I'm still pretty new to using Sonar and recording, mixing, mastering, etc., but I've got a quick question that I'd like to hear some advice on when it comes to post recording instruments - whether actual instruments or digital/virtual instruments.
 
When a vocal or guitar or other type of "real" instrument is recorded, I've read and seen videos about editing, using HP filtering, EQ, compression, etc., which is all supposed to be done to the recording for eliminating any noise that could interfere with post production mixing and mastering of the final product.  That, even with a good recording and sound achieved, there is always something to be rolled off or reduced, compressed, filtered, whatever.
 
Now, in the case of a virtual instrument such as Session Drummer or Addictive Drums, or any of the other hundreds of synths available in Sonar, is final product that is available already edited and filtered, and eliminate the need to do anything other than minor adjustments?
 
I apologize for using improper terminology to explain my question, but I hope it gets the point across...in other words, if I record using Audio tracks, then insert a synth track for my drums, am I wasting time by editing the drums, using HP filters, EQ, and compression to the point where it could make it very difficult to mix and master the music altogether?
 
Regards,
steve

It's possible to record live stuff so well that you don't have to mess with filters and such in mixdown. You should strive for that. Regarding sampled sounds like Addictive Drums - they are in fact extremely well recorded, so might be usable as is. Synths and soft synths just create electronic sounds. The devices themselves consist of filters, compressors, oscillators, etc, so if possible tweak them as you create/record them.
 
That said, once you have all your tracks and are ready to mix, it's inevitable that you will hear aural conflicts among the instruments and voices, or you might need to smooth out a bass part that sounded fine when you were tracking and listening mainly to that one sound.
 
Bottom line on this is it's different every time. You have to use your ears to decide if you need to modify the sounds you have, to make them work in your particular mix.

Virtual instruments are recorded by their makers to sound awesome on their own. That eventually leads to frequency conflicts (as Larry stated above) when more than one instrument is playing at the same time. Also, the process of summing the tracks into a stereo master also creates frequency issues. What processing is needed is going to depend entirely on the goal of your mix and what combination of instruments are in the song.
 
As general advice, I would suggest that you treat VI tracks simply as well-recorded tracks, but do whatever else needs to be done to make everything sit well together in the mix.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

+1 to all of the above. Bottom line, the output of a VSTi is "just another audio track" and must be treated as such. It requires the same attention as audio from any source.
 
A really nice video worth watching is Dan Worrall's mixing demo for FabFilter Pro-Q. Although this is geared toward that specific product, the concepts are universal, and his comments during the video are great advice. It is a 10 minute video, and can be found here: https://youtu.be/kSNYBbPAvKE This is a good overview of "mirror EQ" concepts which are important to mixing.

Great video ... the bass vs kick part alone is worth the time watching

skorst
When a vocal or guitar or other type of "real" instrument is recorded, I've read and seen videos about editing, using HP filtering, EQ, compression, etc., which is all supposed to be done to the recording for eliminating any noise that could interfere with post production mixing and mastering of the final product.  That, even with a good recording and sound achieved, there is always something to be rolled off or reduced, compressed, filtered, whatever.

Yes, but partly that is because these things are not just fixes, they are changes to the sound to make them fit your composition better. Therefore it is likely you will need to do exactly the same thing with a virtual instrument. It's unlikely you'll need to perform corrective fixes like noise reduction but absolutely everything else will still apply. The only exceptions are where the instrument has explicitly done the work already - eg. instruments with built-in compression, reverb, etc.
 

...in other words, if I record using Audio tracks, then insert a synth track for my drums, am I wasting time by editing the drums, using HP filters, EQ, and compression to the point where it could make it very difficult to mix and master the music altogether?

You shouldn't be applying any of these things unless you can tell that the source material needs it. If you compress an already-compressed signal, it will get even more squashed. These decisions need to be done based on the audio that you have to work with, not taken from a checklist or whatever.
 
But, don't worry about it too much. Effects applied in Sonar by adding them in the FX Bin or Pro Channel are non-destructive - so if you feel you've made a mistake with a given effect, just delete it - no harm done.

You have to distinguish between sampled "real" instruments like Addictive Drums and virtual synths. Drum VST's usually give you, when stripped down, very well recorded dry samples of drums without any effects. So you're still going to want to EQ and compress them to make them fit your track. How much EQ and compression depends on what else you have going in that track, and the sound you're looking for etc. They'll generally have their own onboard effect processing as an option, and include many mix presets. These may be good as a starting point to tweak from. Or they may sound just great without any effects. You have to use your ears and your judgment as in the case of applying any kind of effect to your music.
 
Synth presets are usually designed to sound great on their own, as Dan said above, and thus contain more frequencies than you'll likely need for your track. You almost always have to high pass and low pass filter them, and make other cuts in order to stop them clashing too much with other tracks. There are many tutorials out there on frequency clashing and how to use EQ to prevent it.
 
But bear in mind that virtual instruments generally need less compression than recordings you made yourself. When you record a real player, you sometimes have to deal with the fact that their playing isn't dynamically consistent, i.e. some notes pop out more than they should, and others aren't loud enough. Compression can level out those "defects" and reduce the dynamic range to make the performance "smoother" (although hopefully not too much because dynamic range is part of the character of music). However, when you use virtual instruments, you have complete control over the velocity of each note (via MIDI) and so have complete control over the dynamic range. Use velocity to add accent and expression.
 
That's not to say that you wouldn't use compression on virtual instruments for other reasons. With compression you can control the attack and sustain of notes, and thus make them punchier/fatter. However, in the case of virtual "real" instruments like drums, you are sometimes given controls for this on the plugin itself. In the case of synths, you can almost always shape the sound to your taste using the synth controls rather than turning to a compressor. I rarely use a lot of compression on synths. However (there's so many however's in mixing), different compressors give a different "flavor" to the sound that might sound good on the track. Some vintage compressor simulations add grit and saturation to the sound, and that may be what you want. I guess the overall lesson to take away is that the biggest factor in whether or not you should use EQ and compression on virtual instruments is your ears.
 
 

Thanks for the replies and advice everyone.
 
Regarding the ProChannel and FX bins...I've read about the order of effects in the ProChannel, top being first through the bottom, which is last.  But, if you're using the ProChannel and FX bins together, which are first in the effects chain?
 
For example, in the ProChannel, there's the Console Emulator, followed by the Tube, then EQ, then Compressor.  And, in the FX bin, inserted one or more plugins such as Reverb or Delay.
 
In which order are the effects applied to the signal?  Top to bottom of the FX bin, then the ProChannel or the other?  Or should I take the plugins in the FX bin and place them in a FX Module in the ProChannel, avoiding the FX bin altogether?

I've pretty much stopped using the fx bins and switched to putting fx modules in the PC instead.

PC fx modules have the advantage you can put vst fx anywhere in the chain you want, and you can split them up with PC modules between them. So chains like (pc)gate-(pc)compressor-(pc)eq-(vst)chorus-(pc)saturation-(vst)delay become possible, which can't be done using the track fx bin.

As for the console emulator, I prefer to put that last, unless I'm using a tape emulator as well, in which case the tape goes last.

Some excellent explanations above.
My goal is to always use the best source possible. And so this applies to both audio and VST's. Most of my tracks need very little processing after the fact because I strive to print them the way I want them to sound in the first place. After many years of practice and learning your equipment this becomes easier and easier to achieve. It also takes time to audition VST's and find your go to's. 
 
My advice to a beginner is to stay away from as much processing as you can and see if you can make a good recording without it firstly. Overuse of effects and processing is a common fault of first time engineers. And because the modern day DAW comes with way overkill processing power it is now easier to make a mess of things. Most of us old geezers made good recordings and all we had was 3 band shelving EQ and a reverb box. It's why we learned the golden rule of recording- Garbage in = garbage out. 
A great performance captured clean and clear will always be something worth listening to without any processing needed. 
Your on the correct path as your asking a very good questions. Keep it up.