Sonar

Fixes and Enhancements
The information below documents a number of fixes and enhancements that are part of SONAR X3e. Because SONAR X3e is cumulative, installing it will bring you up to date with all of the following fixes as well as all of the fixes contained within SONAR X3b, SONAR X3c and SONAR X3d. The fixes in SONAR X3e include (but are not limited to) the following:

Plug-ins:

Resolved an issue where the background VST Scanner would not scan all plug-ins when “Re-scan failed plug-ins” and “Re-scan existing plug-ins” were selected
Resolved an issue where moving a VST3 plug-in from one FX Bin to another on a saved project could result in lost plug-in settings
Support for UADs Chaining API has been removed from SONAR as it is no longer supported by UA. This corrects potential warning messages and unstable behavior when using UAD plug-ins in SONAR
Resolved an issue where the VST Scanner was hanging/crashing when scanning certain DMG Audio plugins (32-bit VST2 as well as VST3 versions)
Resolved an issue where FX Chain modules would reset input and output sliders to 0 upon reloading a preset or freezing a track (CWBRN-21885, 13200)
Resolved an issue where certain VST3 plug-ins (Waves, DMG) would not retain their settings when reopening a project (CWBRN-23699, 23932, 24472)
Resolved an issue where DMG VST2 plug-ins would expose the wrong interleave setting in SONAR
Resolved an error generated with Nomad Factory’s Magnetic II and Cosmos plug-ins when selecting items from dropdown menus
Resolved an issue where ProChannel EQ parameters could reset to default settings when reopening a document

Melodyne ARA Integration:

Resolved an issue where copying and pasting Melodyne ARA clips would not retain changes made to the original clip (CWBRN-23095, 23145)
Resolved an issue where lowering the project tempo of Melodyne ARA clips that were set to “Follow Host Tempo” would not result in the Melodyne clips playing slower
Resolved an issue where Melodyne blobs in RegionFX clips were not lining up with the grid at certain tempos

UI:

Resolved an issue where moving clips in Take Lanes could result in corrupted clip previews.
Resolved an issue where automation would not display in Automation Lanes after restoring a screenset where the lanes were expanded (CWBRN-20226, 17385)
Resolved an issue where bouncing a clip in a Take Lane could shift it to another Take Lane instead of bouncing the clip in place
Resolved an issue where deleting a clip and then saving/reopening a project could result in blank space between Take Lanes when performing new recordings (CWBRN-21339)
Resolved an issue where Speed Comping would not apply the same edits to Grouped Tracks where lanes were collapsed (CWBRN-22783)
Resolved an issue where Control strip meter scales would not persist with saved projects or screensets (CWBRN-6617, 11646)
The selected track output in the output picker is now indicated by a check mark
Resolved an issue where the Track Manager would not open from the Console View if a Simple Instrument Track was nested in a Track Folder (CWBRN-22251, 16112)
Resolved an issue where SHIFT + Dragging a clip would not constrain it horizontally as intended
Resolved an issue where bouncing down a cropped MIDI clip could revert the clip back to it’s original length (CWBRN-10208)
Resolved an issue where minimizing/maximizing SONAR would make windows on multiple monitors forget their view state (CWBRN-14593, 17792)
Muted clips in Take Lanes are now muted when parent tracks are muted
Resolved an issue where Snap By in PRV Specific Snap would not work if Snap to MIDI events is also enabled
Resolved an issue where the Playlist would wait for an additional key press when “Keep playlist on top of other views” was enabled (CWBRN-20634, 20620)
Improved performance when using the mouse with Aim Assist enabled during playback
Resolved an issue in the 32-bit version of SONAR X3 Producer where the flyout ProChannel EQ would not draw certain controls when manipulated in real-time
Resolved an issue where Snap To Clips and MIDI Landmarks was not properly snapping to visible clips after scrolling in the Track View
Resolved an issue where inserting a mono effect first in a chain on a stereo track would not update the interleave button to mono (and vice versa) (CWBRN-22777)
Resolved an issue where Zoom with ALT + Mousewheel would stop working in the clips pane after using the timeline zoom gesture (CWBRN-22192, 22913)
Resolved an issue where the Select Mode of the Smart Tool was not available on clips when Take Lane heights were maximized or when the waveform display was set to maximize waveform height
Improved UI performance during playback with projects containing multiple lanes and Auto Zoom enabled
Resolved an issue where Track Templates containing Take Lanes would not redraw the Take Lanes correctly when inserting
Resolved an issue where unexpected scrolling could occur when switching between the track pane and the bus pane
New accelerators have been added to the Browser for keyboard accessibility
Add 3 new Global Permanent accelerators to switch the Browser TABs:
Media Files (CTRL+SHIFT+F),
Plugins (CTRL+SHIFT+P),
Synth Rack (CTRL+SHIFT+S).
[These are also now available as Global custom Key Bindings]
For Media Files, added accelerators for:
Move Up (CTRL+U),
Refresh (CTRL+R),
Toggle Folders (CTRL+F),
Toggle Auto Preview (CTRL+SHIFT+A),
Toggle View Display (CTRL+SHIFT+V),
There was already an accelerator to toggle Play (CTRL+SHIFT+SPACE).
You can use the down or Right arrow and Enter (Return) to move through the directory tree.
For Plugins , added the ability to choose which Type to view:
Audio Plugins (CTRL+A)
MIDI Plugins (CTRL+M)
Instruments (CTRL+I)
Rewire Devices (CTRL+R)
You can use the down and right arrows to move through and expand the tree.
You can use the up and left arrows to move up and collapse the tree.
Removed incorrect key binding references for Melodyne and V-Vocal
Video pane parameters no longer switch colors when changing focus
Resolved an issue where setting the number of Samples in Snap to Grid would not take the first time entered (CWBRN-11260)
“Delete Special” has been added to the Key Bindings menu (CWBRN-13951)
Resolved an issue where resizing VST3 plug-ins as well as changing screensets with docked VST3 plug-ins could result in the plug-in UI not drawing correctly
Resolved an issue where playing a project with a floating MultiDock and hidden Browser could result in orphaned windows when in a Playlist set (CWBRN-21765)
Resolved an issue where FX Chain knob labels in the ProChannel were out of alignment (CWBRN-22571)
Resolved an issue where Instrument Tracks within Folders would not be selected properly when opening the Track Manager
Vertical Zoom in the PRV Drum Grid now participates with vertical zoom in the PRV Notes Grid. (CWBRN-20756)
Resolved an issue where the Note Properties menu in the PRV was truncating fields in Japanese translations of SONAR
Resolved an issue where the Now Time position in the Tempo View was not consistent with the Track View (CWBRN-20474)
PRV Grid Resolution > Follow Snap Settings is now more conscious of PRV Specific Snap override settings
If PRV Specific Snap is enabled, the PRV Specific Snap resolution will set the Grid Resolution (this is regardless of if Global Snap is on or off)
If PRV Specific Snap is disabled, the Global Snap resolution will determine the Grid Resolution
Resolved an issue where changing the Time Ruler Format in the PRV would not update
Miscellaneous Track View, Console View and Inspector FX bin drag and drop improvements/fixes
Fixed some minor Track View video strip font layout issues
Fixed a minor ProChannel FX Chain UI layout issue

Audio and MIDI:

Resolved an issue where MIDI timing would drift when looping playback of virtual instruments (CWBRN-9103, 11472)
Resolved an issue where MIDI notes could be dropped/skipped when looping playback with Input Quantize enabled (CWBRN-20951, 22238, 23364, 20529, 22705)
Resolved an issue where Loop Recording would progressively drift with each pass when using Punch In points (CWBRN-10522)
Resolved an issue where recording between punch points could offset the audio recording by the current buffer setting
Resolved an issue where Melodyne or V-Vocal clips would not playback at their position indicated on the timeline if measures were inserted before the clip
Resolved an issue where recording in the PRV when having lanes closed in the Track View could potentially result in MIDI notes not being recorded
Resolved an issue where manually punching repeatedly during recording could result in subsequent clips not being recorded
Resolved an issue where recording with punch points set could cause an additional empty clip to be drawn at the start of the punch point
Resolved an issue where MIDI preview clips would draw onto audio tracks when MIDI Out was enabled on a VSTi while no MIDI devices were enabled in Preferences
Resolved an issue where the end of audio clips could become truncated when loop recording
Resolved an issue where importing a mono audio file while also having “Import as Mono Tracks” would result in the created track being 100% hard panned left
Media Foundation Audio formats (ex. .m4a) are now properly detected by SONAR’s Input Audio dialog
Fixed delay on arming tracks with RME hardware. To enable faster track arming right click the record button and enable “allow arm changes on playback/record”
Resolved an issue where importing an mp3 with an IDE v2.4 tag could trigger an “Out of Memory” error

Stability:

Resolved a crash that could occur when switching between the Track View and Console View with the Concrete Limiter present in the ProChannel (CWBRN-7569, 7570, 7810, 8205, 8626, 7569, 7570, 7810, 12665, 12666, 14397, 14773, 14825, 20331, 20340, 20521, 20518, 20524, 20522, 20795, 21111, 21228, 21303, 21357, 21354, 21358, 21353, 21445, 21481, 21482, 21874, 21924, 22261, 22282, 22735, 22736, 22930, 22956, 23163, 23225, 23348, 23349, 23959, 23998, 21695, 21696, 21751)
Resolved a crash that could occur using Voxengo and UAD plug-ins in the same FX bin
Resolved a potential crash when using CTRL+Z multiple times to undo a cloned audio track with lanes expanded (CWBRN-22982)
Resolved a potential crash with auto-punch and loop recording enabled when in ASIO driver mode
Resolved potential crashes on launch when opening projects containing AudioSnap (CWBRN-5474, 7543, 7788, 7840, 7891, 7791, 8250, 10560, 10561, 7840, 7891, 7543, 7788, 13243, 13244, 13257, 3292, 15394, 15396,17594, 15258, 15260, 15259, 17601, 18087, 18088, 18222, 19432, 20786, 21771, 16009, 6514)
Resolved a potential hang when editing audio in a project that contains video
Resolved a potential crash when using SHIFT + F to expand all track contents
Resolved a hang when auditioning MIDI drum loops (CWBRN-7163, 7170, 7171, 7173, 7205, 7688, 7692, 8107, 8709, 8858, 9800, 10024, 10146, 10479)
Resolved a crash when clicking the “Loop On/Off” button in the Control Bar when in a Playlist and the Playlist view is set to be always on top (CWBRN-19331)
Resolved a potential crash in the Playlist when playing a project while a background project was referencing a DXi plug-in
Resolved a potential crash in the Playlist when loading a project without any tracks
Resolved a potential crash when dragging the VST3 plug-in from the Browser to a Bus to create a ProChannel FX Chain (CWBRN-24050)
Numerous project specific crash related stability fixes

Other:

Resolved an issue where Japanese versions of SONAR would display English Online Help
Resolved a rare instance where saving a project might result in a Disc May Be Full error (CWBRN-4174)

Video Enhancements:

As of SONAR X3d, SONAR’s video engine defaults to using Microsoft’s Media Foundation framework, rather than DirectShow. This fundamentally improves the way video files are loaded, played, edited and exported in SONAR. Media Foundation generally supports most older formats supported by DirectShow as well as many newer formats such as H264 video. A full list of media formats supported by Media Foundation can be found here.

As a result of this change, a large number of long-standing bugs and limitations with importing videos and video playback have been resolved. For backwards compatibility, SONAR's video engine can still be switched to use the DirectShow engine. More information on switching SONAR's video engine can be found here.

NOTE: The Media Foundation engine in SONAR X3D does not support Windows Vista. If you are running Windows Vista your video engine will default to using DirectShow.

Stability Fixes:

Resolved an issue with Antares AVOX VST 3 plug-ins crashing SONAR (CWBRN-20936)
Resolved a crash when using two instances of Catanya sending VSTi MIDI Out to SONAR (CWBRN-22141)
The iZotope Radius.dll shipped with SONAR has been updated, resolving several stability issues with AudioSnap when bouncing down clips using the offline Radius rendering algorithms
Resolved an issue where closing a project with a VST3 plug-in in the ProChannel FX Chain's FX Bin could result in a crash

Usability:

Resolved an issue where the Now Time Marker would not stay at it's original position when "On Stop Rewind to Now Marker" was enabled
Resolved an issue where fractional scrolling would prevent snapping to the top of the track when using the up and down cursor keys to scroll tracks and buses
Resolved an issue where the Rex Shared Library.dll was missing in 32-bit versions of SONAR X3 Studio, causing features dependent on it to not work properly
Resolved an issue where clicking a loop in the Browser would remove the loop from the Browser as well as move it from it's current location on the hard drive to the Project Audio Folder
Resolved an issue where inserting a mono plug-in first in an FX Chain would not update the interleave button to mono
Resolved an issue where the order of Take Lanes would behave abnormally when switching Screensets
Resolved an issue where Delete Hole would fail if clips were selected via clip selection versus timeline selection
Resolved an issue where pressing CTRL while slip editing would capture the mouse
Resolved an issue where saved projects would not upload to Gobbler if a drive was unwatched
Resolved an issue where keybindings for snap to triplet note durations would fail
Resolved an issue in the Console View and Inspector where dragging and dropping plug-ins would drop them into the wrong order
Improved VST3 Plug-in Preset Support

Audio & MIDI:

Resolved an issue where moving clips on a Simple Instrument Track would reassign the tracks MIDI input from a VSTi MIDI Output ports to all hardware MIDI ports
Resolved an issue where VSTi's would not output audio when Undoing a recording and Rewinding to Zero if Fade in and Fade Out were configured to a value greater then zero.
Resolved a rare issue where expanding and collapsing track folders could prevent a project from playing back
Resolved an issue where Record Arm was slow to respond when Tracks were in Folders and Dynamic Arm was enabled
Resolved a "Out of Memory" error given when importing MP3 files with IDE3 v2.4 tags
The Now Time now syncs properly between the Track View and the Loop Construction View (CWBRN-21458)
Resolved an issue with playback in the Loop Construction View not starting at the same position as the Now Time (CWBRN-21504)

Plug-ins:

Resolve an issue where the Console Emulator would buzz when inserted on Mono tracks with the 64-bit double precision engine enabled (CWBRN-21129, CWBRN-21546, CWBRN-21104)
Resolved an issue where the QuadCurve EQ Flyout FFT would stop analyzing with the 64-bit double precision engine enabled
Resolved an issue where the QuadCurve EQ would stop processing audio if the Global ProChannel On/Off button was used to disable it, the track was frozen, and then the EQ was turned back on

UI:

Opening Offline Help from the various Import and Export dialogs no longer opens Help behind SONAR (CWBRN-4199)
Resolved an issue where some ProChannel graphics would not draw properly when controls were manipulated in 32-bit versions of SONAR
Resolved an issue where resizing the MultiDock or bus pane height would also change track height for tracks that were previously zoomed into via the ALT + mouse wheel gesture.
Resolved an issue where track heights would not open to default heights correctly in certain templates
Resolved an issue where the Now Time in the Track View and Piano Roll View would become out of sync when using the MultiDock
The Smart Tool no longer draws Fade handles on MIDI clips when hovering over MIDI clips
Resolved an issue where some parameters would not display that they were in Offset Mode properly when set to their default positions
Segmented meters for MIDI tracks now display green clip indicator instead of red for a clip indicator
Text no longer cut off in the Track Control dropdown in European localized versions of SONAR
Resolved an issue where PRV lines semi-disappear when hovering over with tools (CWBRN-18629)
Resolved an issue where track name text color would not change until brightness, hue or saturation were adjusted
Resolved an issue where crossfades could potentially display erroneous waveform data
Mouse down on Preferences menu no longer changes font weight
Resolved an issue where Composite Clips of mixed mono and stereo clips would draw mono clips abnormally
Key bindings listed in the Navigator context-menu are now displayed properly
Text label for Quick Start in German translation no longer crowded
Reset VST Settings dialog translated for ES/DE/IT languages
Text in VST Scan toast notifications is no longer cropped in European and Japanese localized installations of SONAR
Resolved an issue where the Now Time would become stuck after the monitor refreshed (such as from waking from sleep or when altering screen resolutions while SONAR was minimized)
Resolved an issue where the Color Preferences menu would display overlapped controls on Japanese installations of SONAR
Resolved an issue with the QuadCurve EQ flyout spectrum analyzer that caused the analyzer to fill the plot, then decay away, whenever the zoom window was opened
Opening a Flyout panel for the QuadCurve EQ will now close any other Flyout panels (even if they are pinned) so you can see the EQ properly
Resolved an issue where the Zoom Tool would not clear selection after zooming
The Track View's View and Tracks menus now display missing shortcuts for the various menu options
The Surround Panner widget is now displayed properly for Simple Instrument Tracks
Synth Browser Name is no longer automatically highlighted after inserting a new synth into the Synth Rack
The Clip Effects Bin is now right-aligned when dragging and dropping effects onto clips
The widget for the Track Control Manager now resizes dynamically
Drag Reorder and Drag Copying plug-ins now displays the correct cursor
AudioSnap Transient Marker context menu now displays missing shortcuts
Numerous other minor UI adjustments for an overall cleaner interface

The fixes in SONAR X3c include (but are not limited to) the following:

Stability

Resolved a crash related to cancelling multiple ARA audio to MIDI track conversions using Esc
Resolved occasional crashes when exporting with Region FX enabled
Resolved a crash after undoing a clip gain change and applying a track volume envelope
Resolved a crash that could occur when closing document with an older version of the ProChannel EQ enabled
Resolved a crash related to adding 1/32 triplet notes in the Staff View
Resolved a crash in projects with ProChannel enabled on Surround busses
Resolved a crash when inserting Waves stereo FX in mono tracks
Resolved a crash when selecting "Selected Track inputs..." menu item in a project with no tracks
Resolved a crash related to pressing CTRL A
Resolved a crash related to cloning a track containing a VST with MIDI out enabled
Resolved a hang that could occur when dragging tracks and folders

Automation

Switching Screensets could sometimes cause envelopes to become unselectable
Multiple drags of a selection containing MIDI clip and automation could create a new track
VST3 bypass automation could not be recorded (CWBRN-20063)

User Interface

Collapsed Track Inspector would appear briefly on project load
Console View Options - Playback Meter Options was labeled incorrectly
About box text was displayed in English on Spanish installs
Inspector collapse button would reflect the inverse state in some circumstances
Docked VSTs would not draw correctly in the multidock at project launch
Fixed issues where the Track Inspector/ProChannel would not draw correctly on launch
Double-click maximize and “Fit Project” would not work correctly in projects with hidden tracks
Erase Tool right-click Lasso now works on MIDI Tracks.
Improved Mouse Wheel Zoom/Scroll in the Track View
Fixed conditions where track controls can overlap
Wrong order of tab indexes in edit>preferences>folder locations window (CWBRN-8005)
Resolved an issue where the Chord Properties in the Staff View would display the Chord Name improperly (CWBRN-17296, CWBRN-20407, CWBRN-6815, CWBRN-3895)

FX Chains

Missing Plugin Stand-in message would be shown when inserting an FX Chain (CWBRN-20456)
When the plugin count was over 1000, plugins could not be evoked from FX chains
Errors would occasionally occur when assigning FX Chain controls to VST3 plugins
Fixed a condition in which the Browser would not display FX Chain Presets
VST3 plugins in from ProChannel FX Chain would not display properly after switching screensets
Fixed envelope tooltips for plugins hosted within FX chains

Grouping

Quick grouping of controls on the Tape Emulator could fail after manipulating Noise control
Quick Grouped Mute buttons would not work on Instrument tracks in the Console View.
Quick group on Console Emulator was offset when changing types.
Fixed multi-clip relative crop
Grouped archive button would not work correctly on first track in a project

Audio Engine

ASIO Buffer Size was not displayed in Driver Settings dialog
Fixed issues related to enabling ProChannel on frozen tracks

Lanes/Comping

The “Store takes on separate tracks” setting caused record overlap clip mutes to fail
Could not convert MIDI Groove Clips on lanes to Step Sequencer without first flattening the comp
Fixed errors when exposing lanes on cloned instrument tracks
Process>Slide on lanes could not be undone
Fixed incorrect Smart Tool cursors on automation lanes
Comp track inline PRV displayed notes on lanes that were excluded by lane solo
Fixed inconsistent crossfade creation on Take Lanes
Addressed conditions in which Delete Empty Lanes would fail
Fixed problems that lead to inaudible clips when freezing tracks with muted or soloed lanes
Freezing a track could cause its lanes to open
Addressed conditions where duplicate take names could be generated
Tempo changes could cause comp clips to draw incorrectly
Healing multiple clips could cause excessive flickering
Tracks could scroll off screen on clicking the Edit Filter with lanes maximized.
Clips could become uneditable after shift clicking automation in a parent track, then opening lanes
Fixed issues with zooming on Lanes
Undo could unexpectedly unmute take lanes
Addressed issues with selection failing when showing multiple take lanes
Double-clicking a MIDI comp clip would not open the appropriate editing view

Views

Text notes would not persist in the Playlist View
Fixed a number of issues related to PRV Snap to Grid
Fixed issues related to opening the PRV at a specific location
Nudge would not work in PRV from right to left when "Slide over old to make room" was set in Preferences
With Snap to Grid off, manipulating any snap settings will now re-enable Snap to Grid
Staff View did not display track name in single track projects
Step Record would allow choosing an invalid destination track
Partial envelope selections would not be rendered correctly after drag and drop
Bounce to Clip was not working properly on MIDI clips on Instrument Tracks
"Move Input Focus to Mains" would move focus to busses
Track Inspector Lock wouldn't persist on Insert New Track
Track Solo Button would get out of sync with Soft Synths (CWBRN-13919)

Plug-ins

Fixed a variety of issues where VST3 Waves Plugin parameters would not persist correctly
Insert synth did not work with multi-out VST3 instruments like Steinberg Halion Sonic
Steinberg RND Portico plugins would crash
Fixed a crash when scanning Arturia VST3
Addressed VST2.4 to VST3 migration issues with Waves V9
VST2 Plugins saved in custom plugin layouts now correctly migrating to VST3
Fixed compatibility issues with Waves plugins
Fixed compatibility issues with GARRITAN ARIA Player
Fixed compatibility issues with Pod Farm 2.55
Resolved a crash using the TAL Bassline 101
VST3 Presets saved in Cubase would not load in SONAR
Fixed a potential hang during VST scan
Some Waves plugins were incorrectly flagged as having MIDI out functionality
Fixed a Plugin Manager version mismatch
Default plug-in layout could display VST3 plug-ins within the VST2 folder
Addressed an issue where Host Bypass displayed incorrectly for FabFilter synths in an Instrument Track
Fixed compatibility issues with MDA plugins
Fixed compatibility issues with Guitar Rig 5
Plugin windows would re-size incorrectly when dragged from the Multidock
Host Bypass would not always work correctly if used while the transport was stopped
Fixed a variety of issues related to large plugin counts
VST Scanner was incompatible with Windows Vista
Can now use MIDI input on VST audio plugins
RegionFX menu could show non-ARA plugins in X3 until re-scan, if X2 was present
Resolved an issue with the Tape Emulator emitting a gradually increasing 60hz tone when patched into a track

SONAR X3 is our biggest upgrade to date and includes new and exciting core workflow enhancements and features like Color Customization, Comping, VST3 Support, ARA integration, Melodyne Essential, Tape Emulator, our revolutionary QuadCurve EQ Zoom & Analyzer, and much more. Plus we've added new effects and instruments including XLN Audio Addictive Drums, Nomad Factory Blue Tubes FX, Lounge Lizard SONAR, and much more.

New Features and Improvements in SONAR X2a

Windows 8 support
SONAR X2a provides full functionality and is officially supported in Windows 8 32-bit and 64-bit.

Multi-touch support in Windows 8
In addition to your computer keyboard and mouse, you can also interact with SONAR X2a via touch if you have a compatible touchscreen display. This offers touch gestures for:

Scrolling and triggering cells in the Matrix View
Scrolling and basic multi-touch mixing in the Console View (multiple parameters can be adjusted at a time)
Scrolling and Zooming in the Clips Pane
Adjusting loop marker positions in the Track View
Auditioning and Dragging content from the Browser
Expanding/Resizing/Collapsing of docked views
Control Bar Transport module support
Toggling steps in the Step Sequencer View
Control of plug-in parameters (no multi-touch)

Unique Now Time markers
The Now Time marker changes appearance to indicate if playback is stopped, paused, running, or recording.

Playlist View Enhancements
The Playlist has been updated to include the following enhancements:

Updated UI
If a song has already been played, it appears dimmed in the list.
Sort columns in alphabetical, numerical, or date order.
New columns:
Path
BPM
Key
Meter
Project Length
Date Created
Date Modified
Delay
User Notes

Rich context menu for adding ProChannel modules
When adding a ProChannel module, the context menu shows a visually rich menu with a small thumbnail image of the module, the module name, and a brief description.

Updated Piano Roll view and Staff view Track pane UI
The Track pane in the Piano Roll view and Staff view has received an updated UI, shows more intuitive buttons, and the current track is now highlighted.

Visual feedback when dragging items from the Browser
When dragging items from the Browser, the mouse pointer shows the name of the items.

Accessibility enhancements
SONAR X2’s power is now more accessible to vision impaired users.

SONAR X2’s accessibility features, including Microsoft UI Automation, expose rich information about its UI elements, such as type, state, name, and value.

With reliable access to this information, vision impaired users can use UI Automation-capable screen reader programs such as Microsoft Narrator, JAWS, NVDA and Window-Eyes to access, identify, and manipulate SONAR’s UI elements. The screen readers read aloud what's on the computer screen.

Scan VST folders from the Browser
The Scan VST Folders command is available in the Browser’s Plug-ins tab drop-down menu.

Check for updates
SONAR X2a will now help you determine if it is currently up to date. To check for and obtain the latest updates, go to Help > Check for Program Updates.

Miscellaneous UI enhancements

The Automation Read button has been updated to better indicate its on/off state.
The Automation Write button has been updated to indicate the current automation mode.
VST plug-in names show the proper VST name instead of the DLL file name.
Expanded context menu in the Browser’s Synth Rack. Right-click anywhere in the Synth Rack to open the context menu.
The Browser’s status bar shows metadata for selected VST plug-ins.
The loop region obeys Snap to Grid when dragging the entire loop region in the time ruler.
Updated zoom faders.
Muted Takes lanes are now shaded.
The Comments field in Take lanes uses a brighter text color for improved readability.
Optimizations made to Tool mouse pointers when using modifier keys
Updated mouse pointers during certain operations.
In the Control Bar’s Markers module, the current marker is indicated in the marker drop-down menu.
Surround Bridge UI has been updated.
Numerous minor cosmetic changes throughout the entire SONAR UI

Direct2D Technology Preview
In Windows 8, SONAR X2a’s Matrix View and built-in ProChannel Modules can take advantage of Direct2D, which is a hardware-accelerated, immediate-mode, graphics technology from Microsoft. This option, labeled “Use Hardware Graphics Acceleration,” can be enabled in the Preferences dialog on the Display page.

Performance and Stability Fixes
Resolved over 250 bug and stability issues. Including (but not limited to) the following:

Automation

Crosshair is inaccurate in relation to percentage scale under certain circumstances
Unedited automation is not removed when changing the Edit Filter
Erase Tool does not draw feedback rectangle over automation nodes
MIDI CC automation does not render correctly after bounce
Envelopes for previously unused MIDI CC’s would have no effect
Under some circumstances, value changes in automation lanes would not reflect in the parent track
CTRL+Drag with Edit Tool to change envelope curves skips Linear curve
Automation goes out of sync when PDC is introduced in a project
Node Property Dialog would not be displayed

FX Chains

ProChannel FX Chain faders reset on Track Freeze (CWBRN-13200)
Changing order of FX in FX bins may open FX Chain windows
FX Chain Learn Knob/Button can break Write Enable

Lanes

Delete Hole now operates on all lanes, rather than just the selected one
Crop Overlapping clip tool is not available (CWBRN-10895, CWBRN-11965, CWBRN-12058)
Undo/Redo of Take Lane creation could cause graphic anomalies
Reassigning envelopes on Lanes does not update Edit Filter on Instrument Tracks
T0 lane may be created after recording and switching Screensets
Dragging clips to and from lanes could behave unpredictably
Splitting clips in Take Lanes would sometimes split the wrong clip

Matrix View

Matrix Captures result in extra data at the start and end of clips
MIDI Cells could get their first note clipped or stuck if timeline was looped in the Track View
Unexpected Note Offs can occur on MIDI cells going direct to a synth
Dragging a clip to the first cell/row could create Row 0 or Column 0
MIDI Cells do not trigger correctly when Cell Start = Restart
MIDI Clips dragged from the Track View will create a cell with a gray progress meter
MIDI Cells can sometimes “flam” when restarted from a different column

ProChannel

Set Modules as Default does not respect compressor type
ProChannel EQ Knobs do not hold values on mouse-up
Cannot re-order plug-ins in ProChannel FX Chains on Instrument Tracks
ProChannel Modules may display blank after project save
Sonitus:EQ may appear in FX bin in legacy projects

Piano Roll View

ALT+Right-click does not mute notes in the PRV (CWBRN-11193, CWBRN-11002, CWBRN-11150, CWBRN-11172, CWBRN-11537, CWBRN-11750)
If PRV scrolling is stopped/overridden by making an edit during playback, scrolling will now resume after stopping and then starting PRV "Right-click Locks Scroll" scrolling is not reset when transport is stopped (CWBRN-11776)
Intermittent crashes with program changes in the PRV in SONAR x86 (CWBRN-12807)
Selecting Tracks in Staff View's Track Pane does not switch active track (CWBRN-5724)
MIDI Program Changes are not sent to DXi Synths in real-time (CWBRN-13184)
Selected Track is hard to see in PRV and Staff View Track Pane
Unexpected paste behavior
Draw Tool is sluggish in the PRV
PRV Vertical Time Ruler Zoom crashes with Drum Pane shown (CWBRN-11954)
PRV not opening correctly with MIDI events near C0

VS-700 & Control Surfaces

Can't navigate through ProChannel modules with EQ-button on VS-700C (CWBRN-11398, CWBRN-11014, CWBRN-11154)
VS-700C does not disarm/disable record or enable/disable input monitoring on Instrument Tracks (CWBRN-8219, CWBRN-9657)
The delay on VS-700C display when switching between tracks & buses has been improved (CWBRN-10098)
The VS-700C does not obey settings under: "Control Strips Visible in" in preferences (CWBRN-11397)
The Snap button on the VS-700 Surface does not work consistently (CWBRN-11400)
MUTE + SOLO state of Lanes when in Layer/Lane mode has been improved
ProChannel parameter and value names are now optimized for VS-700C display
ACT Controller configured no longer causes newly added Instrument Tracks strips not to set focus

Grouping

Quick Group of ProChannel Enable sometimes fails
Quick Group fails under certain conditions
Quick Group of Expand/Collapse does not work with external ProChannel Modules
PCCE Enable via quick group can cause the edit filter not to populate with all parameters
Quick Groups only work on a track if it is focused in the Console View
Group setting of ProChannel EQ parameters do not save with projects

Import/Export

Importing puts all audio on a single track (CWBRN-11274)
Exporting the same selection twice could generate errors
Exporting silence could intermittently crash (CWBRN-13624, CWBRN-13706, CWBRN-13760)

Metronome & Count-in

Audio metronome count-in offsets recorded MIDI when using multi-out VSTi (CWBRN-11104, CWBRN-13229)
Audio metronome count-in offsets recorded MIDI when instrument is in FX bin (CWBRN-6504, CWBRN-8218)
Automation is offset when setting a metronome count-in (CWBRN-2186)

Plug-ins

LP-64 EQ curves do not change when envelope node is deleted
LP-64 plug-ins crash when switching between projects using different sample rates
R-MIX SONAR x64 crashes if multiple are inserted in a project with a sample rate higher than 88.2kHz
Distortion can occur using LP-64 plug-ins in projects at 192 kHz
R-MIX settings don’t load when first opened in projects at 48kHz
Cakewalk Plug-in Manager now accounts for plug-ins with identical 32-bit and 64-bit CLSIDs that could potentially clash
Changes made to VST Properties no longer require re-launching SONAR for changes to take effect
General Plug-in Manager improvements

Track View

Cloning a track within a folder puts it in another folder (CWBRN-1191)
Echo Current MIDI Track doesn't update correctly
Graphics anomalies when moving tracks with some hidden
Cannot zoom on top of now-time via timeline zoom
Flickering/moving aim assist, when moving clip between take lanes
Clips View graphic anomalies when expanding track height with Auto Zoom enabled.
Shift+Dragging clips can cause them to incorrectly appear as if it is being cropped
Cannot use keyboard to switch active audio track
Multiple tracks in folders can stop meter functionality
Step record does not take focus from track strips

Miscellaneous

Numerous documentation corrections from received feedback
Disabling a Send can break solo state for busses
Inconsistencies between HUD and Tools Module
Interleave button is missing hover art
Track folders need states for partial selection of M/S/R buttons (CWBRN-3556)
Automation is offset when setting a metronome count-in
ALT+Select does not work on unselected clips
Clicking in video track when recording moves now time
Importing Broadcast wave files from Digital Performer can crash SONAR
Step Sequencer instability (CWBRN-11777)
Browser instability
Changes to custom effects menus must be saved twice (CWBRN-13208)
Zoom Tool does not highlight zoom area (CWBRN-4324)
Track Folder Archive Button stops working if exercised during playback (CWBRN-11452)
Now Time in X2 can disappear under certain conditions (CWBRN-11087, CWBRN-11514)
Gap above MultiDock under certain conditions (CWBRN-3445, CWBRN-3572)
Clip gets fade unexpectedly when editing with Auto Crossfade enabled
After selecting Latch automation parameter, the parameter disappears from menu
Right click menu shows Delete command with ellipsis, but does not open dialog
Console View jumps unexpectedly
MultiDock may not draw tabs with multiple views
Process > Transpose and Process > Length fails in X2 Essential
Opening a new project when Snap Module is hidden results in graphical anomaly
Draw corruption and eventual freeze of Sonar in Track Inspector ProChannel view
Multidock state not persisting with project save

Unlimited audio and MIDI tracks
Enhanced award-winning Skylight interface
Seamless usability and workflow
R-MIX SONAR
Modular ProChannel
BREVERB SONAR VST and ProChannel module
ProChannel Console Emulator
QuadCurve EQ & Softube Saturation Knob
FX Chains plus ProChannel FX Chains
20 virtual instruments
59 audio and MIDI FX
Enhanced Matrix performance view
Integrated per-track arpeggiator
TH2 Producer amp sim
Linear Phase EQ and Multiband compressor
Automation and Take Lanes
Sound Cloud, MusicXML, and flexible export options
Pristine 64-bit/384 kHz audio engine
32 and 64-bit versions
Windows 7 and 8 support via free update
Thousands of enhancements and optimizations

* Improved stability
* Improved rendering quality and functionality
* Improved tempo detection algorithm and new option to set clip tempo to original project tempo
* Improved Clip Tempo Maps functionality
* New resolution settings to set tempo changes on every beat, measure or clip
* Auto stretch mode added to Clip Follows Project command, emulates AudioSnap auto-stretch behavior
* New Extract Groove and Apply Groove buttons to match the groove of one clip to another
* Snap Settings can now be used to snap both audio and MIDI events to audio transients in selected tracks