converting DXi's and VST's to audio

I've converted DXi's and VSTs for three or four years now and all of a sudden I can't do it. It seems to mix down OK but the result is not a wave file. The track is just straight lines, not the configuration of a wave file. However it plays back as if it was a wave file, although I can't import it to Sound Forge or any other sound editor because it's not a wave file. My question is, what is it? At this point I'm just bewildered.
I'm using Sonar 4 Producer

I thank you for your help. Do you mean to take out all the .wov files in picture cache, and I'm not sure I know how to have Sonar redraw the waveforms.
I did write a small clarinet line to see if if worked normally, and it did. It shows as a wave file, and it imported into Sound Forge easily. The large string file that I had been working on, and am having the problems with, may have, somehow, become corrupted, but I have no idea how. I'm using EWQLSO Gold, just to give you an idea of what I'm working with. Thanks again.

I ran across a situation where I had numorous smaller clips..( kick drums)...and upon rendering a track effect, somehow a bunch of the waves files came up with long clips that extended to the end of the track . None of the clips were slip edited to the end of the track.When I went to bounce to clips..the resultant wave was just as you described one long flat line. I finally decided to slip edit from the end position some of those overlapping flat lined wave files...luckily after 4 or 5 slip edits all the waves became visable and were able to be bounced to a single clip. It was a fluke in rendering that I've never come across since. I can't fault sonar for this..I'm sure it was doing it's math thing and somehow the result was what Sonar computed to a logical outcome. Fuzzy logic happens i guess

Search the SONAR Help for slip editing to see what it is. I once had a problem with the clips of tracks not being displayed correctly. Some times closing and reopening the project fixed this problem, but you probably already tried that. Alternatively, delete the bounced audio track that's not showing the clip correctly, save the project, close and reopen the project, and try to bounce the DXi/VSTi again and see if it turns out right.

Hi Bobdec,

Hopefully you havn't given up yet. If not, then I may have the solution for you.

I have also had the blank audio file with the lines and nothing else, however it was down to me not setting it up correctly. The reason I was getting the blank file was because I was Record Arming the midi track file, selecting the DXi Track and bouncing the track down. The only result I got was a blank audio file.

However the solution for me was via a quick look into the manual, convert via my Babel fish from the Cakewalk speak to my brains English and voila, audio...

Try this as follows:


1. Mute all tracks that you don't want to convert. (Thats all Midi and Audio tracks you dont want to convert)
2. Use the Edit-Bounce to Track(s) command.
3. The Bounce to Track(s) dialog box appears.
4. In the Source Category field, choose Tracks. (This is on the right of the dialog box that pops up.)
5. In the Channel Format field, choose mono if you want mono tracks, and stereo if you want stereo tracks.
6. In the Mix Enables field, make sure all choices are selected.
7. Click OK.

You dont need to select any tracks, any clips or Arm anything, just follow the above. This is from the manual, but slightly converted to my understanding of the process.


Hope this helps

TechnoPhobia (UK)

Hmm, very puzzling...

The only other thing I can think of (you probably already have this in place, but havn't mentioned it) is the updates thru' to version 4.02. The update of 4.02 itself had a bug fix for doing audio mix down from track folders etc.

Lastly, the only other compromise for the time being, is to Freeze the synth...If you still have no joy, email Cakewalk, they are pretty responsive and helpful in these matters.

TechnoPhobia...

Hi bobdec,

I believe your problem converting DXi's to audio is the same one I had. I also got blank audio tracks after using the 'bounce to tracks' function. I figured out the problem though.

When you click on a track, say track 1, 2, or 3 etc., the ruler at the top of all the tracks becomes highlighted in a tan color for the entire length of the data in the track you clicked on. You have to get rid of that tan highlighting by clicking somewhere on a blank track with no data. You will notice the tan highlighting on the ruler disappear. Now you can use the 'bounce to track' function for converting DXi's to audio and it will work (using the instructions in the Sonar manual.)

Sometimes if you click on a small audio or midi clip, that tan highlighting will pop up on the ruler too. You can also add the tan highlighting to the ruler by moving the mouse up there and clicking on any number, say 3, dragging the mouse to, say 10, then unclicking, and you'll notice the tan highlight from 3 to 10. The bottom line is, whichever way the ruler becomes highlighted, get rid of all that by clicking on an empty track before you use the 'bounce to track' function. Then your DXi's will convert to nice audio.

Sometimes if you click on a small audio or midi clip, that tan highlighting will pop up on the ruler too. You can also add the tan highlighting to the ruler by moving the mouse up there and clicking on any number, say 3, dragging the mouse to, say 10, then unclicking, and you'll notice the tan highlight from 3 to 10. The bottom line is, whichever way the ruler becomes highlighted, get rid of all that by clicking on an empty track before you use the 'bounce to track' function. Then your DXi's will convert to nice audio.

This "tan highlighting" is a time selection. It is useful.

If you select both the MIDI AND AUDIO tracks (hold down CTRL, and click the TRACK NUMBER), you will get your mixdown. If you have tan highlighting, it will mix down only that part.

So, for example, say Track 1 is a MIDI track, being played through a softsynth. Track 2 is the audio track hooked to the softsynth output. Hold down CTRL, and select BOTH Tracks 1 & 2. Now select measures 3-10 in the ruler, and do Bounce to Tracks. You will bounce only tracks 3-10.