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Depending on the DAW AATranslator also converts video but certainly no MIDI or FX and given the huge number of formats we cover that is quite understandable IMO. We are currently doing testing on AATranslator2 which is fully compatible with most screen readers but more on that as we move closer to a release date.

I would never recommend spending $199 to purchase AATranslator if converting OMFs from Cakewalk/Sonar is all you wanted it for. Given the little amount of detail in those OMFs it would be better to just render stems. On a brighter note, we have spent a little time developing a function to read native Cakewalk session files but unfortunately, something else more important always seems to drag us away from finishing it - though it is on the (long) list of things to do. However, in the meantime my recommendation is a great little Reaper script for converting .cwp files to Reaper from azslow3 https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=202667&highlight=Sonar So in the meantime, that and a demo version of Reaper gives you a very detailed RPP file which AATranslator can convert to pretty much any format you like.

You would think that would make it easy but we have already discussed OMF and how that has worked out. Now think about AES31. You would be amazed at how many variants there are to that one and that is a straight forward one. It's a nice thought but that's all it is. Also a lot of DAWs are happy to get users from other DAWs but not so happy the other way 😉 Couldn't agree more. Stems force a commitment and if they bake in a dodgy xfade or whatever you have to try and fix it on the other end Converting from one DAW to another can be done successfully but it doesn't always mean it should be done as sometimes there is no real equivalent at the other end and as you say you have to ask 'why'.

No we won't be adding midi or FX and as I have said many times you have done an excellent job and I have and will continue to recommend your plugin when converting from Sonar to Reaper even after we add Sonar to AATranslator. And BTW having now worked out most of the internals of the .cwp it is I who give my respect to you for your deciphering efforts 😉

Not quite 1. In the short term, before we implement support for native Sonar session file support,use Azslow's Reaper plugin to go from Sonar to Reaper (I would never ask a Sonar user to shell out $199 for Sonar OMF support I would rather they exported stems). Once we implement Sonar support you can forget about OMF. 2. Vordio is great for FCPXML to Reaper. Yes it is Reaper-specific but be careful when you say "cheaper". We have never charged for AATranslator updates - if you purchased AAT 10 years ago then you are still getting free updates. Not even Reaper can make that claim. 3. Stems are always the cheapest and least hassle and work no matter what

As you say "Pro Tools is industry standard for Video Post Production, and in recording studios, so its limitation influenced workflows" and I agree that "OMF support across DAWs was always inconsistent, and many basically implemented as little as they could, to remain compatible with Pro Tools" which meant that by default mono OMFs became the standard and to deliver anything else is always a courageous decision. "OMF is considered a legacy/dead interchange format (obsoleted by AAF). Cakewalk doesn't, so OMF is the next best thing." Certainly, which is why I am currently looking at adding support for reading native .cwp session files. Now poly-channel AAFs is much more interesting topic but probably best left for another time and another thread 😉

It certainly will. Just email me via the web site and I'll hook you up with the latest beta version.

@Some Guy This I can certainly agree with but not much else "Most (all?) DAWs allow stereo to be referenced (or embedded) in OMF v2, and this has always been the case." Steinberg and Sonar and probably Media Composer (but I haven't looked at that for a while) but pretty much no-one else "Not sure what you're talking about, since OMF was designed initially for Video Post Production, which uses stereo files (sound effects, etc) quite a lot." It was actually a counter to AES31 as Avid/Digi were not having any of that but that is another story. We all know what is involved in Video Post Production but this has nothing to do with OMF. You will find that in almost every instance a reference video is supplied along with the OMF as the safest option and with the greatest chance of another DAW opening the OMF but that is no safeguard. An OMF standard? I think not. Just to complicate matters even Avid have two OMF (and AAF) variants - the PT one and the MC one and it is usually the MC one that causes the most drama. Try opening a Sonar OMF with 2 mono tracks and a stereo track in say PT 12 HD and after dismissing the error message you will find that the stereo clip isn't referenced. Adobe Audition (which has the best OMF converter 2nd to Avid) will tell you that encapsulated stereo files are not supported, Nuendo is fine with it. I could go on but OMF is out and AAF is the new (supposed) saviour. Thank you for the link to the OMF specification but I have read it many times and it always makes me chuckle. For me, the [unnecessary] complexity of OMF make it a "use at your own risk" format. Although there are other formats that can be in the same category, it is one of the worst. It is a self proclaimed standard that never should have been created. Although the container format is always a standard, the methods of describing data within the container are not. There are multiple ways of describing the same thing and since everyone has a slightly different way of doing things within the containers, they might as well not exist at all - a quick google search will find countless issues where one DAW can't open an OMF from another. To call it any kind of standard is a joke. OMF is literally a format within a container format (AAF and MXF are much worse because they are a format within a container within a structured storage format). YMMV and I'm sure you know more about it than I and I certainly don't want to hijack this thread so I'm happy to defer to you.

The OP's best bet is azslow3's Reaper plugin. Sonar's OMF implementation not only contravenes the 'specification' (for what that is worth) by allowing stereo media to be referenced and making it difficult for many other DAWs to open but it contains only the barest of detail such that exporting stems would be be better option. While AATranslator is normally the best recommendation for most scenarios in this case (and for the above mentioned reasons) it is not the best bang for your buck. Now having said that I am literally right this minute working on adding functionality to AATranslator to read native Sonar session files and hope to have that in the next official release but even so for Sonar to Reaper I would still recommend azslow's Reaper plugin. Any other format it would have to be AATranslator 😉 BTW In the meantime for other destination DAWs you can convert to Reaper using azslow's plugin and then use AATranslator to convert from Reaper to any other supported format.