FWIW, If you want a host better suited to being a virtual sound-module, checkout Cantible 2 Performer.
In your scenario, I'd just print Sonar's output as audio.
There are several way to accomplish this (depending on your setup).
ie: If you have a RME or MOTU audio interface, you can use the onboard routing capabilities (as a virtual patch-bay) to record their output/s (without having to go thru extra D/A A/D stages or physically patching).

checkout Cantible 2 Performer

Hey, Jim, I'd like rudely to hijack this thread for a second to ask you about Cantabile.  I'd noticed that you had name-checekd it a couple of times recently and so I downloaded the Lite version to evaluate it.  Unfortunately it crashes during its VST scan always on NI plugs, so I have not been able to evaluate it.  Have you had any similar experiences and is there a work-around? A quick RTFM scan hasn't given me any clues.  The NI plugs are pretty important to me, so I wouldn't want to disable them.

Sorry to OP for my butting in this way.

It worked!!!  It waited for my external Sequencer (since I have Sonar on MIDI sync) and as soon as I hit play on the hardware sequencer, it played back (with the sound playing funny).  But when it finished recording, the sound was perfectly bounced.  Thanks bvideo this is exactly what I was looking for!


bvideo


I tried something freaky and got a result. Perhaps you can make a procedure out of it.

I made a project with just one softsynth track pair. I entered one MIDI event on the midi track. As you predicted, this enabled "bounce to tracks" in the edit menu. I enabled the echo on the midi track. I selected "all" and then went through the bounce to track procedure, with the synth audio track as the source and a new track as the destination, and with fast bounce off, live bounce on, audible bounce on. The trick is to place an event far enough out on the timeline so that the bounce will spend enough (real) time to let you play the whole song from your external sequencer. While the bounce was running, I played notes on my controller. I could see meters running and hear the audio. When I canceled the bounce and elected to "save the audio", I saw the new track and an audio waveform appear and I could play back that track and it did indeed record the audio of what I played.

Bill B.

EGreenMusic


Hello all,

I am using an external sequencer (MV, MPC, etc) and I am using Sonar 8 as a sound module, using multiple VSTs.  I sequence all my tracks on the external hardware sequencer, and then I want to mix the song down (bounce the track) so I can mix the song down. 

When Sonar is the master sequencer, you can just "Bounce" the track to a wave; however, I am using an external sequencer, so all the MIDI information is on the hardware.  How can I bounce the track down for each VST in Sonar 8 without transfering the MIDI file on the external sequencer into Sonar?

Thanks!

The only way is to record the external sequence to a track as audio. Then you can bounce or export. So "bounce" is the wrong word to use here, what you will be doing is "recording".   Sonar doesn't have the ability to record an input and mix it with a bounce or export even if you uncheck fast bounce.
 
Are you using MTC to make sure the external sequence is following the timeline ?

EGreenMusic


Hello all,

I am using an external sequencer (MV, MPC, etc) and I am using Sonar 8 as a sound module, using multiple VSTs.  I sequence all my tracks on the external hardware sequencer, and then I want to mix the song down (bounce the track) so I can mix the song down. 

When Sonar is the master sequencer, you can just "Bounce" the track to a wave; however, I am using an external sequencer, so all the MIDI information is on the hardware.  How can I bounce the track down for each VST in Sonar 8 without transfering the MIDI file on the external sequencer into Sonar?

Thanks!

did you try to save your project from your external sequencer as a midi file and open it to sonar?

I agree with Frank. I just go ahead and record the audio from my external synth into SONAR. At one point I tried using External Insert and bounce, but it was really just an experiment and didn't save me any time, since I still had to turn off "fast bounce" anyway. It takes as long as a real-time recording.

What's nice about having an interface with multiple in/outs (MOTU Ultralite) is that I can record all of my Motif parts in one swell foop, so that does save multiple passes and consequently time.

P.S. @Frank: I noticed in another thread you mentioned using the SPDIF clock if you're using a SPDIF connection. I hadn't thought about that before, but I use both SPDIF and analog connections when I'm recording into SONAR, and I haven't noticed any timing problems. I can try switching to the SPDIF clock next chance, but I haven't had any problems so far. Does it just fall back to the lowest common denominator, if you know, or should I do some "serious testing"?

Thanks-

-Susan

So how do you do this with hardware that has no audio MPCs for example? What I mean its the MIDI that is triggering softsynths in Sonar not audio on the hardware.

John


So how do you do this with hardware that has no audio MPCs for example? What I mean its the MIDI that is triggering softsynths in Sonar not audio on the hardware.

The best way would be to export and import the midi file.  Other then that you would have to route the software synth to an output pair on the sound card and then record that back into the inputs. If there are other tracks in the sequence you would need a sound card with more the one set of outputs.

Hi John-

I don't know what you're asking, or to whom you're replying (thanks to the new forum software!).

In my case, what I do is just play back the song and record the input from my synth instead of just monitoring it. I end up with audio tracks printed from my hardware synth, and I can then apply FX or not.

Sorry if I'm misunderstanding your question.

-Susan

The best way would be to export and import the midi file.  Other then that you would have to route the software synth to an output pair on the sound card and then record that back into the inputs. If there are other tracks in the sequence you would need a sound card with more the one set of outputs.

No offense intended, but you and maybe some other posters really need to go back and read the whole thread in detail. The OP already said he has his reasons for keeping the MIDI in the hardware, and bvideo came up with a way to bounce soft synths with external MIDI input in real time using the Live Input feature of 8.x that the OP used successfully to achieve his goal.

Case closed.