File > Exit

The File > Exit command closes Sonar. If you have made any changes since the last time you saved any of the open projects, Sonar prompts you to save the changes.

Quick Exit mode

Exiting Sonar while a is project loaded can take longer than expected or may even hang the app in rare cases. The most common reasons can be attributed to any of the following:

Using large projects, typically with virtual instruments that load large sample libraries that take a while to release memory

Audio drivers that are slow to un-initialize

3rd party plugin issues that prevent the app from shutting down properly

Instead of using Task Manager to kill task the application or wait very long for the app to shut down normally, you can engage a Quick Exit mode that skips expensive shutdown processing, albeit far more safely than using Task Manager. To do so, hold down the CTRL or ALT modifier key when exiting the app.

 

Note: The Quick Exit mode modifier keys only apply when exiting the app by clicking the app close button or selecting the File > Exit menu command, and not when simply closing a project within the application. Projects must be closed normally to release memory resources.

Quick Exit mode skips the normal project close process, bypassing manual memory release operations and other unnecessary functions, and instead delegates this to the operating system to reclaim memory. This allows the application to exit as fast as possible.

The primary benefit of Quick Exit mode is to improve the response time when exiting the application with a project loaded. If Sonar exits quickly with your project, there is no benefit of using Quick Exit mode.

There are three exit modes:

Normal exit (default behavior with no modifier key):

Always use default exit if you don’t have problem with slow shutdown of the application.

Closes the application and closes any open projects.

Manually releases all consumed memory by the application and plugins.

Releases audio and MIDI drivers.

CTRL+Exit (faster than the normal application close)

Closes the application, only performing essential app shutdown operations.

Skips closing any loaded projects and releasing consumed memory resources, deferring the operating system to reclaim memory.

The application is force closed using same mechanism as Windows Task Manager.

Plugin DLLs are force unloaded. Global plugin resources, if any, may not be released.

ALT+Exit

Exits the application and additionally notifies DLLs to unload and release global resources, if any.

Some plugin DLLs can hang with this method, so if you encounter this, use the CTRL+Exit method.

Similar to CTRL+Exit in other aspects.