I'm at that point where I'm plowing through the whole manual to try and get as thorough understanding of X2 as possible. However it seems that I'm frequently puzzled by things said in the manual which don't accurately reflect what I'm seeing in the program, for example on page 276:

By default, SONAR does not play back any previously recorded material on a track while recording.

If you want to always hear previously recorded audio while recording, go to Edit > Preferences >

Project - Record and select the Hear previously recorded material on track check box.

OK so I know I've been caught out by my new glasses before, but as hard as I focus on that preference window I cannot see any such check box in said location. Could it be that a lot of this manual has been cut and paste from manuals of earlier versions of Sonar? 

Lots of manuals have inconsistencies.

Cakewalk provides the Feature Request form to help them become aware of these.  I can tell you that I have in the past submitted many such feature requests and that they have either come back and indicated something is stated as intended (which I found by reading a second time to be correct on their part), or when they HAVE been wrong - and that happens often, that they fixed each and every one I have ever submitted.

I had been submitting them as bugs, and they asked me in an email to submit them instead as Feature Requests due to how they assess and assign things in their system.

But my point is that they do care, and are responsive when told that an error is out there.

You are correct here that the documentation is in error on the point you raise in this thread.  Please submit a Feature Request pointing this out to them and they will address it.

On a larger point, I find that I learn a lot better by trying things in addition to working with available documentation on something.  There are tutorials that they provide that do give you the basics, and there are a number of video clips out there that also show how to do many things.

Posting questions in the forum for how to do something, when you either cannot figure it out, are new to it all, or have some sort of question beyond what is covered in the documentation, will usually get you some help.

It pretty much takes working with a combination of approaches to get the most bang for the buck, in terms of time invested and knowledge and productivity for it.

Bob Bone

Unfortunately YES! IMO, Sonar’s weakest link is it’s manual.
 
The pdf manual is the worst because it’s set. I’ve actually given up on it. In the online manual I found “Track View” and “Options” dropdown were all mixed up, so I reported it using the “feedback” link at bottom of the online articles page. I just checked and it’s fixed.
 
… and before you say it, I know we shouldn’t have to do cakes work for them. Roland has always been good at mimalising such things. When all said and done that’s there main reason for supply a free forum (as do lots of other companies)   

Good point about submitting a feature request Bob, I will try that. I'm not relying 100% on the manual to learn Sonar though, I've already learned a lot by diving in at the deep end. In fact how I ended up buying Sonar was, I downloaded the demo of X1, started fiddling around with it and before I knew it had a full scale project on the go. Then when it came to the end of the trial period I figured I liked it (and would quite like to complete the project I'd started). I also learned a lot from Scott's X1 Power! book (although stopped reading it halfway through because I decided I didn't want to read another book until it was about X2) and from watching the odd video. Eventually though, I always bite the bullet and make a start on the "official" documentation, just to make sure that what I've learned haphazardly is actually correct and that I'm not missing anything. I find it's worth it even if you just "skim" over the stuff you already know (how to record an audio track etc). Sometimes you'll pick up something you didn't know. 

There are IMHO some great tuitioin videos out there that also cover just about everything in X2 that a new to intermediate user may find useful. One in particular but the name of it has slipped my mind....

Nothing like a good plug first thing in the morning.....

Bristol_Jonesey


Nothing like a good plug first thing in the morning.....

I'm partial to a good plug any time of day. I blame Bapu, I caught it from him. He made me do it sir honest.....

Well, he is a "bigger boy", or so I'm told.

Way to go, Bapu! :)

Sharke - I did kind of the same thing in X2, even though I had been using Sonar since it was just Cakewalk (Twelve Tone Systems, if memory serves).  That was back in the days of DOS.

But anyway, I bought an X1 book and readit from cover to cover, and will do so with X2.  I believe that a better understanding of what COULD be done will trigger my creativity, resulting in things that WILL be done.

A lot of tinkering and reading - more tinkering - then more reading - it's a good cycle, with the forum providing additional insight and knowledge.

Bob Bone

I'm sure not all of you are using the online version of the documentation, but if you are, best way to submit corrections and/or positive or negative feedback is right at the bottom. Check it out here for example: http://www.cakewalk.com/D...R%20X2&Lang=EN#Top

This Feedback section is integrated directly with our internal tools for managing our documentation. When you submit feedback, it sends your message as well as the exact info for the page you're on.

The Feature Request Form or Bug Report Form are fine too, but realistically this Feedback section is the best way to get to our documentation people since it goes straight to them and only them. The ultimate goal is to make the doc better then ever before. I think a way of provide direct feedback is a step in the right direction.