hi all - I'm having a hard time figuring how to do the volume automation.  where do i find this feature?
one thing i did learn though is how i can record my movement of the sliders on the mixer view...but is this really the way to go?  Is volume automation the same idea in recording and I'm just not realizing where to adjust it?
 
also - how can i add an effect say to a single note?
say i just want the last drum beat before a pause to get an echo or heavy reverb
 
moving on (thanks so much everyone...really!) -> my rant:
-adding these VSTs - ok i'm going to map out for you how my buddy set this up.  ultimately i'm wondering where to add the plugins i mentioned above and also just how screwed up my setup currently is heheh
 
C Drive: Prog Files x86>
-Program Data>App Data>Cakewalk (act data, beatscape, cakewalk, publisher, rapture, rapture le, shared presets, sonar producer 8, sonar producer 8.5, z3ta+.....some tutorial and sample stuff)
-Cakewalk>VST Plugins>Dimension Pro
-Common Files>Native Instruments>Guitar Rig 3> Soundbanks
 
E Drive:  Cakewalk Projects
E Drive:  Prog Files>Cakewalk>
-Rapture
-Rapture LE
-Shared Dxi (Cyclone, Groove Player, P5antom, Pentagon 1, PsynII, TTS-1, VVocal)
-Shared Midi Plugins
-Shared Plugins
-Sonar 8 Producer
-Sonar 8.5 Producer
-VST Plugins (I see a bunch of my soft synths, both Raptures again, z3ta+ again, guitar rig 3 again, effects)
-z3ta+
 
now...when peeping my setup i see it looking for plugins in:
-c>Prog Files x86>Cakewalk>Vstplugins
-e>Prog Files>Cakewalk>Vstplugins
-c>Prog Files>Native Instruments>Guitar Rig 3>Vstplugins
 
The first 2 is where I have some stuff but this last one is missing "common files" in the path and also don't have a VST folder there
 
*incidentally...I have no idea where to see "VVocal" or "Beatscape" when running my project
*where would i put the plugins i mentioned above.....does it matter that they are 32 bit?
*is there a chance I can "break" my setup by attempting to put these vst folders somewhere?  or is the greatest harm just not being able to have sonar recognize or use them well and i can uninstall with no harm > translation...i'm scared :)
 
 
truly appreciate your time folks!
 
 

is it rude to bump my thread here guys?
please let me know and I'll never do it again
 
just a little anxious and excited as I'm getting my feet wet
 
are there forums I should be posting in?
is cross posting here a no-no?  if i were to migrate a given question to the "get started" sub?
 
 
thx :)

It's confusing to me to see a post title and then the topic changes, You should just make a new thread for each question you have. Your question was answered by 2 people, So if your still confused you just need to keep playing with the software until you "get it" 
 
All the things your trying to do are done with automating an audio track. You can turn on the automation record feature in both the Mixer and the track view. Or right click and add a node.
When you insert a soft synth it creates a Audio track. Don't use simple instrument tracks or you'll be confused as that's a little more complex.
 
Are you reading the tutorials and the help files? All this is very well explained right in front of you on your menu bar. Open help and use the search function for " using soft synths" . People here will stop responding when it is clear the OP is not doing their homework. 
Good luck

I hate homework!

Does 8.5 allow you to insert an envelope and add nodes manually? IDK because I never used that version. My experience was before that came out and then after it was out with the MC series.  I used the write automate function until I learned that it was much neater and more precise to add this automation manually. Faster too in some respects.
 
On drum maps: I have never used one, nor have I ever need to use one. I have used TTS and other drum synths without ever having to create a drum map. I hear they are more trouble than they are worth.
 
We can advise, but we can not do this for you. You have to dig in and experiment to discover how this all works.

Does 8.5 allow you to insert an envelope and add nodes manually?

Yes. This feature was definitely available in 6PE and that's as far back as I go.
 

 I hear they are more trouble than they are worth

They can be until you get to grips with them, but in my opinion it's well worth taking the time to fully understand how they work, how to edit, create & delete maps/notes. They have other uses apart from just splitting drums out.
My orchestral template contains about 136 tracks and a very large proportion of this is for all the different keyswitched articulations and they all have their own drum map, which makes composition a lot easier.

oh man....i feel bad  :(
 
"I'm going to have a lot of totally random and hopefully not annoying questions.  I truly promise you I am working very hard at understanding as much as I can on my own."
 
that promise still stands, truly! 
guys i know about these type forums.  with other tech type of stuff i've been the noob turned into the person that could field a lot of questions so i know what your side puts up with.  that's why i'm trying my very best to self help and not waste your time. i think i'm just a little slow to absorb some of these concepts and bigger pictures :(  terminology alone i'm struggling with which leaves me having a hard time following the advice.
if it's ok i would like to wrap up a single question here and then as suggested i'll start making new threads when i have a new topic to ask about:
 
-the "volume automation"
i have only simple instrument tracks.  i "insert soft synth" and viola i have something i can play so i'm sure it's the go to noob choice.  i split one of these tracks into MIDI and audio i believe, but the audio appeared "blank"??
 
i digress!......i know that i can  a) turn on write automation and manually move my mixer slider and then that will be recorded.  b) right click the track and create track envelope where i can make and drag the nodes.
 
***Are both of these essentially doing the same thing?  Is this what yall have been telling me to do to the audio track.....even though i'm doing it to my "simple instrument track"?  Is one better than the other?
Finally....what does this do to my final mix?  Am I essentially just changing the volume *relative to whatever I'm manually putting the slider at - or do i have to re-record new automation/change all of my nodes if i want the instrument to go up or down overall?  Do I lose the freedom to play with that track's slider once I do a or b above?
 
like i said guys....i'm so confused no matter how hard i'm trying here.
thanks again everyone - i really appreciate your help and i don't think i could do this without good people like you
i'm slapping my own self over the head right now hoping it will help  :-/
 
 

After splitting an instrument track, the audio track should be blank. There is a button on the track to display a waveform preview. If the synth is frozen the audio track will be filled with the frozen audio track.
 
Yes, automation whether created by moving the slider or directly entering the nodes are exactly the same. Yes, this is what has been suggested, volume automation will even work with an instrument track.
 
Not sure what you asking about how this affects the final mix. Every volume adjustment affects the mix in some way. Creating a volume envelop takes over the slider for the track it is on. Once volume is automated on a track, the only way to adjust the track volume is to adjust the envelop or use offset mode (something else to read up on, for now you may be better off learning about envelops first).

thanks scook
 
it's awesome to have this much worked out in my head now :)