Virtual Instrument & Associated MIDI Track

I'm pretty sure you can only use one output per track, but you can clone the MIDI track and, using a different channel for the new track, send it to a soft synth.

sound card seems fine.  the virtual instrument i'm using just isn't loud. 

i notice that sometimes when i move a clip in a midi track, a new midi track opens which plays that same midi track's clips.  not sure what setting lets that happen tho.

I second that question. Which synth, and which patch are you using in the synth?
Some patches, especially pads, have a slow attack. If you play these patches with short notes, the volume does not build to its fullest.
In some cases, it can even seem to be silent, and not working.
How are you triggering the synth when you record the MIDI? If it's a controller/keyboard, you may just need to hit the keys a little harder.
My experience is similar to Greg's, in that the synths are usually too loud, and I have to reel them in to prevent clipping.

I guess you'll have to lower the volume of the loud tracks so the quieter tracks can be heard. Output the tracks to buses, the buses to a Master bus, then to the audio interface.

57Gregy


I guess you'll have to lower the volume of the loud tracks so the quieter tracks can be heard. Output the tracks to buses, the buses to a Master bus, then to the audio interface.

i'm not familiar with this method.  my tracks all have the output set to the audio card.  what does the bus re-route do?

hatflyer

57Gregy


I guess you'll have to lower the volume of the loud tracks so the quieter tracks can be heard. Output the tracks to buses, the buses to a Master bus, then to the audio interface.

i'm not familiar with this method.  my tracks all have the output set to the audio card.  what does the bus re-route do?

The bus-routing doesn't actually do anything, it just makes it easier for you to control things in an organised manner. It's regarded very much as the "standard procedure". There's no use sending individual ("lonely") instruments through a bus, unless you want to add the same FX to several instruments. But say, sending all your vocals (correctly mixed to balance) to a bus named "Vocals", where you can add some common FX to them, and then control the level of all vocals with the single slider of this "Vocals" bus.
 
Having everything go through Master Bus also makes sure that when you export or add mastering-type FX to the project, limiters or such, everything goes through one pipe. That way you can be sure of what you actually export.

if you don't run everything thru a master bus before going to the soundcard then you're summing at the soundcard.  when you sum at the soundcard you can't tell if you've hit digital overs or not.  you can only tell that visually by looking at the levels of the master bus.