Key bindings

Key bindings let you associate Sonar commands with keys on both your MIDI keyboard and your computer keyboard. This makes it easy for you to access specific features more quickly and efficiently.

In addition, Sonar supports:

Importing key bindings from other popular sequencer programs (see Importing key bindings)

Exporting key bindings from Sonar (see Exporting key bindings)

Use of any single key as a key binding (number keys on the number pad are separate keys from the other number keys)

Changing the key bindings for commands that were previously hardwired, including hotkey commands in the various views

Note: The SPACEBAR is “globally” bound to the Play/stop button, so that when you have a plug-in window open, you can still start and stop playback with the SPACEBAR.

Any one or two of the CTRL, ALT, and SHIFT keys can be used in combination with other keys. Preset key combinations appear in bold, with the command that they’re currently assigned to listed at the bottom of the Preferences dialog box (Edit > Preferences > Customization - Keyboard Shortcuts).

Rather than tie up all the notes on your MIDI keyboard with key bindings, Sonar lets you define a key binding shift key on your MIDI keyboard that indicates when you want to use a key binding. For example, you could designate the lowest note on your MIDI keyboard as the key binding shift key, and then assign different notes to specific commands (for example, C4 to Process > Quantize, C5 to Process > Groove Quantize, and so on). If you press the C4 key by itself, the note plays normally. If you press the C4 key in combination with the lowest key on your keyboard (the key binding shift key), then it’s just as if you had chosen the Process > Quantize command from the menu.

You can choose one of two options to define the key binding shift key:

MIDI key (typically, the very lowest or highest key on your MIDI keyboard)

Controller event (typically, one of the pedals)

If you use a MIDI key as the key binding shift key, then you lose the ability to play that note by itself. When you play the note, Sonar assumes you are about to choose one of the key bindings you have created and ignores the note. If this is ever a problem, you can disable MIDI key bindings without canceling the key assignments and then re-enable the MIDI key bindings later on.

You can use a key binding to execute a command only when that command is possible. For example, the File > Save command is disabled when no projects are open. If you have assigned the CTRL+F2 key combination to the File > Save command, it won’t do anything when no projects are open.

You can use MIDI key bindings and computer keyboard key bindings at the same time.

Tip: You can assign up to 9 key bindings to buttons in the Control Bar’s Custom module. For details, see Custom module.

To create a key binding using the computer keyboard

1.	Go to Edit > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts (make sure the Advanced option is selected at the bottom of the Preferences dialog box).

2.	Check Computer in the Type of Keys list.

3.	To quickly scroll to the key or key combination you want, click the Locate Key button, and then press the key or keys you want to use.

4.

Highlight the key combination you want to use in the Key list. Keys on the number pad appear as Num “n.” If a key or combination is already bound to a global command by default, the name of the key appears in bold text, and the command it is bound to appears at the bottom of the Key Bindings dialog box under Assigned to. Binding a key or combination to a command and clicking OK overwrites any default binding for that key or combination.

5.	In the Area menu, select the context in which you want to use the key binding.

6.	Highlight the command you want to assign from the Function list.

7.	Click Bind to bind the key combination to the command.

Sonar places an asterisk next to the key(s) that you chose, and draws a line from the highlighted key(s) to the command that the key(s) will trigger. Any keys that are assigned to commands have asterisks next to them. Any commands that have keys assigned to them list the keys in the Computer column and/or the MIDI column.

8.	Repeat steps 3 through 7 for all the keys you want to bind.

9.	If you want to save these key bindings for other sessions, make sure that the Save Changes for Next Session check box is checked.

10.	Click OK when you are done.

Sonar assigns the key(s) you chose.

To create a key binding using a MIDI keyboard

1.	Go to Edit > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts.

2.	Check MIDI in the Type of Keys list.

3.	Select the Enable check box to make sure MIDI key bindings are enabled.

4.	If you haven’t already done so, create a key binding shift key by doing one of the following:

Check Key under MIDI Shift Options, and enter the name of the key you want to use.

Check Controller under MIDI Shift Options, and choose the controller you want from the list.

5.	Highlight the key you want to bind from the Key list (if you click inside the Key list to put the focus on it, you can then play a note on your MIDI keyboard, and the note automatically becomes highlighted in the Key list).

6.	Select the command you want to bind from the Function list.

7.	Click the Bind button.

Sonar places an asterisk next to the Key that you chose, and draws a line from the highlighted key to the command that it’s bound to. Any keys that are assigned to commands have asterisks next to them. Any commands that have keys assigned to them list the keys in the Computer column and/or the MIDI column.

8.	Repeat steps 5 through 7 for all the keys you want to bind.

9.	If you want to save these key bindings for other sessions, make sure that the Save Changes for Next Session check box is checked.

10.	Click OK when you are done.

Sonar assigns the key(s) you chose.

To disable MIDI key bindings, clear the Enable check box in the Key Bindings dialog box.

To search for key bindings

1.	Go to Edit > Preferences > Customization - Keyboard Shortcuts.

2.	In the Search box, type the text you want to search for.

The key binding list is filtered to show only functions that contain the text you specified in the Search box.

For a list of default keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard shortcuts.

 

See also:

Importing key bindings

Exporting key bindings

Enhanced editing with keyboard

Keyboard shortcuts