A recent conversation on KVR had me wondering. I sometimes like to stack synths for a very complex sound. The only way I've ever done it or known how to do it in Sonar is insert the synths, write the part on a midi track, then clone the midi track for each synth so that each one gets the same notes. Some DAWs make it easier. Does Sonar--but I've simply never known about it?
 
I do have a license to P&M Chainer and Nryv Agent. They insert as effects, though, so even though they can load up VSTis, I don't know how to send a MIDI track to them.
 
For those of you who do that, is there an easier way?

As far as I know the request for 1 MIDI track to control many softsynths has been something SONAR users have been requesting without satisfaction for decades. The kludge that has been suggested for years is to route a SONAR MIDI track output to a virtual MIDI cable of some sort, then back into multiple SONAR tracks as a MIDI input. Why this cannot be done internally, or why a dedicated virtual cable cannot be included as a utility escapes me. One would think it would be a trivial problem compared to audio patch points, but apparently this incredibly useful feature is impossible to implement. 

I've never found Ctrl+c and Ctrl+v to be overly taxing. Maybe I'm missing the point ?

Yeah some kind of MIDI "Send" modules (like on audio tracks) would be pretty slick.
 

paulo
I've never found Ctrl+c and Ctrl+v to be overly taxing. Maybe I'm missing the point ?

Imagine you have 20 MIDI tracks, each identical, and each driving its own synth. Now you want to edit a couple of notes, play the resulting segment of the track and hear the result in all the synths, then change a few more notes etc. How many control C  control V exercises are needed to make fifty such changes? Perhaps linking clips would help, but copying is obviously not that simple except in simple cases. 

Linked clips?

slartabartfast

paulo
I've never found Ctrl+c and Ctrl+v to be overly taxing. Maybe I'm missing the point ?

Imagine you have 20 MIDI tracks, each identical, and each driving its own synth. Now you want to edit a couple of notes, play the resulting segment of the track and hear the result in all the synths, then change a few more notes etc. How many control C  control V exercises are needed to make fifty such changes? Perhaps linking clips would help, but copying is obviously not that simple except in simple cases. 

I think I would probably get the midi track how I wanted it before introducing the other synths. Maybe that's just me, but I take your point.
 
20 though? Really ? Wow. I'd have picked a sound that I liked more to begin with ;)

Linked clips seems the obvious answer.

OK, so the answer is no, Sonar doesn't have a convenient way to stack synths. That actually makes me feel better, because at least I'm not a dope!
 
I use linked clips sometimes, but that is a workaround in this case and can be a tedious one at that. It would be wonderful if you could just drop another send into a MIDI track. That capability instantly suggests creative possibilities to me. Studio One's Multi-Instrument mode is a dream. Hopefully something similar is on someone's to-do list at Cakewalk.
 
Thanks folks!

I've done this by enabling MIDI output for the first synth and then choosing it as the MIDI input for the MIDI track(s) connected to the other synth(s). IIRC you have to also enable MIDI echo on all the tracks. I first discovered this because sometimes Sonar sets up some kooky MIDI input schemes when you insert a softsynth which would cause more than one track to be triggered by one MIDI clip, and I realized it was because the tracks were receiving MIDI input for the MIDI output of the other softsynths. It still confuses me at times, but I can mostly get this working the way I want.