mudgel


You can't do what you want.

You have to understand that the outputs on the back of your MOTU device are hardware and you can only monitor any 2 at one time unless you're monitoring a surround mix in which case you'd have to have an amp connected to each physical output going to its own speaker. that or use a dedicated surround sound amp with discrete inputs for each MOTU output you want to connect. 

Well then why do they say that you can?  That's what is really bugging me about not getting it to work.  The manual and the tutorial's demonstrator speaks of having each output have it's own EQ, Dynamic, etc.  Why does the Meters tab show the signal sources, but you can't hear it? 
 
Would I be able to do this if I were using monitors instead of Headphones?

The features you want to exploit are in Cuemix not SONAR.

I don't have access to a MOTU manual to explain it to you.
Cuemix must have some sort of virtual outputs (to which SONAR connects) where the fx are applied which can then be routed to the literal hardware outputs.
There must be somewhere in Cuemix where you can route everything to the hardware outputs that you are monitoring.

If the sound sources you want to have fx on are external eg Vocals, guitar etc then that is the circumstance where you would use the Cuemix DSP fx. The fx are applied to the input before it even hits SONAR (organised in Cuemix) and then routed to your monitor mix. That way there is no latency.

If the sound sources you want to have fx on are in SONAR already (recorded audio or MIDI)  then I'm not sure how you would do this within Cuemix.

The manual and the tutorial's demonstrator speaks of having each output have it's own EQ, Dynamic, etc.

 
That is correct, and this is possible.
 
You may be confusing what the manual means by outputs. The outputs the manual is referring to are the
physical outputs on the back of the MOTU unit. Each stereo pair can have it's own effects of compressor, EQ, or Reverb.
 
Watch this video. It may help you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48vYfBl3DaU
 
You can also apply the effects of CueMix FX to tracks in SONAR by using the Return Assign.
 
For instance, say you apply some comperssor on the outputs Analog 3-4 and you want to record that on a track in SONAR. In the MOTU Audio Console, you select Analog 3-4 as the Return Assign, and in SONAR you create a track and for that track's input you select "Stereo MOTU Audio ASIO Return 1" as the tracks input, arm the track and hit record. That will record whatever effect you put on Analog 3-4 output.
 
And for Reverb effects applied by using CueMix Reverb, see the video I gave a link for, and to record the Reverb to tracks in SONAR, as in the example above, select "Stereo MOTU Audio ASIO Reverb 1" (instead of Return 1), as the input for a new track.
 
See page 32 of the MOTU manual, and read the CueMix FX section of the MOTU manual, page 63. That may help you better understand.

Mix Master


I'm sorry if I wasn't clear earlier guys. 

OK here's what I'm trying to do.  1st off I'm using headphones, and not monitors.   Anyway...in the CueMix tutorial that came with the install disk, and/or in the manual, it refers to being able to use the onboard effects, EQ, etc. and assign each input/output from Sonar to have it's own individual mix settings in CueMix.  So in other words, I don't have to put strain on my CPU, and can use CueMix instead of relying on Sonar to do this; which in-turn would have CueMix predominately doing most of the mixing.  So what I want to do is have my recorded tracks on Sonar be assigned to different outputs, so that I can monitor each recorded track in CueMix.  That way each recorded track is being EQ'ed, Compressed, etc. in CueMix (not in Sonar).  I can't seem to monitor each  individually assigned output so that I can then hear my tracks as a mix using the Mix tab in CueMix.  Currently I can only assign the Sonar tracks to one single output, otherwise I will only hear one output assign at a time depending on which assign is highlighted in the Phones section at the top of CueMix.    Meaning currently, the only way that I even hear all my recorded tracks from Sonar simultaneously is to use only ONE output assign; for instance, coming into CueMix ONLY on the Main outs 1-2, Analog 1-2, Analog 3-4, and so on.  When I assign each track to different outputs from Sonar, the only way I can monitor them is to to go into the aforementioned Phones tab at the top of CueMix, and switch the output individually; but I can never preview them all as one mix, using different output assigns to give each track it's own dynamic, EQ, etc. setting in CueMix. 

I've tried everything I can think of, but I just can't do anything to make this happen. 

* Do I need to switch to the WDM drivers or something (I'm currently using ASIO drivers)?  What am I doing wrong, or is this not even possible?  Thanks... 


Mix Master

The highlighted part can't be done as I've tried to explain. You can only monitor one stereo output pair at a time. You can use the DSP fx on that output but it will effect anything going through that buss.

thomasabarnes

The manual and the tutorial's demonstrator speaks of having each output have it's own EQ, Dynamic, etc.

 
That is correct, and this is possible.
 
You may be confusing what the manual means by outputs. The outputs the manual is referring to are the
physical outputs on the back of the MOTU unit. Each stereo pair can have it's own effects of compressor, EQ, or Reverb.
 
Watch this video. It may help you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48vYfBl3DaU
 
You can also apply the effects of CueMix FX to tracks in SONAR by using the Return Assign.
 
For instance, say you apply some comperssor on the outputs Analog 3-4 and you want to record that on a track in SONAR. In the MOTU Audio Console, you select Analog 3-4 as the Return Assign, and in SONAR you create a track and for that track's input you select "Stereo MOTU Audio ASIO Return 1" as the tracks input, arm the track and hit record. That will record whatever effect you put on Analog 3-4 output.
 
And for Reverb effects applied by using CueMix Reverb, see the video I gave a link for, and to record the Reverb to tracks in SONAR, as in the example above, select "Stereo MOTU Audio ASIO Reverb 1" (instead of Return 1), as the input for a new track.
 
See page 32 of the MOTU manual, and read the CueMix FX section of the MOTU manual, page 63. That may help you better understand.

Thanks guys!!!  I have already watched that tutorial video (that was the one I was referring too in my initial post; it's the same as the one on the MOTU install disk), but unfortunately that tutorial doesn't go into great detail on what I was referencing.
 
So in other words, I can only use the DPS FX for multiple Inputs/Outputs simultaneously for multiple Live track sends to Sonar, but not as pre-recorded tracks returns back into CueMix; correct?  I will give what you explained a shot thomasabarnes. 
 
One other question guys, since you seem to have more knowledge about CueMix than I.  So if I assign one pre-recorded track's output as Bus 2, and an another as Bus 5 per say, what is happening in CueMix when I use those assigns?  Are they just stereo sends back into CueMix?  I attempted this last night, and could hear a better quality sound vs. just having both outputs assigned as Main Outs 1-2 per-say.  Can you explain this process?
 
* Thanks for replying back guys.  From everything I have read and watched in the manual/tutorial, it was as if what I was trying to attempt was possible; I see now that it was only wishful thinking on my part. 
 
Mix Master

One other question guys, since you seem to have more knowledge about CueMix than I. So if I assign one pre-recorded track's output as Bus 2, and an another as Bus 5 per say, what is happening in CueMix when I use those assigns? Are they just stereo sends back into CueMix? I attempted this last night, and could hear a better quality sound vs. just having both outputs assigned as Main Outs 1-2 per-say. Can you explain this process?

 
I don't understand what you are asking.
 
Busses in CueMix are any number of inputs assigned to a output pair. A pre-recorded track would be a playback track which we can say is an output. You can't assign an output to a Cuemix buss which is an output.
 
What is it you're trying to do, now?

thomasabarnes

One other question guys, since you seem to have more knowledge about CueMix than I. So if I assign one pre-recorded track's output as Bus 2, and an another as Bus 5 per say, what is happening in CueMix when I use those assigns? Are they just stereo sends back into CueMix? I attempted this last night, and could hear a better quality sound vs. just having both outputs assigned as Main Outs 1-2 per-say. Can you explain this process?

 
I don't understand what you are asking.
 
Busses in CueMix are any number of inputs assigned to a output pair. A pre-recorded track would be a playback track which we can say is an output. You can't assign an output to a Cuemix buss which is an output.
 
What is it you're trying to do, now?

Well last night while I was trying to get this to work, I made another stereo bus (bus 5) and then assigned Track 1's output to Bus 1, and Track 2 to Bus 5.  After doing that, the sound changed signifcantly.  I played with it a bit, by toggling those buses between another output (Main out 1-2 for instance), and then messed with CueMix between the toggle to see what had changed, and/or to see if CueMix was seperateing the output sources like I wanted.  This method didn't help what I was trying to acheive, but it did change the sound.  The newly assign sound (Bus 2, Bus 5) was an over all better mix than what I was getting before.   I was already listening to both of the tracks in stereo, but this new assign was better.  Why, and what was happening there;  You say it can't be done, but why then was I still getting sound, and why was the sound now better?  I was just asking if you could explain why these output assigns (Ex: Bus 2, Bus 5 Sonar outputs) were giving me a different sound. 
 
I'm assuming I shouldn't be messing with bus's as outputs from Sonar, or that it doesn't work; is that what you are saying?  Anyway, I take it that I can't have ANY recorded tracks do what the premise of this thread is about; correct?  It aggravates me that the manual and tutorial are so vague, but elude as though it can be.
 
It seems that I've been wasting my time based on an implication from MOTU that this can be accomplished, or was MOTU implying that this can only be done through CueMix, but ONLY as a live sound through inputs into Sonar; just not as a recorded track out of Sonar? 
 
Mix Master

I find CueMix FX complex, myself. I don't know everything about it. I'm no master at it.

Maybe someone else will chime in here because, now, I have no idea what you are talking about.

Sorry, I couldn't be more helpful.

Just scanning through this thread and I think what your looking for is to monitor all outs through a single hardware output?
 
This can be done by enabling the monitor tab for each output you want to monitor on the outputs page.. they even have some presets on the top right for 5.1 7.1 ect...
 
The monitor tab is located at the bottom of the outputs page I think it goes, talk, listen, monitor..
 
Hope that helps..