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questions regarding accessibility of sonar x3

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 12:01 pm
by johnykrekan
Hello, I have some questions regarding accessibility of sonar x3:
1. As a blind musician, I have used Sonar v8.2 under WINXP, where there were lots of keyboard shortcuts and also scripts for popular screen reading software (like JAWS or NVDA).
When I tried sonarX3 under Win7 64 bit, menus are quite accessible but some general shortcuts have different meaning.
For example:
When I wanted to record a MIDI track in Sonar 8:
1. I created a new project (CTRL+n) , then I used insert soft synth, where I chose VST instrument whichi I used to record something. Latter I pressed Shift+f10 which I used to display the menu with options like ARM, which I used to arm the currently selected track. Then I used Record (from menu transport) to record and then stop to stop the recording. When I wanted to play the recorded tracks I hit spacebar to start playback.
What Should I do to do same thing in Sonar X3? When I tried the same shortcuts they don't work. What Am I doing wrong?
2. My second question: Which is the first version of Sonar which support 64 bit operation (I don't mean 64 bit double precision engine but allocating more than 4 gb of memory for the runing sonar process?)
Thank you in advance for your advices
Johny Krekan

Re: questions regarding accessibility of sonar x3

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 8:27 am
by Kinglandwa
I believe it has to be something that I felt was right, of course.

Re: questions regarding accessibility of sonar x3

Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:53 am
by alexm3012
Hi Johny,

Great to see you exploring Sonar X3 as a blind musician! The accessibility shortcuts and screen reader support can definitely take some adjustment coming from older versions. Here are a few tips:
  • For recording MIDI in X3:
    Create a new project with Ctrl+N (same as before)
    Insert soft synth now uses the command Shift+F3 instead of Shift+F10
    Select your VST instrument track
    Press R to arm the selected track for recording (instead of using menus)
    Hit R again on the Transport bar or spacebar to start recording
    Spacebar also still stops recording and starts/stops playback
    So the key changes are Shift+F3 for insert soft synth and R for record arming. Takes a bit of muscle memory reprogramming but should speed things up!
    64-bit memory support:
    Sonar X1 Producer, released in 2010, was the first version to offer full 64-bit operation. So X3 definitely has the memory headroom to load lots of VSTs and sample libraries beyond the old 4 GB limit.
I'd also recommend checking out the more recent Cakewalk by Bandlab software if you haven't already. It's a free continuation of the Sonar lineage and has been steadily improving accessibility:
https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php? ... ty-sticky/

Let me know if you have any other questions as you settle into the X3 workflow! There's a bit of a learning curve with the shortcut changes but it's still quite usable with screen readers once you adjust. Have fun making music! 🎹🎧 A printable template is essentially a predesigned resource that you can download and print out using a standard printer. It serves as a convenient starting point for various tasks, ranging from crafting and organization to blank calendar educational activities and business needs.