Been using Sonar since it was Cakewalk Pro Audio, so I'm not new to it, but I am new to this scenario. Currently using Sonar Platinum.
Here's what I'm doing...
I recently bought a digital mixer and am recording all of my band rehearsals (to 16 audio tracks, + MIDI). At the end of the rehearsal/gig, I've got hours of material in the project, and I usually create a quick, static mix for people to listen to/practice with. In general this takes one of three forms:

1. Create individual songs from that single project that I upload to Dropbox for band members to use.  [I also create different versions - one for full band, one with no lead vocal, one with no BG vocals, no guitar, etc. - for individuals to rehearse with.]
2. Chop up the large project file into single song projects (for editing demos, tearing apart the tune and re-recording parts, etc.
3. Export tracks from an individual tune as WAV files for people to use in their own (non-Sonar) DAW's.

 
Right now I'm doing #1 above in a mostly manual way by:

• Create markers at the beginning and end of songs, naming them "Free Bird", etc.  . This allows me to quickly edit out the usual talking/tuning/sound explorations/jazz odyssey between tunes. I'll refer to the space between the two markers as a region.
• I select all tracks  (or whichever I'm going to mix down.
• Choose one (or more) of the markers
• Export the mix to a WAV file then convert to MP3

 
Is there some way to automate the process for #1?
If I cut up the project into clips (using the marker previously mentioned) and I pick FILE | EXPORT | AUDIO | I get a separate clip for each selected track within the selected region.
 
For #2, when creating the separate project files, is it better to copy the project then remove the parts before and after the ones you want, or is there an easier way?
 
Thanks in advance -

OK, I'll reply to myself.
 
What I found to be the best way (not necessarily the easiest is this).
 
1. Create a template with the correct routing for the inputs.
2. Record
When I get it back home I mix.
 

1. Setup busses and route the instruments as necessary. Mix to taste.
2. Bounce the mix(es) to a new track. I usually have "full" "No BG Vox " "No lead vox" mixes for practicing.
3. Setup markers at the beginning and end of each tune
4. Cut the clips on each of the markers. This will give me multiple clips on each mix track, all in parallel.
5. Remove "in between" clips.
6. Name the clips that remain.
7. Select the mix tracks.
8. Export the clips for a specific track. This will export each with the name of the clip

 

Hi Pat,
 
There are definitely parts of this you could automate.
Since it appears that the layout of the project is somewhat similar for your live recordings you can save a template as you are doing. Additionally within the template you can save several Mix recall scenes for the different mixes you want. Take a look at Mix Recall for more info. You can save individual scenes for "full" "No BG Vox " "No lead vox" mixes within the template itself so you need to do this setup only once. Then you can simply bounce all the scenes in one go to get all your mixes. From your description it appears that each scene just has different track mute/solo states so it should be pretty easy to set up the scenes.
 
With regard to splitting the project into different songs I think what you are doing is OK. From the master project just save multiple versions to individual songs, and then delete the unwanted sections. 
 
Overall I think this approach will avoid the need to do submixes first to clips and then a second export of the clips. Also if you save the scenes in your template this will need to be done only once.
Hope this helps speed up your process...
 

Thanks Noel. I'll do more investigation on the Mix Recall and let you know how it all turns out.

Pretty much what I'm doing every week....
 
rafone

this is what I do:
I have a template set up with the tracks "mostly" mixed.  I drop the card with the recorded tracks in the computer and drag the material onto the mixed tracks in sonar.  I then go thru and highlight all tracks and go thru deleting all non-music space between tracks and move them next to each other.  I then make an mp3 of the entire event and put it on dropbox for the group to download or listen.  If I have a particular song that I want to refine, I save as a new file and delete all but that song and tweak the tracks for rendering to a wav file.  I don't automate much but having a template with lots of double tracks setup, eq, fx etc gets me in the ballpark each week.