External Insert and Graphics Issues in Sonar

[Tommy Byrnes]

Hi folks,

Since the announcement of the free tier of Sonar and since CbB will be deactivated in August I decided to show my support and signed up for a year membership. I use the software for 8+ hours a day and I make a significant portion of my income from my studio. I have used this program professionally for nearly 20 years and I loathe to think of learning another DAW. I have CbB customized perfectly for my workflow.

I will eventually adjust to the new look (not a fan of flat and lack of customization) but there are a few troubling things in Sonar that I've found that are giving me pause. The first is with the External Insert. In previous versions I could toggle the On/Off to check the external effect in real time. In new Sonar there is a 1.5 to 2 second pause in the audio engine before playback resumes. This is unacceptable. In fact, the whole audio engine now seems, well, clunky. 

Another thing that is happening is an issue with the graphics and the way they interact with the audio. When I slide across the tracks in the Console View from Track 1 to the end track, either by the slider bar or the Page Up/Page Down command, the audio stutters. I got a weird look from a client yesterday who thought it was a problem with the recording. I was a bit embarrassed. This used to happen in 8.5 but stopped for me somewhere in the X Series, IIRC. In fact, in this Sonar when going from the top to bottom of a track it moves like it's built from frames. They don't move smoothly up and down but click by click.

To be honest, with the way it looks, the lack of customization and audio issues it feels like a downgrade from CbB for me. Of the hundreds of bugs supposedly squashed since the new Sonar release none affected my day to day work. I would gladly pay a yearly fee to keep CbB active in its current state. It does everything I need it to and looks better.

I have been doing this professionally for nearly 30 years and I know this software inside and out from the thousands of hours I've spent with it. I have hundreds of personalized key bindings/templates so using the software is muscle memory. My system is completely optimized and runs like a top. All drivers are updated and I regularly back up the .ini file and the Cakewalk Content folder so I know there is no discrepancy between the different versions. When moving between CbB and Sonar there is a definite difference in performance.  Any suggestions or ideas on what or why this might be happening? 

As usual, thanks in advance for the help.

[Jorge Tata Arias]

Try this: Disable GPU acceleration in "display." In the audio file settings, reset the settings to default. It worked for me.

[Tommy Byrnes]

Thanks for the idea, Jorge but it's not enabled.