BobF
..The new thing isn't an Aux Bus.  It's an Aux track..

Sorry, that's what I meant to write.
 

BobF
..Specifying a new Aux track is the same as creating a new patch point, then creating a new track and selecting the new patch point as its input..

 
That's the way I understood it. My thoughts & brainstorm on OP's and your idea though; creating a folder would automatically create a new patch-point, and automatically assign this patch-point to all audio tracks which get created within the folder and at the same time NOT automatically create an aux-track (within this folder) with this patch-point as it's input.
But re-reading it all I think that you & OP literally meant the FOLDER to be the aux track. Am I right?
I initially thought you meant adding functionality to the folders in the sense of auto-creating & assigning patchpoints, groups etc. for the folders content......
 
Jamaica plains downloaded, going to play with it for a while
 

stevec

BobF

stevec
A built-in "Aux Track + Folder" option?

Yes!!  Aux track that is also a folder.  Or a Folder that is also an Aux track.  Whichever you prefer

Actually I was thinking about the possibility of expanding the current macro that creates the audio track and accompanying patch point to also nest that new Aux Track in a new Folder of the same name, in one operation.   It seemed like a quicker short-term solution that creating a new track type that is a true Aux Track/Folder hybrid.   Not that I would mind the latter, mind you.    

I like what you've described Steve.  I just think it would be cool, especially considering the bus-like qualities of patch point/Aux tracks, if dragging a track into such a folder automatically took the output of the track to its input.
 
I really, really hate to say this, but think of that other DAW that's really inexpensive and has a lousy UI.  THAT is the idea I have in mind.
 
 

M@

BobF
..The new thing isn't an Aux Bus.  It's an Aux track..

Sorry, that's what I meant to write.
 

BobF
..Specifying a new Aux track is the same as creating a new patch point, then creating a new track and selecting the new patch point as its input..

 
That's the way I understood it. My thoughts & brainstorm on OP's and your idea though; creating a folder would automatically create a new patch-point, and automatically assign this patch-point to all audio tracks which get created within the folder and at the same time NOT automatically create an aux-track (within this folder) with this patch-point as it's input.
But re-reading it all I think that you & OP literally meant the FOLDER to be the aux track. Am I right?
I initially thought you meant adding functionality to the folders in the sense of auto-creating & assigning patchpoints, groups etc. for the folders content......
 
Jamaica plains downloaded, going to play with it for a while
 

OK, that's good.  Sorry if I went all step-wise on you.  You never know what people know.  And sometimes you find out you didn't really know either  - LOL
 
 

No worries BobF!
I somehow like the idea, but the question is; why would one want it? (a new hybrid bus/aux style folder type). Would it be in order to have better overview of tracks and assigned outputs? I know OP mentioned automation as well, but apart from that:
Have a look at this thread I just started:
http://forum.cakewalk.com...cted-bus-m3303307.aspx
Looking from a console-view perspective my busses would be the "folders". I.e. 'activate' a bus and you will see the tracks going into that bus. And if it could be implemented for track-view and auxes as well (as Steve suggested). You would have that functionality as well.
It would seem quite do-able as the track-manager already does a great part, just not automatically and not within the console-view interface.
I know people are requesting expanded/collapsed folders from track-view to reflect in console-view so I think all ideas are intertwined and based on need for clutter free and clean overview of the project...

I would expect everything to be mirrored and in sync between TV and CV.  I personally find calling up TM and fiddling with check boxes to be too many steps when a folder can collapse/expand with a single click.
 
For routing visibility, I also think your above ref'd thread is a good idea.

M@
creating a folder would automatically create a new patch-point, and automatically assign this patch-point to all audio tracks which get created within the folder and at the same time NOT automatically create an aux-track (within this folder) with this patch-point as it's input.
But re-reading it all I think that you & OP literally meant the FOLDER to be the aux track. Am I right?

 
Well this is kind of an implementation detail. One way or another you would need input/output/pan and perhaps some other mixing/summing controls for the folder. Basically whatever is available on a bus today (and on an audio track today since now Sonar has eliminated the distinction between the two, other than which pane they're in).

The main thing you gain w/ this feature above and beyond aux tracks is the organization/collapsibility of folders, which I think is worth a lot!

In a way the bus pane and the track pane are two parent folders than never move. If they could be turned into more flexible folders or containers that could be moved would be cool.

One of the big things missing is folders in track view directly effecting channels in console view. I.e. Having channels being put in containers that expand and collapse vertically, which will (optionally) directly reflect folders being opened or closed in track view.

I thought of a key aspect of this request which I have added to the OP: Summing controls for the FolderBus e.g. gain and pan would be available when the folder is collapsed. That will be a huge time saver. In fact the more parameters (assignment, automation, individual gain/pan) that can be done w/ the folder collapsed the better, and will enable major abstraction and declutterization in the TV.

Folder as bus is like a zipped folder in Windows, or like an app bundle in OSX (to a certain extent, of course!). That's a very convenient feature, so I vote for it.