Someone help me dispel whatever the heck is going on in my project. Okay, I have a vocal in a Mono track. I have three sends assigned on this track and they are all set to 'Post'. (One for parallel SSL compressor, and one for reverb, and one direct) Alone...the track pans brilliantly. Sent to a single bus...pans fine. The problem comes in when I route the output of the three sends buses to another bus (for providing a single fader for the vocal sends). At some point, I lose the ability to pan the track at all and strange anomalies appear all over the place. Some so nothing at all but reduce level of sound, others will completely fade the vocal when panned left, and open it up when panned right. Have I found a bug? I have played with pre\post sends, stereo\mono bus interleave, and I cannot find joy. How are parallel effects (outside using the prochannel) achieved in Sonar? Why do I lose panning on a Mono track. I just want to parallel effects with the direct signal.
 
I will settle for the things that can affect my ability to pan and\or what to look for. I don't need a full signal path refresher, I have a image hanging above my desk. What kills the ability to pan? I figure no matter what...if I am on the last pan in the chain, and that is the bus output...NOTHING should stop it from panning. WTH?

Elvenking71
The problem comes in when I route the output of the three sends buses to another bus (for providing a single fader for the vocal sends).

I'm sure there's a way to fix the issue using buses, mono interleaves, etc. but...wouldn't it be easier just to group the three sends so moving one fader moved them all?

I could probably do something like that but I don't think it solves the fact that Cakewalk and Sonar lie about how the sends work. Or they are very incomplete about it. I have a map of the signal chain...and SONAR does not obey it. As far as I can see...not a soul on the internet or from cakewalk can unravel the mysteries. THis is aggervating and beginning to push me towards software where this is possible. Things like parallel compression are pretty well needed. (And without using prochannel). As far as I can see....the buses and sends are filled with bugs!!

I could probably do something like that but I don't think it solves the fact that Cakewalk and Sonar lie about how the sends work. Or they are very incomplete about it. I have a map of the signal chain...and SONAR does not obey it. As far as I can see...not a soul on the internet or from cakewalk can unravel the mysteries. This is aggravating and beginning to push me towards software where this is possible. Things like parallel compression are pretty well needed. (And without using prochannel). As far as I can see....the buses and sends are filled with bugs!!
 
The output pans on a Bus should work...period...right? Are the send pans supposed to do anything...they do not!! Pans are a sad broken story in Sonar. You can adjust the pan on a send all day and it flat does nothing at all. I have tried every pan along the chain and none of them PAN!
 
My next measure is to clone the track and hit two tracks with FX. But I thought Sends in Pans worked in Sonar. 
 
 
 

Not sure if I understood your situation correctly, but SONAR will accommodate the FX used. I do not know of a mono reverb, so I am assuming SONAR interprets the chain after that reverb is included as stereo.

Okay...I think I found something new. I am using the Mono SSL Compressor in a bus...so since it is a mono track I selected the mono version of it. Blam....I'm screwed right at that point. To put a cherry on that little discovery, if you turn the effect off to see if it was the effect....that won;t tell you. You have to delete the effect then the panning obeys again. 
 
So I thought that panning would work the same way as on a track. No go on buses. Adding FX that are mono will kill the ability to pan on a bus evidently. Not sure why that behavior is necessary...I mean...let me pan no matter what. I feel that without exception...the pan on the main bus output should...well....pan.....all the time.

Once the signal passes through a mono processor on a bus, there's no stereo position information. Remember that it's the source track that is panned; the bus itself knows nothing about that position.

I would guess that the insertion of a mono effect is also changing the bus interleave, though I've not checked that.

mettelus
Not sure if I understood your situation correctly, but SONAR will accommodate the FX used. I do not know of a mono reverb, so I am assuming SONAR interprets the chain after that reverb is included as stereo.

 
I am not sure what you mean by 'accomodate the FX' but...
 
 
Yeah...it is certainly around the FX I am using. I just started using parallel techniques so it is the first time I am routing single mono signals to buses and trying to pan them for some odd reason. I had turned the effect off multiple times to rule it out., but I had to delete it to correct the panning issue. Added the stereo SSL Comp...no probs. I want the time in my life back, but I will settle for the wisdom. HA!

John T
Once the signal passes through a mono processor on a bus, there's no stereo position information. Remember that it's the source track that is panned; the bus itself knows nothing about that position.

Stereo information or not, why would a pan not work on the output of the bus no matter what effect I had in the bin? There seem to be different rules around panning when it comes to buses and tracks. Never had a track I couldn't pan. Buses seem to be more particular.