Hello Forum ,
 
I've been toying around with asking this question for a very long time …
the short story is ,
I'm running two main computers over here , one is a Win 8 running X3 as my primary DAW ….
the other is an I Mac running  Logic pro and a number of other OXS based DAW's …
both of these computers have their own usb sound cards …
 
with the Win 8 and the I Mac I've done everything I can to have all my 3rd party plugs and synths available on both machines  
 
I find myself having to work as if I'm doing a collab with a bunch of different people ..all whom, that are using different DAW's …
learning OMF , writing music doing stems across multiple platforms and little work arounds have exposed a few new tricks to this old dog , but man file management and keeping track of things is killing me …lol that in itself is becoming a major RUB….
 
I'm interested in hearing how some of you guys may have treated or used your DAW or an extra computer as a virtual rack-mount unit of external gear while running it back into SONAR ….
 
you know …..synths , plugs , ….. bringing it out of one box into another so you can treat it as if you are doing a live analog take  tweaked in real time …..
 
anybody doing this type of thing here ? if you are please chime in ….what will i need to do or learn to make this happen …
 
 
thank you in advance , 
 
Kenny 
 
 
disclaimer ….in keeping w the End User Agreement …I'm not looking to run 2 instances of SONAR simultaneously ….
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I don't do this myself, but I've considered it. Some of the posters on the Sounds Online forum (East West) might have some insight.
 If you come up with a good system, it would be interesting to hear about it.

Sort of. I regularly use a computer with my primary interface in conjunction with a Tascam 2488 (read second computer) and I digitally lock the two using SPIDF and let the Tascam run as a slave to the RME.
 
This gives me 8 more channels.
 
The lock is the key. Drift would be intolerable without the lock.
I move all the files onto one computer for mixing (although you can use Cakewalk to automate the Tascam if you want... I did it once for yucks).

Yes I'm also thinking about putting my old DAW to some sort of use. I 'm pretty sure it was done in the past when computers were easy to max out. They would double up to add more CPU processing power. I seem to remember them using a local network.
 I know how to set up network file sharing on XP but have never done it with W7 or now 8. Before dropbox I used to have all my home computers set on file sharing. As long as it was turned on I could access all the files. (This was safe because we were off line from the WWW) . Now drop box works and the other computers don't need to be turned on. 
 
My DAW's are off line so I was going to use this old router to patch them together.
And then I was wondering about how stupid it would be to use the old DAW to run old 32 bit plug ins in a host or ?? Anyhow, hopefully someone has a better idea .  

One of the things I've done in the past is run rtpmidi as an input into sonar (so i can record the midi for the project in one place) with an output into mac. The audio interface is output/input to sonar and recorded to the sonar project file. That way all the data is in one place even though multiple machines and dawd are involved. I've occasionally had audio sync issues i had to resolve by nudging, but nothing major.

I'm using Vienna Ensemble Pro mainly as a multi-machine host for Kontakt and Play libraries, but it can also be used to remote-host effect VSTs. All the midi and audio are sent and received over Ethernet cable, so if you have a gigabit hub, you already have all the connections in place. It takes a bit of work to wrap your head around at first, but after you get set-up, you'll wonder how you lived without it. Vienna has a downloadable demo on thier site. The full version requires a USB dongle for each server. Can't remember if the demo does.

VEP is the answer.

200bpm
VEP is the answer.

In case that's too cryptic, he's referring to Vienna Ensemble Pro, not Variant Effect Predictor or Visual Evoked Potential 
 
As to the OP, used to do that a looooong time ago with computer #2 basically serving as an instrument rack and running into an ADAT lightpipe connected to computer #1. The only way I combine computers these days is for networked rendering with Vegas, and most of the time I don't bother...I just go grab a snack while rendering, or log into this forum and see what's up for a few minutes.

I tend to agree with Craig, except I keep my rendering to a minimum, so I don't get too fat!

But with the power of the newer computers, unless I was doing some insanely large project, I can't see the need.  I've migrated away from 32 bit stuff and I'm never running 110 instances of Omnisphere either.

But for those that love to tinker, plug in those old 80's rack pieces as external inserts, or love cables running all over, doing stuff like that can be total bliss.  But it starts getting away from being musically creative and just being creative, for creative's sake.  The listener could care squat, if you're desiring others than yourself to share music with.

I started working on doing what Craig is describing at one time when I was still using Gigastudio, but not with lightpipe, I think it was called FX Teleport that you linked the 2 computers for Gigastudio on 1 computer and sonar on the other.
 
then Tascam () decided to poop on the Gigastudio owners and I eventually went to Kontakt and haven't looked back since.