Hi Everyone,
 
Okay so I finally got around to trying out some of these ideas. Thanks for all the help. It seems that my Yamaha computer can actually split each drum pad (each note in fact) to a different midi channel (up to 16). So I set up 2 EZdrummer soft synths to try this out. I set all of the snare drum midi messages coming from the Yamaha computer to channel 1 (in the Yamaha computer) and all the bass drum midi messages coming from the Yamaha computer to channel 2 (again in the Yamaha computer). However, all of the midi information continues to go to both instances of EZdrummer soft synth and therefore triggers snare drum and bass drum in both. So I must need to change some setting in each instance of EZdrummer so that each one only accepts midi messages on a certain channel. I am assuming there must be a menu somewhere where I can set the midi channel for each EZdrummer window but I can't find it. Or perhaps I need to open up a different type of soft synth track to have this option. 
 
Anyone no what I'm missing? Thanks again everyone.

Hi Jeff,
 
In the Yamaha computer I go to the menu that deals with midi channels and whenever I hit a pad or section of a pad it will switch to that pads details. I can change the midi channel there. Then I hit another pad and can set it to another channel as well. I know they are on different channels because when I switch back and forth between pads my changes are saved (in other words when I change the midi channel it's changing it for that specific pad only, not for all of them). My midi cable (M-audio) I believe is capable of sending on up to 16 seperate channels (I think I saw this in one of the preferences menus where it showed the details of the cable/midi device).
 
So theroetically, the information should be getting to Sonar the way I want it. I just need to figure out how to set up each instance of soft synth EZ Drummer so that each only accepts midi information on the channels I want them to as you mentioned.
 
I'll mess around with it some more tomorrow. How would I set up a midi monitor page? If I went to one of the midi menus in preferences and hit the pads would they light up there and give me an indication? The only other way I would know how to check this is to set up multiple instances of EZ Drummer and see what each accepts. I did that and they all seem to receive all midi data even though the pads are set to different channels.
 
Thanks so much for your help. I'll keep working at this.

Hi Everyone,
 
So I think I've got this figured out. Here is how I did it. Thanks for all your help. I hope this helps others. I have one question at the bottom of this if anyone can help me. Thanks.
 
1. Open a new project and insert as many midi tracks as needed based on the number of drum pieces you need.
 
2. Set up each pad on the Yamaha DTXtreme IIs computer to whatever midi channels you want (snare, rim click on the same channel, each tom on a seperate channel etc...).
 
3. Double click on each midi track to open up all the options and set the midi in (and out, but not sure if that is necessary) to the corresponding midi channel coming from the midi cable.
 
4. Label each midi track appropriately (whichever one is receiving snare drum midi is labelled snare drum etc...).
 
5. Set up one softsynth ezDrummer (simple instrument track) so that you have a monitor for the drums while you're playing. Turn input echo on.
 
6. Arm all the midi tracks and turn on input echo (you can arm the DTXtreme IIs as well to save a full drum set midi track of your recording).
 
7. Record your track. Now you should have the all the midi for each drum recorded into seperate tracks (or however you have divided it up, for example you could send all the toms to one track and all the cymbals to one track. I have separated everything except that I put the ride cymbal and ride cymbal bell on the same track and the snare and rim click sounds on the same track.
 
With this method you don't have to seperate all the midi afterwards.
 
Save this as your recording template. Next time you record a new song, simply open and use the original template but don’t save any changes. Whenever you save it simply save it as whatever the song is called. That way you save your original template.
 
Make another template as follows and us it as your mixing template.
 
1. Set up as many softsynth ezDrummer tracks (First Audio Output) as you need for each midi track. Name them the same as you name the midi files in your recording template and in the same order so that when you import the midi files the correct drums will play in the correctly named tracks.
 
2. Open your saved song recording.
 
3. Select all the midi files (except the one with all the midi information in one track, the one with the ezDrummer simple instrument track that you used for a monitor) and copy. Select your copy options when the window comes up.
 
4. Go to your new mixing template, make sure the track marker is set to the beginning of the track window and select special paste from the edit menu. Your midi tracks should all lay out in your new ezDrummer tracks with the right relative spacing and the correct midi information placed in the corresponding tracks (snare drum with snare drum, bass drum with bass drum etc..).
 
Now you can mix in Sonar and also have control over each individual drum and cymbal from the original sources as well (the ezDrummer mixers on each track) without affecting all of the drums and cymbals. For example, you can turn the room mic off in ezDrummer in some of the tracks (on the toms for example) but leave it on for the snare.
 
Then export the audio either as one full drum set track in wave format or export all the individual drums and cymbals as individual wave files.
 
I hope this helps others.
 
One thing I haven't figured out is how to get my individual tracks (when I export audio as individual tracks) to be named based on project name/instrument so I don’t have to rename them individually myself (would save a fair amount of time). My tracks will first be named by the title of my project (song name most likely) but then they get labelled ezDrummer 1, 2 or 3 etc.. based on whatever ezDrummer softsynth each track is associated with. How do I get them to be automatically called project name/snare drum and project name/bass drum etc..? I've already renamed each ezDrummer track to snare drum, bass drum etc.. and that didn’t work.
 
Thanks again for your help everyone.