Oh I see where the confusion was, by *real instrument* I meant non-digital, which is clearly chauvinistic.

eph221
Thanks bvideo, that's what I was looking 4.  But does freezing an audio track (one that you've recorded from a real instrument) really free up resources?  what does feezing actually do?!  I mean I kind of understand that the computer would then be working with an audio wave file instead of a midi file(?) but isn't that what the sequencer is using when you record a real instrument.  I think I may have some misconceptions that need clearing up.
 

Freezing is for freeing up CPU resources:

• In the case of an audio track with effects, a new audio file is created that has the effects applied. Now the DAW can just play the new audio file and no longer needs to use the CPU for those effects.
• In the case of an instrument track, an audio file is created by running the MIDI through the synth, with all effects applied. Again, the DAW now just plays the new audio file and no longer runs the synth or the effects through the CPU.

When you want to tweak a track that is frozen, unfreeze it first.

eph221
Oh I see where the confusion was, by *real instrument* I meant non-digital, which is clearly chauvinistic.

From a computer's view everything is digital. An audio track holds digital data. Where it came from is not important. The MIDI track is also holding digital data. A computer can only work with, guess what, digital data.
 
Lets see here, you have a simple instrument track and another audio track when you insert an FX into the FX bin of the simple instrument track you get excessive CPU usage. Where inserting the same FX into the FX bin of an audio track doesn't cause excessive CPU usage. Do I have this correct?
 
One question are you sure that FX bin on the simple instrument track is for audio FX and not MIDI FX?

Yes it is audio fx not midi fx.  I understand the distinction, I think being a plebian from generation x means that I  look at the analogue and digital worlds a little differently.  A lot of the confusion comes from what sonar calls *midi instrument tracks* which are hybrid versus the straight up * midi tracks*. Anyways,  bvideo  thanks for the tip on freezing tracks that makes perfect sense, I'll just do that instead of trying to sleuth out the reason.

Well if it works. What is concerning me is you may have found a bug. An FX placed on a instrument track vs an audio track should be the same to the CPU. None the less it is disturbing if you can reproduce it.
 
  

 
In the interests of minimizing confusion, a combined midi and audio track is a "Simple Instrument Track". 
 
It's simple because it occupies only one track visually, but in fact incorporates one midi and one audio track.  Exactly as if you set up one midi and one audio track separately for a soft synth.  In fact, you can easily convert back and forth between (1 midi + 1 audio) and 1 "Simple Instrument Track".
 
Normally, the Simple Instrument Track displays the midi track, but if you freeze the synth (converting the midi to audio) then the audio track is displayed, until you unfreeze.  I'm find them handy, others don't.
 
 

I might actually start using them again.
 
I know when they were first developed (X1?) they were an absolute nightmare on my machine.
I remember splitting one down to Audio + Midi and deleting the Midi track.
What happened was, the rest of the tracks did not renumber themselves and Sonar left a "Placeholder" where the deleted track used to be.
This would happen across multiple synths & tracks

Thank you paul so what I was calling a *midi instrument track* in sonar parlance is a *simple instrument track*.  That's the hybrid thing, right? what's the regular instrument track that just records a wave form called?

No such thing. There are MIDI tracks Audio tracks and Simple Instrument tracks plus Auxiliary tracks.

eph221
Thank you paul so what I was calling a *midi instrument track* in sonar parlance is a *simple instrument track*.  That's the hybrid thing, right? what's the regular instrument track that just records a wave form called?

 

I can see we're having problems with the LINGO!