Open CbB Project In Sonar 8.5

[mdiemer 138]

Say I wanted to go back to using Sonar 8.5.   I would like to know if this possible, in case I can't use CbB anymore, or don't want to. I know I can import the midi, copy all the settings (complicated since I do full orchestra stuff), etc. It would be a lot easier if it would just open. But when I try to open one of my projects which I did in CbB, it doesn't work. Any way to do this?

[scook 4,314]

Don't have pre-X series SONAR installed to test but I expect the results to be similar.

Usually opening projects in older DAWs throw a warning but load even if some features are missing.

The exception being projects containing patch points or aux tracks.

Projects containing them fail to load in SONAR Platinum/Professional older than 2015-10 and all other Cakewalk DAWs regardless of release date.

[mdiemer 138]

Thanks scook. Duh, what are patch points and aux tracks? not sure I have any, or am not aware I do, since I don't even know what they are...

Edit: Just did a little research. I don't think I use either of them. I do very basic routing. I route to a reverb bus. Other than that, I just route the instruments to the Vsti they play from, and route the Vsti's to the mix bus. That's a s complicated as my routing gets.

Edited May 27, 2021 by mdiemer

[scook 4,314]

http://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=Cakewalk&language=3&help=Mixing.13.html

[mdiemer 138]

Yeah scook, that's what I was just looking at. do aux buses count as Aux tracks?

[scook 4,314]

An aux track is an audio track with a patch point as its input. They may be used to sum data from other audio tracks.

Audio tracks including aux tracks exist in the Track View track pane.

Buses exist in Track View bus pane.

 

[mdiemer 138]

OK, so it looks like I don't use them. I'll try loading a project in Safe Mode and see what happens.

[mdiemer 138]

i was able to load a project in safe mode. I'll have to add in all the vsti's. Maybe I can save them and just open them up in the Sonar project. At least some of them may let me do that.

[sreams 16]

An Aux Track is really just a bus that sits in the tracks pane. In a perfect world, they would simply load as busses when opened in older versions... but I doubt that happens.

[mdiemer 138]

So far, I have things at 90%. The only thing I may lose is Project Sam's Free Orchestra, which needs Kontakt Player 6 . I haven't yet tried to load KP6 yet, maybe it will work, maybe not. but no great loss as I only found one or two usable sounds from that. And it is more than offset by being able to use TTS-1 again. A couple other things won't load, but I think it's just a matter of getting sonar to recognize them.

In short, I now know I can get my projects into Sonar 8.5.2something. so if the day comes that I can no longer or don't want to use CbB anymore, I know I can use Sonar. And not have to downgrade to Windows 10.

[mdiemer 138]

100% success. I loaded Kontakt Player 6 and East West Play 6 in Sonar 8.5.2, and they work fine. Only the VST 2 version works, but that's fine. So all the sounds and vsti from a large orchestral project, using Garritan, EWSO Gold Orchestra, Vienna Special Edition Synchron Version, plus Dim Pro and TTS-1, all work. The project sounds they same in either, and it appears to be quite stable.

My work flow is almost exactly the same, as I use CbB exactly how I used Sonar, so going back is nothing new. The GUI isn't as pretty, but I've been customizing it.

Conclusion: If I need to go back to Sonar 8.5.2, for whatever reason, I can do it. The main reason I would do this is if it becomes impossible to use CbB on Windows 7 at some point. Or if CbB becomes a cloud-based app, like Bandlab. I know we are told this won't happen, but Bandlab is not Cakewalk as we  knew it, they can and will do what they want with Cakewalk. I just want to be prepared. now I can go forth into the future, knowing I can go back to the past if need be. Just call me Dr. Who.

Edited May 30, 2021 by mdiemer

[abacab 5,488]

2 hours ago, mdiemer said:

I just want to be prepared. now I can go forth into the future, knowing I can go back to the past if need be. Just call me Dr. Who.

Keep the Tardis rolling, Doctor!

[mdiemer 138]

1 hour ago, abacab said:

Keep the Tardis rolling, Doctor!

Thanks! See you sooner!

[msmcleod 3,390]

There may also be issues with automation created in newer CbB builds ( I think automation changed around Nov 2019 IIRC ).

I'm looking at going between by mobile recording rig running SONAR Platinum (32 bit) & CbB at the moment. It seems to work fine as long as there's no automation, and no DX plugins.

Even arranger sections aren't an issue, as I can save them as an arranger template in CbB, do what I need in SONAR, then import the template back into CbB later on.

[abacab 5,488]

I have Sonar 8.5 Producer installed in a Windows XP 32-bit virtual machine (VM).

 

Edited May 31, 2021 by abacab

[mdiemer 138]

I think I used automation once, several years ago, so that's no problem. The way I work is well, most would call it primitive. The newer features of even Sonar Platinum I have never used, like Melodyne. Don't do audio at all, just midi for orchestral projects. Just  a humble hobbyist. The main thing I get out of CbB is the gorgeous GUI, and a modestly faster workflow. I also have noticed that Sonar 8.5 is harder on my eyes, but I may be able to do some customizing to improve things, if I do go back. For example, I changed the background in Event List to a soft color, and also the CC events and notes to different colors. Helps a lot, and I will see if I can make those changes in CbB as well.  Next on the agenda is to see if I can save my vsti (in my CbB projects), so I can for example insert Play, and then load a preset for that project. This seems to be necessary as I had to open my current project in safe mode, then add in the vsti. Now that I have adjusted the Plugin Manager, maybe the next project will open, as it should be able to find the vsti. So if I save them maybe the project will just open in sonar 8.5.

I should have upgraded to Platinum when I had the chance, but sonar 8.5.2.222 is the most recent version I have. I tried home Studio, but the lack of Staff View doomed that.

[abacab 5,488]

I never open Platinum anymore (or Sonar 8.5). But I do enjoy the Platinum extras in CbB.

It would be nice if they were made available to those that never had Platinum. 👍

[Starship Krupa 3,119]

On 5/30/2021 at 3:20 PM, mdiemer said:

Just call me Dr. Who.

Be careful. There have been reports of an odd grinding noise that some have said resembles the sound of Delia Derbyshire scraping a guitar plectrum across the bass strings of a piano.