Hello forum,
 
I'm ramping up on getting Sonar Home Studio Version 22.11.0 set up to get some MIDI + mp3 projects going. There are a couple of things I can't determine how to make happen. I hope someone can help!

1. The files I'm running come from diverse sources and their final L/R outputs vary widely among the files. I need to implement a master volume that I can set for each project so I can get a consistent level through a playlist. Is this possible and how is it accomplished?
2. I would like to access a MIDI event list for MIDI tracks. I can find nothing in the program that even refers to a MIDI event view, but I have seen SONAR documentation that refers to it. How can I open an event view for a MIDI track?

Thanks very much!

You can use the normalize and gain commands to boost or cut the volume of audio data.
 
https://www.cakewalk.com/...p=EditingAudio.18.html
 
Pardon me if this is obvious, but if you're just worried about clipping your master, you can put the Sonitus Multiband on it for limiting and MAX (from your MixStrip) on tracks that need a boost.
 
MIDI event list info is here, but it's not available in SONAR Home Studio.
 
https://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR&language=3&help=Views.27.html

Oops! I completely missed that "Note: This feature is not available in SONAR Home Studio." on the Events List doc (unless it was recently added). 
 
As far as a master level control, my projects are a mix of MIDI and mp3 files that I perform some minimal tweaking on. I really would like just one master fader to control the final output level of the mix. A fader that I can set and forget. I'd rather avoid having to tweak individual tracks-- there are hundreds of them. Can I maybe create a bus and route the output of all the MIDI and mp3 tracks to a master fader? As it is, I have to adjust the actual volume on the PA system to normalize my project levels, which of course is silly.
 
These projects are sourced from various vendors, and their final output levels vary. I'm just trying to take advantage of technology to avoid spending hours modifying mixes that are for the most part complete but whose final output levels are not consistent from vendor to vendor.
 
There's got to be a master level control hiding somewhere and I just don't know how to enable it! 
 
Thanks for the info, Telecharge.

shaggydawg
 
There's got to be a master level control hiding somewhere and I just don't know how to enable it! 

Yes, there is a master volume fader, and everything is routed there by default. You can see it in the Console View. I'm assuming Home Studio has this, but will look a bit different as it doesn't have ProChannel. Is this what you're looking for, or something else?
 
https://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR&language=3&help=Views.30.html
 

Well that got me halfway there! In Console View I was able to access a strip for "Hardware Outputs", which controls the level to my audio interface (AVID Fast Track Duo). That takes care of the mp3 tracks.
 
However, it has no effect on the midi tracks output to my USB-MIDI converter.
 
There are individual strips/faders for the MIDI tracks that work, but I can't seem to produce a master fader that would apply to those.
 
Any other thoughts? Thanks!
 
 

I don't know what a USB-MIDI converter is. Could you possibly route it back in before the master?

• The USB-MIDI converter is used to send MIDI commands from a MIDI track in a SONAR mix to an external MIDI sound module to produce instrument audio, e.g., strings or horns.

• The audio output of the MIDI sound module is input to the audio interface, where it is mixed with the mp3 audio from the audio tracks, sent via USB from SONAR. 

• The output of the audio interface is then sent to a PA system for performance.

But you have a good point. Instead of the MIDI sound module audio being sent straight out of the audio interface via Direct Monitor, could it be routed into SONAR and be assigned a level fader that way and sent back to the interface via USB? Other than taking the audio interface out of Direct Monitor, I'm not sure I'd know where to begin to make that happen. (Obviously I'm pretty new to this.)
 
Thanks!

I was surprised myself that there is no event list in Home Studio. I found that sort of amazing as even a free sequencer will have an events list. But HS is only $50 and I knew lots would be stripped down from the full versions, that one was just a bit of a surprise to me. 
 
Most people doing what you are doing will use in the box VST's for the sound sources. External modules are pretty easy to replace , and with better sounds, using VST's. That would solve that problem. 
I bought Home Studio strickly to use as a playback engine for my live solo act.
My plan is to use stripped down projects so they will load fast and take advantage of multi track output and using midi to control my external effects. I'm still working on this myself. 
 

Hey Cactus,
 
Yes that possibility did come to mind, and I installed Rapture Session and the Studio Instrument suite to explore it further. The thing is, I'm under a time crunch. I followed some instructions from Cakewalk Support and ran into some weirdness right away. For one thing, the second instrument track I created in the project wouldn't play back, so I gave up and went back to my external module. I'm also used to relying on the General MIDI (GM) spec so I can just purchase a GM sequence and feed it to my GM module and have it just work with minimal tweaking. 
 
I'm sure my problems with VST can be overcome, but I feel like I don't have the time to fix them right now. I WANT to go that route, I really do. It's just getting past that initial "hump" that's a problem with my current time crunch.
 
Thanks for your input. Maybe you can help me get Rapture and/or the SI Suite working later? (or even sooner?)

There's a GM soundbank built into Windows. I get sound when playing back a MIDI file with no instrument track. This is what my MIDI Instrument Preferences look like.
 

 
I don't know if it will work for you, but I figured I'd throw it out there since you're in a time crunch.