "Available on my PC" is fine, but Cakewalk's site specifically states that there is "online help" for those effects that don't feature the little "?" icon. Not trying to stir anything up, just trying to seek out all possible sources of information.

Where does one find this huge reference guide you mention? Cakewalk Store (I'll go look)? I did not know such a thing existed and it would be worth it to me to purchase just to save time scouring the internet and asking questions on the forum.

I appreciate the help.

Online does not mean "on the internet", it is an unfortunate choice of terms that Cakewalk named the checkbox "Always use Offline Help." Years ago, the Cakewalk manuals were actually printed on paper. The help for plug-ins was not part of the hard copy Reference Guide, it was only available just as it is today on your PC. That is when Cakewalk started referring to online help for plug-ins. Now there is no hard copy but the meaning of online has not changed.

I supplied the link the pdf version of the Reference Guide above. There is no hard copy of the Reference Guide available from Cakewalk, has not been for some time. The closest thing to a hard copy Reference Guide is the SONAR Power! series. Some prefer it over the Cakewalk documentation. It is available at the Cakewalk store and book sellers.