Hi,   newbie here, thanks much for your help in advance !  Please bear with me, need to be very detailed so I get it right...
 
I've got a good midi drum track already created in EZDrummer as a Simple Instrument Track, and would like to convert it to Multichannel so that I can add effects and such to each audio drum track.  I'd like to know the CORRECT way to do this, if possible.
 
I thought I could just:
1) "Insert" another soft synth EZDrummer into my project, specifying Midi Source, All Synth Audio Outputs: Stereo, Synth Property Page, and Synth Rack View. (did I miss anything? do I need to specify "Enable Midi Output" ?)   This creates multiple tracks in Sonar; one for midi, and 8 for the EZD drum channels.
2) select multichannel on the EZDrummer mixer.  set up mixer as desired.
3) copy the entire midi drum track (Simple Instrument Track) as a single entity and paste into the midi track of the new mutichannel EZD soft synth.  ("Clone" track here doesn't seem to allow me to select the destination track correctly, for some reason)
4) freeze the newly created midi track; this causes each of the newly created 8 audio tracks to be filled with a corresponding audio track, created from each drum channel in the midi. (why doesn't "Bounce" work here?)
 
Anyhow, this seems to work, but there are glitches:
1)  When I "Copy" the original simple midi track to the new multichannel midi track, there is an unexpected automatic appearance of a stereo synth track in addition to the copied midi info.  There doesn't appear to be any data or anything on the track in the track view, but when I mute it, it definitely affects the sound level.   What is this track ?  Why is this ?  Can I just delete it ?
2)  I thought I would be able to mute the new midi track independently, but when I mute it, all the associated audio channels are muted as well...  any way around this ?  Does this mean the new midi track will always be generating sounds even though I don't want to hear it at the same time as the audio tracks ?
3) Re: using the "All Synth Audio Outputs: Stereo" instead of "Mono" when creating the new EZD soft synth...  Is it necessary to use the stereo option ?   Doesn't panning accomplish the same thing ?
 
Thanks much for your patience, and your help !!!
 
Best,
 
 
 
 
 

Delete the extra stereo track. It sounds like the byproduct of an instrument track copy. Instruments tracks are actually a hybrid audio and MIDI track. It probably won't happen if the instrument track is split before the copy. Or drag and drop the MIDI clip from the instrument track to the MIDI track.
 
Rather than muting the MIDI, mute the audio tracks. If you really want to mute MIDI, you may want to run the "Split Note to Tracks.cal" but it really complicates the drum track.
 
Mono tracks pan, in a stereo track the panner is a balance control. To pan a stereo channel use Channel Tools. I believe the EZD outputs are already processed stereo tracks so treating them as mono my not be a good idea.

BTW bounce should work, bounce would require the audio and MIDI tracks to be selected.

Here's how I work with EZD, I think I know what you want to do.
First you have to set up the EZD mixer

Then tracks 1 - 5 are setup in the Track View.
Note that I have each ez fader set to give me apprx -6db level on the audio tracks.

Folders are handy here. You can see I have a midi track for each of the Audio Outs.
Whatever works for you, some prefer to have all the midi on one track.
Now I setup the "bounce"

I bounce everything "Mono", this gives me a Left & Right on the Toms, Overheads, and Room.
Just like if I was micing up a kit in the studio.
I now put all the bounced tracks in a new folder named DRUMS.
midi= all lower case
VSTi audio = Snare or Bass upper and lower
AUDIO = SNARE KICK VOX GTR all upper case
That's just me.
That's it, HTH
 
Tom

scook
Delete the extra stereo track. It sounds like the byproduct of an instrument track copy. Instruments tracks are actually a hybrid audio and MIDI track. It probably won't happen if the instrument track is split before the copy. Or drag and drop the MIDI clip from the instrument track to the MIDI track.

Rather than muting the MIDI, mute the audio tracks. If you really want to mute MIDI, you may want to run the "Split Note to Tracks.cal" but it really complicates the drum track.

Mono tracks pan, in a stereo track the panner is a balance control. To pan a stereo channel use Channel Tools. I believe the EZD outputs are already processed stereo tracks so treating them as mono my not be a good idea.

Thanks...  learned something here !  (lots of that goin' on !!!)  yes, a simple instrument track contains the midi and audio tracks, which I didn't know !
But the question remains...  if I don't mute the midi track after creating multichannel drum tracks, isn't the midi track itself generating sounds on its own, even when you have the audio tracks enabled ?   There seem to be no way to test this.

DeeringAmps
Here's how I work with EZD, I think I know what you want to do.
First you have to set up the EZD mixer
 
Then tracks 1 - 5 are setup in the Track View.
Note that I have each ez fader set to give me apprx -6db level on the audio tracks.
 
Folders are handy here. You can see I have a midi track for each of the Audio Outs.
Whatever works for you, some prefer to have all the midi on one track.
Now I setup the "bounce"
 
I bounce everything "Mono", this gives me a Left & Right on the Toms, Overheads, and Room.
Just like if I was micing up a kit in the studio.
I now put all the bounced tracks in a new folder named DRUMS.
midi= all lower case
VSTi audio = Snare or Bass upper and lower
AUDIO = SNARE KICK VOX GTR all upper case
That's just me.
That's it, HTH
 
Tom

Tom,  thanks much for the input... but it's little above my head... not sure what I'm look at in the first DAW screen shot. But the tips about bouncing, and to mono...  will have to do a few experiments to see what works best. Thanks much!

BTW, when I first insert the soft synth, and get the first screen (Soft Synth Options) do I need to specify "Enable Midi Output" when creating the EZDrummer tracks ?

Chevy
 
But the question remains...  if I don't mute the midi track after creating multichannel drum tracks, isn't the midi track itself generating sounds on its own, even when you have the audio tracks enabled ?   There seem to be no way to test this.

The MIDI data does not make sound by itself, it must be interpreted by the synth which sends the audio result to the audio track. Without muting the MIDI track, the synth will receive and interpret the data but if the audio track is muted, the sound will not be audible.
 

Chevy
BTW, when I first insert the soft synth, and get the first screen (Soft Synth Options) do I need to specify "Enable Midi Output" when creating the EZDrummer tracks ?

Probably not, unless you plan to use the MIDI data in another synth.

When you say "the first DAW screen shot"
You mean this?

Track 3 "Kick" is EZD Trk 1 "left"
You have to assign each of EZD's outputs to a track

Each of the tracks you see here in UPPER/lower case is routed from EZD
Kick EZ1:Left
SnrTop EZ2:Left
SnrBot EZ2:Right
Hat EZ1:Right
Toms EZ3:Stereo
Overhead EZ4:Stereo
Room EZ5:Stereo
Refer to the EZD Mixer
You can have multiple midi tracks or just one; that's up to you.
The midi tracks are the lower case tracks (that's just how I work).
They are all routed to EZD. EZD then sends audio to the Upper/Lower case tracks.
All these tracks are in a folder named "Drums".
Once I "bounce" the audio I put the new Audio tracks into a folder named "DRUMS".
Again, lower case = midi, Upper/Lower = VSTi output, all CAPS = RECORDED AUDIO.
That's just how I work.
I then "Archive" the folder named "Drums", that way EZD and the midi tracks are "quiet".
IF you need to change anything in the drum tracks you "un-archive", edit and re-bounce.
HTH,
Tom