OBJECTIVE: Sort plug-ins into folders to make finding and selecting them easier.
BACKGROUND: Sonar lets you organize audio and soft synth plug-ins in lists that appear when you insert an effect. You can have multiple lists (such as plug-ins organized by manufacturer or by type, including folders and sub-folders), and choose among them. Re-ordering is done mostly by drag-and-drop: Drag items into folders, out of folders, into subfolders, and the like, as well as add separators between categories of effects.

STEPS

1. Go Tools > Cakewalk Plug-In Manager. Choose a plug-in category in the left pane (e.g., VST Audio Effects). The middle pane shows all registered plug-ins in that category. The right pane is your “workspace” for creating a new layout.

2. Exclude all plug-ins that don’t work in Sonar. Click on the plug-in to select it (ctrl-click for multiple plugs), then click on Exclude Plug-in.

3. Select all plug-ins in the middle pane (click on the first entry then shift-click on the last), then click on Add Plugin to transfer these over to the workspace.

4. Click on New Folder. Name it (by manufacturer, category, or whatever makes sense to you), then drag the appropriate plug-ins into that folder.

5. You can add divisions between categories (click on Add Separator, then drag into position), and add sub-folders within folders (see Tips).

6. When you’re done organizing your plugins, type a name for the list in the upper field, then click on the Save (floppy disk) button. Click on Close, and you’re done.

7. When you insert an effect or soft synth (including from within an FX bin), choose your desired Plug-in Layout.

TIPS

You can list a plug-in more than once, e.g., create a “Favorites” folder with duplicate listings.
-Step 2: To show excluded plug-ins, click on Show Excluded; click on what you want to include, click on the Enable Plug-in button, and they’ll reappear in your menus.
-Step 6: To create a subfolder, right-click on a folder in the workspace, and select New Subfolder. The context menu has several other options (sort, delete, rename, etc.).
-Layouts are stored under C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Cakewalk\SONAR 7 [Producer or Studio Edition]\Plug-in Menu Layout. Back up this file “just in case.”
-Sonar can show a maximum of 735 plug-ins in a list.