HeatherHaze


General question for Staff View users:  How do you work with the limitations of Staff View?  For example, how do you select note durations?  Are there any useful tips and tricks you've found to improve your workflow?
 
I've found a couple ways to deal with note durations.  One is pressing "T" to bring up the tool menu, which has a little sub-menu for selecting durations.  Fairly easy, and keeping a finger on "T" has the added benefit of having the tools (especially erase) handy. 

Another idea is to assign the different durations to various keystrokes (ALT-NUM-4 for quarter notes, ALT-NUM-8 for eighth notes, for example).  The downside of that is having to take the hand off the mouse.  They could also be assigned to MIDI notes on a controller, which could be handy.  
 
Any other creative ideas out there? 

just use your middle mouse wheel,simply press the middle mouse wheel down and it will bring up the tools menu,no need to sit there with your finger on the T key.

just use your middle mouse wheel,simply press the middle mouse wheel down and it will bring up the tools menu,no need to sit there with your finger on the T key.

 
That's awesome, I had no idea.  My index finger thanks you.  :)
 
This kinda makes me wonder what the fuss is about, honestly.  From the talk, I thought it would be much harder to work with Staff View in X1.  I was under the impression selecting note durations was one of the big issues, but I don't see how it could get much easier. 
 
What other issues are people having with Staff View?  I'm sincerely interested in learning all the ups and downs, and what to look out for when I start using it more, myself.  My previous version was Sonar 4 PE, so I'm catching up on a lot...

Kev999


I don't use Staff View very often and sometimes I even forget that it exists.  However, I do find it useful when I need to view several midi tracks together where there are a lot of unison notes or overlapping phrases.  PRV can look cluttered whereas SV displays the different instruments on separate staves.  I prefer editing in PRV though.

that's a really good point, I never thought to use it like that.

HeatherHaze

Are there any useful tips and tricks you've found to improve your workflow?

If you have 2 screens, you can keep PRV and SV open together side by side.  Use them both.  Each provides a different perspective.

Part of the reason this thread and similar ones create such divisiveness is because posters like vintagevibe insist on using language that is condescending and downright insulting to other users. Every tool is not for everybody. The idea that it is less professional because it falls short on a particular feature that you especially value is absurd. If Cakewalk's lone demographic was composers who wanted to input a majority of their information via staff view, it would be a valid statement, but that is far beyond an unreasonable assumption. In fact, I don't think the professional composer was ever the primary demographic for any DAW. I think it is more than reasonable to bet that most professional use of Sonar is among studio owners...just like most DAWs. Pro Tools in actual professional use is far more likely to be used for recording, mixing and mastering music than it is for composition. The other thing silly about statements like "Sonar is aimed at the semi-pro or hobbyist" is that even if it were true, it is no more true than any other DAW or any other software in it's price range. Products do not get into the range where the primary purchaser is an actual professional until it is either priced in the stratosphere or so narrowly limited that hobbyists would not bother. The average photoshop user is not a professional. The average Final cut user is not a professional. The average Cubase owner is not a professional. The average guitar owner is not a professional. The software I mentioned is not "cheap", but it is certainly in the range of the hobbyist, especially considering the deep discounts given to students and educators. Programs geared exclusively towards pros tend to come with the pro only price tag. I guarantee there are not many(if any) semi-pro or hobbyists owners of Autodesk Flame because it is going to require a 50k+ investment.

vintagevibe

bsteven



I agree, this is NOT something we should have to do, but since I don't plan to continue with Sonar "X anything" until the staff view works as it should,

I'm still on 8.5 and this is the first time since the mid 90s that I have no plans to upgrade.  I really think Cakewalk has repositioned Sonar for the semi pro and hobbyist and as such notation will never be addressed.  I suppose it's making them more money but as a long term, loyal customer I feel seriously dissed by their new direction.  They have left loyal customers behind by design.  I keep learning the lesson that customer loyalty is foolish and I feel really stupid for the years I was a vocal champion of Cakewalk.

I'm running Sonar 7.0.2 in 64-bit mode and it does everything I need it to do.  I never considered myself "loyal" to Cakewalk, I reserve loyalty to individuals--family, friends, etc.  The idea of being "loyal" to a corporation is absurd to me.  I buy Cakewalk's products because they work for me, since X1 does not work for me, I don't use it and will not support a company that considers the staff view a low priority.  Looking forward to trying Digital Performer for Windows soon!
 
JG
www.jerrygerber.com

backwoods


The "Staff" views on all DAWs are only suitable for "semi pro" "hobbyist". If you are dead serious you will fork out for Sibeliuis or Finale. 

You're confusing a notation program with a MIDI editor, two entirely different functions.   And the staff view on Cubase is far superior to Sonar, as a MIDI editor.  
 
JG
www.jerrygerber.com

since X1 does not work for me,

 
In what ways specifically does X1 not work for you?
 

the staff view on Cubase is far superior to Sonar

 
I've never used Cubase.  How exactly is the Cubase SV better than the Sonar SV? 
 

The Score Editor in Cubase.

I've always found Guitar Pro to be WAY overcomplicated for no reason. Also the last version I had installed years ago made me extremely angry because I spent many hours punching in modes for all the keys to use for guitar lessons (yes I know those are already there but I wanted to do it myself). When I got near the end it REFUSED to keep the letter order for a specific mode in a specific key (I forget which). Instead it used one of the letter names twice and double flatted one to compensate when all it had to do was use the correct note name. Hours of work down the tubes because it couldn't handle a simple musical task. I will end up buying it again at some point but only because it's kind of expected of modern guitar teachers to own and know how to use it. They better have fixed that bug.