Insert Plugin to All Tracks Shortcut?

In PT, you can control-click-insert a plug in or send on all tracks. Is there an equivalent shortcut in Sonar 8

IE: I have 16 audio tracks, and I want to insert a compressor on each track and assign a send on each track to the reverb bus... Aside from setting up the first plugin and control-dragging it to the next track, is there any way to control-click-insert plugin so it applies all tracks?

Hi John- Thanks for the reply. I'm happy to route tracks to a bus, but that's not always what's best...

I guess this is going to turn into a feature request. ProTools has this. Has so since at least v6, and it's really handy. Mind you, I really only use it to add eq to all tracks.

Understood about the 'bad practice' but in some cases it is necessary to apply the same change to all of the tracks. IE: bus routing. Or to enable the eq. I was just wondering if it's possible.

Thanks :P

David

In Sonar each audio track has EQ built in. The idea here is to not duplicate when you don't have to. PT HD has DSP hardware Sonar is native. Its really bad practice to add FX of the same type independently to each track. It takes up unnecessary CPU.

Just a point on that, is that each built in track eq IS a separate instance of a Sonitus eq. As Mike say's you'll often want several track instances of the same plug to control per track setting...no bad practice at all, unless you are duplicating settings on a bunch of tracks, then of course a bus is often the best route. (not always, as something like a compressor even with the same settings will obviously effect say a kick drum on it's own differently to when it's summed with other tracks)

One reason that I'd really want to know what was 'actually' happening 'behind the scenes' in that PT option as it is either setting up several instances or (virtually) bussing the effect ....the only advantage I can see of quickly setting up a bunch of identical instances is if you going to individually tweak them all from the same starting point but seeing as you'd spend time on each individual instance anyway I can't see that ctrl dragging them one by one is much of a penalty.

The other way to acheive the same result when setting up the project is to put the likely fx candidates, sends and such in a single track and clone them then when it comes to it just enable the plugs you want....just a different way of skinning the same cat, as would setting up Track Templates with your usual suspects as far as goto fx are concerned.

These things are often synonymous between two different platforms but the implementaion is sometimes seemingly vastly different.

ORIGINAL: MatsonMusicBox

SONAR seems to be weak generally in the "multiple apply" category ... I'd like to be able to rapidly:

1) Assign the same effects sends to a bunch of tracks at once
2) Assign the same bus assignment (output) to a bunch of tracks at once
3) Assign the same input to multiple tracks at once
4) as noted - same effects to multiple tracks at once - you can ctrl-drag which makes it pretty quick at least
5) same track icon to multiple at once

Maybe there are ways to do these things and I just don't know about them? If so - Please let me know!

1/ Clone or template track.
2/ Clone or template track
3/ Clone or template track
4/ Clone or template track
5/ Clone or template track

...

clue: I only typed that once then just changed the numbers individually...

ORIGINAL: MatsonMusicBox

ORIGINAL: Jonbouy

ORIGINAL: MatsonMusicBox

SONAR seems to be weak generally in the "multiple apply" category ... I'd like to be able to rapidly:

1) Assign the same effects sends to a bunch of tracks at once
2) Assign the same bus assignment (output) to a bunch of tracks at once
3) Assign the same input to multiple tracks at once
4) as noted - same effects to multiple tracks at once - you can ctrl-drag which makes it pretty quick at least
5) same track icon to multiple at once

Maybe there are ways to do these things and I just don't know about them? If so - Please let me know!

1/ Clone or template track.
2/ Clone or template track
3/ Clone or template track
4/ Clone or template track
5/ Clone or template track

...

clue: I only typed that once then just changed the numbers individually...

Yep - works great IF you don't already have the tracks set up with other plug-in, settings, sends, etc. I only typed once also!

My, my we are a bit wedged up this morning aren't we? I must have upset you I can tell... Not my intention though I just can't seem to avoid incurring someones wrath these days. I'm gonna have to invest in a few terms at charm school I can tell.

If I've got tracks already set-up with stuff I normally find I don't need to apply 'bulk' settings at that point. I guess I plan ahead a bit

FWIW although I've nearly lost the will to live now, ALL the tracks input and output's and icons (2,3 and 5)can be altered though in bulk after the event from the Tracks Properties menu in track view.

Just select the tracks you want to change the setting of then Track/Properties choose what needs changing.

HTH, seriously.

ORIGINAL: MatsonMusicBox

ORIGINAL: Jonbouy

ALL the tracks input and output's and can be altered though in bulk after the event from the Tracks Properties menu.

Just select the tracks you want to change the setting of then Track/Properties choose what needs changing.

HTH, seriously.

I'll look at that - could be helpful - might be the ticket.

Here's a scenario .... assign all my vocals to vocal sub buss ... clone or temp[late as you indicated ... song I'm working on has about a dozen people I recruited doing a "chant" (think "I just want to celebrate" or "we will rock you" thing) in addition to the regular vocals. I decide that I'd like to put all these to another sub buss called "chant" - would be handy to somehow select all 12 of them and assign to the new buss at once. Sounds like track properties might do that.

Also - now I decide they would all sound good with their own special reverb on them, so I set up an effects buss, would be nice to be able to add the send to all 12 channels at once.

Yes to the first paragraph you've got it, you won't be able to put in the reverb sends in bulk but here you are doing that planning ahead thing so you can cater for the possibilty of including a couple of blank sends on the track before you clone them when you are first setting up the project in order that you can put that special reverb on a bus and by means of a quick group in console view change all the sends settings for your chant choir at once when the need arises.

It doesn't hurt to have a couple of disabled sends on a track the 'may' get used later as you can't add them in bulk after the event AFAIK. You'll be able to adjust them all in bulk though if they are on you tracks from the outset via a group or quick group.

Most old (like me) desks have track sends whether they got used or not so I guess here all that's happening is that you are given the option of deciding how many sends you are likely to want or usually use at setup time, to keep things simple though make sure they are disabled before cloning.

ORIGINAL: John

In Sonar each audio track has EQ built in. The idea here is to not duplicate when you don't have to. PT HD has DSP hardware Sonar is native. Its really bad practice to add FX of the same type independently to each track. It takes up unnecessary CPU. A bus is the best way to handle this sort of thing in Sonar. Now clearly there will be times when you will need to have the same FX on two different tracks because they will be set up differently. In that case one will have to accept the CPU hit on that but to do so routinely is not a good idea when you don't have to.

You can copy and paste FX as many times as you want. Even with the same settings if you like in Sonar.

Post edited for clarity I see...

Of course to do anything that isn't needed is always bad practice...unless of course it's for the sheer folly and fun of it.

ORIGINAL: John

In Sonar each audio track has EQ built in. The idea here is to not duplicate when you don't have to. PT HD has DSP hardware Sonar is native. Its really bad practice to add FX of the same type independently to each track. It takes up unnecessary CPU. A bus is the best way to handle this sort of thing in Sonar. Now clearly there will be times when you will need to have the same FX on two different tracks because they will be set up differently. In that case one will have to accept the CPU hit on that but to do so routinely is not a good idea when you don't have to.

You can copy and paste FX as many times as you want. Even with the same settings if you like in Sonar.

Humm, I think you're totaly missing the point. In my world, each track (say drums for example) will have a compressor, all with different settings, and it's a pain to add them manually or copy to each. Would be great to be able to add the plug to all tracks (or even better, all tracks in a folder).

Your situation might be different ... one compression setting for all your tracks!

In regards to EQ, wich is used on all my tracks (hopefully on some of yours as well), I don't like the Cake EQ, so I end up inserting EQ on every track.

This in my mind would be a great feature, no need to use it if it doesn't fit your workflow/style.

Dude

ORIGINAL: kp

If you want to insert multiple sends...

Select all the relevant tracks
Right click in the first track
Insert send

It gets added to all tracks

Thanks KP

So that's pretty much all bases covered then...who knew?

I'd never even tried that as I always have a spare send or two.

The answer you'll likely hear more of is Track Templates. I personally don't find them to be all that, but that's what you'll hear.

I think you CAN insert sends on multiple tracks by just selecting them all.
EDIT: oh, someone caught that.

CTRL-Drag is prolly the only way for the inserts.

ORIGINAL: Marah

ORIGINAL: Jonbouy

I'm gonna have to invest in a few terms at charm school I can tell.

I tried that. It works, but only if you really want it to.

lol...yer right **** 'em!...

Humm, I think you're totaly missing the point. In my world, each track (say drums for example) will have a compressor, all with different settings, and it's a pain to add them manually or copy to each. Would be great to be able to add the plug to all tracks (or even better, all tracks in a folder).

Missing what point? Please reread my post to understand what the post is saying. If you can't get my point I will accept that I am not explaining it well. But I do believe I did explain it well enough.

Your situation might be different ... one compression setting for all your tracks!

This is a presumptuous statement. Nor is it any of your business what I do with a track of mine.

In regards to EQ, wich is used on all my tracks (hopefully on some of yours as well), I don't like the Cake EQ, so I end up inserting EQ on every track.

Why would you care what I put on a track? Is that any of your concern? The notion that the Sonitus EQ is not up to your quality standard is laughable but each to their own.

Actually your entire post is presumptuous.

Nothing wrong with using a compressor but it seems if you need one on every drum track perhaps your tracking needs some work.

Also often I use different types of compressors for various reasons. The notion that a single compressor type or setting is going to be useful for all tracks baffles me. But then you know all about how I do my mixes.

None of this is about any mix I have done. It is about the notion that routinely one would do as the OP wants to do is not a good idea from a Sonar user perspective. That is what I was saying. If you see it otherwise please explain why.

Then others have come up with ways to do as the OP wants with templates I don't see why this is being pursued any further anyway.

John,

Not answering for "dude", but for me, the point isn't that I would want the same exact setting in a plug on 20 tracks, but I OFTEN want the same plug on many tracks. For example - i might want to run ALL or MOST of my tracks through the SSL4000 E channel or G Channel ... could this get "handled" by using a track template ... yeah .. it could but that is ONE workflow idea ... the other would be to select all the tracks I want it on and somehow say "add SSL4000" to all these tracks ... that is an equally valid, highly intuitive, user friendly, commonly used in many software programs, workflow model that SONAR just doesn't seem to support.

So instead of blindly defending SONAR with a "not a good idea from a SONAR user perspective" comment, why not acknowledge it as a moderate deficiency in the product that could be easily addressed to make life easier for those who want to work that way?

Not answering for "dude", but for me, the point isn't that I would want the same exact setting in a plug on 20 tracks, but I OFTEN want the same plug on many tracks. For example -

That was clearly address in my post.