Using the Transport, Markers, Punch and Loop modules

The Control Bar contains various modules that provide powerful control over playback. To show the Control Bar, click the Views menu and choose Control Bar, or press the C key.

For controlling playback, the most important Control Bar modules are the Transport, Markers, Punch and Loop modules. For detailed information about all Control Bar modules, see Control Bar overview.

Figure 37. The Transport module.

A. Rewind B. Stop C. Play D. Pause E. Fast Forward F. Record G. Dropout indicator H. Current Now time (this space is also used for progress bars and “Waiting for sync” messages) I. Return to zero (RTZ) J. Position K. Jump to project end L. Audio Engine on/off M. Reset/Panic N. Sample rate and bit depth O. Tempo P. Meter Q. Metronome during record R. Metronome during playback S. Click to open metronome settings

Using the Markers module

The Markers module lets you navigate by markers and insert new markers. Inserting markers at important milestones in your project makes it easy to navigate through your project.

To insert a marker, do one of the following:

Click the Insert Marker button in the Markers module.

Click the Project menu and choose Insert Marker.

Press the M key when the Now time is in the desired location for your marker.

Hold down the CTRL key and click the top half of the time ruler.

To jump to a marker, do one of the following:

Click the Previous Marker button or Next Marker button in the Markers module.

Click the Marker list in the Markers module and select a marker from the drop-down menu.

Press the G key twice and select a marker from the list.

Figure 38. The Markers module.

A. Jump to previous marker B. Jump to next marker C. Insert marker D. Current marker

To set options for punch and loop recording

1.	Right-click the Record button in the Transport module to open recording settings.

2.	Specify how newly recorded data should affect existing data. Choose either Sound in Sound (Blend) or Overwrite (Replace).

3.	Select between storing looped takes in a single track or storing looped takes in separate tracks.

For more information see Loop recording.

To use the Punch module

Figure 39. The Punch module.

A. Auto-Punch On/Off B. Set Punch Time to Select C. Punch In Time D. Punch Out Time

The Punch module contains the following controls:

Auto-Punch on/off . Enable/disable punch recording. Toggles punch recording on/off.

Set Punch Time to Selection . Set the Punch In time to the start (From) time of the selection, and the Punch Out time to the end (Thru) time of the selection.

Punch In Time. The current Punch In time. Click to modify.

Punch Out Time. The current Punch Out time. Click to modify.

Tip: If a numeric time field has focus, you can press G to access a list of marker positions.

To punch record:

1.	Click the Auto-Punch Toggle button in the Punch module to activate Auto Punch.

2.	To set the auto punch region, do one of the following:

Drag in the time ruler to make a time selection, then click the Set Punch Time to Selection button in the Punch module.

Click the Punch In TIme field in the Punch module and specify the desired punch in location, then click the Punch Out Time field and specify the punch out location.

3.	Set the Now Time far enough ahead of the Punch In point for you to be ready for it.

4.	Click the Record button in the Transport module or press the R key.

SONAR plays the project, and begins recording on the selected track at the Punch In time you entered, then stops recording at the Punch Out time.

To use the Transport module

The Transport module contains the following controls:

Rewind . Gradually rewind the project.

Stop . Stop playback.

Play . Start/stop playback.

Pause . Pause/resume playback.

Fast Forward . Gradually fast forward the project.

Record . Start recording (requires at least one track to be armed for recording). Right-click to access global record options. Click and keep the mouse button pressed for a brief moment to enable step recording.

Step Record. Open the Step Record window. For details, see Step recording.

RTZ . Rewind to the start of the project.

Progress Bar . Current position in the project. Drag to skip around in the project.

Go to End . Skip to the end of the project.

Time Display. The time display section shows useful information about the current project, including the Now time, sample rate and bit depth, tempo and meter. The following information is shown:

Current Now Time. The Now time shows your current location in the project. For details, see The Now time and how to use it. Click the time display to toggle between the following time formats:

■	MBT. Display time as Measure:Beat:Tick.

■	HMSF. Display time as Hour:Minute:Second:Frame. This format is also referred to as SMPTE time.

■	Milliseconds. Display time in milliseconds.

■	Samples. Display time in samples.

Current Tempo. The current tempo at the Now time. Double-click to change the current tempo.

Current Meter. The number of beats per measure and the note value of each beat at the current Now time. Click to change the meter. For details, see Setting the Meter and Key signatures.

Metronome Record on/off . Enable/disable the metronome during recording. Right-click to access Metronome settings.

Metronome Playback on/off . Enable/disable the metronome during playback. Right-click to access Metronome settings.

Metronome settings . Click the metronome icon to open the metronome preferences.

To use the Loop module

Figure 40. The Loop module.

A. Loop On/Off B. Set Loop Time to Select C. Loop Start Time D. Loop End Time

The Loop module contains the following controls:

Loop on/off . Enable/disable playback looping.

Set Loop Times to Selection . Set the Loop Start time to the start (From) time of the selection, and the Loop End time to the end (Thru) time of the selection.

Loop Start Time. The current Loop Start time. Click to modify.

Loop End Time. The current Loop End time. Click to modify.

Tip: If a numeric time field has focus, you can press the G key to access a list of marker positions.

 

See:

Track-by-track playback