Using the Matrix view

To open the Matrix view

To assign a pattern to a cell

To assign multiple patterns to subsequent rows

To assign multiple patterns to subsequent columns

To remove a pattern from a cell

To remove all patterns

To edit cell content

To specify how soon a pattern should start playing after being triggered

To start a pattern from its beginning

To synchronize a pattern with the project’s Now time

To synchronize the Matrix with Sonar’s transport

To trigger a cell

To use a per-cell trigger resolution

To trigger all cells in a column simultaneously

To trigger a cell or column via MIDI remote control

To disable MIDI remote control

To clear MIDI event assignments

To retrigger a playing cell

To pause or resume playback of all playing cells

To stop playing one or more cells

To stop playing a column

To insert a new empty column

To duplicate an existing column

To clear all cells in a column

To rename a column header

To insert an audio row

To insert a MIDI row

To insert an Instrument row

To delete a row

To clear all cells in a row

To duplicate an existing row

To stop playing all cells

To use independent Latch mode per cell

To use independent Loop mode per cell

To mute/unmute a row

To solo/unsolo a row

To route a MIDI row directly to a soft synth or hardware output

To reassign a row to a different track

To rename a cell

To move a pattern to another cell

To copy a pattern to another cell

To swap the positions of two cells

To copy cell content to Clips pane

To record a performance into the Clips pane

To render a single pattern to the Clips pane (Quick Capture)

Matrix view shortcuts

To open the Matrix view

Do one of the following:

Select Views > Matrix view.

Press ALT+5.

To assign a pattern to a cell

You can drag audio, MIDI Groove Clips, Step Sequencer patterns and Project5 patterns from the Media Browser view or from the Clips pane into the Matrix view. Do one of the following:

To assign a pattern to a cell in an existing row. Do one of the following:

Drag a pattern to the desired cell in an existing row.

Right-click a cell and select Import File on the context menu.

To assign a pattern to a cell in an empty row. If you drag a pattern to an empty row, you can specify if the new row should be assigned to an existing track or to a new corresponding track:

To create a new row and assign it to the most recently created or assigned track. Drag a pattern to the desired cell in an empty row.

To create a new row and corresponding track. Hold down the ALT key and drag a pattern to the desired cell in an empty row.

Any new rows and tracks that are created by the Matrix are named “Matrix Row n”.

When dragging a clip from the Clips pane, the cell will automatically inherit the clip name and color. If the clip has no name, the cell will be named “Audio” or “MIDI”.

Note 1: Rows that are assigned to audio tracks can only contain cells with audio data. Likewise, rows that are routed to MIDI or Instrument tracks can only contain cells with MIDI data. The Audio or MIDI identity of a row is established when the first pattern is dragged into the row.

Note 2: When you drag a clip from the Clips pane and drop it in the Matrix view, the Matrix view will use the entire raw clip data, even if the clip is cropped. If you want the Matrix view to only use the uncropped part of the clip, first use the Track view Clips > Bounce to Clip(s) command to create a new clip. If you want the clip to loop smoothly, you may also want to convert the new clip to a Groove clip and edit it in the Loop Construction view before you drag it into the Matrix view.

Tip: If you want to always import audio as Groove Clips, click the Options button to open the Matrix Options dialog box, then click the Import all audio as GrooveClips check box.

To assign multiple patterns to subsequent rows

1.	Select multiple patterns in the Media Browser view or the Clips pane.

2.	Drag the selected patterns to the desired target cell.

The first pattern is assigned to the target cell, and any additional patterns are assigned to subsequent rows below the target cell.

To assign multiple patterns to subsequent columns

1.	Select multiple patterns in the Media Browser view or the Clips pane.

2.	Hold down the SHIFT key and drag the selected patterns to the desired target cell.

The first pattern is assigned to the target cell, and any additional patterns are assigned to subsequent columns the right of the target cell.

To remove a pattern from a cell

Do one of the following:

Click the cell then press the DELETE key.

Right-click the cell and select Clear Cell from the pop-up menu.

Drag the pattern to a different cell.

To remove all patterns

Click the arrow next to the Stop All Cells button in the Matrix view toolbar and select Clear All Cells from the drop-down menu.

To edit cell content

Individual MIDI cell content can be edited with the Step Sequencer, and audio cell content can be edited with the Loop Construction view.

To edit a cell, do one of the following:

Double-click the cell background.

Select an audio cell and press ALT+7.

Select a MIDI Step Sequencer cell and press ALT+4.

If you want to edit MIDI cells that don’t contain Step Sequencer content, you must first convert the MIDI data to Step Sequencer data. To do so, select the cell(s) you want to convert, then right-click the cell and select Convert MIDI Clip(s) to Step Sequencer on the pop-up menu.

To create a new Step Sequencer cell, right-click an empty cell and select Create New Step Sequencer Cell on the pop-up menu.

To specify how soon a pattern should start playing after being triggered

When you trigger a cell or column, playback starts after the amount of time that is selected in the Cell Trigger Time menu in the Matrix view toolbar.

Click the Trigger Resolution menu and select one of the available options:

Immediate. Playback starts immediately.

Next Measure. Playback starts on the next measure boundary.

Next Beat. Playback starts on the next beat.

Next 1/8. Playback starts on the next 8th note.

Next 1/16. Playback starts on the next 16th note.

Next 1/32 Note. Playback starts on the next 32th note.

Next 1/64 Note. Playback starts on the next 64th note.

After a cell has been triggered, the cell blinks until the Trigger Resolution is reached, at which time playback starts.

To start a pattern from its beginning

Make sure the Cell Start toggle is in Always from Beginning mode before you trigger the pattern.

Tip: To trigger a cell using the opposite mode of the current Cell Start setting, hold down the ALT key when you trigger the cell.

To configure a cell as “one-shot”

Right-click the cell and select One-Shot Trigger on the context menu.

The Loop Mode and Latch Mode buttons in the cell are hidden. When One-Shot Trigger mode is enabled, loop and latch settings are ignored, and the cell only plays one repetition from beginning to end.

To disable One-Shot Trigger mode, right-click the cell and select One-Shot Trigger on the context menu.

To synchronize a pattern with the project’s Now time

Make sure the Cell Start toggle is in Offset to Now Time mode before you trigger the pattern.

Tip: To trigger a cell using the opposite mode of the current Cell Start setting, hold down the ALT key when you trigger the cell.

When you trigger a cell in Offset to Now Time mode, the pattern will start playing in sync with the Now time after the amount of time listed in the Trigger Resolution menu. It’s as if the cell’s pattern is repeated throughout the song and you unmute the pattern at a certain point.

To synchronize the Matrix with Sonar’s transport

Make sure the Follow Transport button is enabled.

Patterns will now only play when Sonar’s transport is rolling.

To trigger a cell

Do one of the following:

Click the desired cell.

Use the ARROW keys on your computer keyboard to navigate to the desired cell, then press ENTER.

If the cell has been assigned to a MIDI event, press the appropriate key, pad or button on your MIDI controller. For details, see To trigger a cell or column via MIDI remote control.

After the cell has been triggered, the cell blinks until the Trigger Resolution is reached, at which time playback starts.

The global Cell Start toggle determines if the pattern will play from the beginning of the pattern or synchronize to the project’s Now time. In Always from Beginning mode , patterns always start from the beginning. In Offset to Now Time mode , patterns synchronize to the project’s Now time.

Tip: To trigger a cell using the opposite mode of the current Cell Start setting, hold down the ALT key when you trigger the cell.

During playback, the cell displays a “play” icon and a circular progress indicator to show the position of the loop as it is playing. Patterns repeat themselves until you stop playback or until another pattern in the same row starts to play (non-looped content play as one-shots, meaning the patterns play only once).

Note 1: Only one cell per row can be triggered at a time. You can trigger multiple cells simultaneously as long as they are located in different rows.

Note 2: Together, the Global Latch Mode and Global Loop Mode toggles give you flexible control over how cells are triggered. To play a cell continuously when triggered. Enable Global Loop Mode; enable Global Latch Mode To play a cell once through when triggered. Disable Global Loop Mode; enable Global Latch Mode To play a cell continuously as long as the mouse/note is held. Enable Global Loop Mode; Disable Global Latch Mode To play a cell as long as the mouse/note is held, but stop at end. Disable Global Loop Mode; disable Global Latch Mode

 

See also:

To use a per-cell trigger resolution

To trigger a cell or column via MIDI remote control

To use a per-cell trigger resolution

By default, a cell follows the Global Trigger Resolution, as specified in the Matrix view toolbar. You can also assign a custom trigger resolution to each cell, instead of following the global trigger resolution.

To assign a per-cell trigger resolution:

1.	Right-click the cell, point to Trigger Resolution on the pop-up menu, and select one of the following options:

Follow Global (default)

Immediate

Measure

Beat

1/4

1/8

1/16

1/32

1/64

2.	Do one of the following:

Click the desired cell’s trigger area.

Use the ARROW keys on your computer keyboard to navigate to the desired cell, then press ENTER.

If the cell has been assigned to a MIDI event, press the appropriate key, pad or button on your MIDI controller. For details, see To trigger a cell or column via MIDI remote control.

After the cell has been triggered, the cell blinks until the cell’s assigned trigger resolution is reached, at which time playback starts.

Figure 673. Cell trigger resolution.

A. Follow Global Trigger Resolution (no resolution is displayed) B. Per-cell Trigger Resolution (assigned resolution is displayed)

 

See also:

To trigger a cell

To trigger all cells in a column simultaneously

Click the Column Trigger at the top of the column.

All the patterns in the column start playing and any other playing cells are turned off.

The shorter patterns in a column repeat until the longest pattern finishes.

A. Click the Column Trigger to trigger all cells in the column

 

See also:

To trigger a cell or column via MIDI remote control

To trigger a cell or column via MIDI remote control

You can trigger a cell or column via MIDI remote control, but you must first specify the MIDI message that should trigger the cell or column.

1.	Right-click the cell or Column Trigger that you would like to trigger via MIDI remote control, and select MIDI Learn from the pop-up menu.

The cell has an orange outline. The next MIDI event the Matrix receives will be assigned to all cells that are in MIDI Learn mode.

Note: If the Cell MIDI Trigger button in the Matrix view toolbar is disabled, it will automatically be enabled when a cell is in MIDI Learn mode.

2.	Press the desired key, pad or button on your MIDI controller.

The incoming MIDI message is assigned to all cells that are in MIDI Learn mode.

Tip: You can put multiple cells on different rows into MIDI Learn mode, and all cells will be triggered by the same MIDI event.

The MIDI message is assigned to a specific cell in the grid, not to any particular pattern or loop. You can even use MIDI Learn on empty cells.

After a cell has been assigned to a MIDI message, you can press the corresponding key, pad or button on your MIDI controller to trigger the cell.

1.	Make sure the Cell MIDI Trigger button in the Matrix view toolbar is enabled.

2.	Press the desired key, pad or button on your MIDI controller.

All cells that are assigned to the incoming MIDI message will be triggered.

Note: You can also use a MIDI modifier key to trigger a cell using the opposite mode of the current Cell Start, Global Loop Mode, Global Latch Mode, or Retrigger Mode settings. To MIDI learn the MIDI modifier functions, Right-click the desired global mode button in the Matrix toolbar, choose MIDI Learn, then press the desired modifier note on your MIDI controller. To use a modifier in a performance, press the appropriate modifier key on your MIDI controller, as learned using the steps outlined above. This action will invert the corresponding mode behavior for the very next cell that is triggered. Once a cell has been triggered, the modifier key is cleared and Matrix cell triggering will resume based on mode settings in the Matrix.

To disable MIDI remote control

Make sure the Cell MIDI Trigger button in the Matrix view toolbar is disabled.

To clear MIDI event assignments

Do one of the following:

To clear MIDI assignments for a single cell. Right-click the desired cell and select Clear MIDI Learn on the pop-up menu.

To clear MIDI assignments for a single Column Trigger. Right-click the desired cell and select Clear MIDI Learn on the pop-up menu.

To clear MIDI assignments for all cells and Column Triggers. Click the arrow next to the Stop All Cells button in the Matrix view toolbar and select Clear All MIDI Learn from the drop-down menu.

To retrigger a playing cell

1.	Make sure the Retrigger Mode toggle in the Matrix View toolbar is enabled.

2.	Do one of the following:

Click the desired playing cell.

Use the ARROW keys on your computer keyboard to navigate to the desired playing cell, then press ENTER.

If the cell has been assigned to a MIDI event, press the appropriate key, pad or button on your MIDI controller. For details, see To trigger a cell or column via MIDI remote control.

The playing cell restarts from its beginning.

To pause or resume playback of all playing cells

1.	Make sure the Follow Transport button is enabled.

2.	Press the SPACEBAR key.

To stop playing one or more cells

Do one of the following:

Click the playing cell.

Click an empty cell in a row to stop that row.

If the cell is assigned to a MIDI event, press the corresponding key, pad or button on your MIDI controller (see To trigger a cell or column via MIDI remote control).

To stop playing a column

Do one of the following:

Click the Column Trigger above the column.

If the column is assigned to a MIDI event, press the corresponding key, pad or button on your MIDI controller (see To trigger a cell or column via MIDI remote control).

To insert a new empty column

Right-click a column header and select Insert Column on the context menu.

A new empty column is inserted to the left of the clicked column.

To duplicate an existing column

Right-click a column header and select Duplicate Column on the context menu.

A copy of the clicked column is created.

To clear all cells in a column

Right-click a column header and select Clear Column on the context menu.

All cells in the column are cleared.

To rename a column header

1.	Right-click a column header and select Rename Column on the context menu.

The Rename Column dialog box appears.

2.	Type the desired name and click OK.

The name is displayed in the column header.

To insert an audio row

Right-click a row and select Insert Audio Row on the context menu.

Right-click an existing audio row to assign the new row to the same track as the clicked row.

Right-click an empty row or MIDI row to assign the new row to a new track.

A new row is inserted where you clicked.

To insert a MIDI row

Right-click a row and select Insert MIDI Row on the context menu.

Right-click an existing MIDI row to assign the new row to the same track as the clicked row.

Right-click an empty row or audio row to assign the new row to a new track.

A new row is inserted where you clicked.

To insert an Instrument row

Right-click a row and point to Insert Instrument Row on the context menu, then select the desired instrument.

A new MIDI row routed to a new Instrument track is inserted where you clicked.

To delete a row

Right-click a row and select Delete Row on the context menu.

The clicked row and its cells are deleted.

To clear all cells in a row

Right-click a row and select Clear Row on the context menu.

All cells in the row are cleared.

To duplicate an existing row

Right-click a row and select Duplicate Row on the context menu.

A copy of the clicked row and its cells is created.

To stop playing all cells

Click the Stop All Cells button in the Matrix view toolbar (or press SHIFT+ESC).

To use independent Latch mode per cell

Click the cell’s Latch Mode button.

The cell now uses its own independent Latch mode and no longer follows the Global Latch Mode setting.

Note: After a cell’s Latch Mode button has been engaged, the cell will no longer continue to follow the Global Latch Mode setting, even if you disable the cell’s Latch Mode button. To restore the link to the Global Latch Mode setting, hold down the CTRL key and click the cell’s Latch Mode button.

To use independent Loop mode per cell

Click the cell’s Loop Mode button.

The cell now uses its own independent Latch mode and no longer follows the Global Loop Mode setting.

Note: After a cell’s Loop Mode button has been engaged, the cell will no longer continue to follow the Global Loop Mode setting, even if you disable the cell’s Loop Mode button. To restore the link to the Global Loop Mode setting, hold down the CTRL key and click the cell’s Loop Mode button.

To mute/unmute a row

Click the row’s Mute button .

A. Click the row’s Mute button to mute/unmute a row

To solo/unsolo a row

Click the row’s Solo button .

A. Click the row’s Solo button to solo/unsolo a row

To route a MIDI row directly to a soft synth or hardware output

Click the row’s Direct Mode button . Doing so will bypass the assigned track’s MIDI processing, such as MIDI FX, Arpeggiator, volume, etc., and send the row directly to the assigned soft synth or hardware output.

A. Click the row’s Direct Mode button to bypass all MIDI track processing

To reassign a row to a different track

Click the arrow next to the track name and select a track from the drop-down menu.

Rows that contain audio patterns can be assigned to any available audio track, and rows that contain MIDI patterns can be assigned to MIDI tracks.

A. Click arrow to reassign a row to a different track

To rename a cell

1.	Right-click a cell and select Rename Cell from the pop-up menu.

The Rename Cell dialog box appears.

2.	Type a new name and click OK.

To move a pattern to another cell

Drag a pattern to an empty cell.

To copy a pattern to another cell

Hold down the CTRL key and drag the pattern to another cell.

To swap the positions of two cells

Hold down the ALT key and drag one cell to another cell.

The content type must be the same in both cells in order to swap the cells. The drag outline will indicate valid drop locations.

To copy cell content to Clips pane

To copy cell content to the Clips pane at the Now Time, press CTRL+ALT+SHIFT and click the trigger area on each cell you want to copy.

To record a performance into the Clips pane

You can capture (record) the output of the Matrix on the same tracks that rows are assigned to. When capturing data from the Matrix, any existing clips in the target tracks are unaffected.

1.	Specify the desired triggering time lag in the Trigger Resolution drop-down menu.

2.	Click the Capture Matrix Performance button to enable it.

3.	Move the project’s Now time to where you want to start recording.

4.	Trigger the cells you would like to record.

Note: You can turn cells on and off while Sonar is capturing the performance.

5.	Press Play in Sonar to start playback.

As cells are triggered in the Matrix view, the Clips pane displays corresponding preview clips.

If Sonar’s transport is looping, captured Matrix performance data will overwrite itself.

6.	When you want to stop recording, press Stop in Sonar or press the SPACEBAR key.

Sonar records the output of all unmuted rows to their respective target tracks. The new clips inherit their colors from the triggered cells.

Audio patterns record as audio clip in the Clips pane, and MIDI patterns record as MIDI clips. If you want to undo the recording, press CTRL+Z.

Note: In addition to capturing an entire performance, you can also perform a Quick Capture of a single pattern. For details, see To render a single pattern to the Clips pane (Quick Capture).

 

See also:

To render a single pattern to the Clips pane (Quick Capture)

To render a single pattern to the Clips pane (Quick Capture)

You can perform a Quick Capture of a single cell to render the pattern to the Clips pane.

Hold down the CTRL and ALT keys and click the cell.

One repetition of the pattern is rendered on the row’s target track at the current Now time.

 

See:

Matrix view shortcuts

Matrix view