help with VSTIs, routing issues

Hello,

I am a completely blind computer user with Jaws screen reader software. I am using Sonar 8.5.3 Studio on a windows 7 64bit machine. As you can imagine, due to the mostly graphical environment of Sonar, it is sometimes difficult to navigate my way around to do things.

One issue of mine is the use of VSTIs soft synths inside Sonar. I have basically no control whatsoever; changing banks/patches, tweaking parameters, etc.

One work-around has been the use of savihost, wrapping said VSTI, (Arturia, Alchemy, Crystal,). In stand alone mode, I have much more control over things like changing banks and tweaking parameters.

At present, inside savihost, I have the wave output device set to "headphones." Using a cable, I route the sounds coming from within savihost into an input on my USB Audio interface. Inside Sonar, I have my USB Audio Interface set to receive this incoming signal. I am recording an audio track instead of a midi track.

So I am able to play my soft synth from within savihost and Sonar records the incoming sounds. Analog vs digital.

The trick is to make sure you have the trim set just right or you get clipping, distortion and the occasional hiss, pop or crackle noises. Its doable and actually works pretty good. However, I would like to be able to do the following.

Inside savihost set my wave output device to my USB audio (which is the Zoom r16 by the way) and select the Zoom r16 as my input device inside Sonar. This way there wouldn't be the need to adjust the trim. It would be (I think) the same process as if doing it the normal way within Sonar. Which is to play and record soft synths inside Sonar. The signal would be completely digital instead of analog and no worry of clipping, distortion, etc.

There's a problem though with this approach. If Sonar is using the Zoom, savihost can't use it, and vice versa, if savihost is using Zoom, Sonar can't.

I am very much a novice when it comes to all of the complex midi configurations and how drivers work. I'm pretty clueless.

Is there a way to accomplish what I want to do? If so, can someone offer some suggestions please?

This issue has been a pain for over 6 months. I live by myself so don't have someone with sight to drop by and help most of the time. Besides, they are just as clueless as I am.

Thanks in advance,

James