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Controllers, RPNs, NRPNs, and
Automation Data
SONAR projects contain a lot more information than the notes and digital audio
files that are at the heart of your work. Controllers, RPNs, and NRPNs (xRPNs, for
short) are special types of events used by MIDI software and hardware to control
the details of how MIDI music is played. Automation data are used to adjust
volume, pan, and other parameters of MIDI and audio tracks on the fly while
playback is in progress.
SONAR lets you enter or edit controller, xRPN, and automation data in several
ways:
• Using envelopes in the Track view (see Chapter 13, Using Automation)
• Using the Controllers pane in the Piano Roll view
•Using the Insert-Series of Controllers command
• Using the automation features of the Track view and Console view
• Event by event in the Event List view
Editing data in the Track view’s Clips pane or the Piano Roll view’s Controllers
pane gives you great flexibility. You can examine the controllers in graphical form
and edit them even while recording or playback is in progress. This means you can
loop over a portion of your project and hear any change you make on the next loop.
Note: MIDI envelopes you create in the Piano Roll Controllers pane and MIDI
envelopes you create in the Track view Clips pane are actually separate envelopes,
even if they control the same parameter. Both kinds of envelopes are visible in the
Clips pane, and should generally not be used to control the same parameter. You
can convert Piano Roll view envelopes to Track view envelopes by selecting the
time range and tracks that the Piano Roll envelopes occupy, and using the Edit-
Convert MIDI To Shapes command.
For more information on automation, see Chapter 13, Using Automation, and
Chapter 11, Mixing and Effects Patching. For more information about the Event
List view, see “The Event List View” on page 318.
Controllers
Controllers are the MIDI events such as volume, sustain pedal, and pan that you
use to change the sound while you're playing. You can enter controller data from
within SONAR, or record them from external devices such as MIDI keyboards.
Controllers let you control the detail and character of your music. Say you’re
playing a guitar sound on your synthesizer, but it sounds lifeless and dull. That’s
partly because a guitar player doesn’t just play notes one after another—he often
bends or slides on the strings to put emotion into his playing. You can use
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