So I had to share this for those who like to push the mixing envelope a bit. It might have been stated before, but I am not aware of any thread on this, so I hope you find it useful.

I have been wishing for a way to create a submix track (the way you can send an entire bunch of tracks to one fader in that other Professional DAW), and as we know, Sonar won't let you send track outputs to a new track's input. Sure, you can use a buss, but it's clumsy and gets confusing.


Well, I solved it, as I am sure others may have as well:
 
Create a new audio track below the ones you want to submix (call it Vocal Submix or something)
Insert any plugin with a side-chain input and LISTEN function (I used Sonitus Gate)
Set the plugin Output to SIDECHAIN or LISTEN or THROUGH etc. Whatever gets a clean unprocessed signal to pass through.
Take all the tracks you want to submix and assign their outputs to "Sonitus: Gate Side Input - Vocal Submix" or whatever you named your submix track
 
Now you have all your subbed tracks on one fader.
 
I hope you find this useful :O)
 
Ludwig
 

I fail to understand why this is better/easier/more desirable than using a bus, when this is specifically what busses are for...

Well, it's easier to see what's going on, for one. It's just my preference - but I am sure there are pretty good reason's why the world's top DAW has it set up that way, and why the world's top engineers prefer it that way too.
 
Sorry, that sound's a bit snide, but it's not intended that way. I just think it makes life a lot easier when you're running huge mixes.
 
And now there's one more way to bend the rules :O)

The worlds top engineers use the worlds top hardware consoles which often have dozens of (sub) busses. Using hardware you're limited by the physical quantity of hardware you have, a lot of consoles I've seen can define channels as inputs or busses on the fly.
 
But it doesn't answer the question, what do you get by "faking" a bus that you don't get/can't do with the normal busses?

One immediate use for me, is that you cannot solo a buss, and leave solo'd tracks running. It kills them. This way, you can solo submixes, and still include tracks in the solo mix. While I agree, mostly I don't need this either, this particular problem of not being able to solo the track, and my buss'd effect, at the same time, is frustrating. So, I think I will get some use out of this workaround.
 
Thank's for that. Well thought out....

Karyn, many top engineers don't use much hardware anymore.
 
But back to the topic, let's say you have a vocal that is comprised of four identical audio tracks, each one processed differently (one clean, one crushed, one effected and one saturated). They make up one vocal sound, but four tracks are running in unison.
 
Once you have your vocal sound by blending those four tracks, you'll want to treat it as one vocal track, with volume and other automation available with the minimum of fuss.
 
That's one application.
 
Splitting a bass track into Low, Mid and High and then summing it would be another.
 
Anyhoo, thought I'd share it. Use it/Don't use it.
 
L.
 
 

Hi Ludwig,  I'm not trying to be difficult, honestly.  But what you're describing is precisely what the standard busses are meant to do and I still don't see any advantages by creating "fake" ones with track lanes.
 
On the contrary, the side-chain input on the FX plugin you're using becomes the summing amp for your new bus. Something it is not intended to do...

Good point Karyn. Thanks for pointing that out. Not a programmer, so I can not argue with anyone about whether that matters in the digital domain though.
 
But now that I have done what i was trying to do, I'm pretty chuffed :O) I guess i just don't like restrictions.

Hi LJB,
 
I think your post is great.
This Is just the way one creates new sounds - buy experementing and buy using things in a way they were not intended too.
It could be a bit of hit or miss but history shows that for instance TB303 was originally designed to act as a baskomp device. But as we all know, got other uses.
 
Thx I like It.

LJB...Now you have all your subbed tracks on one fader...

---like I already have on my Submix Bus fader.  But now I can have the choice of looking at a console module on the left side of the Console's divider, or on the right side -- hmmm.

Ludwig, I don't mean to bust your chops.  The trick you've described of setting up submixes in a different way obviously works better for you and it's your preference.  

It's great when people work out personalized work flows that feels better to them.  The particular motivation for coming up with alternate approaches may not always be shared or even understood by other people, but that doesn't matter.  We need to work in ways that don't feel awkward or stultifying.

Not everyone's going to get it why this particular thing became important to you, but that doesn't matter - it works for you!  

For me, a Bus is the same thing as a Track, only it's in its own neighborhood on the right side of the Console divider where I know I can always easily find it.  Using Buses hasn't ever been confusing to me - tracks are directed to them, I do whatever I want with FX and routing - It's all logical and straight forward.

Even though I've never considered thinking that Sonar isn't capable of having subs on one fader, since it can, I can't say I've tried your method.  Maybe with an experiment I'll see better why you find this better.  Right now, it's like I said at the start - I have my sub fader either on the left side of the divider, or the right side.  I don't see yet what difference it can make -- I can automate the faders in the same way, I can direct the output the same, add Sends, Solo the sub etc - I'm not grasping what the advantage will be.  Maybe I'll find out!

Randy B.