hmm maybe some volume automation of the metronome track could do the trick? just guessing,
anyway, as a drummer&soundman, I usually prefer to leave 1st measure of metronome click, then 2nd measure add also my own drumsticks "click" - this way the metronome can be disabled completely while still having plenty time in the very beginning to catch up :))

brundlfly,
Is no one reading your reply?
 

jatoth
brundlfly,
Is no one reading your reply?
 

You are right, of course.
 
I'm embarrassed to admit that when I first read his explanation it did not entirely sink in. I've read it again and tried it out and it does indeed work. It had never occurred to me that with the metronome turned off for both playback and recording the count in would still be audible. It may be partly due to the fact that I generally have the count in set to zero, because I always leave one or two blank measures at the beginning.
 
Thank you for getting me to look at it again, and thank you to brundlfly for pointing out this useful feature.

I never start a project at the beginning ever.
it is always a good idea to leave a pre roll in a project. too many thing can go array.
your asking your exporting  project process to start immediately.
not giving any room for future decisions.
 
I have however used a 4 count before. By using a stick count and then freezing that track / copying that track to a blank audio track then deleting the drum sim. thus leaving only the click/audio track for count in.
but I actually find it easier to copy / paste a stick/click sample 4 times in synch with the tempo.

I set up my templates with the Metronome Output routed to its own bus, and then automate the Bus Output Volume down after a certain number of counts at the start of the song. 
 
If you need to bring the Metronome volume back up to perform a mid-song breakdown or whatever, all you need to do is modify your Metronome Bus Out Volume automation. 

I have experimented with click track measure(s) and the count-in only metronome, and I tend to favor the first way, where I add a 2nd midi track to my drums track folder and just have that click track loaded with hi-hat ticks on the beats.
 
I found that often, when trying the count-in only for the metronome, (whether or not metronome is on/off during recording), and having NO blank measures ahead of the song's actual start, that MANY musicians - myself included, would have some initial audio chopped off, if anybody came in at ALL ahead of beat 1.  Even just a very few midi ticks ahead of beat 1 would mean that the first note(s) on my keyboard tracks would not sound on playback, simply because the Note On event did not get recorded if it came at all ahead of the actual beat 1.
 
So, once midi notes get skipped over enough times, EITHER the keyboard player would themselves start coming in a fraction LATE, because they became gun shy about playing even a minute fraction prior to 1, OR edits would be needed to alter the actual starting Note event data to begin truly at 1, etc....
 
Either way - I just went back to including a measure or so ahead of the first 'real' measure of the song, and had a midi track with hi-hat or whatever and I have just been doing it this way for a long long time now.
 
Bob Bone
 

Meh. I just create my own "count ins" using a "Simple Instrument Track" and a synth/drum sim (currently using AD2 but TTS-1 or most any plug with percussion sounds works).
 
It avoids screwing around with the weird metronome setup/routing/playback/recording in Sonar (and most DAWs). Seriously annoying/time consuming stuff. It's more flexible too and I can export the results for others to follow AND I can still use the metronome when I want.
 
eg: I set up my percussion SIT and use something like a hi-hat (I prefer hats than clicks for count ins and whatnot) then can create whatever length/style count in I want by punching the beats into the PRV (and copy/drag them a few times to get as many lead in repetitions as I need).
 
Simple enough to just get into the tune until the drums kick in BUT now I can also program in those hats/clicks/etc at parts where the drums/beat drops out/disappears.
 
I am currently completely time correcting/redoing/overdubbing an old multi track live session. Tons of drum stops and long intros where the bass or guits carry things that have massive tempo changes (and even time sig changes). It would be almost impossible to overdub those parts without SOMETHING cueing me (we used to use visual signals during these parts).
 
So yeah... that Simple Instrument track becomes my metronome that kicks in when I really need it. The rest of the time I can follow the live drums to keep it human. Of course (if I've created a proper tempo map to follow the song accurately) I can still turn on the metronome but aside from ridgid material I mostly like to play to the drums/band.
 
 
tl;dr....
 
Create a Simple Instrument track, add a percussive synth/patch, program your count in into the Piano Roll View.
 
 
Cheers.

the count process, if using a drum sim like AD, SD3.. ive found the best way is to just paint in the midi notes and delete them after. typically what I do is split the clip right before counts.
for example, if I have a song that has a break in drums in the middle, I split the clip right where the break is.
then split it again right where the out point is.
this way I don't even have to open the PRV to delete the clicks, I do it in the TV just by deleting the splits (section of clips).

I dragged out a count-in I like from from EZD and into the media browser where it's always handy

Chuck...
 
You just reminded me I STILL haven't tested out the MIDI Paint Tool which I meant to do right after it was released. Guess I just haven't been doing much MIDI the past year and a half. lol
 
Seems like a good excuse to give it a whirl.
 
Cheers.