Instruction Manual

238 Recording
Creating a New Project
4. Click OK.
SONAR creates the new project file and displays it with the Track view
open.
Setting the Meter and Key Signatures
By default, a new SONAR project is in 4/4 time and the key of C major. You
can change these settings to any desired meter or key. These settings
apply to all the tracks in a project. You cannot set different meter or key
signatures for different tracks.
The meter or key signature of a project can change at any measure
boundary. To insert changes in the meter or key signature, use the Views-
Meter/Key command to display the Meter/Key view, or use the Insert-
Meter/Key Change command.
If you are creating a new project that will contain only audio material (no
MIDI material), you do not need to set the meter and key signature.
Note: Groove clips do not follow your project's key. Groove clips follow the
project pitch (in the Markers toolbar and pitch markers in the Time Ruler.
For more information, see Working with Groove Clips.
The key signature controls how SONAR displays notes in the Staff view,
the Event List view, and elsewhere. The meter tells SONAR the number of
beats per measure and the note value of each beat. Common meters
include:
• 2/4 (two beats per measure, each quarter note gets a beat)
• 4/4 (four beats per measure, each quarter note gets a beat)
• 3/4 (three beats per measure, each quarter note gets a beat)
• 6/8 (six beats per measure, each eighth note gets a beat)
The top number of a meter, the number of beats per measure, can be from
1 through 99. The bottom number of a meter is the value of each beat. You
can pick from a list of values ranging from a whole note to a thirty-second
note.
The meter determines the following:
• Where the metronome accents are placed
• How the Now time is displayed
• How the Staff view is drawn
• How grid lines are displayed in the Piano Roll view