Sending MIDI tracks to a BUS in SONAR X1 Studio

I'm using SONAR X1 Studio (build 185). Is there a way to send all MIDI tracks to a bus, while they're still live MIDI? It's frustrating when I have 4 or 5 MIDI tracks balanced perfectly but I still want to be able to make changes to a track and then raise or lower the volume of all tracks simultaneously as I mix. The only output option is to my MIDI interface. If I were mixing manually from a hardware mixer this would not be a problem; but of course I'm not.
 
Thanks,
John

No, MIDI tracks cannot be routed to a bus.

The problem I see here is that there a several ways to accomplish this, but you haven't given us enough information to determine which one way you intend - i.e. what your purposes are.
 
I'm not sure what the reference to the Mackie mixer purports - it's not a computer audio interface, you'd need another device in order to get synthesizer's the audio back into the computer. Also, although the XP-80 can play multiple parts simultaneously, it only has a single stereo out.
 
Most folks would forego the Mackie in a recording situation, it's not needed and can only get in the way. You'd capture audio for each instrument to be played through the XP-80 individually, each recording going to a different audio track. Send the output of these audio tracks to a bus. Adjusting the output level of that bus affects all those tracks at once. Alternatively, you could group the faders of those audio tracks and any adjustment to one of them affects them all.
 
 
Now in a midi-playback situation, say in a live performance, you aren't at the mixer. Any change in volume there is done by the synthesizer itself in response to a change in midi volume message (assuming the FOH leaves the audio return from the XP-80 alone). This is, I assume, rarely done. (You'd normally, I expect, modify your keyboard playing, i.e., less key velocity...) To do it in Sonar, you'd simply group the midi volume faders together, and any adjustment to them would affect them all. Naturally, you'd have to have write automation enabled and the volume parameter showing in each of these midi tracks for sonar to record your midi volume changes.
 
The short answer is, most folks do the volume changes in the audio mix. For recording, do it in Sonar by using a bus.
 

konradh
OK so you don't want to send MIDI tracks to a bus; you want to send the audio from a MIDI synth to the bus.  The MIDI data can't go to a bus, but the bus doesn't care whether the audio is coming from a live performance, a mic, or a synth responding to MIDI.  Basically, the audio from the synth needs to go to a bus.
 
So, if you have four audio tracks playing the sounds from the synth, 1-Right click below the Master bus and Create New Stereo Bus.  Call it what you want, but let's say you called it XP-80. 2-In the synth audio tracks, change the output from Master to XP-80 in the drop down for the output.  3-Make sure the new XP-80 bus has Master as its output.
 
Now, you can raise or lower the level of the synth tracks all at once by raising or lowering the fader on the XP-80 bus.
 
This all assumes you have a main bus called Master, which you will unless you imported the track from a really old version of Sonar.

What he said.... good, clear answer Konrad.

I'm guessing you're using "Instrument Tracks" that combine the Midi with the audio.  When you insert an instance of a soft synth (like the TTS-11) you want to choose the option that loads the midi track and the audio track separately.  Then it's an easy job to route the audio tracks wherever you want.  In your cakewalk documentation and help files, just look for inserting a soft synth.  It will explain the different ways of doing this... 
 
Best,
Rob

According the XP 80/60 Owner's manual, there are two pairs (stereo L/R) of output, one direct (no FX), and the mains with FX. This means that (proper) recording would have to be one midi track at a time.

I pointed out earlier the importance of intention. A question is begged: Why is the OP playing the XP-80's audio through the mackie instead of feeding it back into the PC and thus to Sonar?

SuperG
According the XP 80/60 Owner's manual, there are two pairs (stereo L/R) of output, one direct (no FX), and the mains with FX. This means that (proper) recording would have to be one midi track at a time.

I pointed out earlier the importance of intention. A question is begged: Why is the OP playing the XP-80's audio through the mackie instead of feeding it back into the PC and thus to Sonar?

According to the XP-60 that I have sitting in front of me, you can specify whether each part of a performance is sent to "DIR" or "MIX" outs in effects section of a Performance, and pan each part individually in the Part section..  Hence four outs, as long as you don't mind mono and no effects.

SuperG

jb101

SuperG
According the XP 80/60 Owner's manual, there are two pairs (stereo L/R) of output, one direct (no FX), 

According to the XP-60 that I have sitting in front of me, you can specify whether each part of a performance is sent to "DIR" or "MIX" outs in effects section of a Performance, and pan each part individually in the Part section..  Hence four outs, as long as you don't mind mono and no effects.

 
Correct, but not something to take for granted as most folks (not all..) would not be likely to think of doing that, and it mandates a four input interface.
 
We're still stuck on whether the OP even plans on recording or not....this whole thread pivots on that.
 

 
???

stevec
I think Konrad nailed it - why not just turn the volume on the XP80 up or down?   Regardless of whether that output is being recorded in real-time or just for monitoring the result should be the same.   For that matter, the same should apply to the mixer fader.    And now I'm confused... why would anyone try adjusting the output of multiple MIDI tracks as a group, rather than the output of the device being triggered?
 

There's the odd case where you'd want that baked into the midi data itself, possibly in a live performance situation...

OK, get a pedal.  Set it to CC 11 (Expression).  Set all the MIDI tracks to OMNI input.  Seems harder than a volume control but since we are all brainstorming....

Grouping faders was one of the things I tried early on, but I never thought to hold down Ctrl when moving one of the faders, how stupid is that? Any way that gives me exactly what I was looking for. Thanks to all of you. Sorry for the wild goose chase.
 
John