Recording midi & DXi to Sonar

  • Thread starter Thread starter Paul881
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Paul881

Paul881

Look Mom, I can play!
I am having problem recording DXi synths to midi and audio tracks.

I set up an audio track with the input set to "none", in the FX I select my DXi synth. I then set up my midi track with the out put selected as the DXi synth. I then play the synth using the synth screen k/board (no external midi controller), I can hear it, I can see my audio meters move okay. But each time I set the audio track to record, it automaticaly selects my soundcard as the input, therefore switching away from the midi track. So all it records is silence. So how do I record the synth? I would like to record it as a midi so I can play around with the recording in Piano Roll View. And I would also like to record it as an audio file too. And the midi track of course doesn't record the synth either.

I have HS 2002 (Sonar Lite) plus a Delta 66+ omni and a s/blaster Live! card.

Is it me, am I going mad? Or just senile?:)
 
Paul when you say
I set up an audio track with the input set to none
Click to expand...
I don't think you need to do this.

1) Click on the dxi button (synth rack)
2) Click on insert dxi instrument on that rack.
3) Select synth
4) When Insert Synth options opens check just "first synth output (audio)"
5) Now go ahead and select synth as a possible output in any midi port you want to use.

A good tip for selecting more than one midi port is to click on any midi channel numbers using <ctrl> or <shift> to select others, making the leftmost tip go blue. Then select track/property/output and set to the dxi synth output.
 
Johnjoe, thanks for your reply, but I don't understand what you are telling me.

When you say "click on the DXi button" where are you in Sonar? And where is the synth rack you talk of? I am using either Virtual Sound Canvas or VirtualSampler synths.

In Sonar's Track view, clicking on an audio fx, I can select a DXi synth. I can only select a DXi on a midi track as an output device after first selecting the DXi synth in an audio track.

A good tip for selecting more than one midi port is to click on any midi channel numbers using <ctrl> or <shift> to select others, making the leftmost tip go blue. Then select track/property/output and set to the dxi synth output.
Click to expand...

This is no problem, I can do this okay, that is what I am doing at present.

Maybe my problem is that without an external midi controller I cannot use VirtualSamplers screen keyboard to record midi?
 
Sorry Paul, Yes I was referring to operating dxis from Sonar (i have 2XL). The synth rack (this is the dxi button) is on the 3rd row of buttons down from topscreen with dxi written on it. I believe you are probably operating the dxi correctly but I was trying to provide an alternative way (that I saw when I attended a Sonar demo in London recently). I think you are also correct in believing you need to use an external midi controller.
 
Paul - I believe all you need to do to record a Dxi Synth to audio is to highlight (select) BOTH the midi track and the track the synth is patched to and then apply the Bounce to Tracks command.

It will give you a new audio track with the recorded synth.

It's a breeze. A lot easier than recording a midi track, and a lot faster.
 
There are two different ways to use DXi synths on Sonar 2.0 and that is what is stuffing you up -

The first way - (what I think you are doing)
- Getting your MIDI track, right mouse clicking in the FX section and adding a DXi synth from there.

The other way - (like what johnhoe said to do)
- Click the INSERT menu, choose INSERT DXi SYNTH
- Choose the VSC or whatever one you want
- A menu comes up asking what you want do track-wise
- Choose at least the first two options

This creates a midi source track and an audio track that is linked to the output of your midi synth, in this case the VSC DXi

To mix this track down, as Dachay said you would just highlight and select both tracks and choose the EXPORT AUDIO command.

Make sense?

Q.
 
Qwerty said:
To mix this track down, as Dachay said you would just highlight and select both tracks and choose the EXPORT AUDIO command.
Click to expand...
Actually "Bounce to Track." I imagine Export Audio would work, but it will create a .wav file "outside" of your project. Bounce to Track will create a new audio track "within" your project (which is what I assume is what Paul wants to do. If not, I stand corrected.).

Another minor point - the first method you described above won't actually work. You can't patch a DXi directly onto a midi track. You need to patch the DXi onto a separate audio track. Once you do that, you then select the DXi as your "Out" on the midi track. I think this is what Paul said he was doing.
 
Paul881 said:
I am having problem recording DXi synths to midi and audio tracks.

I set up an audio track with the input set to "none", in the FX I select my DXi synth. I then set up my midi track with the out put selected as the DXi synth. I then play the synth using the synth screen k/board (no external midi controller), I can hear it, I can see my audio meters move okay. But each time I set the audio track to record, it automaticaly selects my soundcard as the input, therefore switching away from the midi track. So all it records is silence. So how do I record the synth? I would like to record it as a midi so I can play around with the recording in Piano Roll View. And I would also like to record it as an audio file too. And the midi track of course doesn't record the synth either.

I have HS 2002 (Sonar Lite) plus a Delta 66+ omni and a s/blaster Live! card.

Is it me, am I going mad? Or just senile?:)
Click to expand...

The way I record soft synths in HS2002 is by creating an additional audio track and setting the Delta "Monitor Mixer" as my recording source. I have the Audiophile.

Do you do all routing through the Monitor Mixer on your Delta?
 
Thanks for all your responses, but I still don't understand what you are are telling me:(

My Midiman mixer is enabled to Monitor Mixer.

I do not have any DXi choice in the insert drop down menu in Sonar.

This is what I am doing:

I set my Audio track input to "None". My Audio output is set to Delta 66 1/2

In the audio track fx I choose Virtual Sampler.

In an adjacent midi track, I select the output to be "Virtual sampler".

So far so good. I then play the on screen Virtual sampler keyboard and can hear the loaded soundfonts playing okay. The level meters move in the selected audio track set up for the synth.

But how do I record my sounds? As soon as I "Arm" the audio track, Sonar automatically deselects the input from "None" to delta 66 1/2. And then records silence! (of course).

Surely, I can only bounce the track/s once I have recorded it/them?

As it is, I do not see how I can record either midi or audio with my current set-up.

I am obviously missing something here.:confused:
 
Paul - I think I finally understand what you are asking. You want to record (write?) the midi data itself. I had assumed you wanted to record already existing midi data over to an audio track. In which case, Bounce to Tracks would do it.

Don't think I can help you here as I tend to "write out" my midi data in the Piano Roll or Staff View. I've never tried to record midi data from a "live source." However, what happens if you set the MIDI track to record, rather than the audio track? Would that record the Midi data? If it did, you could then convert it to audio later using the Bounce to Track command. (Just thinking out loud here.)

P.S. I think the "Insert DXi" command is new to Sonar 2.0 - as is the DXi Synth Rack that Johnhoe referred to. If you are still using version 1, you won't have them.
 
dachay wrote:

Paul - I think I finally understand what you are asking. You want to record (write?) the midi data itself.
Click to expand...

Yes, you are right, I have a rush of blood to my head and felt like writing some midi stuff using my collection of DXi synths.:)
If I Arm the midi track it records nothing:( Converting already recorded midi to audio is a doddle, no sweat. But recording midi synth either as an audio or a midi is a problem.

I think you are right, I have the original non xl version of hs2002 and so am missing the synth rack that Johnjoe was referring to.

I think matters will be resolved when I get my midi controller. If not, I have a Sonar upgrade excuse:D Roll on Christmas:D :D
 
-If you can't get it to go any other way, then the SBLive should have a recording setting called "what you hear". Just record on it, play the soundfont track alone, and then re-import the resulting .wav.
~
 
Just record on it, play the soundfont track alone, and then re-import the resulting .wav.
Click to expand...
Or record it to a track direct in Sonar/HS...

But that won't help on softsynths...
 
Dachay, The difficult I can do, its the easy stuff that catches me out:D :D (Yeah, right:rolleyes: )

Doug C, you are right, I saw that in the Sonar Help file. But I am after a midi recording, not wav.

After a lot of messing about, I can record VSC with Virt. Piano to midi...and then I can convert to audio ...as previously posted...a doddle:D

But I can't get Virtual Sampler to record from its own screen keyboard. But If I load VPiano, I can get it to record the VS to midi...but I can't hear it being recorded.

I've got some more messing about to do...catch you later:)
 
Okay, this is the latest....

As previously posted, I cannot record to midi using VirtualSamplers on screen keyboard, but I can use V.Piano to record VS sounds...but I can't hear the recording in real time. But it will play back okay!

Most people say that not being able to hear my stuff is an advantage anyway:D
 
Re: dachay wrote:

Paul881 said:

I think you are right, I have the original non xl version of hs2002 and so am missing the synth rack that Johnjoe was referring to.
Click to expand...

Acutally, that is a Sonar 2 exclusive feature. I have HS2002XL and the DXi rack is not there. HS2002 and XL are still based off of Sonar 1.xx code.
 
Paul881 said:
Okay, this is the latest....

As previously posted, I cannot record to midi using VirtualSamplers on screen keyboard, but I can use V.Piano to record VS sounds...but I can't hear the recording in real time. But it will play back okay!

Most people say that not being able to hear my stuff is an advantage anyway:D
Click to expand...

You could always just input notes in the piano roll view. Did you try that yet?
 
Yeah, that works okay.:)

Its just figuring a way of listening to what I record real time. I rekon my external midi controller (when it arrives) will fix the problem.:)
 
Man...learn something every day!

I love this board!!

All the while I've been listening to what good ole Garrigus tells us to do in Sonar Power! and been creating an audio and MIDI track, adding the fX, making all the adjustments. Guess what? Now I'm just using the Insert DXi menu!!!! Much better!!! Thanks guys!

Grey
 
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