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Subject: SONAR - so close but......


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Original Message                 Date: 19-Apr-03  @  01:43 PM     Edit: 19-Apr-03  |  01:46 PM   -   RE: SONAR - so close but......

k

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ok.... this is for Mr Cakewalk - I still didnt do the SONAR2 review - why?.... well, the updates are great -

asio?.. excellent, it opens up the programme to a whole bunch of users with older machines or non wdm driver cards.

rewire? - KILLER! - this is the nail in the coffin for Logic PC users and a great tempter to switch sequencer rather than switch to mac

Drum map? - brilliant! - it had to be added....

Now add to that SONAR's OTHER great stuff, like crystal clear audio, the best metering, top midi spec's etc and all in all SONAR should be 'The One' !

however.... I feel there is a few niggles. For me, these few small issues need to be sorted out...

I STILL feel that the LACK of some of these things is caused by a predominance of non-dance making users


Now these are the things which hold me back - If I do the review it would say:

"yes, sonar2 has all this great new stuff, asio, rewire, blah blah... BUT..."

and end the review with a list of those issues...

These are the issues:

1. DROP-OUTS while editing in loop mode - ALL dance makers create music like this - we loop a 2 bar section, we add/move notes & adjust velocity & controller nodes etc etc & tweak our pattern until it grooves just right

For NON-dance making the same is true - When I do a rock/song track, I always get the guitar down to a click/basic beat... Then loop a section and while looping I go into drum-edit and tweak the drum pattern until it grooves right... then copy that across the song length - Then I go in and add rolls and create join sections and also create my main chorus pattern etc.... I ALWAYS do this by looping a section of a few bars to concentrate on tweaking the drum or bass pattern etc

Now SONAR has this audio DROP-OUT glitch when editing - NO OTHER SEQUENCER DOES THIS!!

Because, ONLY SONAR does this of ALL the sequencers (including Fruity & Orion etc) it makes SONAR appear to be bugged - you just DON'T expect this or get this in a modern sequencer

Ok THAT is the big killer.... I couldn't adopt SONAR while this problem exists - HOURS sometimes DAYS of loop editing would become a nightmare with this continual audio glitching





Now on to other more MINOR issues - whilst MINOR compared to the drop-out glitch, these other issues I feel ARE VERY important... Not just to a newcomer to the sequencer, BUT especiualy to users who might cross-grade!





1. NO ABILITY TO CHOOSE KEY COMMANDS - ok SONAR has got key commands... BUT THEY ARE RESTRICTED! - SONAR tells you which keys you CAN use... you CANNOT choose!!

Now for example, I have a multimedia qwerty board - Nice!... and I LIKE to assign the STOP/PLAY/FWD/REW commands in the s/w host sequencer to those dedicated buttons... But I can't do it with SONAR!!

I like to assign certain functions to key commands - sadly not ALL menu commands appear to be listed either -

MY SOLUTION: Give ALL menu item dialog panels a LEARN BUTTON - so, lets say you open one of the midi dialog menu items via the text menu's - the box/panel opens - what a joy it'd be IF that same panel ALSO had a 'LEARN QWERTY KEY' button - and I was NOT restricted to choose from a limited selection of CTRL+ key sequences - I SHOULD be able to choose a simple key command if I like - for example I would want to ASSIGN LEFT/RIGHT Loop-Point set to my L & R keys - so, the cursor is at position 9.01 - I hit the 'L' key and the left locator sets to that position - etc etc - this is the sort of simplicity we've come to expect now from s/w's like NI's synths (controller assign), Fruity & Orion etc also do this as do many other s/w's

anyways - that whole 'Key-Commands' section is too restricted -

This is made FAR WOSE for cross-grading users who might have spent years using key commands with their previous sequencer only to find they CANNOT switch to SONAR and assign those same keys to the tasks they use most frequently - this makes cross-grading a far more painful business learning a whole NEW set of key commands which might be far less intuitive due to the fact SONAR forces you to choose from a limited selection of key-commands and ALL require two bloody hands to perform in most cases due to having to use the blasted CTRL press with ALL key commands.

Or what about studio owners who are required to install & use multiple sequencer to satisfy clients - it's most important to these users to be able to assign the same qwerty keys to commands common to all the sequencers they use.







2. The DRUM MAP - Brilliant addition!! - it had to be added... BUT there is a BIG oversight - this oversight might be simple to fix, but I can't see WHY it's missing! - The problem is this:

There is NO dialog box to fix NOTE LENGTH - this is VERY important when programming drums to trigger samples because MANY users utilise midi note length to control sample trigger length - Where this problem manifests itself worst is when you open a Drum-Map WITH THE DIAMONDS for notes, and start to input notes - but the note length is fixed to 1/4 notes - then you put in some hat notes as 16ths, finaly you close the editor and view the pattern-clip on the arrange-page and see it is LONGER than the ONE-BAR you programmed because the LONg notes extend out beyond the end of the pattern - this results in scrappy pattern which then have to be RE-EDITED painfuly slowly toi adjust the note Length.

Now yes, I KNOW you CAN choose from various note lengths above the drum-map - BUt what is this PHOBIA Cakewalk has against anything smaller than a 32nd or 64th note? - there is NO BUTTON to choose 64th note - and you MAY want your note length to be WAY smaller than a 64th!! - OK so THAT is a problem - why oh why cannot you ADD a NOTE LENGTH box in the drum-map with each drum-map ROW? - OR at the top at least add a button for 64ths or better still a whole NOTE-LENGTH dialog-box that opens where you can input a note length of a 54th, or even smaller if required than a 64th !






3. ARRANGE-PAGE GRID - almost non-existant! - dragging/copying and moving pattern CLIPS around at anything except bar-divisions is a complete NIGHTMARE!! - WHY should I have to waste time zooming in each time i want to drag a clip to a division position of a bar?... PLEASE PLEASE add an option to devide the arrange-page grid into SUB-DIVISIONS - you CANNOT work on pattern-based music editing EFFICIENTLY without this sub-devided grid.... and besides... WHY ARE SUB-DIVISIONS OF BARS MISSING!!.... what's the point of NOT offering sub-divisions?... how hard can that be to implement? - and for those who DON'T want it... FINE!!... they can simply NOT use it or switch it off or use simple bar-length divisions as usual!! - so this EXCLUSION TO ME IS POINTLESS!

ALSO this leads to another question - SONAR has NODE-BASED envelope editing for FX sends, Volume, Pan, Fx & VSTi/DXi parameters - GREAT!!... but how on earth are you supposed to edit In a fast Aux-send 'blip' at exactly beat3 of a bar when NO grid divisions are there to assist you lining up the NODE with bar SUB-position BEAT XX.3.00 OR WHATEVER???? -

C'mon seriously! - I NEED to place nodes EXACTLY at position relative to the bar/clip length, and where is my visual guide?

To me this is ANOTHER reason why it is IMPERATIVE that SONAR add's BAR-DIVISIONS on the arrange-page grid - Node based editing WITHOUT a guide grid is about as pointless as trying to crop images in photoshop to a desired size with no Rullers available - No-one could do it and no-one would use a graphic's programme without a point/pica/cm grid to work to would they??!! - So c'mon cakewalk - get this feature PROPERLY finished and implemented - how hard can it be to add grid divisions and a dialog box to set arrange-page grid divisions and Snap resolution






4. CLIP SIZES - Ok - this to me is VERY important - When working on PATTERN-BLOCK created arranements - since the year dot when old atari sequencers etc ruled the earth, pattern=based music was created with bar-sized blocks (Clips) -

WHY was pattern-based music was created with exactly bar-sized blocks ???? - SIMPLE!! - because when you CUT a bar length to be SMALLER than a bar, these reduced sized blocks are simply and EASILY visible and recognisable as DISTINCTLY different in size to the normal pattern - IF a pattern ends with a sustained note which extends OUTSIDE the right-boundary of a clip, then sure, the CLIP extends.... anyways my problem is this: SONAR ALWAYS sets CLIP-SIZE to show the contents - a CLIP (pattern-block) in SONAR is never a bar-length!!!! - this results ina an arrange-page littered with different-sized blocks/clips - this is both messy visualy and confusing when moving around blocks of clips - when added to an arrange-page with NO bar divisions grid, this makes the whole editing process laborious and tiresome and you have to think about things too much -

So my request is simple - PLEASE PLEASE add an option in PREFERENCES - it would say something like this:

'FORCE ALL PATTERN CLIPS TO FULL BAR-LENGTHS' - ticking this option would force any bar which contains a partial of notes to display as a full bar-length block/clip







5. SNAP FOR DRAGGING CLIP-BOUNDARY SIZES - again this related to the LACK of an arrange-page grid.... when you try to drag a created CLIP to be a full bar-length, the SNAP is very weak... and it's impossible really to see if the clip boundary has been dragged to a proper full bar-length unless you interrupt editing to zoom-in and check because the SNAP isn't 'distinct' enuff.

also where on EARTH is the snap setting for divisions of bars? - If i want to drag a clip boundary so it ends on exactly beat 3 of the bar how on earth do you acheive this with NO bar divisions visible on the grid and NO snap??.... it's impossible almost and certainly impossible unless you zoom RIGHT IN to a very close-up zoom-in - this wastes yet MORE time.

The Arrange-Page needs a grid dialog-box where you can quickly change the divisions and snap divisions DIFFERENTLY... PLEASE add that for god's sake!










Ok there is some moans - but they are 100% realistic moans imo - My problem is this therefore - I WANT to get into SONAR - I'd LIKE the option to choose to switch platform... But every time i go to use SONAR, the glitching audio-dropouts while editing are just TOO annoying!!...

Then on top of that, I find these fundamental missing options are SUCH a hindrance, I just get irritated with the programme and regardless of HOW GOOD the rest of it is, these small oversights are so infuriating that I just give up, because to me it's immaterial how GOOD some of the features are in a sequencer when such basic fundamental issues are glaringly omitted or flawed - What is worst is that these problems are so fundamentaly simple to change - it's nothing like the work required to implement REWIRE for example or ASIO drivers or a whole drum-map

Ok... that's your lot... what do you think?... I can tell you 100% THESE issues go along way to NOT choosing asonar FOR DANCE music which is pattern-based. It seems to me that SONAR is aimed more (still) at users who record audio and mostly use midi to complement a real audio based production... acoustic and other types of rock etc would be ideal... But for music created using MOSTLY pattern-blocks...... ??

There is a few other things I'd like to see, but that's not complaints or criticism's, just rather things (a few) which could be added to make SONAR trash the competition totaly - such as... using REWIRE, SONAR will read the drum-names in RE-DRUM and they appear in the piano-roll when you assign a midi track to RE-DRUM and open the PIANO-ROLL editor to create a pattern.... BUT, what would be superb would be a button to simply switch the piano-roll to a drum-map while RETAINING those drum-names - but that doesn't seem to be possible - perhaps I missed it - But it seems a great shame that SONAR can query REASON's Re-DRUM and grab the drum-names of the actual loaded samples, but then you cannot do that with a drum-map which is designed for creating/editing drums in the first place - Did I miss a way to do this?... I hope so - If not, can THIS be implemented?? - that would be a good kudos over the competition & it would RULE!!

So - what do you think?... can this edit glitching be solved?... it has to basicalY!! - because while it isn't, it makes smaller programmes from smaller indie s/w houses like Orion & Fruity seem superior, or at the least because SONAR is the ONLY sequencer which glitches while editing it makes SONAR seem 'flawed' - NOT a good sign - The other criticisms?... they REALLY need sorting out

If all that gets sorted I'd say SONAR was the best sequencer on the market










Oh yes - one last issue/suggestion - the PATTERN BRUSH - This is yet another KILLER feature - For dance music makers it's a really SUPERB feature - my God!... the HOURS I could save having all my favourite drum hi-hat & percussions pattern and arp-pattern etc for synths available at the click & dragging of the mouse is a feature that SLAYS the competition for dance creation!!

ok.... so er... WHY IS IT SO LABORIOUS TO CREATE/SAVE a pattern?... C'MON GUYS! - seriously - why doesnt the editor in piano-roll or drum-map have a SIMPLE button labelled:

'SAVE SELECTED NOTES BETWEEN LOCATORS AS BRUSH-PATTERN'

Get THAT sorted and this feature will be super-strong - but keep it so that creating a brush-pattern takes 4 or 5 moves and lots of farting about and it weakens the work-flow - that's a suggestion i think would be WELL worth implementing!!

and again - a proper FLEXIBLE Key-Commands section would go along way to helping to solve these tweaks to make SONAR the KILLER dance application sequencer - because after all, I didn't even mention stuff like the groove-clip stuff which already is great & the fact it's video float section is the best!!

Ok... Nuff ranting - BUT PLEASE.... make this sequencer right for dance... it's ALMOST there... almost!

___________________________________

I had an idea for a script once. It's basically Jaws except when the guys in the boat are going after Jaws, they look around and there's an even bigger Jaws. The guys have to team up with Jaws to get Bigger Jaws.... I call it... Big Jaws!!!




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Message 51/73             19-May-03  @  09:49 PM   -   RE: SONAR - so close but......

k

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well , yes, i saw that a while back - it specifies that if Cakewalk SONAR etc is already installed it's no worries, and that only if the product is NOT installed do you need that

what i've got here is DR008 has TOTALY dissapeared from the PC

?? - weird!



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Message 52/73             23-May-03  @  12:54 PM   -   RE: SONAR - so close but......

k

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btw - I forgot wether the VSTi wrapper was included in SONAR 2.2 - I been busy. had a look again and yes it IS included! - and works great btw

so now really you can think of SONAR as exactly like all the other sequencers where VSTi & VST-FX are concerned.

(and of course it has ASIO capability now too, although the WDM driver handling is so good I don't need it with XP.



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Message 53/73             23-May-03  @  03:19 PM   -   RE: SONAR - so close but......

Cakewalk

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K,

The VSTi wrapper is not included in SONAR 2.2. When you installed Project5, the wrapper was installed.

Cheers,

Carl



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Message 54/73             24-May-03  @  06:07 PM   -   RE: SONAR - so close but......

Mick

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Thanks again everyone. I got the specs for this job and it looks like I can use CoolEdit 96 (my current wave editor), because its really simple. I have to cut up a few hour long waves to match a slide shoe presentaion. No time code. I get a script and a VHS then match my edits to the VHS.

I will, however, be trying Sonar when I'm flush again.



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Message 55/73             30-May-03  @  07:07 PM   -   RE: SONAR - so close but......

M

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There was a lot made of the audio glitch thing when Logic users were looking to switch and Ron Kruper never addressed it and neither does Mr Cakewalk on this forum.

Could it be that this is so embedded in the old code ported from Pro Audio that they cannot fix it unless they rewrite from scratch?

Regards

M



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Message 56/73             04-Jun-03  @  04:27 AM   -   RE: SONAR - so close but......

bl_nd

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Mick, dunno how many times i say this, but I hate to admit that I own SONAR2 and firmly believe in its abilities, YET I consistently drift to using cooledit, because it gets the job done so simply.



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Message 57/73             06-Jun-03  @  12:11 AM   -   RE: SONAR - so close but......

Defector z

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Why are you comparing Cooledit to Sonar? They are 2 differenct programs to my knowledge. Sonar is a sequencer with some audio editing facilities, while Cooledit is an audio editor. Right?



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Message 58/73             06-Jun-03  @  10:43 AM   -   RE: SONAR - so close but......

k

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"Sonar is a sequencer with some audio editing facilities"

it's a bit more than that i'd say for audio!!



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Message 59/73             06-Jun-03  @  10:44 PM   -   RE: SONAR - so close but......

Defector z

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Okay - I'll grant you that, but it's NOT a full featured audio mangler like CoodEdit.



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Message 60/73             17-Jun-03  @  02:48 AM   -   RE: SONAR - so close but......

bl_nd

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for multitrack audio arranging, cooledit is breezy.



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