A-500PRO via SonicCell sound module to X1b

Well, first of all check your input monitoring in Sonar on the audio track you're routed to. Since you've got Midi and audio hooked up, check to see if local control is off on the Sonic Cell. I take it you've already checked your Midi inputs in Midi devices?

Thanks so much, Craig and FBB.
You really helped me focus on this.
This is a bit long but with good news and gratitude.
The SC would play the demos and I could audition sounds no problem, so I knew the ouput from the SC was getting to the monitors, but there was no tell-tale flashing on the USB light, no metering on the MIDI INST screen and so nothing was reaching Sonar.
After some time, I can now play SC sounds in Sonar.
In Sonar the SC is defined as a midi device, input and output.
On the SC, USB-MIDI Thru is set to ON.
I have paired a midi track and an audio track in a folder.
Midi input is set to the A-PRO Omni, output to Roland SonicCell, None on the Channel, Bank and Patch settings.
(I couldn't choose a Bank anyway though Channel and Patch I could.)
Audio input is set to the Focusrite audio/midi interface audio inputs that I've connected the SC audio outputs to, output to a stereo bus in Sonar.
The SC is in Performance send mode. I experimented with changing this to Patch mode but whenever I returned to the scree, it seemed to have been reset to Performance - I don't understand that.
Anyway, I can now input directly from the A-500 with flashing USB light on the SC and meter flashing in the Sonar midi track AND I hear it!!
I can also put sequences in the midi track and they play!!
To record, I just arm the audio track, hit r, and then play or let the sequence run through and I get an audio clip!!
This is all good news but... what remains is that I have to do my patch selection on the SC wheel - I cannot get the SC Editor to work. When I load it into the FX bin of the audio track (as per the manual) I constantly get the "Unable to read/write data" message and the manual is not too helpful with that.
Frankly, I'm delighted that I can do so much already that I'm happy to do without the editor interface - I'm not that keen to get into editing patches - but it would be nice to be able to select patches on the PC screen.
If anyone has any ideas why my SC Editor VST won't work, that would be great.
Thanks to all.

FastBikerBoy


Whaat you can do though is import the INS files and assign your SC output to them. That way you can load the presets at least from the track/console with meaningful names.
...
Download any updates from Roland and see if that helps with the editor problem. My problem always seemed to be on the VST scan it failed to "open script" or something like that. I emailed Roland support about 18 months ago........ still waiting for a reply

Can you give me the details of how to "import the INS files" - a bit too under the hood for me.
I'll see if there are any upgrades and reinstall everything.
When I scan VST, I get the "Unable to read/write data" message...
Thanks for the help.

FastBikerBoy

It is the synth VST editor that doesn't work via Sonar and I get a "cannot open script" message. What script? Who knows.............

As to the instrument definitions.......

Download them from HERE and save them somewhere you can find them again.

From within Sonar go to Preferences->MIDI->Instruments then click on the Import button and import the files you've just downloaded.

Once that is done you can click on each of your Sonic Cell channels in the left hand window of the Instruments interface and then assign them to the imported definitions which should now be showing in the right hand window. You can multi select channels BTW.

IIRC the drum definitions are listed separately so you can assign those to channel 10.

Exit that dialogue and you will find that when you select the Sonic Cell as an output in a MIDI channel you should see the Bank & patch names in the MIDI tracks Bank & Patch drop down boxes.

If you need any more help just post up.

Thanks, FBB, I've just downloaded the INS zip from that very location.
While I was in the area, I noted that, in the Readme file (downloadable from the Synth Ed download page), it says that the Synth Ed will not work with 64bit Windows...

No problem, glad you're sorted.