Re:How to connect 2 or more keyboards to Sonar
2013/02/23 22:58:32
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Well, I would say (and I do not use MIDI anymore) that each unit has an ID unit number. Can not exactly recall where it starts at - 16 or 17 but probably 17 and goes up to 32. So I would say that you have to send an Sys(tem) Exclusive Message from each synth on each track to know what synth you are using, and then you have to set the synth up using a different ID unit number. First synth - unit ID 17, second synth unit ID 18, third synth unit ID 19, which can be set on each synth. So in the end you can have 16 different unit ID numbers and 16 channels on each synth (1-16 on each one but with the different ID unit number attached to the message to begin with) so you can end up with 16 x 16 or 256 total MIDI tracks. I think you can plug a MIDI out into a MIDI thru or so and make sure that you are sending the MIDI message and unit number of the synth you are playing, but still to end up playing it all you would have to send all channels and unit ID numbers back out to the synths and set up a Performance Patch on each one, or perhaps make all the MIDI tracks into separate audio tracks in Sonar I guess. Since I have never done that part of it, then I suppose someone else around this forum has. But then converting a MIDI track to an audio track on the fly (as the way I understand it) leaves a difficult task for any computer after a certain amount of tracks. Sending back out to each synth connected and all plugged into a Mixer via the Direct Outs or Line Outs of the synth (and each one) would play all the tracks just leaving them MIDI in Sonar. If using Windows soft-synth in Windows, only 16 channels will you ever have if they are hooked up for general MIDI in the first place. (usually I think they are but not always in the past.) And in Sonar then you have your MIDI Assignments in a menu item and what MIDI instrument you want to use, but again I think that is only for 16 channels at the most. Sending out Sys Exclusive message for each synth and playing back on each synth in a Performance Patch no problem, doing it the other way and using soft-synths in Sonar or something like that then a lot of CPU power has to be used or else it will quit working probably when overloaded with too many tracks. ------------------------------------------------------------- Actually all I do anymore is send the output jacks (line out) into my audio interface and record the synth directly like a wave file recording into Sonar. If using different synths I hook up the synth I am going to use to the inputs into Sonar and then record a wave file recording like a regular recording.