I have a premade midi track that I want to have a soft synth play using Sonar X1. The track plays just fine through my hardware synth (Ketron SD2), but I can't seem to get a soft synth to work with it. I recognize this question is a faq, however bear with me as I have spent the last two hours without success reading "Sonar X1 Power!" and searching the web, and I'm worn out. Assuming I start with the midi track already in a project, what are the steps I need to take to get a soft synth (any synth, it doesn't matter) to play the file and produce sound?
 
I promise I'll write this information down and tack it to the wall next to my computer. Either that or tatoo it on my arm.
 
Thanks for the help.
Bob
 
 

What I would is to insert Dimension Pro from the Insert > Soft Synth menu.
 
Make sure you've got 'Midi Source' and 'First Synth Audio Output' checked and nothing else.
Select a patch from DP's browser
Drag/copy your midi data from your premade Midi Track
 
If this doesn't work, check that the Midi channels in the synth & prv are in agreement, and also that the midi data doesn't include any events you don't want at the beginning of the clip, like program change messages or midi channel assignments. In fact, you would want to remove any 'non-performance' events

Thanks for the assist. I did as you suggested, but no luck. I'm going to pull another midi file and see if I can get it to work with a soft synth.
 
Bob

It has something to do with the way I set up that particular project. If I make a new project with the 'Normal' template, and insert a soft synth into the audio track and import a midi file into the midi track, I get the midi played through the soft synth. Dang it, I don't know what I did to the project to mess it up like that, but I have a way around my problem. Thanks.
 
Bob
 

Well, you can drag that midi track to your desktop and it will create a midi file.  You can then close the project in Sonar, then go to File>Open a Project and literally open the midi file.  Sonar will automatically insert TTS-1 and you should be able to just hit play and have it work.
 
Alternatively, you could drag the midi track off to your desktop, again this will create a midi file.  Then, close the Sonar project.  Start up a brand new Normal project, insert a midi track, import your saved midi file to that midi track, then insert the soft synth of your choice, load up a patch, insert a couple of mono audio tracks or a single stereo audio track, make your input/output assignments for the soft synth and the audio tracks, and it should play fine.
 
I would think either of the 2 methods would circumvent whatever you might have done to the original project where it doesn't want to play.  (either of the 2 methods puts you into a new project - just 2 different approaches to it).
 
Perhaps there is a midi channel issue with the original midi track, where you would need to look at the events and match the midi channel of the soft synth to react to the midi channel(s) in the midi track).  Just a thought there.
 
I hope that helps, 
 
Bob Bone
 

Thanks Bob. BTW, your sig is great.

Most MIDI files you download from the web are set up for a General MIDI synth. I suggest you use the Cakewalk TTS-1 synth since that is a multitimbral General MIDI softsynth. Insert the TTS-1 into the synth rack and then you can add it to all of the tracks by pressing CTRL-A. the hold down CTRL and select the TTS-1 as the output in one of the tracks and it will change all of the tracks. You may have to change the setting on the drum track if there is one to select the Drum bank on the TTS-1. 

Thanks Dave. I hadn't heard of your technique, and will give it a go tonight (when I'm at my DAW). Best wishes, Bob

there's a way to get sonar to auto-load the tts-1 for midi files? disabling midi ports or something?