Stereo Bus / Midi Tracks

I was never a fan of the bus function because I figured what was the use if I was setting levels on each individual track.  Then after hours of painful level adjustments on four vocal tracks, I received several comments to push the vocals a little louder.  I panicked because of all of the level adjustments made in each individual track, then I remembered the good old 'bus'.  I was able to rout all four vocal tracks to a single bus and easily make the level change.
 
My question, is there a way to do the same for midi tracks?  I have a song with 4 drum tracks.  The levels vary often in each track.  I need to pull the drums back a little and adjusting levels on each track will take hours.  I don't see how to connect midi tracks to a bus like I can with audio tracks....help?

With Midi tracks, it works a bit different. As TAP said, MIDI is data , not music, so you have to deal with the synth. 

A better way to handle it is what I have been doing for several years now. 

Once you get the drum parts right, simply highlight the track and bounce it to audio. That converts it from MID to audio and now, after you bounce the other drum tracks you can easily insert a DRUM buss and route all the various kit parts to the drum buss. 

At this point you can also insert volume envelopes in the individual kit tracks to do level control as needed. 

I want to say that I believe you can also insert volume envelopes into the midi tracks and use them in much the same way.  I know that pulling the MID track fader up and down does affect the level so if the envelope can be inserted it would do the same. I don't think I have ever tried to automate a MIDI track. 

Tap also addressed the issue of..... if the tracks use a common synth like TTS. Many of the synth features are able to be automated. In the TTS GUI for example.... it looks like a mixer with faders,,,, move those faders and the output level of that channel changes. There is a "W" button in TTS GUI. Again I have never turned on TTS' write automation feature..... but it's there so turn it on and see. 

it depends on whether you inserted the softsynth as a SIMPLE INSTRUMENT TRACK or separate MIDI/OUTPUT tracks.

if you inserted them as INSTRUMENT TRACKS, then the instrument track acts just like an audio track and you should be able to set the output of the track to the bus just like you would an audio track.

if you inserted them as separate MIDI/OUTPUT tracks then the OUTPUT track acts like an audio track and can be set to the bus like any other audio track.  but you need to set it at the OUTPUT track, not the MIDI track.

regarding your first post about not using buses - that's a bad thing to do if you route all of your tracks directly to the soundcard.  that means you're summing at the soundcard so you can't tell what your final levels are before exporting.  you could be exporting at -6dB which is too low for a final export (unless you're sending it to be mastered) or you could be over 0dB which will be digital clipping.  digital clipping is very bad and makes distortion sounds and if you don't go thru the master bus to see what your levels are then this is very likely to happen.

ALWAYS sum at the master bus!  only the master bus should be set to the soundcard output - all other tracks and buses need to go thru the master bus.

Ok, I'm trying these suggestions and have one question (so far).  I want to route audio tracks to a stereo bus.  On the track view, I see both 'output' and 'send'.  Both let me route to the stereo bus.  What is the difference between them?

I started out that way, but was curious what the difference between the output and the 'send' was.  It seems perhaps that the output is a result of all input to the track (including effects, etc.).  The 'send' may be a way to double the track and send it for different effects......anybody know for certain?

Thanks!