Jerry Gerber

I went ahead and installed Sonar with a 1 year subscription. 

I'm satisfied with the program, it does everything I want it to do. I have one complaint:

The color options should be expanded quite a bit. Particularly the event list, I'd like to be able to color code events in my own color choices that are easier on my eyes..

Sonar has been around for a long time and many users are getting up in age. Color options will really help. Please make that a priority! 

Jerry 

https://www.jerrygerber.com 

Ah! Thanks Bristol and Colin.   I missed that little check mark.  Much better!

I just subscribed for a year for Sonar.    I have no problem supporting a company that produces Cakewalk but PLEASE do something about the ridiculous lack of color options, especially on the track view where every track is the exact same color, other than the small vertical bar on the left side of the track.  

I don't understand how or why these color options would be downgraded instead of left alone?  I see that the color options for audio tracks, midi tracks, etc are still present in Preferences-Customization-Color but they don't do anything!  Am I missing something?

I much prefer to look at Cakewalk by Bandlab, it's like looking at a beautiful, finished piece of software.  With Sonar it looks like a beta version that isn't complete.   I am just referring to colors, not the audio/midi/plugin part of the program.

Jerry

https://www.jerrygerber.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@astromusicvideo

I downloaded the evaluation copy of Sonar.   I am not sure if this evaluation copy is the exact same as the free version.  In the evaluation copy, there's a screen that makes me wait 15 seconds or so while it's counting down, and there's a banner across the screen, near the top that urges me to become a member.   Does the free version also have these "features"?    In other words, do I need to do anything to make the evaluation copy not have these irritating annoyances?

I will probably subscribe even though I hate the subscription method because I want to support Bandlab for allowing me to use Cakewalk for free for these several years.  However, there doesn't seem to be any features in the paid version that I use. 

Please add the capacity to change the colors of the events in the Event List, as every other version of Sonar & Cakewalk has had.   More color options in general would be a welcome addition, as in the tradition of all past versions of Sonar & Cakewalk.

Please fix the bug in the Notation Editor where tied & dotted triplets do not display correctly.

Thanks,

Jerry

16 minutes ago, sjoens said:

Curious if you can export colors from one theme and import them into another like we used to?

Good question.  Does the new Sonar allow for color import as it allows for keybinding import?

When considering to subscribe to Sonar, I discovered in the latest version that color options are much limited, for example changing the color of events in the event list seems to have disappeared.  

Also, in the notation editor, Sonar still does not display tied and dotted triplets correctly.   

As far as the colors, are these options going to be returned?  As far as the notation editor, will this bug ever be addressed?

Thanks,

Jerry

https://www.jerrygerber.com

https://www.youtube.com/@astromusicvideo

Is it still possible to change the colors of PATCH events, CONTROLLER events, etc.. with the latest version of Sonar (2025.06)?

Thanks,

Jerry

1 hour ago, Martin Schiff said:

Do you use a notation program, or Cakewalk/Sonar, and if the latter, do you play the parts in?

 

I use Cakewalk exclusively, I've been using it as my sequencer/DAW since 1991.    I use Sibelius for scores/parts.

I don't play any parts in.  I used to do that when I was doing commercial scoring, but I've gotten very fast at using the mouse to enter parts and editing all the needed CCs that I don't bother playing them in.   I still play piano though all the time!

20 hours ago, Martin Schiff said:

Are you going to release the entire series as a  compilation  at some point?

Yes, all of the videos are here:

https://www.youtube.com/@astromusicvideo

8 hours ago, treesha said:

Fantastic is right. Relaxing, dramatic, awe inspiring, serene, expansive, boy are we a speck. I didn’t realize you also do the astrophotography, amazing. Thanks for posting

Thanks a lot Treesha!  I am glad you enjoyed the music video.

Jerry

8 hours ago, Matthew Simon Fletcher said:

This is really pretty! Thanks for sharing

Thanks Matthew!

3 hours ago, Bajan Blue said:

Hi Jerry

I really enjoyed this one - love the music, excellent stuff

Nigel

 

Thanks Nigel!  Glad you enjoyed it..

9 hours ago, Martin Schiff said:

Beautiful work, Jerry. Both the astrophotos and the music.  I really enjoyed listening to the music. 

What libraries do you use primarily for the orchestral realization?

I have the Hubble deep field photo as the background on both of my monitors, so it was on one while your video was playing on the other. 😉

 

Thanks Martin, I'm glad you enjoyed the music video.

I've been using the VSL Symphonic Cube for over a decade and will continue to use it until I die.  It has so many great samples, quite a few that I haven't even explored deeply yet.   I also use:

VSL Appassionata Strings, VSL Solo Strings, Vienna Choir, Requiem Professional Choir and East West Choirs (with their word builder software)

Jerry

On 5/29/2025 at 10:12 AM, steve@baselines.com said:

Nice accompaniment to the wonders of the Universe.  We are so fortunate to live in such an interesting mysterious math-driven environment where not everything makes sense yet,

Thanks Steve!

A new astro music video, #13 in an ongoing series..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0B5BNR7zuw

Enjoy!

Jerry

8 hours ago, Martin Schiff said:

I love this one! Both the images and especially the music.

Thanks Martin!

7 hours ago, treesha said:

Your music sounds great and the astrophotography is amazing. What we cant see cant inspire us so it’s amazing to know whats out there. I’m pondering how it’s only relatively recently humankind has seen these things. I like the changes of mood etc in the music as it evolves. Very inspiring.

Thank you for watching & listening Treesha.

An astrophotographic music video featuring the gorgeous astrophotography of Timothy Martin

WATCH

I think Martin was right.  I forgot to add the volume envelopes to the piece.  The dynamics are better now..

49 minutes ago, Martin Schiff said:

I like the music, but it is kind of flat dynamically. After looking at the score, I can see why. There are no dynamic markings, or crescendos or decrescendos. That would add a lot.

Hi Martin, I am pretty sure the dynamics are right for the piece.  I'll go back and take a listen to see if I really want to change anything.

There are crescendos & decrescendos, I have no idea why you're not hearing them.    The movement has a dynamic range of 8.03 dB, which is, I admit, a bit lower than many of my symphonic movements.    When I listen to it at a moderately low level, it sounds fine but if i crank it up too loud, it does seem a little flat dynamically.  When I master the entire symphony I'll mix this movement at a lower amplitude.

The lack of dynamics in the score has nothing to do with the recording, which contains all the dynamics in the MIDI sequence.  I don't put dynamics in the score (nobody wrote out dynamics until the 19th century) because there are no players.   Same with string bowings and wind/brass breathing marks.  If there were players I'd put them in.   I know how to do that.  But for digitally produced music they're redundant. 

I wrote a brief article about why I don't put these marks in the score, which irritates a lot of composers who write for live players,  but I am not concerned with that tradition:

https://www.jerrygerber.com/markings.htm

Here's the waveform, you can see it has dynamic range:

This is the slow movement of the new symphony I'm currently working on.  It may also become the soundtrack to my next astro music video.  It took me quite a while to begin liking this piece as I know the pitfalls of writing an adagio and had to work hard to overcome them.   If you want to look at the score, remember to open it in  a new tab or it will cut-off the playback of the recording.

Jerry

https://www.jerrygerber.com/symph13mvt3.htm

3 hours ago, steve@baselines.com said:

Nice work on this one.

Thank you Steve!

On 4/12/2025 at 4:42 AM, Bajan Blue said:

Hi Jerry

Great work - loved the music and the video / pictures were great

Cool stuff

Nigel

 

Thank you Nigel!

Thanks Freddy, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

Jerry