Hi all,
 
I've used Sonar for like 5 years now but usually have focused more on audio and not so much MIDI... 
 
Recently I found a VST-based arpeggiator called Kirnu that takes MIDI as input and outputs MIDI that is
synched to tempo and arpeggiated.  
 
Now... I HAVE been able to get Kirnu to work in Sonar X3 Producer using another interesting VST plugin called VSTBoard which itself can apparently host VSTs and route audio/midi between them.  This is my own example shown below as a screen capture from VSTBoard:
 

 
You'll see above the MIDI gets routed in, through Kirnu (to be 'arpeggiated'), out to another VST synth (impOSCar2), and finally the audio from the synth travels back to Sonar the same way it would from any VST.  
 
Hopefully this fully explains what I'm doing here, and for the most part it works OK... BUT.... as nice as VSTBoard is, the interface is a little clunky and there have been some issues getting some VSTs to work with it properly.  Additionally, you cannot load both 32 and 64 bit plugins at the same time in a single instance of the VSTBoard VST (which has its own set of workarounds that are also not ideal).
 
I'm already thinking about upgrading to Platinum for an unrelated feature, but can anyone tell me if this sort of MIDI routing can be done more 'natively' in Sonar X3 Producer or any other version of Sonar?
 
Thanks in advance,
Natalie
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Here is the way I would setup Kirnu Cream w/ GForce ImpOSCar2. It would be the same in both X3 and the new SONAR.

1. Create an instrument track with Kirnu Cream. Set the input to the controller and enable input echo. Load a preset, configure the arp or add MIDI data to the instrument track.
2. Create another instrument track with GForce impOSCar2. Set the input to Kirnu Cream and enable input echo.
3. Play controller or start transport depending on how track 1 is setup.

Step two can be any synth 32 or 64bit regardless of format. Step two could also be multiple audio+MIDI tracks depending on the synth.
 

I tried this using various iterations of different checkboxes, etc., when creating these tracks, both before posting my question and after your reply.
 
The closest I think I got to getting it working is when I set the Kirnu track as a 'MIDI Source' rather than 'Instrument Track'... if I do NOT do that, then the green 'levels' on the Kirnu track don't respond at all to my MIDI keyboard.  If I set it to 'MIDI Source', I do see the levels when I play keys, BUT, even with Input Echo set to ON for both tracks, and 'Kirnu - Omni' set as the input for impOSCar, still impOSCar does not act as if it is receiving any input.
 
I am confident enough with my experience with Kirnu to believe that my issue isn't simply that Kirnu isn't setup correctly internally.  ImpOSCar is a synth and therefore traverses basically all octaves, so it's not an issue where the notes would be out of 'range' for it.
 
Here is my attempt... definitely nothing coming out of track 1.... any idea what I could be doing wrong??
 

 
EDIT: I also tried setting the output for track 2 (Kirnu) to track 1.  This results in the strangest behavior.... track one DOES start responding to MIDI but it is the midi that is INPUT to Kirnu, rather than the midi that comes FROM Kirnu.... in other words... it just echos what I play on my keyboard as if Kirnu is not involved in the flow

I have v1.2.3 of Kirnu Cream. By default it is configured as a synth. Kirnu Cream needs an instrument track or it needs to be added to the FX bin of an audio track. It will not work with just a MIDI track as the image in msg #3 shows.

I'm not using Kirnu Cream.  I'm using plain old Kirnu, and after spending a lot of time getting it working elsewhere such as VSTBoard and VSTHost, I am pretty self-assured this VST only outputs MIDI.
 
You can see it in action here (clearly working in tandem with another synth):
 
EDIT: APPARENTLY the forum won't let me post links???
Here is the code for the youtube video: 7reh9eSNKpo
 
This question isn't just about Kirnu, it's about any VST that produces MIDI as an output.. as per my understanding this is part of Steinberg's VST standard and I'm trying really just to understand how that best fits in.  I would be willing to try any other VST that produces MIDI if you feel that Kirnu is a bad example.

It does not matter. The version is a precursor to Kirnu Cream and must be setup the same way. Kirnu Cream does not produce audio either. The setup is similar to all the VST ARPs I have used. It is easiest to set it up as a synth in an instrument track if both MIDI input and output are used. If all the sequencing occurs inside the plug-in without MIDI input and it configures itself as an FX, then add it to an audio FX rack with the "Enable MIDI Output" selected in the VST drop down.

Setting up MIDI VSTs depends on what the VST does. In the case of ARPs which usually have some control data, they are best treated as synths and inserted using an instrument track. For other plug-ins which affect MIDI data, they can reside in an audio FX bin with MIDI input and output enabled in the VST drop down. These will also require a source MIDI track to operate on and a target track to receive the affected data.
 

OK so I tried your suggestion again and it's working now... not sure why it didn't work the first time, or the several times I tried similar routes this week, but it may have been user error of some sort :)
 
Thanks!!
 

You may need to be careful using the "omni" input when you have a synth in your project that generates midi.

@Sanderxpander you're absolutely right; I ran into that very issue early on