F6 switching between Select and Erase recently

[Sven]

I'm not sure what would cause this behavior but it's very disconcerting.  I use Select a lot and seldom use Smart which I consider a misnomer.  

Recently when I click on F6 it seems to switch between Select and Erase.  Any idea on what would cause this behavior?

Thanks.

 

[Andres Medina]

Check your shortcuts (under Preferences - Key Bindings)?

[Sven]

I don't see the problem there.  <F6> is assigned to Global Select Tool but I can see this behavior every day.  <F6> toggles between Select and Erase.  This didn't use to happen.  I'll check my updates.

 

 

[msmcleod]

6 hours ago, Sven said:

I don't see the problem there.  <F6> is assigned to Global Select Tool but I can see this behavior every day.  <F6> toggles between Select and Erase.  This didn't use to happen.  I'll check my updates.

Pressing F6 twice will toggle between Select and the previous tool you used, whatever that may have been.  F5 (smart tool) and F7 ( move tool) do the same.

F8 (edit), F9 (draw), F10 (erase) have several different modes, so pressing them will simply rotate through the modes they offer.

Nothing has changed here in a long time, SONAR Platinum behaves the same.

[Sven]

Maybe this has always been the behavior for F6 and I just didn't notice.   I thought F6 was my preferred tool vs. F5 (smart tool) because F5 didn't always do what I expected (i.e., not 'smart') but F6 was more predictable for my basic needs.  I believe others have mentioned this.  Usually I just want to select parts of a track or tracks to split them.

The smart tool helps me move or copy track sections to other places up or down which I do like.  I keeps them locked in place easily without difficult copy/pastes.

There's too many features in programs like Cakewalk that can be overwhelming so I try to stick to the basics and only learn what I need to know so I can work quickly on my songs.   I don't find the Workplace feature intuitive nor Screen Shots but I've set it up to do only what I need to do.  I'm sure others enjoy the immense flexibility of both of these features.   I thought the interface was easier to use many, many years ago.   

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

[Starship Krupa]

2 hours ago, Sven said:

I thought the interface was easier to use many, many years ago.

I'm sure it was. Telephones and televisions were easier to use 15 years ago, too!

There's a tendency with me to rely too much on the Smart Tool, because I can accomplish so much with it without having to switch to other tools. If I treat Cakewalk a little more like a paint program where there's no "Smart Tool," it works better.

I find that I can perform most tasks using the Smart Tool, allowing for modifier keys and (especially) right mouse button marquee select. But for some things, the specialized tools are, as you say, more predictable, less dependent on hitting a hotspot. If I'm working on editing, maybe one of the Edit tools is better.

I used to switch back and forth between Smart and Select (F6) a LOT, but that was because I hadn't learned about using the right mouse button to select when using the Smart Tool. For my uses, Smart Tool+right button makes it so I never switch to the Select Tool. Editing can be easier (surely more consistent) with the Edit Tool variations, and drawing automation is definitely easier (for me) using the Draw Tool.

Draw Tool is the easiest way to program drums, every click of the mouse drops a note of the currently selected value, no double-clicking or dragging needed. Right click still deletes, so there's rudimentary editing available. It also works well for some other MIDI note drawing tasks like bass lines where there's not so much variation in note length.

[Sven]

Starship Krupa,

  I will explore the Smart Tool some more using right mouse clicks.   I'm sure there are some good tricks I don't know about it.  

There's of course no right or wrong when it comes to user-interfaces.  I find some programs to be much more intuitive then others.   I should mention that my last analog tape recorder was a Tascam 388 unit so when I first saw Guitar Tracks 3 Pro it seemed like the perfect transition to a DAW for me.  I just needed console view and track view to do my work and to this day those are the only views I usually need.

I'll also use synth view and tempo view or whatever when needed but I find the other default views Sonar provides distracting.  I'm sure others love them.  It's great to be able to customize things any which way people like to see things.  I also think some people like the 'classic view' which is why I used that with Windows XP's main menu years ago.  

I took me a little while to get the simplicity I wanted at first.  I used screenshots (no!) and then work spaces (yes!) but now I have my simple Alt-F1, Alt-F2, Alt-F9, and Alt F-3 productive environment.  I basically had to hide, collapse, and resize other windows to make my interface look like twenty years ago to be happy.     

When I find new features in Sonar I like it's usually keyboard shortcuts I didn't know of but not a new way to see the workspace.  I'm always looking for ways to speed up my routine and like I mentioned above the smart tool moving clips vertical while still aligned to the other tracks is brilliant.  Could have used that many times over the years if I knew about it.

I use Adobe products with the same attitude.  Focus only on what you need to get work done quickly and add new features to your work flow if and when needed later.