If it its Midi only connectors you don't have to use a merge box as long as one of the devices has a Midi thru or a Midi output that can be switched to thru.

That was the whole purpose of Midi. just assign different send channels to the drums and keys. Drums are usually channel 10 anyway. Don't forget you can also record the audio as well as the midi by connecting the appropriate outputs from your drums and key to your audio device. It just gives you more options especially if you like the sound of your drums and or keyboard.

Ibanezer
That's what I'm talking about. More of a physical splitter or merger in this case. Now I just have to figure out how to tell the daw to split these signals back where they belong. Of course I'll have to get a merger first! I'll probably be back, Thanks guys

Assign different midi channeks to each instrument with a track assigned to each channel...

Also, if you don't have a midi merger or multi-in midi interface, you can feed the output of one into the other. If theyre assigned different midi channels, the pass-through instrument will ignore the midi channel it's not assigned to...

That's good to know Keni. I could go midi out of drum module..... into hardware synth midi in...... then midi out of hardware synth..... to midi in on interface ........and handle the rest with software

Ibanezer
That's good to know Keni. I could go midi out of drum module..... into hardware synth midi in...... then midi out of hardware synth..... to midi in on interface ........and handle the rest with software

It will work on most gear... If there's a midi through, you might use that instead, but i don't remember if that includes the instrument being passed through...

brundlefly
If either the keyboard or drum module has a THRU port (or THRU mode for the OUT port), you can "daisy-chain" them into one port without having to get a separate merger.
 
Also more recent keyboards usually have a USB MIDI port for which a driver will be loaded in Windows that presents the keyboard's MIDI ports to SONAR like any other MIDI interface so you don't have to use the MIDI DIN cable connections to your interface.

 
I have a similar daisy-chained setup with 2 midi keyboards. The one that connects to the PC does so via USB rather than a midi cable. Sonar "sees" them as one single device, but that's never an issue. You just need to set them to different midi channels.