Sony SONOMA, SONOMA AUDIO WORKSTATION User Manual

Sony Corporation of America

410 Townsend Street, San Francisco, California, 94107-1537, U.S.A.

SONOMA AUDIO WORKSTATION

USER GUIDE

Category: Public Document

Authors: Kobie Crawford and Andrew Demery

Date: 2003-09-05

Version: 1.6.1

Status: Working Document

Sonoma Audio Workstation User Guide

Published by:

Sony Corporation of America

This publication is protected by copyright and all rights are reserved. No part of it may be reproduced or transmitted by any means or in any form, without prior written consent from Sony Corporation of America.

The information in this document has been carefully checked and is believed to be accurate. However, Sony Corporation of America assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies that may appear in this manual. In no event will Sony Corporation of America be liable for direct, indirect, special, exemplary, incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect or omission in this manual, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. The material contained herein is for informational purposes only.

DISCLAIMER: This document is a user guide for a system under development. Although Sony Corporation of America will endeavor to keep customers apprised of changes, all aspects of this specification are subject to change without notice.

Revision History

Version Date Description

1.5.0 3/14/01 First Compilation

1.5.1 3/20/01 Incorporate revisions from Oxford.

1.5.2 3/26/01 Incorporate Edit chapter, new block diagram of mixer.

1.5.3 3/27/01 Minor revisions, updates.

1.5.4 4/27/01 Minor revisions, updates. Sonoma release 1.4.4.2

1.5.5 5/11/01 Mixer Dynamics, Sonoma release 1.4.4.3

1.5.6 5/31/01 Sonoma release 1.4.4.5

1.5.7 6/25/01 Sonoma release 1.4.5.1

1.5.8 9/3/01 Sonoma release 1.4.5.5

1.5.9 11/9/01 Sonoma release 1.4.5.15

1.5.10 3/29/02 Sonoma release 1.4.7.8

1.5.11 7/29/02 Sonoma release 1.5.0.18

1.5.12 9/17/02 Sonoma release 1.5.1.5

1.5.13 12/19/02 Sonoma release 1.5.3.11

1.5.14 2/20/03 Sonoma release 1.5.4.0 (DSDIFF v1.4)

1.5.15 2/25/03 Sonoma release 1.5.4.2

1.5.16 2/25/03 Sonoma release 1.5.4.5

1.5.17 5/19/03 Sonoma release 1.5.4.13

1.6.1 2003-09-01 Sonoma Ver. 1.6.1 release to field

Sonoma Audio Workstation User Guide

Document Change Record

Section Ver. 1.5.17 Ver. 1.6.1 Remarks

Title Page

2.3.1 When an EDL window is opened, it is

2.3.1 Although you can zoom and scroll the EDL

2.3.2 -- The PageDown and PageUp keys work

2.3.8 A waveform for the audio is drawn within

2.3.8 Marks are used for navigation, annotating

2.4.1.1 The window size changes so that the

2.5 Unselected ingredients appear dark-green

2.5.1 The coloring of the rectangle indicates

2.7.1 If you are not sure about the state of the

2.7.2 Play Edit Region (Minus)

2.8.2.3 If you are switching a single channel at a

2.8.8.2 The longer recording also allows you the

-- Authors Responsibility for

When an EDL window is opened, it is maximized by default. You can change this behavior by setting or clearing the open EDL window maximized checkbox in the window tab of the preferences window. This window is reached via the preferences item in the window menu.

window to show any amount of time, the usable area within which you can work is the range from zero to 13.5 hours.

the rectangle when the PCM amplitude envelope file exists.

events, and defining CD authoring locations.

ingredients are centered and occupy 80% of the window.

in color.

whether none (white), all (bright green), or some (dull green) of the ingredients on that channel are selected.

transport, use the stop command (control+Q).

Play Around Edit Region (Shift+Minus)

time, using the buttons is not a problem, but when you’d like to punch-in or out across many channels simultaneously you’re in trouble.

ability to change the fade length and move the edit points beyond the original punch positions.

maximized by default, but this is controlled

via a user preference.

The range of the viewable EDL window is

23:30:00 to 12:30:00, however, the usable

range in which you can work is from

00:00:00 to 12:00:00.

irrespective of the state of the transport;

however, you cannot enter the Splice Editor

with the transport running. For this reason,

the Splice Editor tab is skipped as you cycle

down/up the panels with the

PageDown/PageUp keys when the

transport runs.

A waveform for the audio is drawn within

the ingredient when an accompanying

envelope file exists.

Marks are used for navigation, annotating

events, and defining SACD authoring

locations.

The window size changes so that the

ingredients are centered and occupy 90%

of the window.

Unselected ingredients appear blue-grey in

color.

The coloring of the rectangle indicates

whether none (white), all (bright green), or

some (blue-grey) of the ingredients on that

channel are selected.

If you are not sure about the state of the

transport, use the stop command

(Ctrl+Spacebar).

Play Edit Region (-)

Play Around Edit Region (Shift+-)

If you want to punch-in on a single channel,

using that channel’s individual ready/safe

buttons is fine; however, this is inconvenient

when you want to punch-in across many

channels simultaneously.

This additional recording time also allows

you the ability to change the fade length

and move the edit points beyond the

original punch positions.

documentation passed to K. Crawford and A. Demery

Editorial change.

Correction.

Footnote addition.

Correction.

Editorial change.

Sonoma Audio Workstation User Guide

Section Ver. 1.5.17 Ver. 1.6.1 Remarks

2.8.10 Since a takelist is a read-only file, when you

open a takelist a new editable EDL will be created. You must decide how to handle the foreground and background layers.

2.8.10 Punch the foreground into the background

and load - this is the same as the result of the original recording.

2.8.11 This command performs an auto capture of

all the EDL channels that are in a record-ready state.

2.10.2 The window menu contains commands to

bring the source and destination EDLs to the front, and to tile the Sonoma window to show only the source and destination.

2.10.2 If you hold the alt key down while selecting

an EDL in the windows menu, the selected EDL will become the source window and the tile source/destination command will be performed.

2.10.2 Alignment alters the active window (source

or destination) so it displays the same number of samples as its linear edit partner, and then scrolls it so that one of its edit cursors, or the Nowline are aligned. If you align the boundaries, the active window will view the same region as its partner. The align commands will first force a source/ destination tiling if these EDLs are not already tiled.

2.10.2 -- Shift+F7 = Make active EDL the Source

2.11.1 If more than one ingredient is selected in

the EDL, the four CD-like transport buttons change the current ingredient, displaying the first ingredient, the next ingredient (in time-sorted order), the previous ingredient, and the last ingredient.

2.11.1 When the zoom to ingredient checkbox is

enabled, the EDL is zoomed each time the current ingredient is changed so that the current ingredient is visible in the EDL.

2.11.4.3 Relative changes are performed by

pressing one of the plus or minus buttons next to a number box:

When you open a takelist, you must decide

how to handle the foreground and

background layers.

Punch the foreground into the background

and load - the EDL will contain the new

material recorded during the recording pass

punched into the original background.

This command performs an auto recording

on all the EDL channels that are in a

record-ready state.

The window menu contains commands to

bring the source (F7) and destination (F8)

EDLs to the front, and to tile (F12) the

Sonoma window to show only the source

and destination.

If you hold the Alt-key down while selecting

an EDL in the Windows Menu, the selected

EDL will become the source window and

the tile source/destination command will be

performed, unless the chosen file is the

destination or already has focus.

Alignment alters the inactive window

(source or destination) so it displays the

same number of samples as its linear edit

partner, and then scrolls it so that one of its

edit cursors (Ctrl+F12 [left cursor]/

Shift+Ctrl+F12 [right cursor]), or the

Nowline (Shift+F12) are aligned. If you

align the boundaries (Alt+Ctrl+F12), the

active window will view the same region as

its partner. The align commands will first

force a source/destination tiling (F12) if

these EDLs are not already tiled.

Shift+F8 = Make active EDL the

Destination

F7 = Bring Source to front

F8 = Bring Destination to front

F12 = Tile Source/Destination

Ctrl+F12 = Align at Left Edit

Shift+Ctrl+F12 = Align at Right Edit

Shift+F12 = Align at Nowline

Alt+Ctrl+F12 = Align at boundaries

If more than one ingredient is selected in

the EDL, the four CD-like transport buttons

change the current ingredient, displaying

the first ingredient, the previous ingredient

(in time-sorted order), the next ingredient,

and the last ingredient.

-- Deletion

Relative changes are performed by

pressing one of the + or - buttons next to a

number box:

Correction.

Editorial change.

Correction.

Clarification.

Correction.

Correction and clarification.

Addition.

Correction.

Editorial change.

Sonoma Audio Workstation User Guide

Section Ver. 1.5.17 Ver. 1.6.1 Remarks

2.11.4.4 A - Edit-in Minus

S - Edit-in to Nowline D - Edit-in Plus F - Edit-out Minus G - Edit-out to Nowline H - Edit-out Plus

2.11.5.1 Gains are displayed as positive dB but are

interpreted with a minus sign before them.

2.11.5.1 The in/out gains can be set absolutely by

typing and pressing enter. The plus/minus buttons add/subtract the dB nudge amount to each gain in the selection.

2.11.5.1 Shift+Z - Fade-in Gain Minus

Shift+X - Fade-in Gain Plus Shift+C - Both Gains Minus Shift+V - Both Gains Plus Shift+B - Fade-out Gain Minus Shift+N - Fade-out Gain Plus

2.11.6.1 The fade-in or fade-out length can be set

absolutely by typing in and pressing enter.

2.11.6.1 Z - Fade-in Minus

X - Fade-in Plus B - Fade-out Minus N - Fade-out Plus

2.11.7 Changing the channel number by typing

and pressing enter moves all the selected ingredients to the same channel.

2.12.2 In order to select a sequence separately

you may unsplice the entire sync. group or selectively remove a sequence’s aligned splices using the splice editor.

2.13.1 -- Note: all these commands only work when

2.13.4 Next comes nudge registers for the relative

edit commands. Finally there are buttons for changing the current channel and current edit and for selectively unsplicing channels.

2.13.7.2 The outgoing or incoming edit points can be

set absolutely by clicking on an item, typing in, and pressing enter.

2.13.7.2 The plus/minus buttons add/subtract the

nudge amount to the outgoing or incoming edit points.

A = Edit-in Point - by nudge amount

S = Edit-in Point to Nowline

D = Edit-in Point + by nudge amount

F = Edit-out Point - by nudge amount

G = Edit-out Point to Nowline

H = Edit-out Point + by nudge amount

-- Deletion.

The in/out gains can be set directly by

entering numerical values and pressing

ENTER. The +/- buttons add/subtract the

dB nudge amount to each gain in the

selection.

Shift+Z = Fade-in Gain - by nudge

amount

Shift+X = Fade-in Gain + by nudge

amount

Shift+C = Both Gains - by nudge amount

Shift+V = Both Gains + by nudge amount

Shift+B = Fade-out Gain - by nudge

amount

Shift+N = Fade-out Gain + by nudge

amount

The fade-in (or fade-out) length can be set

to an absolute value by typing numbers in

the respective fade length box and then

pressing ENTER.

Z = Fade-in Length - by nudge amount

X = Fade-in Length to Nowline

C = Fade-in Length + by nudge amount

V = Fade-out Length - by nudge amount

B = Fade-out Length to Nowline

N = Fade-out Length + by nudge amount

Changing the channel number and pressing

ENTER moves all the selected ingredients

to the same channel.

In order to select a sequence separately

either unsplice the entire sync. group or

selectively remove a sequence’s aligned

splices using the splice editor.

the transport is idle.

These are followed by buttons for changing

the current channel and current edit, and,

finally, there are nudge registers for the

relative edit commands and a button for

selectively unsplicing channels.

The outgoing or incoming edit points can be

set absolutely by clicking on an item,

entering a numerical value and pressing

ENTER.

The +/- buttons add/subtract the nudge

amount to the outgoing or incoming edit

points.

Editorial change.

Correction and Editorial change.

Editorial change.

Footnote addition.

Correction.

Editorial change.

Sonoma Audio Workstation User Guide

Section Ver. 1.5.17 Ver. 1.6.1 Remarks

2.13.7.2 A - Outgoing Minus

D - Outgoing Plus F - Incoming Minus H - Incoming Plus

2.13.7.2 -- Shift+A = Outgoing - by nudge amount

2.13.7.3 The plus/minus buttons add/subtract the

nudge amount to the mid-point or gap.

2.13.7.3 J - Mid-point Minus

L - Mid-point Plus

2.13.8 Gains are displayed as positive dB but are

interpreted with a minus sign before them.

2.13.8 The outgoing or incoming gains can be set

absolutely by typing in and pressing enter.

2.13.8 The plus/minus buttons add/subtract the

nudge amount to the outgoing or incoming gain

2.13.8 Shift+Z - Outgoing Gain Minus

Shift+X - Outgoing Gain Plus Shift+C - Both Gains Minus Shift+V - Both Gains Plus Shift+B - Incoming Gain Minus Shift+N - Incoming Gain Plus

2.13.9 The plus and minus buttons are always

active, even if the numeric data can not be displayed.

2.13.9.1 The outgoing or incoming fade lengths can

be set absolutely by clicking on an item, typing in, and pressing enter.

2.13.9.1 The plus/minus buttons add/subtract the

nudge amount to the outgoing or incoming fade length.

2.13.9.1 Z - Outgoing Fade Minus

X - Outgoing Fade Plus C - Both Fades Minus V - Both Fades Plus B - Incoming Fade Minus N - Incoming Fade Plus

A = Outgoing - by nudge amount

D = Outgoing + by nudge amount

F = Incoming - by nudge amount

H = Incoming + by nudge amount

[ingredient pinned]

Shift+S = Outgoing to Nowline

[ingredient pinned]

Shift+D = Outgoing + by nudge amount

[ingredient pinned]

Shift+F = Incoming - by nudge amount

[ingredient pinned]

Shift+G = Incoming to Nowline

[ingredient pinned]

Shift+H = Incoming + by nudge amount

[ingredient pinned]

The +/- buttons add/subtract the nudge

amount to the mid-point or gap.

J = Mid-point - by nudge amount

L = Mid-point + by nudge amount

-- Deletion

The outgoing or incoming gains can be set

directly by entering numerical values and

pressing ENTER.

The +/- buttons add/subtract the nudge

amount to the outgoing or incoming gain

Shift+Z = Outgoing Gain - by nudge

amount

Shift+X = Outgoing Gain + by nudge

amount

Shift+C = Both Gains - by nudge amount

Shift+V = Both Gains + by nudge amount

Shift+B = Incoming Gain - by nudge

amount

Shift+N = Incoming Gain + by nudge

amount

The + and - buttons are always active, even

if the numeric data can not be displayed.

The outgoing, incoming or both fade

lengths can be set directly by selecting the

appropriate radio button, entering numerical

values and pressing ENTER.

The +/- buttons add/subtract the nudge

amount to the outgoing or incoming fade

length.

Z = Outgoing Fade - by nudge amount

X = Outgoing Fade + by nudge amount

C = Both Fades - by nudge amount

V = Both Fades + by nudge amount

B = Incoming Fade - by nudge amount

N = Incoming Fade + by nudge amount

Editorial change.

Addition.

Editorial change.

Sonoma Audio Workstation User Guide

Section Ver. 1.5.17 Ver. 1.6.1 Remarks

2.15.2 Index marks and End marks are optional. Index marks and End marks are optional

2.15.2.1 -- The word track here refers to an individual

2.15.2.1 -- The Scarlet Book actually defines Index

2.15.2.2 The minimum time permitted between two

consecutive authoring marks is 1/75 sec. When an authoring mark is created or moved its position is rounded to the closest 1/75 sec.

2.15.2.2 The minimum time between two

consecutive start marks is 1 second.

but a final End mark must be present to

indicate the end of the disc.

piece of music on an SACD disc defined by

Start and End marks, or two consecutive

Start marks.

Point 1 to equal the Track Start, therefore,

the first Index following a Track Start should

be Index N.2, where N is the number of the

Track.

Authoring marks must correspond to a

1/75 sec grid, and the marks are

automatically rounded to the closest

1/75 sec boundary when they are created

or moved.

The Scarlet Book defines certain minimum

times between authoring marks, those

times are defined as follows:

1. Minimum time between two consecutive

Start marks = 1 second

2. Minimum time between a Start mark and

an End mark = 1 second

3. Minimum time between two consecutive

Index marks = 1/75 second

4. Minimum time between a Start mark and

an Index mark = 1/75 second

5. Minimum time between an Index mark

and an End mark = 1/75 second

Correction.

Footnote addition.

Correction.

Correction and clarification.

Sonoma Audio Workstation User Guide

Section Ver. 1.5.17 Ver. 1.6.1 Remarks

2.15.2.2 The interface allows start marks to be

placed closer than this minimum but such marks are flagged as illegal (see below).

2.15.2.3 An asterisk is added to the type field of

illegal authoring marks so they appear as type “CD*” rather than “CD” in the mark list.

2.15.2.3 - Start marks for tracks less than one

second in length (distance to next start mark < 1 second)

2.15.5.8 Press ENTER first to close the info box or

use the Ctrl-Q shortcut, the stop button, or the stop command on the transport menu.

2.15.5.11 The selected marks in the mark list are

deleted.

2.17 This version of the Sonoma application

contains an EDL-based DSD to IFF audio export utility.

Several safeguards are in place to prevent

the setting of illegal marks; however, these

safeguards are not complete at this time.

The following responses can be expected in

the cases identified:

Start mark too close to another Start

mark

If you attempt to place two Start marks

closer than 1 second apart, you will see the

following dialogue appear: Track Start

mark not entered. Each track must be

greater than or equal to one second in

duration. [OK]

Index mark too close to a Start mark

If you attempt to place an Index mark closer

than 1/75 second from a Start mark, you will

see the following dialogue appear: An

authoring mark of type Start already

exists at this location. Change it to type

Index? [Yes/No]

Index mark too close to another Index

mark

If you attempt to place two Index marks

closer than 1/75 second apart, the

application will ignore the request and do

nothing.

End mark too close to a Start or Index

mark

The application will place the mark in the

EDL as a legal mark – This is a bug!

An asterisk is added to the type field of

illegal authoring marks so they appear as

type CD* rather than CD in the mark list and

the mark changes color in the EDL.

- Authoring marks closer than the minimum

times identified in § 2.15.2.2.

Press ENTER first to close the info box or

use the Esc-key, or the stop button on the

transport toolbar.

This button deletes the selected mark(s).

Multiple successive marks can be selected

by holding down the Shift-key and dragging

the cursor over the required list of marks.

Multiple independent marks can be

selected by holding down the Ctrl-key while

using the mouse to select each mark.

When a mark is deleted, the mark list does

not reset to the top of the list, it maintains

position, but with the deleted mark removed

from the list.

This version of the Sonoma application

contains an EDL-based DSD to DSD-IFF

(Direct Stream Digital-Interchange File

Format) audio export utility.

Correction and clarification.

Addition.

Correction.

Correction and clarification.

Clarification.

Sonoma Audio Workstation User Guide

Section Ver. 1.5.17 Ver. 1.6.1 Remarks

2.17 (While the export EDL will contain sufficient

leading silence, no disc marks appear in it.)

2.21.2 If you do not want to keep this material you

can use the delete last recording command to remove it from the system (see section

2.8.9.4).

3.1 The Sonoma Mixer has eight full and eight

short channels for input, a center section, and various meters including a set of meters to check compliance with the Scarlet Book Annex E recommendations.

3.3.1 -- Note: when using the combined Mixer and

3.3.1 When the editor and mixer are viewed

together (the second mode in the illustrated sequence), the mixer’s channel section is truncated and placed beneath the editor; the center section appears on the right.

3.4.2 When changed, the internal clock usually

takes a second or two to establish lock once the source is changed.

3.5.1 There are two types of meters: audio level

meters, and Annex E meters.

-- Deletion.

If you do not want to keep this material you

can use the undo recovery command from

the Undo pull-down menu.

The Sonoma Mixer has eight full and eight

short channels for input, a center section,

and various meters including a set of

meters to check compliance with the signal

requirements laid down in Annex D of the

Scarlet Book V1.2, Part 2 (Audio

Specification), and the recommendations

laid down in Annex E of the same

document. The final DSD stream, i.e., the

one that will be put onto an SACD, must

meet the signal requirements laid down in

Annex D. It is preferable that the signal also

meet Annex E requirements, though this is

not mandatory. If the signal requirements

laid down in Annex D are not met, a disc

replicator will not press the disc.

EDL views, care should be taken with

re-sizing of the EDL window(s) as this can

cause the Nowline to “disappear” behind

the Mixer Center Section for part of the

time. This problem can only be remedied at

this time by returning to the EDL-only

display and maximizing the EDL window

view.

There are two combined Mixer and EDL

views, one combines a small EDL window

with the channel faders and the center

section, the other combines a larger EDL

window on the left with just the center

section on the right side of the screen.

When the source is changed, the internal

clock usually takes a second or two to

re-establish lock.

There are two types of meters: Audio Level

meters, used for normal level monitoring,

and Annex Meters, which relate to the

specifications and recommendations laid

down in Annexes D and E of the Scarlet

Book Part 2 (Audio Signal Specification).

Correction.

Footnote addition.

New feature addition.

Editorial change.

Correction.

Sonoma Audio Workstation User Guide

Section Ver. 1.5.17 Ver. 1.6.1 Remarks

3.5.1 The Annex E meters are subdivided further

into four types, labeled from left-to-right as DC, LF, Max Peak, and HF. These meters are calibrated to display an overload if the signal has exceeded the Annex E levels. See Section 3.8, Sonoma Mixer Specifications.

3.5.2 The snapshot SAVE, LOAD and DEFAULT

buttons are used to save or load a snapshot of the mixer’s settings to or from a file.

3.5.9 Annex E Filter

The Annex E filter is a variable slope and frequency low-pass filter provided to control compliance with Scarlet Book Annex E recommendations. By observing the Annex E meter levels and using these controls, it is possible to adjust how much energy above 20 kHz to remove, if required.

The Annex meters are subdivided into

4 types labeled from left-to-right as DC, LF,

MaxPeak, and HF. These meters are

calibrated to display an overload (red) if the

signal has exceeded the Annex D/E levels.

A brief description of each mode:

DC: Measures the DC offset of the DSD

signal. For SACD, the recommended

maximum DC offset level is -50dB SACD,

although this is not mandatory.

LF: This displays a zoomed-in version of

the main level meters around the 0dB

SACD point. In a previous version of the

Scarlet Book Part 2, Annex E, there was a

recommended maximum value for the LF

band, but this has been superseded by the

MaxPeak specification and, consequently,

the LF band can be ignored.

MaxPeak: This displays the maximum peak

level of the DSD signal. It is a requirement

for an SACD that the maximum specified

level of 3.10 dB SACD is not exceeded.

Failure to comply with this specification will

result in the master being rejected by the

disc replicator.

HF: This displays the maximum RMS level

of the DSD signal in the 40 kHz - 100 kHz

band. It is a requirement for an SACD that

the maximum specified level of -20 dB

SACD is not exceeded. Failure to comply

with this specification will result in the

master being rejected by the disc replicator.

See Section 3.9, Sonoma Mixer Specifications

for further details.

The snapshot SAVE and LOAD buttons are

used to save or load a snapshot of the

mixer’s settings to or from a file.

HF Control (Annex D.4 Filter)

The Annex D.4 filter is a variable slope and

frequency low pass filter provided to assist

with compliance with Annex D.4 of the

Scarlet Book Part 2 (Audio Specification),

which specifies the maximum High

Frequency Signal + Noise Level. Practically,

this filter can be used in conjunction with the

Annex D meter labeled HF to correct

signals which do not comply with Annex

D.4. If a DSD signal intended to be put on

SACD exceeds the HF specification

(meters will show an over condition) then

this filter may be used to attenuate some of

the level in the frequency ranges measured

by the HF meters. For best results, the

minimum amount of filtering should be used

to achieve Annex D.4 compliance. For

cases where the HF level is within

specification, this filter need not be used.

Correction.

Sonoma Audio Workstation User Guide

Section Ver. 1.5.17 Ver. 1.6.1 Remarks

3.8 -- Sonoma Mixer Automation manual. New feature addition.

Sonoma Audio Workstation User Guide

Chapter 1: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.2 The Sonoma Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.2.1 Edit Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.2.2 Mixer Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.2.3 Converters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.3 The Sonoma Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.3.1 The Sonoma Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.3.2 The Sonoma Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.3.3 Installing Software Upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.4 Launching Sonoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Contents

2.2 The Sonoma Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2.2.1 Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2.2.2 Keyboard Shortcuts and Toolbar Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2.2.3 Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2.2.4 Debug Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2.2.5 Clock Display and Timecode Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2.2.6 Editing Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.2.7 Preferences Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.3 The EDL Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.3.1 Opening an EDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.3.2 Control Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.3.3 Channel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2.3.4 Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

2.3.5 Nowline and Edit Cursors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

2.3.6 Lower Strip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

2.3.7 Upper Strips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

2.3.8 Ingredients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2.3.9 Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2.4 Navigating the EDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2.4.1 Using the Navigation Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2.4.2 Navigating with the Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

2.4.3 Navigating with the Transport Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

2.4.4 Navigating with the EDL Bounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Sonoma Audio Workstation User Guide

2.5 Selecting Ingredients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2.5.1 Channel-based Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2.5.2 Selecting Ingredients with the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2.5.3 Deselect/Select All Ingredients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2.5.4 Selecting Ingredients with respect to the Nowline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2.5.5 Select Previous/Next ingredient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2.5.6 Select Last Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2.6 Manipulating Cursors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

2.6.1 Working with the Nowline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

2.6.2 Working with the Edit Cursors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

2.7 Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

2.7.1 Controlling the Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

2.7.2 Auditioning Cursors and the Edit Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

2.7.3 Bottlenecks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

2.8 Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

2.8.1 Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

2.8.2 Before Recording: The System Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

2.8.3 Before Recording: Channel Lock Controls and Disk Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

2.8.4 Before Recording: Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

2.8.5 Before Recording: Record to Destination EDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

2.8.6 Before Recording: Fade Times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

2.8.7 Before Recording: Error Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

2.8.8 Making a Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

2.8.9 After Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

2.8.10 The Takelist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

2.8.11 Record Edit Region. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

2.9 Selection-Based Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

2.9.1 Clear/Cut/Copy/Paste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

2.9.2 Copy After Nowline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

2.9.3 Paste With Punch-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

2.9.4 Move Selection Before/After Nowline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

2.9.5 Nudge Selection Backward/Forward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

2.9.6 Trim Selection Left/Right to Nowline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

2.9.7 Slice Selection at Nowline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

2.9.8 Unslice Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

2.10 Region-Based Editing and Linear Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

2.10.1 Cut/Copy Edit Region and Insert Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

2.10.2 Source and Destination EDLs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

2.10.3 Linear Edit Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

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2.11 The Ingredient Edit Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

2.11.1 Changing the Current Ingredient. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

2.11.2 Ingredient Polarity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

2.11.3 Absolute Changes and Nudging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

2.11.4 Ingredient Edit Points Section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

2.11.5 Ingredient Gain Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

2.11.6 Ingredient Fades Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

2.11.7 Channel Number. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

2.11.8 Clip Info. and Ingredient Polarity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

2.12 Splices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

2.12.1 The Splice Command and Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

2.12.2 Multi-channel Edits and Sync. Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

2.13 The Splice Editor Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

2.13.1 Current Edit and Current Splice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

2.13.2 EDL Splice Edit Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

2.13.3 Resetting, Exiting, and Re-entering the Splice Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

2.13.4 Splice Control Panel Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

2.13.5 Auditioning Splices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

2.13.6 Editing a Splice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

2.13.7 Edit Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

2.13.8 Gains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

2.13.9 Fades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

2.13.10 Displaying Data: Next Channel, Next Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

2.13.11 Unsplicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

2.14 Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

2.15 Marks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

2.15.1 EDL Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

2.15.2 Authoring Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

2.15.3 Ingredient Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

2.15.4 Error Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

2.15.5 The Mark Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

2.15.6 Auditioning an Authoring Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

2.15.7 Saving the Mark List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

2.16 Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

2.16.1 Ingredient Waveforms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

2.16.2 Metering Waveforms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

2.17 Exporting an SACD Mastering File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

2.17.1 The Export to Master Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

2.17.2 DSD-IFF Meta Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

2.17.3 Loudspeaker Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

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2.17.4 Export Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

2.18 Source Audio Mapper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

2.19 User Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

2.19.1 Time Format Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

2.19.2 Editing Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

2.19.3 Playback Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

2.19.4 Waveform Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

2.19.5 Hardware Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

2.19.6 DSD-IFF Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

2.19.7 Error Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

2.19.8 Window Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

2.20 The Monitor Control Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

2.20.1 The Console Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

2.20.2 The Disk Monitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

2.20.3 The Trimedia Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

2.21 Error Reporting and Recovery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

2.21.1 Error Detection and Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

2.21.2 Recovering from a System Crash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

2.21.3 Recording Invalid DSD Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

2.22 Example: Making a Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

2.23 Example: Making a Simple Edit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Chapter 3: Sonoma Mixer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

3.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

3.2 Screen Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

3.2.1 Push buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

3.2.2 Dials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

3.2.3 Faders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

3.2.4 Control Normalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

3.2.5 Text Display and Type In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

3.3 The Control Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

3.3.1 Screen Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

3.3.2 Router Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

3.3.3 Setup Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

3.3.4 Monitor Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

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3.3.5 Quit Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

3.3.6 Play/Stop Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

3.4 The Setup Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

3.4.1 Gain Trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

3.4.2 Mixer clock source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

3.5 Mixer Center Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

3.5.1 Meters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

3.5.2 Snapshot Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

3.5.3 Monitor Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

3.5.4 Oscillator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

3.5.5 LFE Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

3.5.6 Program Insert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

3.5.7 Program EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

3.5.8 Program Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

3.5.9 HF Control (Annex D.4 Filter) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

3.5.10 Master Fader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

3.5.11 Aux Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

3.5.12 Max Peak Limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

3.5.13 Controlling the Channel Faders and Signal Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

3.6 Mixer Channel Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

3.6.1 Channel Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

3.6.2 Channel EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

3.6.3 Channel Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

3.6.4 Channel Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

3.6.5 Channel Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

3.6.6 Channel Insert. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

3.6.7 Channel Strip Ordering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

3.6.8 Scribble Strip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

3.6.9 Channel Faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

3.6.10 Linking and Copying Channel Faders and Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

3.7 The Router Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

3.8 Sonoma Mixer Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

3.8.1 Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

3.8.2 Automation Controls and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

3.8.3 A Short Example Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

3.9 Sonoma Mixer Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

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1.1 Introduction

The Sonoma Audio Workstation is a hardware/software system that provides powerful and flexible facilities for recording, editing, and mixing Direct Stream Digital (DSD) audio.

1.2 The Sonoma Hardware

In order to run the Sonoma application you must have a Sonoma Edit card installed in your PC. If you wish to use the mixer, you must also install the Sonoma Mixer card. These cards are pre-installed in the PC when the Sonoma Workstation is shipped. Please see the Sonoma Hardware Installation Guide for more details.

1.2.1 Edit Card

The Sonoma Edit card controls the transmission of DSD data to and from the PC’s hard disks. It is the record/playback engine. Although the workstation presents an 8-channel interface to the outside world, each channel executes a 2-to-1 mix during playback while performing cross-fades at edit points. The edit card supports this cross-fade activity.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Audio Workstation

1.2.2 Mixer Card

The Sonoma Mixer card can simultaneously perform 8-to-6 channel and 8-to-2 channel mixes. It is connected directly to the Edit card by a flexibus cable. To route audio to and from the mixer and external equipment, a special BNC breakout cable can be plugged into the Mixer card, providing an additional eight inputs and outputs. All 16 inputs and outputs are fully assignable.

1.2.3 Converters

The analog audio interface to the edit card is an outboard pair of 8-channel A-to-D and D-to-A converters. They are attached via fiber optic cables.

The illustration below shows the connections between the various hardware components of the Sonoma Audio Workstation.

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Figure 1-1 Overall system cabling and configuration

Monitor

Keyboard

+ Mouse

Sonoma Edit

8 Analog Inputs

...

Modem

2 Fiber-optic

ADC-8 DAC-8

Cables

Ethernet

8 Analog Outputs

2 Fiber-optic

...

Cables

Chapter 1: Introduction

8 BNC

Cables In

1.3 The Sonoma Software

The Sonoma Audio Workstation contains two main components, an editor and a mixer. They run concurrently and they are both accessed through the same program, Sonoma.exe. Each component has its own set of windows.

1.3.1 The Sonoma Editor

The Sonoma Editor runs in a single window. It contains menus and toolbars that you will use to create, save, record, and edit multi-channel audio documents called edit decision lists or EDLs. Each EDL is a separate document and the editor can display multiple EDLs inside its window. Chapter describes the Sonoma Editor.

Sonoma Mix

DSD Processor

8 BNC

Cables Out

1.3.2 The Sonoma Mixer

The Sonoma Mixer controls the signal routing in the system and the audio processing applied to the signal path. The mixer contains three main windows: a patch bay (router), a set of channel strips, and a metering/global control section. Chapter

1.3.3 Installing Software Upgrades

From time to time you may receive a CD-ROM with a Sonoma software upgrade. This CD will contain an automatic installer. Insert the CD in your drive. Locate the CD on your desktop and click on the installer file. The installer will be named SonomaXXX.exe, where XXX defines the version number. The icon for the Sonoma installer is a picture of a PC with a box of floppy disks standing

2 Chapter 1: Introduction

3 describes the Sonoma Mixer.

next to it. The default behavior of the installer is to do a complete install. We recommend that you perform the default install, unless you are instructed otherwise by our technical support staff.

1.4 Launching Sonoma

The Sonoma application can be run with or without the mixer. When you install Sonoma two shortcut icons are placed on the desktop, and two items will appear in the start menu under Start>Programs>Sonoma. Each pair are named “Sonoma” and “Sonoma No Mixer.” They all refer to the same program. Launch the desired configuration by double clicking one of the shortcuts or selecting the corresponding menu item. A splash screen will appear that monitors the initialization of the editor.

If you are using a mixer card, the mixer control window will also appear while the mixer card acquires clock, and initializes.

Chapter 1: Introduction

When the initialization is complete, the Sonoma splash screen will disappear and you can begin to work, using the editor and mixer windows which are explained in the next two chapters.

Chapter 1: Introduction 3

Chapter 1: Introduction

4 Chapter 1: Introduction

2.1 Introduction

The Sonoma editor window has a title bar labeled “Sonoma.” It contains menus and toolbars that you will use to create, save, record, and edit multi-channel audio documents called edit decision lists or EDLs. Each EDL is a separate document and is displayed in its own window within the Sonoma editor window. You can open many EDLs at the same time, but all commands apply only to the topmost, active EDL. The title bar of the Sonoma window also displays the name of the currently active EDL document window. The main area of an EDL window contains a graphical representation of edited excerpts of sound files arranged along a time axis. Strips above and below the EDL contain cursor information and editing controls.

Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor

An EDL can hold up to 12 hours of sound. Each snippet of sound is called an ingredient. The Nowline is a vertical black cursor with a green handle; it represents the current position of the

playback head and serves as a locator for editing functions. A pair of red edit cursors, called edit left and edit right, are used for specifying an edit region. Marks in an EDL and its ingredients serve as event locators and can include user annotations. EDL windows also contain a control panel area with tabs that can be clicked to select different panels for performing various tasks. (The control panels are not shown in the picture above.)

The Sonoma editor offers two different ways to perform audio edits. Selection, or object-based editing, operates on selected ingredients. You begin by selecting one or more ingredients, and then use edit commands to trim or slip them to the Nowline, or cut, copy and paste them. Region-based editing ignores ingredient selection and uses the contiguous audio within the edit region - the interval between the edit left and edit right cursors. Linear editing is an elaborate kind of region-based editing where a single command moves material from the edit region in a source EDL to a different region in a destination EDL.

This chapter describes the Sonoma and EDL windows, and explains how to use the cursors, menu commands, and control panels to record, audition, edit, and prepare a Super Audio CD (SACD) edit master file.

Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor 5

2.2 The Sonoma Window

2.2.1 Menus

Most functions in the Sonoma application are accessible via the menus in the menu bar:

Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor

File Menu

Creates, opens, and saves EDLs. The file menu also provides a command for exporting EDLs in SACD mastering file format.

Edit Menu

Contains commands for editing the selected ingredients in an EDL.

Navigation Menu

Controls the zooming and scrolling of an EDL.

Selection Menu

Selects and deselects ingredients in an EDL.

Cursors Menu

Controls the movement of the Nowline.

Marks Menu

Controls the placement of marks in an EDL.

Transport Menu

Controls transport operation and monitor sourcing.

Record Menu

Configures the recording context and controls disk file handling/cleanup when a recording has just been completed.

Waveforms Menu

Controls the display of ingredient and metering waveforms in an EDL.

Window Menu

Manages standard PC window arrangement of the open EDL windows inside the Sonoma window and the display of other system windows (such as preferences and clock display).

2.2.2 Keyboard Shortcuts and Toolbar Buttons

Menu commands usually have keyboard shortcuts, and most menus have corresponding toolbars that contain buttons for their commands. Some menus are linked to control panels rather than toolbars. Control panels are windows with more elaborate interfaces for complex operations. When a menu has an associated toolbar or control panel there is an item at the top of the menu for opening and closing it. The window menu also includes a toolbars item that shows and hides each toolbar. In this menu you will also find items that let you save and restore a default toolbar configuration. The default configuration is stored in your computer’s registry so you can retrieve it again when you install new versions of Sonoma.

6 Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor

Toolbars can be floating windows or they may be docked to the sides of the Sonoma window.

2.2.3 Status Bar

The status bar is the text area located along the bottom of the main Sonoma window. It shows the name of the active EDL and also displays information that is useful when recording. Error messages are also displayed in the left side of the status bar.

2.2.4 Debug Toolbar

Alt-Ctrl-D opens and closes a debugging toolbar. This toolbar should only be used under the direction of a Sony field support engineer. If you open the debug toolbar by accident, be sure that all of its buttons are in the released state before closing it.

2.2.5 Clock Display and Timecode Format

The clock display is a special window that can be opened and closed by selecting its item in the window menu. This window shows the current position of the Nowline in the active EDL.

The display can be a floating window or it can be docked to the Sonoma window by dragging it to the top or bottom edge.

There are five timecode formats:

• Milliseconds (hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds)

• 75 frames/second (hours:minutes:seconds:frames)

• 30 frames/second (hours:minutes:seconds:frames)

• Samples (44.1 kHz sample count)

• Samples (hex) (sample count in hexadecimal representation)

To change the timecode format, use the timecode tab in the Preferences Window. To bring up a menu of timecode formats place the mouse inside the clock display or the EDL timeline and press the right mouse button. When the transport is running, you can toggle through the timecode formats by right-clicking in the clock display.

Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor

The current timecode format is used everywhere timecode is displayed. Wherever you enter a value expressed in time units (e.g., in a Control Panel, Preference Window, or the clock display) you must specify it in the current timecode format. Select a timecode field by double clicking or clicking and dragging. You can select, copy, and paste timecodes between any timecode fields.

The rules for typing timecode are very simple: Timecode must begin with a number and must end with a number or a decimal point. Leading zeros and leading zero fields can be omitted. Trailing zeros can be omitted in the msec. field (in msec. format 1.2 is OK; so is 1. which is the same as 1.0). Also, when in millisecond format, you can type a raw number of milliseconds into a timecode field and they will be translated to the appropriate number of hours, minutes, and seconds.

The clock display itself accepts type in and paste in. The Nowline will move to the position you enter. The color scheme of the timecode window and the function of the right mouse button depends on its state. Normally, the window shows green numbers on a black background and a right mouse click brings up the timecode format menu. To type into the window, click on it. The display changes to black-on-white and right mouse-clicking brings up the edit menu (Cut/Copy/Paste).

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2.2.6 Editing Timecode

A timecode editor is available when editing the following fields:

• Clock Display (Nowline)

• Left/Right Edit Cursors and Edit Region Width

• Left/Right EDL Window Bounds and Width

• Edit Point Fields in the Ingredient and Splice Editors

(All other timecode fields use simple unformatted string editing.)

The editor is invoked by clicking on a timecode field. The numeric keypad *-key selects the clock display. Ctrl+* and Shift+Ctrl+* select the left and right edit cursor fields. When a time display is

Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor

selected its entire value is highlighted and becomes available for copy/paste or editing. Editing begins when a valid character is typed. It ends upon typing Esc or one of the numeric keypad keys ENTER, +, or -. Clicking elsewhere terminates editing as if the ENTER-key were pressed.

If you select a time field and begin typing, your numbers will be entered on top of the original value, starting from the units seconds position and shifting to the left. To clear the original value before typing, press the *-key again. The Backspace-key removes the most recent new digit and shifts your entry to the right. To type into the sub-seconds (e.g., msec. or frames) field, press the numeric keypad decimal point (.) key. To select and edit a single field, use the ← and → arrow keys or double click on the field. When a single field is selected, you can use the ↑ and ↓ arrow keys to increment and decrement the field. When incrementing (or decrementing) values are carried to (or borrowed from) the next field on the left.

When you have completed your entry, press ENTER to submit the new value. Alternatively, press

or - to add or subtract your entry from the field's original value. The Esc-key will exit the editor

and revert back to the original value.

2.2.7 Preferences Window

The preferences item in the window menu opens the preferences window. This window is modal (you must close it before continuing to work). It contains tabs for configuring different features. The edit and recording menus contain commands that open their associated preferences.

2.3 The EDL Window

2.3.1 Opening an EDL

In order to do any playback, editing, or recording, you must open an EDL window. There are four ways to open an EDL from the file menu:

• Use the open command to open an existing EDL

• Use the new EDL command to create a new EDL

• Use the new/import sound files command and select one or more sound files. A new EDL is created and the sound files appear as ingredients in it.

• A special type of EDL called a takelist is created when you record. When you open a takelist EDL you are presented with a dialog.

Section 2.8.10 describes takelists.

8 Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor

When an EDL window is opened, it is maximized by default, but this is controlled via a user preference. You can change this behavior by setting or clearing the open EDL window maximized checkbox in the window tab of the preferences window. This window is reached via the preferences item in the window menu.

The range of the viewable EDL window is 23:30:00 to 12:30:00, however, the usable range in which you can work is from 00:00:00 to 12:00:00.

When an EDL has been modified but not yet saved, an asterisk is appended to its name in the title bar and the Sonoma window menu.

2.3.2 Control Panels

The area on the left side of an EDL consists of a set of control panels. Panels are selected by clicking on a tab, or using the PageDown or PageUp keys to cycle through them.

Channel Controls

The channel control panel is used for recording and to control the appearance of the ingredients in an EDL. You can bring up the channel control panel quickly by pressing Ctrl+PageUp.

Ingredient Editor

The ingredient editor control panel is used to edit single ingredients and groups of ingredients in an EDL. You can bring up the ingredient editor control panel quickly by pressing Ctrl+Alt+I.

Splice Editor

The splice editor control panel is used to adjust cross-fades between ingredients that have been spliced together. You can bring up the splice editor control panel quickly by pressing Ctrl+Alt+L.

Mark Editor

The mark editor control panel is used to create and display marks in an EDL. You can bring up the mark editor control panel quickly by pressing Ctrl+Alt+M. marks and the mark editor.

HW Monitor

The hardware monitor control panel displays real time information about the status of the machine. You will normally not need to view this panel. It can be useful for problem diagnosis under the direction of a Sony field support engineer.

Section 2.11 describes the ingredient editor.

Section 2.13 describes the splice editor.

The control panels are:

Section 2.15 describes

Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor

The channel controls are used most of the time, so this panel is described fully in the next section. The other control panels are used for special functions and will be described later in this chapter.

1. The PageDown and PageUp keys work irrespective of the state of the transport; however, you cannot enter the Splice Editor with the transport running. For this reason, the Splice Editor tab is skipped as you cycle down/up the panels with the PageDown/PageUp keys when the transport runs.

Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor 9

2.3.3 Channel Controls

Each row of the EDL represents one audio channel. The channel rows are numbered from the top

Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor

down, starting with channel one. There are a number of indicators and controls for each channel. From left-to-right across each row, these are:

Processor status lights

These lights indicate the presence of digital audio clock for input (red) and output (green). If all is well, there is one red and one green light to the left of every channel. If there is a hardware problem the status lights may be black or may not appear at all.

Monitor source

Each channel's monitor source is either input or output (i.e., repro). The corresponding columns of buttons are labeled I and O. Clicking on a monitor button sets a channel's monitor to the corresponding source. Clicking on the column heading sets all channels to that source with the following constraints: If one or more channel numbers are selected only the selected channels will switch when you click on the column header. If you Ctrl-click on the heading when one or more channel numbers are selected only those channels that are not selected will switch. You can also switch the monitor source by using the commands and buttons in the transport menu and toolbar (see §

2.8.8.1).

The monitor source may switch automatically during recording. You can control this behavior by selecting one of the monitoring switching modes – see § Also, be aware that the monitor source is locked to output and cannot be switched when you are exporting a master file (see §

Mute

Each channel can be muted and unmuted individually by clicking on its mute button. The

column header toggles the mute state of all the channels whose channel numbers are selected, or all the channels if no channel numbers are selected. Ctrl-clicking the header toggles the mute on the channel numbers that are not selected. You can also toggle muting by using the commands and buttons in the transport menu and toolbar (see §

Channel number

The color of each channel number box indicates if it is selected or unselected. The I/O monitor switching commands and some edit commands are affected by the channel selection state.

To select a channel, click on its channel number box. Clicking on the box toggles that channel’s selection on and off. Other channels are unaffected.To toggle all the channels in the system on and off click on the ch channel heading.

It is possible to define a subset of channels, a channel group, that can be selected independently. Channels in the channel group appear with red channel numbers, other channels are displayed in black. To add or remove a channel from the channel group,

2.17) or recording channel outputs (see § 2.8.2.2).

2.8.2.4 for details.

2.8.8.1).

10 Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor

Ctrl-click the channel number box. Adding or removing a channel from the channel group does not change the selection state of the channel.

To select the channels in the channel group, Ctrl-click on the ch channel heading. (All other channels will be deselected.) Repeated Ctrl-clicks on the heading will toggle the members of the channel group on and off. To set the channel selection to the compliment of the channel group (i.e., the channels that are not in the group) Alt-click on the ch channel heading. Repeated Alt-clicks on the heading will toggle this complementary set of channels on and off.

Channel recording state

The buttons labeled R and S stand for record ready and record safe. These buttons will appear only when a channel is unlocked (see the next control). Clicking on the column heading sets all the unlocked channels to that recording state. One of R and S is always steadily illuminated, but not both. One button may be illuminated while the other one blinks, indicating that the channel has been armed for a transition. The transition may occur when the transport starts moving (in untriggered recording mode) or when the record trigger is pressed (in triggered recording mode).

Section 2.8 describes the entire recording process.

Channel lock

When a channel is locked it is impossible to record on it; its recording mode is forced to safe and its Ready/Safe buttons are hidden. The lock can only be changed when the transport is idle. Clicking on the lock icon toggles the lock state of a channel. Clicking on the column heading L first forces all the channels into locked state (if necessary), subsequent toggles switch the lock state on all channels. Locking channels permits the system to assign the available disk recording space to only those channels that need to record.

Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor

Peak Level Meter

The peak signal at each channel's monitor source is displayed in a horizontal meter. The metering parameters (decay constant and headroom) can be adjusted in the metering tab of the preferences window. Headroom is measured in dB between threshold and maximum signal value. When the signal is above the threshold the meter turns red. The metering data can also be displayed in the channel rows during playback (see §

2.16.2).

Track display mode

A group of ingredients assigned to the same channel is called a track. Sometimes ingredients overlap. (The Sonoma editor can mix two overlapping ingredients in real time on every channel.) The ingredients in a track can be displayed two ways. In overlapped mode all ingredients appear in the same row so overlapping ingredients actually overlap. In alternating mode the ingredients in a track occupy two rows; ingredients are placed in the top and bottom rows alternately so that the overlapping material is lined up on adjacent rows. The default mode is overlapped. To switch modes, click on the overlapping ingredient icon. Clicking on the T column heading toggles the ingredient track display mode on all channels.

Channel height

Regardless of the track display mode, the height of ingredients (and the rows in which they appear) can be large or small. Small is the default. To change the channel height click on the single ingredient icon. Large channel height is useful for viewing ingredient waveforms at a higher resolution. Clicking on the H column heading toggles the channel height on all channels.

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2.3.4 Timeline

The timeline is the row above channel one. A set of blue, pink, blue, and black lines at the top of the timeline shows a time grid. The alternating lines mark durations of one hour, one minute, one second, and a fraction of a second. The fractional scale depends on the timecode format you have selected. The smallest black dashes are 10 msec. in length when displaying millisecond timecode format,

samples for sample format (hex or decimal), and one frame length at the appropriate rate for 75

16 and 30 frame/second formats. Depending on the amount of time displayed in the EDL window, you may see all, or only some, of the dashed lines as the smaller scales only appear as you zoom in.

2.3.5 Nowline and Edit Cursors

Chapter 2: Sonoma Editor

The Nowline is a vertical cursor that shows the current position of the playback head; it moves when the transport is running. You can reposition the Nowline by clicking and dragging its handle: the green knob at the top of the Nowline in the timeline. The position of the Nowline is displayed in the clock display window (if it is open) and also in the lower strip.

Every EDL contains two edit cursors named edit left, and edit right. The left/right edit cursors are drawn as solid red lines and are topped with triangular handles for dragging. An edit cursor can be visible (on) or hidden (off) independent of the state of the other cursor. The edit cursors can be toggled on and off using the show/hide items in the cursors menu, or by Alt-clicking on the edit cursor icons that appear in the upper strip, above the timeline. The edit cursors are explained in more detail in §

2.6.2.

2.3.6 Lower Strip

The lower strip appears below the last channel row of the EDL, it shows three timecode numbers. These numbers appear in the current timecode format. The leftmost and rightmost numbers are the visible bounds of the EDL window. You can select any of these timecode fields and change their values by typing into them. You can also copy and paste any of these timecodes to other timecode fields.

The number in the center is the width of the EDL window currently visible. You can change the zoom factor of the EDL by clicking and editing this number. The Nowline may be located outside the visible range of the EDL. If the Nowline is not visible, an arrow on the left or right of the range field shows in which direction the Nowline can be found. Clicking on these arrows will scroll the EDL so that the window is centered around the Nowline.

2.3.7 Upper Strips

The upper strip appears above the EDL’s timeline, it shows three timecode numbers. These numbers appear in the current timecode format. The leftmost and rightmost numbers are the position of the edit cursors. The center number is the width of the edit region they define. You can select either edit cursor’s timecode field (but not the region field) and change its value by typing into it. You can also copy and paste these timecodes to other timecode fields.

The edit cursors may be located outside the visible range of the EDL. If a cursor is not visible, an arrow on the left or right of its timecode number shows in which direction the Nowline can be found. Clicking on these arrows will scroll the EDL so that the window is centered around the cursor.

The upper strip also contains controls for showing and hiding the edit cursors. Alt-clicking on the edit cursor’s icon will toggle its display state. The strip also contains controls for linear editing: a pair

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Sony SONOMA, SONOMA AUDIO WORKSTATION User Manual

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