Reference Guide

1067
Key bindings
Templates and key bindings
Rather than tie up all the notes on your MIDI keyboard with key bindings, SONAR lets you define a
key binding shift key on your MIDI keyboard that indicates when you want to use a key binding. For
example, you could designate the lowest note on your MIDI keyboard as the key binding shift key,
and then assign different notes to specific commands (for example, C4 to Process > Quantize, C5
to Process > Groove Quantize, and so on). If you press the C4 key by itself, the note plays
normally. If you press the C4 key in combination with the lowest key on your keyboard (the key
binding shift key), then it’s just as if you had chosen the Process > Quantize command from the
menu.
You can choose one of two options to define the key binding shift key:
• MIDI key (typically, the very lowest or highest key on your MIDI keyboard)
• Controller event (typically, one of the pedals)
If you use a MIDI key as the key binding shift key, then you lose the ability to play that note by itself.
When you play the note, SONAR assumes you are about to choose one of the key bindings you
have created and ignores the note. If this is ever a problem, you can disable MIDI key bindings
without canceling the key assignments and then re-enable the MIDI key bindings later on.
You can use a key binding to execute a command only when that command is possible. For
example, the File > Save command is disabled when no projects are open. If you have assigned the
CTRL+F2 key combination to the File > Save command, it won’t do anything when no projects are
open.
You can use MIDI key bindings and computer keyboard key bindings at the same time.
To create a key binding using the computer keyboard
1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts (make sure the Advanced option is selected
at the bottom of the Preferences dialog box).
2. Check Computer in the Type of Keys list.
3. To quickly scroll to the key or key combination you want, click the Locate Key button, and then
press the key or keys you want to use.
4. Highlight the key combination you want to use in the Key list. Keys on the number pad appear as
Num “n.” If a key or combination is already bound to a global command by default, the name of
the key appears in bold text, and the command it is bound to appears at the bottom of the Key
Bindings dialog box under Assigned to. Binding a key or combination to a command and
clicking OK overwrites any default binding for that key or combination.
5. In the Area menu, select the context in which you want to use the key binding.
6. Highlight the command you want to assign from the Function list.
7. Click Bind to bind the key combination to the command.
SONAR places an asterisk next to the key(s) that you chose, and draws a line from the
highlighted key(s) to the command that the key(s) will trigger. Any keys that are assigned to
commands have asterisks next to them. Any commands that have keys assigned to them list the
keys in the Computer column and/or the MIDI column.
8. Repeat steps 3 through 7 for all the keys you want to bind.