Reference Guide

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Sysx View Buttons
System Exclusive Data
Each bank is transmitted to a particular MIDI output, just as a track is. Click this button to change the
output. The shortcut key is P.
Edit Bytes
Although SONAR’s Sysx features are designed mainly to store System Exclusive data for you, you
can edit the bytes of shorter messages in hex format (many of the more popular synthesizers have
special patch-editing programs available that let you edit data using sliders and other tools rather
than raw hex data).
When you select a bank and click the Edit Bytes button, SONAR converts the binary data into a text
representation and pops up the Edit System Exclusive Bytes dialog box, in which you can edit the
text. If you make changes and click OK to keep them, SONAR tries to convert the text back into
binary format. You’ll get an error message if the text does not begin with an F0 and end with an F7,
which are the System Exclusive begin and end bytes.
SONAR may not be able to convert the data to text format. The text representation requires three to
four times more memory than the data itself, and the Edit System Exclusive Bytes dialog box can
contain roughly as much text as Notepad. The shortcut key is E.
Load Bank and Save Bank
You can import banks from and save banks to files with the file extension .syx. If you try to import to
a bank that isn’t empty, SONAR asks if you want to append or replace. The Load and Save buttons
work only with .syx, not SONAR project files or MIDI files.
You may also use this feature to copy a Sysx bank between two SONAR project files. Save the bank
into a file, load the other SONAR project file, then load the bank again. This is also a good way to
copy one bank to another in the same project file. The shortcut keys are o and v respectively.
To Export a Sysx Bank to Another Project
1. In the Sysx view, select the bank you want to export.
2. Click the Save Bank button .
The Save As dialog appears.
3. Navigate to the folder in which you want to store the file.
4. Enter a file name and click OK.
SONAR saves the file in the location you specified, with the extension .syx.
5. Open the project to which you want to import the bank and select an empty bank in the Sysx view
(unless you want to add the file to an existing bank).
6. Click the Load Bank from File button to open the Open dialog.
7. Navigate to the desired folder, select the .syx file you want to import, and click Open.
SONAR loads the selected bank into the current project.