Hi All,
 
I believe I have some workflow issues, rather it's more like I have no idea!!!
 
I have a few midi tracks I laid down, (Using Synth Insert Cakewalk TTS-1 as the midi source) and am able to play them back no issues - now want to apply some effects to some of these tracks - I want to firstly apply some distortion to the Bass track but when I see the list of MIDI FX, there're only appears a few FX I can choose from; arpeggiator, chord anal, midi event filter, echo delay, quantize, transpose and velocity...  I see in the Audio FX though many more are listed but unable to drag them across to the midi track but can drag them across and drop them in any audio track... 
 
Ok so fair enough, I copy Bass midi track to the Audio track, mute the Bass midi track and select the audio track with the copy of the midi notes taken from the Bass track. Click on play and nothing, no sound, not even the left/right led light meter is moving for the audio track - mater channel is configured to use ASIO4ALL V2, like I mentioned sound from Midi track is coming out but not from Audio track.  Check preferences and have from what I can tell is setup correctly to use the ASIO4ALL output.
 
I don't get it...
 
Can't I just throw in an audio fx and simply adjust the level of the effects I want to apply in midi track or are the midi tracks limited by only being able to use the midi fx? 
 
Man I'm lost...
 
Sonar X3d Studio w/ full version zeta+2

Ok I think I get it now - I drop the audio fx in the Cakewalk TTS-1 track - this seems to take the audio fx and play the bass midi track along with the effect...
 
Is this how it works??

sooo now if I apply an effect to the cakewalk tts-1 track then this effect applies to all my midi tracks.  So now I insert new synth (TTS-1 2) and specify the percussion track to use for synth out - but now have a problem, percussion midi track doesn't play... now I'm really confused.

OK no went back over each midi track and selected each synth I assigned to use - seems like when you add new synth in and choose the midi track to use it actually doesn't assign it properly - I needed to go over each manually and choose again... hmmm
 
Is this how midi tracks and audio fx should be used? Seems weird way to work with to me..

Good Morning -
It looks to me like you're mixing up several basic concepts:
MIDI - This is the notes and other commands, contained in a MIDI track, it's all data, no sound.
Audio = sound.  Comes from the synth when the synth follows the MIDI commands.
Audio FX are applied to the audio after it comes out of the synth - not applied to the MIDI.
Multi-timbral synths like the TTS-1 can put sound out on individual audio tracks if you set it up that way, (it sounds like you did not) so if you want to apply distortion to only the bass - you would add that FX to only the audio track associated with the bass sound.
There's all kinds of other routing to think about - but maybe this helps clear some things up.
 
Brian

I would recommend getting a subscription with Groove3.com, buying a copy of Sonar X3 Power (coming soon no doubt) or even http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/kb/reader.aspx/2007013322
 
Cheers...

so ok why is it when I import wav file to the audio track, I play it back and works fine.  So remove the audio from the audio track and copy/past midi track into audio - this appears to copy no problem, but no playback can be heard... what is the purpose then of being able to copy midi data to audio track?? This is where I get confused

Again, MIDI makes no sound.  You can point it at a soft synth and the synth will make a sound and THAT sound you can distort, etc.  Once you've removed audio from a track and put MIDI into it...it's a MIDI track.  That makes no sound.

JimmyBoy
so ok why is it when I import wav file to the audio track, I play it back and works fine.  So remove the audio from the audio track and copy/past midi track into audio - this appears to copy no problem, but no playback can be heard... what is the purpose then of being able to copy midi data to audio track?? This is where I get confused

As soon as you get comfortable with the differences in how midi and audio are used it will make more sense.
 
The biggest hurdle is understanding that a midi clip or performance is nothing more than a recording of a bunch of numbers, that will only create sound when they are played through a synthesizer of some sort. Audio clips are recordings of sound that are just being played back, like a tape recorder.
MIDI track output to synch input. Synch output to audio track. Audio track output to monitor master.

If you do hear MIDI being played back in an audio track you wouldn't like what you hear. It would sound like a teleprinter or FAX sound because its nothing but data streamed out to trigger a synth or sampler. In effect it has no sound. It controls gear.  The gear can be a hardware sound module like a Roland Sound Canvas or various other hardware gear.  Today we use it in a sequencer like Sonar to trigger software synths in the same way its used to trigger hardware.  MIDI is an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Its a protocol to communicate between instruments. Instruments that understand the MIDI language and have MIDI ports.
 
MIDI is a very powerful protocol that can also control lighting in a performance in real time. One should learn about it because it can enhance your musical horizons.   One thing you have to understand is it is not audio.  
 
The bottom line is you can not add distortion to MIDI because that would mean you are corrupting it.