You are on page 1of 22

SONAR 6

(Windows XP)
README.RTF Copyright 2006 Twelve Tone Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cakewalk is a registered trademark, and SONAR is a trademark of Twelve Tone Systems, Inc. This file contains supplemental information on SONAR, Version 6.0. It was prepared on September 11, 2006.

Contents serial CWSP-6.00-834711-213218 codigo 84ECC502-87A9-5549


New in SONAR 6........................................................................................................................ Top Issues in SONAR 6.................................................................................................................... Windows XP and SONAR.......................................................................................................... SONAR x64................................................................................................................................ Backwards Compatibility............................................................................................................ Audio Performance Issues................................................................................................................ Canceling Changes Made to Real-time Plug-ins........................................................................ DXis & Look-ahead Processing at High Latencies................................................................... MIDI Prepare Buffer Size and Automation................................................................................ Control Surface Refresh Rate..................................................................................................... General............................................................................................................................................... Windows Media Video (WMV) Profiles.................................................................................... External DV Output (IEEE 1394/Firewire)................................................................................ Cakewalk External Encoder Config Utility................................................................................ AudioSnap Palette Auto Load..................................................................................................... Alpha-blended Bars on Slip-stretched Clips............................................................................... Scrubbing Audio at Unity Gain.................................................................................................. Time/Pitch Stretch Plug-in Does Not Work With Groove Clips................................................ Time/Pitch Stretch Plug-in Does Not Affect Clip Length.......................................................... Console View Auto-Resizing...................................................................................................... Track View Control Size and Layout......................................................................................... Zero Controllers When Play Stops Is Not Applied When Freezing Synths............................. SONAR and Screen Readers for Vision Impaired Users............................................................ Upgrading to SONAR from an Earlier Version of a Cakewalk Product.................................... Old Color Settings Are Not Migrated When Upgrading To SONAR 6..................................... Known Issues.....................................................................................................................................

ACT MIDI Controller Issues...................................................................................................... Session Drummer 2 Issues.......................................................................................................... QuickTime Issues........................................................................................................................ Audio Metronome Issues............................................................................................................ VST(i) May Lose Sync When Looping Alongside a DX(i)....................................................... Enabling Mono on a Bus/Main Will Affect Upstream Meters................................................... Mono Audio Clips May be Increased by 3dB in Certain Scenarios........................................... Adding MIDI Device May Break Control Surface Support and MIDI Key Bindings............... High-Resolution Audio Boosted by 6dB when Stretched Using MPEX.................................... ReWire Tracks Silent When Using Metronome Record Count-in............................................. MP3 Files With 256K Bit Rate May Not Play in SONAR 6...................................................... TTS-1 DXi Does Not Support 88.2 kHz Sample Rate................................................................ Using Cakewalk Kinetic Groove Synth in SONAR 6................................................................ Importing MPEG 2 Files in SONAR 6....................................................................................... Do not Intercept NRPNs Option for VST Plug-ins is not Persisted Between Sessions.......... Successive Snapshots Do Not Update Envelope Node Values................................................... Potential Pops When Using Surround Automation (SONAR Producer Edition Only)........... Mono Plug-Ins on Surround Buses............................................................................................. Staff View Font May Require Reboot After SONAR is Installed.............................................. Exporting Audio with Waves Plug-ins and Multiprocessing Engine......................................... Digidesign Mbox and Multiprocessing Engine........................................................................... Digidesign Digi 002 and Multiprocessing Engine...................................................................... Mono UAD-1/TC PowerCore Plug-ins Do Not Sum Audio on Stereo Tracks.......................... UAD-1 Error When 64-bit Double Precision Engine Enabled................................................ M-Audio Midisport 8x8 Compatibility....................................................................................... M-Audio Delta 1010 Distortion With 5.8ms Latency................................................................ Frontier/Tascam ASIO Drivers................................................................................................... Frontier Design TranzPort Issues................................................................................................ E-MU 1820 Compatibility.......................................................................................................... SONAR Only Supports GigaStudio Sample Rate When Using WDM Drivers......................... Can't Print if Staff View is Floating............................................................................................ RIFF/MID Will Not Launch SONAR When Double-clicked..................................................... AutoTune 4 (Graphic Mode) as Clip Effect................................................................................ iZotope Plug-ins Hang x64 VST Scan........................................................................................ MIDI Note Will Continue to Play If Now Time is Moved......................................................... Arpeggiator MFX With Low Rate May Affect Playback........................................................... Muted MIDI Ranges are Not Distinguished Visually................................................................. Standard AVI Audio Codecs Do Not Support Multichannel Audio........................................... No MTC Sync within 1 Minute of Midnight Roll-over.............................................................. Dual Video Monitors Set to Different Color Bit Depths May Affect Performance................... Video Pauses on Playback When Using Creative ASIO Driver.................................................

Whats New in SONAR 6


If you have upgraded to SONAR 6 from a previous version of SONAR, please see the New Features in SONAR 6 section in the online Help. You can access this Help topic from HelpWhats New.

New in SONAR 6
The following enhancements have been introduced in SONAR 6:

AudioSnap MIDI Controller and Control Surface Enhancements New Synth Automation and Synth Rack Preset Management Organizing Plug-ins Enhanced Plug-in Manager Customizable Menus Customizable Toolbars New Console View Streamlined and Configurable Track View Redesigned Large Transport Clip Handles Clip Lock Absolute-Time-Based Clips Enhanced Time Ruler Automation Controls Enhanced Mouse Wheel Function Enhanced Staff View File Versioning Import 64-bit Audio Friendly Audio Driver Names Lasso Selects Touched Clips Default Settings Changes New Export/Bounce Options V-Vocal Key Bindings New Snap to Grid Dialog

Top Issues in SONAR 6


Windows XP and SONAR
To install and run SONAR in Windows XP Professional and Home Edition, you must be logged in as a user with administrative privileges. To use the product you must be logged in as the same user that installed the program; otherwise, you will not have access to your DirectX effects presets.

SONAR x64
SONAR 5 was the first DAW application to provide a 64-bit audio engine in a 64-bit binary application. Both a 32-bit and a 64-bit version of SONAR 6 are included on the SONAR 6 DVD. The following features are not supported in SONAR x64 at this time:

ReWire support for 32-bit clients like Project 5 V2, Reason 2, and Fruity Loops 32-bit DirectX plug-ins Receiving MIDI output from VSTi plug-ins DreamStation DXi2 MPEX time/pitch stretching. A 64-bit library is not available for the MPEX time/pitch stretching algorithm, so this feature is not supported in SONAR x64. Use iZotope Radius or SONARs internal time/pitch stretching instead. Microsoft has yet to provide x64 codecs for the following formats, so they are not yet supported: o MP3 import o Windows Media Video import/export Apple has yet to release QuickTime for Windows x64, so QuickTime import/export is not yet supported. Note: MPG 1 movie files can be imported.

Backwards Compatibility
SONAR 6 can load SONAR 1.x/2.x/3.x/4.x/5.x projects, but projects that are saved in SONAR 6 cannot be re-opened in SONAR 1.x or SONAR 2.x. In case you need to open a pre-SONAR 6 project in an earlier version of SONAR, it is recommended that you always create a backup copy of the original project before you re-save the project in SONAR 6. Project files saved in SONAR 6 will not open in SONAR 4 if they reference or include any of the following types of data or information:

32-bit and 64-bit audio clips, including clips and tracks that have been frozen or rendered as 32-bit or 64-bit data. Audio clips that are not all of the same bit depth

Project files saved in SONAR 6 will not open in SONAR 5 if they reference 64-bit audio clips. SONAR 6 project files may contain new features that will be missing if opened in SONAR 5 and earlier, including:

ACT current context All AudioSnap data

Automation Read Enable States Clip lock properties Preserve mix between gang members setting Synth Rack Assignable Controls Synth Rack Automation

SONAR 6 project files may contain new features that will be missing if opened in SONAR 4, including:

Clip effects and clip automation o Effects are removed o Automation envelopes are orphaned Groups o SONAR 6 groups are preserved but will not be completely functional in SONAR 4 o Controls may be removed from groups o Groups cant be added to or changed o Group names will be truncated. o SONAR 4 may add extra groups to the project.

Re-saving a SONAR 6 project file in an older version may permanently remove the project data described above.

Audio Performance Issues


The following issues concern improving and troubleshooting audio performance in SONAR.

Canceling Changes Made to Real-time Plug-ins


EnablePluginCancelButton=<0 or 1>, default = 0 In SONAR 4.0.2 and earlier, opening the property page of a VST plug-in during playback could result in a slight disruption in playback. The cause for this problem has its roots in the little "Cancel" button that sits in the top right corner of the plug-in's property page. The purpose of this button is to allow the user to cancel out of any changes they might have made to the plug-in, restoring back to whatever state the plug-in was in before they opened the GUI window. To make this work, SONAR would need to take an initial snapshot of the plug-in's state, and some plug-ins with large amounts of preset data could cause an audio hiccup if the data was captured for the Cancel button. To address this issue, SONAR 4.0.3 (and later) does not take a snapshot of the plug-in's state by default, and the Cancel button is not available. There is a new CAKEWALK.INI variable to bring back the Cancel button if desired, but be aware that this may also result in hiccups when opening

VST plug-ins during playback. This variable should be set in the [WinCake] section. For example: [WinCake] EnablePluginCancelButton=1

DXis & Look-ahead Processing at High Latencies


Some plug-ins, such as the Sonitus:fx Multiband and other dynamics processors, use a look-ahead buffer mechanism, which results in a short delay being introduced to the output signal when the plug-in is used in real-time. SONARs automatic delay compensation (ADC) takes care of any delays, but you may experience some anomalies when using such a plug-in to process the output of a DXiespecially if SONAR is configured to use a high mixing latency. The symptoms include audio that appears to drop out, and/or missed notes (from the MIDI track that is assigned to the DXi). Again, this is more prone to occur with higher latency settings. This may happen if SONAR doesnt pump ahead enough MIDI data to compensate for ADC. To fix this problem, go to Options-Global-MIDI and increase the Prepare Using [n] Millisecond Buffers value.

MIDI Prepare Buffer Size and Automation


If your project contains several track/clip automation envelopes, setting your MIDI playback buffer size too low (in Options-Global-MIDI) can cause audio to crackle if your audio latency is also set very low. This problem will be somewhat worse if you enable multiprocessing in the audio engine. To minimize or eliminate these crackles, please be sure to keep your MIDI playback buffers at or above the default setting of 500 msec.

Control Surface Refresh Rate


Control surfaces are refreshed by posting a windows message every 75 milliseconds. CtrlSurfaceRefreshMS=<50 5000> (default=75) You may wish to increase the value of this CAKEWALK.INI variable if you are experiencing sluggish UI responsiveness when using a control surface and playing back high CPU projects. Also, if you are using a control surface that is not bi-directional, the surface does not need to be refreshed at all and you can safely increase the value. This variable should be set in the [Wincake] section. For example: [Wincake] CtrlSurfaceRefreshMS=75

General
The following topics cover general issues in SONAR.

Windows Media Video (WMV) Profiles


SONAR 6 includes several profiles for exporting WMV files. You can author your own WMV profiles if you wish to use specific settings. To do so, you need to download and install the Windows Media Profile Editor, which is included with the Windows Media Encoder 9 Series. Download from here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download In Select Download: choose "Windows Media Encoder" In Select Version: choose 9 Series The setup program will install the Windows Media Profile Editor utility. If you author your own profiles (.PRX files), they must be placed in the \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Cakewalk\SONAR 6 Producer Edition\WMV Profiles directory in order to be available in SONAR. Note: if you use SONAR Studio Edition, substitute Producer with Studio.

External DV Output (IEEE 1394/Firewire)


SONAR relies on the Microsoft AV/C drivers to communicate with DV devices that are connected to a IEEE 1394 Firewire bus on your computer, in order to control and preview video to digital video devices. If another software application overwrites or disables these drivers, the Preview to Firewire and Print to Tape feature may not function correctly. If you are going to install a software application that uses DV devices connected to the IEEE 1394 Firewire bus, please check with the software vendor about DV device drivers it may install. Also, please check with the manufacturer of your DV device for AV/C-compliance information. The following devices have been tested and known to work properly with SONAR:

ADS Pyro A/V Link DV transcoder Canopus ADVC-100 DV transcoder Canon ZR-85 miniDV camcorder

Note: when using DV AVI movies, the transcoding unit must be set to the same format (NTSC or PAL) as the video file, or Preview to Firewire and Print to Tape will fail to work properly. Also, CPU consumption will be lower when the source material is in DV format, since the format is native to the Firewire device and doesnt incur a CPU hit for transcoding video.

Cakewalk External Encoder Config Utility


SONAR 6 supports external command-line encoders, such as LAME, Ogg Vorbis, Monkeys Audio, etc. If an external command-line encoder is installed on your machine, the Cakewalk External Encoder Config utility allows you to add the encoder to SONARs list of available file formats when exporting audio (File-Export-Audio). To use the utility, start SONAR and go to Tools-Cakewalk Ext Encoder Config, then specify the proper settings or the encoder you wish to use. Note: the SONAR 6 DVD includes several pre-defined profiles for various encoders. These profiles can be found in the \Utilities\External Encoder Profiles folder. You can use these profiles as a starting point when creating your own profiles. Simply double-click the appropriate .REG file to add the information to the Windows registry, then use the Cakewalk External Encoder Config utility to specify the correct install path of the encoder.

AudioSnap Palette Auto Load


AutoLoadAudioSnapPalette=<0 or 1>, default = 1 By default, the AudioSnap palette appears automatically whenever you enable AudioSnap on a clip. If you prefer to never auto-show the AudioSnap palette, you can change this behavior by adding a variable to the CAKEWALK.INI file. This variable should be set in the [WinCake] section. For example: [WinCake] AutoLoadAudioSnapPalette=0

Alpha-blended Bars on Slip-stretched Clips


AlphaStretchIndicator=<0 or 1> (default=1) When an audio clip is slip-stretched, a yellow alpha-blended bar is displayed on the clip. This may affect performance on some systems if there are many slip-stretched clips. There is a new CAKEWALK.INI variable to disable the alpha-blended bars, and instead only show the percent value in the lower right corner of the clip. This variable should be set in the [Wincake] section. For example: [Wincake] AlphaStretchIndicator=0

Scrubbing Audio at Unity Gain

In SONAR 4.0.0, the Scrub function would automatically scrub at unity gain. This has changed in version 4.0.1 and later, where audio scrubbing is performed at the mix level (volume and pan settings are applied). You can also scrub at unity gain by holding down the Alt key while scrubbing.

Time/Pitch Stretch Plug-in Does Not Work With Groove Clips


The Cakewalk Time/Pitch Stretch 2 plug-in cannot be used with Groove clips. As a result, the plug-in will fail to load if you try to apply the plug-in as an offline process on a Groove clip.

Time/Pitch Stretch Plug-in Does Not Affect Clip Length


When used as an offline process, the Cakewalk Time/Pitch Stretch 2 plug-in stretches clips properly, but the actual clip length does not change.

Console View Auto-Resizing


By default, the Console view will automatically resize itself vertically as modules are shown or hidden. If you prefer, you can keep the Console view from automatically resizing by holding down the Shift key as you click on a modules Show/Hide toggle (leftmost pane in the Console view). This will preserve the current Console view size without resizing the view to fit all visible modules.

Track View Control Size and Layout


It is possible to alter the default size and layout of the controls in the Track view. This requires adding entries to the CAKEWALK.INI file. This variable should be set in the [WinCake] section. For example: [WinCake] TVBoldStripNames=0 Below are the variables that affect the control appearance: TVControlHeight=<number of pixels>, default = 17 Specifies the height of controls. The default height is 17 pixels. This value shouldnt be changed more than 1 or 2 from the default value, or you may experience unexpected results. TVControlWidth=<number of pixels>, default = 41 Specifies the width of controls. The default width is 41 pixels. TVControlSpacingX=<number of pixels>, default = 3

Specifies the horizontal space, in pixels, between controls. The default spacing is 3 pixels. TVControlSpacingY=<number of pixels>, default = 3 Specifies the vertical space, in pixels, between controls. The default spacing is 3 pixels. TVSpacingXInCluster=<number of pixels>, default = 2 Specifies the horizontal space between each button in a cluster. The default value is 2 pixels. The following controls are grouped into clusters:

Mute, Solo, Arm for Recording (MSR) Automation Read, Automation Write Phase, Interleave (mono/stereo)

TVBoldStripNames=<0 or 1>, default = 1 Specifies whether track/bus names use bold (value=1) or regular (value=0) font style. TVLargeStripNames=<0 or 1>, default = 1 Specifies the size of track/bus names. The default size is large (value=1).

Zero Controllers When Play Stops Is Not Applied When Freezing Synths
Please note that the global Zero Controllers when Play Stops setting is not applied when freezing soft synths. This means that the current state of a continuous controller when play is stopped can cause unexpected results when freezing a synth. If you experience this issue, rewind the project before freezing the synth.

SONAR and Screen Readers for Vision Impaired Users


SONAR has a special Accessibility Mode which can be helpful for vision impaired users when working with screen readers (Window-Eyes, JAWS, etc.). The Accessibility Mode is enabled by adding a key to the Windows Registry (WARNING: only do this if you are comfortable with editing the Windows registry; you may wish to back up the registry first), and allows screen readers to receive various information from SONAR that may otherwise not be displayed on the screen (names, values, etc.). The key is: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\SONAR Producer\6.0

10

Note: if you are using SONAR 6 Studio Edition, substitute Producer with Studio. The Value is: AccessibilityMode It is a DWORD. Value can be 0, 1, 2 or 3: 0 - no accessibility (default) 1 - put the access string in the TrackView Cview's caption 2 - put the access string in the CWACCESS window 3 - put the access string in the CWACCESS window and make this window visible

Upgrading to SONAR from an Earlier Version of a Cakewalk Product


SONAR SETUP does not overwrite your existing MASTER.INS file. That file contains the instrument definitions that SONAR loads every time it starts. SETUP installs new .INS files for each supported manufacturer. These files contain the latest complete set of available instrument definitions. To learn how to import any of these .INS files, see the online Help topic titled "Importing Instrument Definitions.

Old Color Settings Are Not Migrated When Upgrading To SONAR 6


SONAR 6 has new color settings that most often result in poor results when importing color presets that were created in previous versions of SONAR. Because of this, old color presets are not automatically migrated to SONAR 6 if you are upgrading from a previous version of SONAR. If you would still like to use your old color presets in SONAR 6, you can do so by following the steps below (warning: only do this if you are comfortable with editing the Windows registry; you may wish to back up the registry first): [1] Export the following registry branch (pick the SONAR version you are upgrading from): SONAR 5 (color presets): HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\SONAR Producer\5.0\Presets\{6B0298E5-C4B7-4AAF-90EF-B214D18F7654} SONAR 4 (color presets): HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\SONAR Producer\4.0\Presets\{6B0298E5-C4B7-4AAF-90EF-B214D18F7654}

11

SONAR 3 (color presets): HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\SONAR Producer\3.0\Presets\{6B0298E5-C4B7-4AAF-90EF-B214D18F7654} SONAR 3 (current colors): HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\SONAR Producer\3.0\Colors SONAR 2 (current colors): HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\SONAR\2.0\Colors SONAR 1 (current colors): HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\SONAR\1.0\Colors [2] Open the exported registry file in a text editor (to use Notepad, right-click the .REG file and choose Edit). [3] Change the path to reflect SONAR 6: If you exported all color presets from SONAR 4, enter the following path: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\SONAR Producer\4.0\Presets\ {6B0298E5-C4B7-4AAF-90EF-B214D18F7654}] If you exported the current/default colors from SONAR 1/2/3, enter the following path: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\SONAR Producer\3.0\Colors] Note: if you are using SONAR 6 Studio Edition, substitute Producer with Studio. [4] Save and then close the .REG file, then double-click the REG file to add the information to the registry. Your old color settings should then be available in SONAR 6.

Known Issues
The following topics cover known issues in SONAR that may be addressed in the future.

ACT MIDI Controller Issues


Many MIDI controllers use one MIDI port for the keys/pads, and another MIDI port for controls, such as knobs, sliders, and buttons. This allows you to separate the MIDI messages that are transmitted from the keys/pads and other controls. However, some MIDI controllers only use a single MIDI port for both the keys/pads and controls.

12

As a result, MIDI data transmitted from the knobs/sliders/buttons may also be recorded if you move the controls while recording a MIDI track. Also, if Input Echo is enabled on a MIDI tack, MIDI data transmitted from the knobs/sliders/buttons will echo even if you are using ACT to control other track/bus/effect/synth parameters. We plan to address this issue in the near future in a free maintenance update, so the MIDI messages that are mapped to the ACT MIDI Controller plug-in are filtered out when recording MIDI data. As a temporary workaround, you can configure your MIDI controller such that the keys/pads and other controls are transmitting on at least two different MIDI channels, then use SONARs MIDI input filter to filter out the MIDI channel(s) that is assigned to the knob/slider/button controls. Please see your MIDI controllers documentation for information on how to configure the knobs/sliders/buttons. To configure SONARs MIDI input filter, click the small down arrow in a MIDI tracks Input control, and choose Manage Presets. Next, disable the MIDI channel(s) that are assigned to your MIDI controllers knobs/sliders/buttons. Another temporary workaround is to simply not adjust any of the sliders/knobs/buttons while recording MIDI data.

Session Drummer 2 Issues


MIDI Drag and Drop from Desktop Captured by SONAR Dragging a MIDI file from the Desktop into Session Drummer 2 will cause a new MIDI project to be created in SONAR. To add a MIDI pattern to Session Drummer 2, you may use its built-in MIDI Pattern Browser, or you may drag and drop a MIDI clip from SONAR. MIDI Drag and Drop to SONAR Stops Session Drummer 2 Playback Dragging a MIDI pattern from Session Drummer 2 into SONAR while Session Drummer 2 is playing will cause the Session Drummer 2 transport to stop. Playback may resume only after the SONAR transport has been started and stopped. MIDI Drag and Drop to SONAR Stops Session Drummer 2 Pad Preview Dragging a MIDI pattern from Session Drummer 2 into SONAR while Session Drummer 2 is idle will result in silence when you click on a pad to preview the sound. You will need to start the SONAR transport before you can preview pads again. Session Drummer 2 May Lose Sync with SONAR During Seeking If the global "Set Now Time with Full Reset" option (Options-Global-General) is disabled, Session Drummer 2 may lose sync with SONAR if Session Drummer 2 is auto-playing a pattern

13

while you seek in the SONAR time ruler. If you are affected by this issue, the solution is to enable "Set Now Time with Full Reset". Session Drummer 2 Transport Keeps Unsteady Beat at Higher Latencies If SONAR's mixing latency is set very high (for instance, above 50 milliseconds), Session Drummer 2 may keep an unsteady beat when previewing a pattern indefinitely. You may notice a lurch in timing as the pattern loop restarts. The higher the latency, the more noticeable the lurch may be. When using Session Drummer 2 at high latencies, we recommend using it as a synth/sound module, and send it data from a MIDI track. RPN Events Stop Session Drummer 2 Audio Output If a MIDI track that is routed to Session Drummer 2 is transmitting RPN events, Session Drummer 2 will no longer output audio. To fix this, launch the Cakewalk Plug-in Manager (Tools-Cakewalk Plug-in Manager), select the VST Instruments (VSTi) category, then select Session Drummer 2. Next, click the Plugin Properties button, then enable Do not intercept NRPNs. Note: The Do not intercept NRPNs option is currently not persisted between sessions, and must be set at the beginning of every session.

QuickTime Issues
In order to import/export QuickTime files in SONAR 6, you must install both the filters AND QuickTime. Below are some other known QuickTime issues:

QuickTime Import/Export requires version 6.5.1 or higher of the QuickTime Player to be installed. The QuickTime Player is not included with SONAR, but can be downloaded separately from Apples web site (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html). Audio mixdown to QuickTime must be set to 16 bits stereo or mono, or the resulting export will create a unusable file or abort with an error. Audio mixdown to QuickTime must be set to 48 KHz or less or the resulting export will create a file that plays back incorrectly. When exporting to QuickTime, the frame rate of the QuickTime video compressor will default to "best possible." Since not all movies in a SONAR video project correctly report their frame rate, the best practice is manually enter the desired frame rate. This is done in the video settings of the QuickTime video compressor. Exports to QuickTime from a SONAR video project created from an AVI using the Indeo video compressor will create a movie with white frames. Exports to QuickTime may have an extra white frame on the last frame of the movie. This extra frame can be removed with the QuickTime Pro Player or another QuickTime

14

editing application. Many of these limitations will be addressed in a future update to SONAR.

Audio Metronome Issues


The default audio metronome sounds are 44.1kHz samples. This may result in a pop when playback or record is started and stopped when using audio hardware that use a native sample rate of 48kHz (such as SB Live!). This is an artifact of the internal sample rate conversion that the audio hardware performs. Note: this is not an issue if your SONAR projects use the 48kHz sample rate.

VST(i) May Lose Sync When Looping Alongside a DX(i)


When looping a VST(i) alongside a DX(i), the VST(i) may sometimes playback earlier after a loop boundary. The workaround for this issue is to insert an effect (even a bypassed effect) on the tracks which are sourcing the VST(i) output.

Enabling Mono on a Bus/Main Will Affect Upstream Meters


If you make a bus or main out mono by toggling its Mono/Stereo switch, any upstream meters that is, meters on any tracks or buses that are assigned to the mono bus/main out--from the bus/main out will also display as mono. Note: this only affects the meter display, not any audio that is bounced or exported.

Mono Audio Clips May be Increased by 3dB in Certain Scenarios


There are some situations where the level of a mono clip will be increased by 3db if the track's output interleave (mono/stereo toggle) is set to mono: 1. If the track has mixed stereo and mono clips 2. The track has a synth selected as its input source 3. Input Echo is enabled or the track is armed for recording In summary, whenever the track output interleave is mono and the data interleave is stereo, mono data will be increased in level by 3dB. This issue will be addressed in a future release.

Adding MIDI Device May Break Control Surface Support and MIDI Key Bindings

15

When adding a new MIDI Device in Options-MIDI Devices, control surface support and MIDI key bindings may no longer work properly. Restarting SONAR will solve this problem.

High-Resolution Audio Boosted by 6dB when Stretched Using MPEX


When using a sample rate of 88.2hKz or higher and performing any operation that uses MPEX time/pitch stretching, the stretched audio will be boosted by 6dB.

ReWire Tracks Silent When Using Metronome Record Count-in


When using a metronome count-in and recording, any ReWire tracks will be silent at the start of recording. The silence period will equal the count-in duration. To fix this issue, disable metronome count-in (go to Options-Project-Metronome and set Record Count-in to zero).

MP3 Files With 256K Bit Rate May Not Play in SONAR 6
MP3 files that are created in Cakewalk MediaWorks version 1.0 with a setting of 256K, may play back as silence when imported into SONAR 6. This may also apply to MP3 files that are authored in SONAR 6 at 44.1kHz, 16-bit, 256K joint stereo. Other bit rates should be fine.

TTS-1 DXi Does Not Support 88.2 kHz Sample Rate


The Cakewalk TTS-1 soft synth supports 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, and 96 kHz sample rates, but not 88.2 kHz. The audio engine will not engage if SONAR is configured to use a sample rate of 88.2 kHz while TTS-1 is loaded and connected,

Using Cakewalk Kinetic Groove Synth in SONAR 6


If you are a Cakewalk Kinetic customer and you are using the Kinetic Groove Synth in SONAR, please be advised that any saved SONAR projects that make use of the Groove Synth can no longer be opened if you uninstall Kinetic. Attempting to open such a project may result in a crash. The Kinetic uninstaller is removing the Groove Synth sample file, but not the actual synth. Both must co-exist or you will run into the issue above. To address this, make a backup copy of the P5antom *.DAT file before uninstalling Kinetic, then copy/move P5antom *.DAT file back to its original location after Kinetic has been uninstalled.

Importing MPEG 2 Files in SONAR 6


SONAR 6 does not directly support MPEG 2 import, but if you have installed Cakewalk Pyro Plus, SONAR 6 will be able to import MPEG 2 files by virtue of the shared libraries and filters from the Ligos components of Pyro Plus. However, please be advised that if WinDVD or Power DVD have been installed before Pyro Plus

16

(or MediaWorks) is installed, SONAR may crash when attempting to import MPEG 2 files.

Do not Intercept NRPNs Option for VST Plug-ins is not Persisted Between Sessions
In the Cakewalk Plug-in Manager, the "Do Not Intercept NRPN" option for VST plug-ins is not persisted between sessions, and must be set at the beginning of each session in order to take effect. This will be fixed in a future update.

Successive Snapshots Do Not Update Envelope Node Values


When taking multiple automation snapshots at the same Now time, new envelope nodes are created instead of updating any existing envelope nodes. To address this issue, undo the previous automation snapshot before performing a new snapshot.

Potential Pops When Using Surround Automation (SONAR Producer Edition Only)
If you record Angle surround pan automation, please note that a pop may occur as the angle parameter jumps from 0 degrees to 180 degrees. This may occur if the jump is not instantaneous, and can be easily solved by zooming in the envelope automation and moving the top and bottom nodes so they are aligned in time (tip: enable Snap to make it easier to align the envelope nodes).

Mono Plug-Ins on Surround Buses


Mono plug-ins may not work properly when inserted in a Surround bus effect bin. A common symptom is a Runtime error message.

Staff View Font May Require Reboot After SONAR is Installed


SONAR installs a font that is used by the Staff view. This font is only installed temporarily when SONAR is installed, and becomes permanently installed after the machine is rebooted. On some machineseven if the Staff View font is successfully temporarily installedsome functions that reference the font may fail until after a reboot. The problem is easily identified by corrupt Staff View graphics.

Exporting Audio with Waves Plug-ins and Multiprocessing Engine


If SONAR's multiprocessing engine is enabled ('Use Multiprocessing Engine' is checked in Options-Audio-Advanced), a crash may occur when exporting audio from projects that use Waves plug-ins. If you are affected by this, temporarily disable the multiprocessing engine before exporting audio.

17

Digidesign Mbox and Multiprocessing Engine


A crash may occur while recording with the Mbox if SONARs multiprocessing engine is enabled (Use Multiprocessing Engine in Options-Audio-Advanced) on a HyperThreading or multi-processor system. This problem appears to be caused by the Mbox driver.

Digidesign Digi 002 and Multiprocessing Engine


When using the Digi 002 in ASIO mode, a crash may occur if all of the following steps are followed: 1. The multiprocessing engine is enabled ('Use Multiprocessing Engine' is checked in Options-Audio-Advanced) 2. A soft synth is inserted in an audio tracks FX bin. 3. The audio track is exported as a track template. If you are affected by this, temporarily disable the multiprocessing engine before saving the track template.

Mono UAD-1/TC PowerCore Plug-ins Do Not Sum Audio on Stereo Tracks


When using mono UAD-1 or TC PowerCore plug-ins on stereo tracks in SONAR, the audio is not summed; the left channel is processed and delayed (delay compensation is not applied), and the right channel is unprocessed and not delayed.

UAD-1 Error When 64-bit Double Precision Engine Enabled


If you enable 64-bit Double Precision Engine (Options-Audio-General) while a project is loaded and uses UAD-1 Powered Plug-ins, you may receive an error message indicating Plug-in buffer size mismatch. This appears to happen with the UAD-1 if you change the buffer size more than once in succession. The buffer size is automatically reset twice in a row when the double precision engine is engaged/disengaged. There is no data loss or crash, and the solution is to save and reload the project.

M-Audio Midisport 8x8 Compatibility


The M-Audio Midisport 8x8 driver (as of v. 4.1.21) has a limitation that only allows you to use up to 15 MIDI input ports simultaneously.

M-Audio Delta 1010 Distortion With 5.8ms Latency

18

When using the M-Audio Delta 1010 set at 128 sample buffer size (configured in M-Audio Delta control panel), setting the mixing latency in SONAR to 5.8 milliseconds may results in distortion if either or both of the following is true: 1. An effect is patched into a track and the track is armed for recording. 2. An effect is patched into a track and Input Echo is enabled on that track.

Frontier/Tascam ASIO Drivers


The Frontier/Tascam ASIO drivers install two flavors of the ASIO driver in the registry: a 24-bit one and a 16-bit one. SONAR may have problems trying to profile both drivers. The solution is to remove one of the drivers from the registry.

Frontier Design TranzPort Issues


Track Arm Button Conflicts with SONAR MIDI Key Binding The track arm button on the TranzPort uses MIDI Key C0, which in SONAR, is the default shift key when MIDI Key Bindings are enabled. The workaround is to disable MIDI Key Bindings in SONAR or reassign the Shift Key to a different Key (like Db0). SONAR Hangs on Deleting Control Surface While TranzPort is Connected Occasionally, more than one instance of the Tranzport will appear in the Control Surface dialog. Unfortunately, SONAR hangs if you try to delete one while the device is connected. To remove the duplicates, close SONAR, unplug the Tranzport, re-open SONAR, go to OptionsControllers/Surfaces, and delete all but one instance of Tranzport. At this point you must close SONAR, re-connect the Tranzport and launch SONAR again in order for the Frontier MIDI drivers to become available so the surface will work. Selecting an archived track causes a second non-archived track to be selected If the TranzPort "Skip archived tracks" option is enabled, clicking on an archived track in SONAR may also cause another nearby non-archived track to get selected.

E-MU 1820 Compatibility


96kHz Sample Rate If a 44.1/48kHz session is loaded in the Patchmix DSP application, a crash may occur if you change SONARs sample rate to 96kHz. To address this, load a 96kHz session in the Patchmix DSP application before changing the sample rate in SONAR.

19

ASIO Panel If the E-MU ASIO Panel is open, a crash may occur if you try to launch the SONAR online Help from the Audio Options dialog (Options-Audio). To address this, you must first manually close the E-MU ASIO panel. A host application has no way of knowing if the ASIO panel is open or closed.

SONAR Only Supports GigaStudio Sample Rate When Using WDM Drivers
When using GigaStudio and SONAR with WDM drivers, SONAR must use the same sample rate as GigaStudio is using.

Can't Print if Staff View is Floating


It is not possible to print the Staff view if the Staff view is float-enabled. If necessary, temporarily disable floating if you need to print from the Staff view.

RIFF/MID Will Not Launch SONAR When Double-clicked


Double-clicking RIFF MIDI files and Standard MIDI files will fail to launch SONAR even if these file types are associated with SONAR.

AutoTune 4 (Graphic Mode) as Clip Effect


When using AutoTune 4 as a clip effect, its Graphic mode may not track clips properly if Auto Tunes Buffer Seconds setting is not set high enough. For example, if Buffer Seconds is set to 100, its graphic mode wont be able to track pitch after 1:40 (real time, not M:B:T) in the project if it is being used as a clip effect. If you experience problems with tracking, try to increase the Buffer Seconds setting. For instance, in a 6 minute project, you would want this setting to be at least 360.

iZotope Plug-ins Hang x64 VST Scan


iZotope Plug-ins will hang the VST Scan process in SONAR x64. To launch SONAR successfully, these plug-ins must be removed from any of SONARs VST Scan paths. This issue will be addressed in a future update.

MIDI Note Will Continue to Play If Now Time is Moved


Changing the Now time while a MIDI note is sounding will cause SONAR to play the full duration of the note. This behavior was introduced in SONAR 4.0.3, and is necessary as a result of addressing various gapping issues when editing MIDI data during playback. If you prefer a slight hiccup instead of hearing the full note duration, you can change the default

20

behavior with the Set Now Time with Full Restart option in Options-Global-General. Note: moving a MIDI note event during playback is affected by this same issue.

Arpeggiator MFX With Low Rate May Affect Playback


When using the Arpeggiator MFX MIDI plug-in and setting the 'Rate' parameter to 1 MIDI tick, playback may become very sluggish. This is primarily an issue if your MIDI hardware cannot handle the numerous events that are generated by the Arpeggiator effect.

Muted MIDI Ranges are Not Distinguished Visually


When using the Mute Tool to mute a time range in a MIDI clip, there is no visual indication in the Piano Roll View, the Event List or the Staff View to differentiate between muted and unmuted data.

Standard AVI Audio Codecs Do Not Support Multichannel Audio


None of the standard AVI audio codecs support multichannel audio. When exporting multichannel audio to an AVI video file, do not select an audio codec (no compression), or use a codec that is known to support multichannel audio.

No MTC Sync within 1 Minute of Midnight Roll-over


SONAR will not sync to MTC within one minute of roll-over (1 minute before midnight; 23:59:00:00 - 23:59:59:xx). To address this, use a SMPTE offset that doesnt require you to trigger the midnight roll-over.

Dual Video Monitors Set to Different Color Bit Depths May Affect Performance
If you are using a dual monitor system and experience sluggish performance when selecting and dragging clips in the Clips pane, confirm that both monitors are set to the same Color Quality bit depth.

Video Pauses on Playback When Using Creative ASIO Driver


When using the Creative ASIO driver and starting playback on a project that contains video, the video may pause for a moment or not animate at all. This may be more pronounced when using a high latency setting. This issue is due to the Creative ASIO driver, which returns incorrect sample positions, which in turn causes the clock to report a bad position causing video to stop playing. This is currently only known to be an issue with the Creative ASIO driver and not other ASIO drivers.

//END OF DOCUMENT

21

22

You might also like