Start Screen

Figure 637. Start Screen.

The Start Screen appears when you open SONAR. You can perform the following tasks from the Start Screen:

Open recently accessed projects.

Open an existing project.

Start a new project.

Create a new project from a template.

Access video tutorials and other resource pages and updates from Cakewalk (active internet connection required).

To show the Start Screen

By default, the Start Screen appears automatically when you open SONAR.

To open the Start Screen any other time, use the File > Start Screen command.

To open a recent project

1.	Use the File > Start Screen command to open the Start Screen.

2.	Click Recent Projects to see a list of the 16 most recent projects.

3.	Do one of the following to open a project:

Double-click the project.

Point to the project and click the Open button that appears.

 

Note: Any projects that have been saved in SONAR Gloucester (update 6), or later, will show a small thumbnail image of the project.

To pin a project in the list of recent projects

Click Recent Projects to see a list of the 16 most recent projects. Any pinned projects are shown first in the list, regardless of the project’s modified date.

To pin a project, point to the project name and click the thumbtack icon.

For information about assigning a custom project image, see Using the Notes Browser.

To open an existing project

1.	Use the File > Start Screen command to open the Start Screen.

2.	Click Open an Existing Project to open the Open dialog box. The \Cakewalk Projects folder is opened by default.

3.	Navigate to the project file you want to open, then click Open.

To start a new project from a template

1.	Use the File > Start Screen command to open the Start Screen.

2.	Click New Project to see a list of available project templates.

3.	Do one of the following to start a new project based on a template:

Click the template.

Point to the template and click the Open button that appears.

 

Note: If want to specify project settings such as name, location, tempo, meter, recording bit depth and sample rate when starting a new project, go to File > New to select the project template.

To specify the default project template

1.	Use the File > Start Screen command to open the Start Screen.

2.	Click New Project to see a list of available project templates.

3.	Point to a template and click the star icon.

Tip: You can also specify the default project template from the New Project File dialog box. To do so, use the File > New command to open the New Project File dialog box, select the desired template, then click Set as Default Template. The default template is indicated by an asterisk.

The default template is used in the following situations:

When you launch SONAR while the On Startup Load Default Template global option is enabled in Edit > Preferences > File - Advanced.

When you press CTRL+N to start a new project.

The default template is pinned in the Start Screen, and shows an asterisk in the New Project File dialog box.

To view video tutorials

 

Note: An active internet connection is required to view online video tutorials.

1.	Use the File > Start Screen command to open the Start Screen.

2.	Click Discover to access online video tutorials in your default web browser.

To view notifications

If your computer is connected to the internet, the Start Screen will automatically retrieve your SONAR serial number and log you in with your Cakewalk account. This allows you to receive important notifications from Cakewalk, such as SONAR updates and new product announcements, tips and tricks, new videos and blog posts, surveys, and special offers from Cakewalk, etc.

To view notifications, click Discover.

Figure 638. Notifications.

Cakewalk Command Center will launch if you click any Command Center notifications, and other links will launch your default web browser.

To show recent projects in List view

Recent projects can be displayed in a grid with thumbnail images, or as a vertical text list. List view allows you to show more projects simultaneously.

To toggle between Grid view and List view, click the Grid View and List View buttons.

Figure 639. Recent Projects List view.

A. Grid View B. List View C. Scroll-bar 

To prevent the display of the Start Screen

1.	Use the Edit > Preferences command to open the Preferences dialog box, then click File - Advanced.

2.	Clear the Show Start Screen check box.

3.	Click OK to close the dialog box and accept your changes.

The Start Screen isn't displayed the next time you launch SONAR.

 

See:

Start Screen

Tutorial 1 - Creating, playing, and saving projects

Creating a new project

Opening project files