How do we manually control tracks and busses during a mixdown?

I have a question and I am hoping its something I have missed. I want to take total manual control of small group of tracks and busses (eg 8) during mixdown (as well as most others being automated). During a 'bounce to tracks' the faders drop to zero, they dont move and moving them seems to have no control. Automation can be heard of course (if selected) but I want to manually ride levels of some tracks and busses while a bounce is taking place.

Another way to do it is to route the Digital OUT back to the Digital IN and then you can create a track and set its input to the digital in. Is there a way to route the Main Out from Sonar back to the input of a track digitally of course so you can record a real time pass with manual input. I like patching vocal compressors in the vocal buss outs rather than the channel strips. That way you can ride fader levels controlling what levels are going into the vocal compressor.

Thanks Steve for your thoughts. It brings up ideas about patching external analog processors during a mixdown. But no, I want to stay all digital here. I dont believe you need to go out through the D to A process and A to D process for the sake of analog compression. It can be added in the master buss and I do like printing mixes into a slightly working compressor. Helps later for mastering. I would also only insert compressors over the Vocal buss digitally and internally as well.

I realise of course you can always just record a manual mix automation pass and then you do have the luxury of playing it back, checking it and editing if necessary. (The bounce process at the moment is lets turn all this into a stereo mix with no faders moving or be able to do much while it is happening)

What I am going on about, is to be able to send the signal that appears on the MAIN OUTS digitally through to the input of a track and simply record while you are doing an automation pass or even just playback and playing with faders manully and not even recording automation. This also allows midi tracks to trigger external midi devices and bring their signals in through the DIECT Mixer to the Main Outs. (without even having to turn them into audio although it is wise to do so)

There are issues with feedback here because if the track is echoed and the track is also output to the Main outs then a severe feedback loop will ocurr. But I am sure there is way of perhaps limiting those tracks echo options when the input is set to the Main Outs.

This may be well inferior from the scope of your inquiry, but you can bounce multiple tracks at once and have them all be 'recorded' onto separate tracks; in the bounce to tracks menu, simply opt for 'tracks' instead of 'entire mix,' select those desired, choose the 'destination track' as something below the rest of them, and go for it.  In this case, you'll be able to assign to them whichever values you'd wish later on and have the chance to manipulate those corresponding envelopes on an individual (or subsequently routed) basis.  

However, I get the impression that you want to do some experimenting before the final mixdown, so if you have the same effect (a compressor, in this case) being patched through multiple tracks, why not just enable the compressor interface's W mode and see what you can come up with?  I just don't see the necessity of having it routed back during a mixdown and all that; what's the timbrel difference between doing it that way vs. the way I'm suggesting, in which case your modifications could actually be recorded?

I think I mentioned this in another thread but I will post it again here as there may be others out there with a similar need.

After a recording session there might only be time to play back all the tracks once. So you can do a complete manual mix on the console. I connect the Digital 1 Output (AES/EBU) looped back to the Digital 1 Input (AES/EBU) with a very short cannon to cannon lead. For your final mix you create an extra stereo buss and call it Digi 1. Then create a send on the Master Buss and send the Master Buss signal out to the Digi 1 Buss. This signal will be a replica of the Master Buss signal. Now you set the Outputs from this new Digi 1 Buss to the Digi 1 Digital Output.

Create an audio Track and set its input to Digi 1. This will pickup the signal on the Masterbuss and effectively feed it into a track. (Note: On the Mic Pre Page up the top right you need to select the Digital 1 Input as being AES/EBU. It is currently set for SPDIF.) Also you can do this loopback procedure with the SPDIF connections as well.  As long as this track is not set to echo its input signal there will be no problems with digital feedback.

Now you can just record the output from Sonar very easily and without quality loss. You may want to sync the Input signal to Digital 1, just in case but it seems to work fine either way. No level setting required because the track levels are indentical to masterbuss levels.

I sometimes have some outboard things going on eg midi synths and other mixing consoles but what you do in this situation is on the Direct Mixer Page you have to make sure the Outputs are set to MAIN and DIGI 1. Send any tracks or busses to any of the VS 700R Outs, do the processing, come back in thru VS700R Inputs and you will hear that and it gets recorded onto the track as well. (On the Direct Mixer Outputs section, if you dont select Digi 1 as well as MAIN you will still hear everything coming in through the Direct mixer but it wont get recorded.)

So all this above allows you to get into a once pass, create a very quick balance, eg like a live gig, bring up a few solos, may pan here and there, but just a very usable mix everyone can go away with and listen to.

All Roland/Cakewalk have to do is come up with a way of doing this via software and the external connection won't even be necessary. Remember both the VS700 and Sonar Software can be updated so I am sure the possibility is there. But the external connection also works very well.