Reference Guide

1794
Preferences dialog
• Timing Offset (msec). With this option, used for making very fine adjustments to the audio/
MIDI synchronization of your project, you can offset the audio in your project by a number of
milliseconds. A positive value delays audio by that amount. A negative value delays MIDI by
that amount.
• When SMPTE/MTC timecode is detected. This option tells SONAR what to do when it detects
SMPTE/MTC timecode. Choose from the following:
• Ask first, then switch to clock source and start. This option prompts SONAR to alert you
when it detects a SMPTE/MTC signal, asks if you want to sync to the incoming signal, and if
you respond that you do, switches the clock source and starts to receive the signal.
• Always switch the clock source and start. SONAR automatically switches to the clock
source of the incoming signal and begins to receive the signal.
• Do not switch clock source, but start if in SMPTE/MTC mode. This option automatically
syncs to the incoming signal if SONAR is in SMPTE/MTC mode.
• Never switch clock source, never start. SONAR does nothing when incoming SMPTE/
MTC timecode is detected.
• When clock source is set to SMPTE/MTC or MIDI Sync, pressing play in SONAR will. This
option tells SONAR what to do when you press play in SMPTE/MTC or MIDI Sync mode:
• Switch current clock source and start playback. Switch the clock to Audio (from SMPTE
or Sync), and start playback. This cancels SMPTE (or Sync) mode.
• Maintain current clock source and wait for timecode. Do not switch the clock (Stay in
SMPTE or Sync mode), but wait for SMPTE or Sync. The playback button remains
depressed.
File System
• Enable Read Caching and Enable Write Caching. Choosing either of these options lets
SONAR use the Windows disk cache while reading or writing audio data. SONAR will usually
perform best with all caching disabled, which is the default setting. If your computer has an older
IDE disk controller, or a disk controller that does not use DMA transfers, enabling caching may
improve SONAR’s audio performance.
• I/O Buffer Size. This value determines the buffer characteristics for transfers to and from the
disk. Changing this value does not affect audio latency, but will affect the disk throughput for audio
tracks. The default setting is 128. A higher value causes more audio to be buffered from the disk
ahead of the playback cursor. If you are hearing consistent dropouts/clicks in your audio and if
your project contains high bit depth (32/64 bit) or high sample rate audio (88.2K or higher), it may
be indicative of a too small I/O buffer size. If so, try a higher I/O buffer size like 256 or 512. If audio
Note: The final option, Never switch clock source, never start, should never be used if you
are attempting to sync to an external clock source.
Note: Changes to these settings only take effect when you restart SONAR.