A new update is available for SONAR X3, SONAR X3 Studio, and SONAR X3 Producer that addresses user reported issues. In order to install this update you must have SONAR X3 already installed. Note that this is an accumulative update. You can install SONAR X3b directly over the SONAR X3 release version (available on discs) and/or the SONAR X3a ESD version (available as a digital download).
 

Fixes and Enhancements

The information below documents a number of fixes and enhancements that are part of SONAR X3, SONAR X3a and SONAR X3b. Because SONAR X3b is accumulative, installing it will bring you up to date with all of the following fixes. These fixes include (but are not limited to) the following:

Stability:

• Resolved a crash when using direct MIDI output with multiple VST Instruments simultaneously, such as multiple instances of JamStix or Catanya (CWBRN-5781, CWBRN-2504, CWBRN-2564, CWBRN-1739)
• Resolved a potential crash when splitting MIDI drum loops on Simple Instrument Tracks (CWBRN-10122, CWBRN-14461)
• Resolved a potential crash when nudging clips when nudge was set to follow Snap settings (CWBRN-13968, multiple fault reports)
• Resolved a potential crash caused by clicking the Edit Filter multiple times with VST automation present (CWBRN-3595)
• Resolved a crash that would take place when a VST plugin was inserted next to a UAD plugin (this could also happen when a project was migrated to use VST3 versions automatically (CWBRN-19986)
• Resolved a potential crash when selecting the Master Bus
• Resolved a crash that could occur when focusing a bus in the Track Inspector and deleting an effect
• Resolved a potential crash when exporting audio with both realtime bounce and share audio devices active
• Fixed a potential hang with the Matrix View when direct mode is enabled

UI:

• Fixed an issue preventing Peak Markers from rendering correctly (CWBRN-10973)
• Resolved an issue where changing clip colors from the Inspector would not change the clip color. This would happen when selecting the clip from the lower portion of the clip (versus the header)  (CWBRN-11103)
• Resolved an issue where the Console View size, if undocked, would not persist when re-opening a saved project
• The Track View no longer jumps when selecting tracks. SONAR X3 now employs fractional scrolling which allows you to scroll through your tracks vertically without them snapping to the top of the track (CWBRN-11278)
• Using a click and drag gesture with your mouse to alter parameters in the Event List no longer causes the view to scroll/jump up
• Resolved an issue that would prevent the expanded ProChannel view from collapsing properly (CWBRN-9680)
• Resizing plug-in windows no longer causes the plug-in UI to flicker
• Resolved an issue where the UI could hang when closing insert synth dialog or inserting synths
• Resolved an issue where inserting an effect into a destination bus strip in the Inspector would result in the focused changing from the track to the bus 

Staff View:

• Resolved an issue where pressing "N" in the Staff View would steal the key binding for toggling Global Snap on and off. As a result, pressing "N" in the Staff View could cause Staff View snap-like tendencies to be disabled. PLEASE NOTE: The Staff View does NOT follow Global Snap settings. Rather, it auto-adjusts to place notes based on the selected Note Duration. (CWBRN-13311, CWBRN-14216)
• Resolved an issue where it was difficult to lasso select multiple notes in the Staff View and then right-click the empty space beneath them to pull up the context menu for multiple selections. Doing this would deselect all of the notes. It no longer does this. (CWBRN-11140, CWBRN-14059)

MIDI:

• Resolved an issue where direct MIDI out from VST Instruments could cause hung notes (CWBRN-1336)
• Resolved an issue where cloning a MIDI track in the Essential version of SONAR X2 would trigger a message that stated "Please enter a value from 0 to 0" and not clone the track. (CWBRN-17407, CWBRN-13875)
• Added a dialog in SONAR that will tell the user if MIDI ports cannot be enabled properly due to being busy from another Windows or background task. Previously the MIDI ports would simply not stay selected, resulting in confusion since no troubleshooting message was triggered.
• Opening a MIDI file in SONAR will now automatically insert the Cakewalk TTS-1 and route the MIDI tracks to it for instant playback. This occurs under the following conditions:
• A MIDI File is opened directly in SONAR.  This applies to File > Open, not Import.
• No MIDI output ports are available
• MIDI output ports that are enabled are associated with a Control Surface.

Audio Engine:

• Resolved a compatibility issue between the latest Avid Fast Track Ultra ASIO drivers and SONAR
• Resolved an issue where enabling Loop Points before the Now Time location during playback would intermittently cause audio dropouts and hangs
• Resolved an issue with the audio engine turning off when switching between projects when multiple projects were open
• Improved performance when adjusting loop points during playback (CWBRN-6222)
• SONAR is now smarter about choosing which driver mode is best upon first initialization to improve the initial experience. It is dependent on the connected hardware and drivers present. If an ASIO driver is available (not ASIO4ALL), SONAR will default to this driver mode. If an ASIO driver is unavailable, SONAR will default to MME (32-bit). The driver mode setting can be changed by the user afterwards.

Usability:

• Double-clicking a MIDI clip to open the PRV now opens the Piano Roll View in location to where you clicked, opposed to opening at the start of the project (requiring you to scroll to your notes)
• Dragging projects in the Playlist will now scroll when the files are being dragged past the border of the Playlist window
• Playlist columns now persist when closing, saving and reopening (CWBRN-13970)
• PRV Specific Snap settings now persist properly when re-opening a project (CWBRN-11478)
• Resolved an issue that could cause dragging and dropping clips to land on the wrong track when multiple hidden tracks present in the project (CWBRN-19303)
• The Edit Filter now filters out non automatable parameters and hides internal parameters
• Resolved an issue where clicking on a send when more then one send was present would select the wrong bus strip in the Inspector

Plug-ins:

• Resolved an issue where when projects were reloaded, VST3 versions of some plug-ins (like Waves) would have their parameters reset
• Resolved an issue preventing sidechain inputs from showing up properly on mono VST plug-ins (CWBRN-8910)
• Resolved issue with Waves plugin UI controls not being responsive 
• Enable MIDI Out for VST's is now automatically handled for compatible plugins and will expose a MIDI out port
• Track interleave button now properly reflects the pre effects bin interleave when you have a mix of stereo and mono plugins in the bin

Automation related:

• Resolved an issue where opening projects with FX chains set as default for Prochannel modules would result in FX Chain automation not working
• Improved Punch in and punch out while recording plugin automation to make it more responsive and accurate. 
• In touch mode there is no longer a timeout before punching out when you stop moving a plugin widget.

Browser Updates:

• Browser plug-in folders are now always collapsed by default
• Folders now automatically update when something is added or removed from them externally
• You can now explicitly navigate to a folder by double-clicking the content location field and typing a folder name in X3
• Added support for dynamic content location presets, such as:
• "Project Audio Folder" - this updates in real-time to show you the wave files in your project - i.e. like a media bin
• "My Music"
• "My Videos"

Installation Instructions

Installation is as easy as downloading the appropriate update from the links below for your version of SONAR and running the installer. The on screen instructions will guide you through the rest. You can install this update over both the SONAR X3 (disc version) and the SONAR X3a (download version).

If you experience any issues downloading or installing the update, we recommend temporarily disabling any anti-virus software or background services that might be running, such as Windows Update, as they may interfere with the installation process.

To install this update you must be a registered SONAR X3 owner. Additionally, you can access a link to the proper update for your version by going to Help > Check for Program Updates.


Additional Installation Steps Regarding Documentation:

The online version of SONAR X3's documentation has been updated to include new topics pertaining to SONAR X3b. We recommend clearing your browser's cache if any new topics are not displaying for you. You can also press F5 to refresh the current page you are on. The offline .chm version has been updated as well. No action is necessary for those changes. If you prefer the offline .chm version, you can set F1 to open it by default by going to Edit > Preferences > File - Advanced and selecting "Always Use Offline Help".

Please note that we have also updated our Reference Guides (available here) to reflect any discrepancies.

Download Links

Download the SONAR X3b update for SONAR X3 Producer (Approx. 434.32 MB)

Download the SONAR X3b update for SONAR X3 Studio (Approx. 434.28 MB)

Download the SONAR X3b update for SONAR X3 (Approx. 425.21 MB)