Reference Guide

1080 Notation and lyrics
Basic musical editing
To insert a note on the staff
1. Disable the View > Fill Durations and View > Trim Durations options in the Staff view menu, if
desired (this is usually the best way when you’re entering notes).
2. Click the Staff view View menu and choose Display Resolution, then choose a resolution that’s
as small or slightly smaller than the smallest note you plan to enter.
3. Select the Draw Freehand tool in the Control Bar.
4. Select a note duration in the Control Bar’s Tools module. You cannot insert a note that’s shorter
in length than the note in the Display Resolution field.
5. Move the Now time to the location where you want the new note by pressing SHIFT+RIGHT
ARROW or SHIFT+LEFT ARROW. Notice the vertical line that marks the Now time in the Staff
pane. The line moves by the duration of the note you selected to enter.
6. Click the cursor on the vertical line at the pitch that you want.
7. To add a sharp or flat, select the Smart tool in the Control Bar, double-click the note to open the
Note Properties dialog box—in the Pitch field, use the + or - buttons to raise or lower the pitch,
and click OK. You can type enharmonic spellings into the Pitch field, such as C#5, E”4. and Fx6.
The double quotation mark produces a double flat, and the x produces a double sharp.
SONAR places the new note in the staff. If desired, drag the note horizontally or vertically to a new
time or pitch.
Inserting notes with the Fretboard
You can also enter notes onto the staff from the fretboard using the mouse. You always enter notes
into the staff at the Now time.
To insert notes on the Fretboard with the mouse
1. Click in the Time Ruler to set the Now time.
2. Select the Draw Freehand tool in the Control Bar.
3. Select a note duration, and a modifier (dot or triplet) if desired.
4. Click on the guitar strings in the fretboard to enter notes. You can enter up to six simultaneous
notes (one per string).
5. Advance the Now Time by the current note duration using the right arrow key while holding down
the shift key. This allows you to quickly enter a series of notes.
Selecting notes
Tip: You can click an existing Note event to inherit its duration and apply it to new Note events. For
details, see “Use note duration value from last touched note” on page 468.