New User question...

Hi: Just started using Sonar Essential, I've moved over from Cubase. I'm running into a problem that about has me ripping my hair out: How does one record a MIDI played from MIDI tracks out to synths back in to an audio track? I've inserted an audio track, I've selected stereo ins from the KX Mixer (I have an E-Mu APS card), I've armed the track for recording, I have the outs going to the speakers and... Nothing. I start the record, and all I get is a straight line of no sound across the audio track. Very frustrating. in fact, I can't seem to get any signal from my mixer (a Yamaha MG10/2) to Sonar. MIDI, Yes, that's coming from the MOTU Micro Express USB- the input signal is fine from that, but I can't get any signal from the actual keyboards themselves. The APS is working fine- I can listed to any recorded audio out of it. Here's another issue I can't resolve that might be the problem: The KX Mixer is an ASIO driver, and Sonar won't see it. It only allows me select an MME 32-bit as the sound driver. When I select the ASIO, there's no audio outs or ins available, so I've had to use the MME... Any suggestion? And thanks in Advance. ..Joe

go to insert/soft synth/choose which soft synth you want/check simple instrument track and synth property page boxes only, arm track, you should be good to go.

You have to route the MIDI tracks back to your hardware synths and then back into an audio track in sonar. MIDI is just data, so when you recorded your midi from your outboard synths, you did not record any sound. you just recorded MIDI data

Cj

When I select the ASIO, there's no audio outs or ins available, so I've had to use the MME... Any suggestion? And thanks in Advance. ..Joe

While all the other answers are valid they are all assuming that your drivers are installed correctly. The line quoted above suggests to me that they aren't. I would go back to windows uninstall your drivers completely and then reinstall them.

Until Sonar 'sees' the drivers correctly you won't be able to record external sources.

Have you done the following?

1. Switch to Preferences-->Audio-->Playback & Recording and select ASIO from the "Driver mode" drop down
2. Click apply
3. Switch back to Preferences-->Audio-->Devices

The ASIO drivers should now be available for selection

If they aren't because they are greyed out, deselect whatever drivers are selected (both input & output) then the ASIO drivers for your device should become available to select. (You may need to click apply first, I'm working from memory)

Being able to select the drivers is the key. Until that is done they won't be available within the program.

If ASIO isn't working well try using WDM mode. Set that by following the above but selecting WDM in step one.

HTH

This link is a pic of the APS: http://www.dearhoney.idv.tw/Museum/E-MU_APS-1.jpg The E-Mu APS was E-mu's first card and aside from handling audio duties was it also had a full-blown 16-bit sampler and synth built in. The whole concept of Sound Fonts were invented for this card. You could actually load an E-Mu Proteus Sound Font and have that and other synths as well. Unfortunately, Creative soon orphaned it. They did create a newer driver in 2004 when they realized that a lot of people and studios were still using it with XP, but that was the last official driver, so Windows 7 64-bit is out. There is something called KX Mixer, (Created after Creative first abandoned the cards) which will work with any of the Audigy-era (E-Mu 10k1) Creative cards. The last version was released in 2009 to work with 64-bit computers, and has functioned flawlessly since. http://kxproject.lugosoft.com/down.php It is an ASIO driver, but when I select that in the Audio properties of Sonar, there is nothing available in the Inputs dropdown of the Audio track within the project. Therefore, I can't get the audio generated by the synths out to the Yamaha mixer from the MIDI tracks, and thence to the card inputs into the Audio track. The only thing Sonar allows me to select is an MME driver, and that I can select in the input dropdown, but when I try to record, all I get is silence. As an aside, I never see any movement on the audio meter, meaning it's just not getting to Sonar. Unless I'm doing something completely wrong in how I'm trying to record an audio track of the MIDI data... ..Joe

Joe,

Te KX mixer will get you nowhere. SONAR needs to see a ASIO or WDM driver for your sound card. If not, there is no input (in SONAR) for your synth to record in to. You *have* to find a driver for your sound card.