A quick and dirty way for bouncing each track to audio is simply solo that instrument in the VSTi module, make sure
the track with the module is selected along with the MIDI, and bounce.

Just one further thought on Bouncing v Freezing.
 
If you're like me, and you "mix as you go", freezing your vsti's makes much more sense.
 
Why?
 
When you bounce to audio, you get a completely brand new track, leaving all your midi data intact (which then has to be muted/archived/hidden) but this audio track will then need to be panned/EQ'd/Compressed/Sends setup/Routing setup/Automation written etc.
Multiply by as many audio tracks as you're bouncing.
For a complete drum folders worth of tracks, this can easily run to a couple of dozen. And you now also have duplicate audio tracks which have to be muted/archived/hidden.
 
Not great for a streamlined workflow.
 
On the other hand, when you freeze your vsti, all of your previous mixing plugs & parameters remain in place - all you've done is removed the vsti from memory. And there's no need to hide/mute/archive anything.
 
You want to tweak some part of your Midi performance?
 
Unfreeze > make your edits > Re-freeze. It's that simple.
 
 
I don't recall the last time I felt the need to bounce to audio.

Bristol_Jonesey
I don't recall the last time I felt the need to bounce to audio.

In Beeps case he wants to use the audio "as if" it was actually recorded as audio to edit and possibly mangle up and so it seems that the bounce is a safety against an accidental unfreeze (and losing his work).

Yes, indeed. Although all these ideas will be tried and likely used, particularly the Freeze option, for now Danny's method of bouncing down to pure audio waves is exactly what I want. This is because this will be a practice mixing session to solidify some ideas and concepts I've learned for mixing recorded audio. The goal is to be able to work with a full band with a fully mic'd drum kit because I have to mix an old album I've had on the backburner for far too long. There is absolutely no MIDI involved BUT I may do some extraction of the kick/snare and maybe toms to MIDI so I can double things up with samples.
 
For my own in house creations though Freeze may be a better option but I'll have to see how it fits in my workflow and/or whether it'll cause my computer to glitch out.
 
Also it's a good excuse to clean up the Beepster Creep because I basically just twisted knobs until I thought it wasn't too embarrassing. I think I could make it much better now.
 
Cheers and thanks for all the ideas guys.

Hi Beeps,
 
I really don't think you'll need freeze to be honest. The reason being, when you freeze, it takes longer (at least on my system) and you'd have to go on each track and un-bypass each bin. When you freeze, by default it literally freezes everything...the track fx bin and any plugs VSTi's, pro channel (though it really doesn't freeze it, it just globally shuts the track down at the top, but if you turned it back on you'd be double processing) and to me it's just the long way around really.
 
Again, it's a cool way to do things but I think bounce to track is faster and better to do with less work and clicks to be honest. Then you can set up your fx in pro channel or in the track bins. Freezing at THAT point makes more sense to me (due to plugin use) because it would take less time to freeze/unfreeze to make changes with just plugins on top of bounced audio, ya know? With freeze at the midi/vsti stage, it takes some time to have those drum tracks process through your drum module.
 
But like I said before, both will work. I say try both and see which one works better for how you use the program. Freeze may be better for you and may even be faster. I just hated the whole freeze and wait, unfreeze to make changes, freeze back, unfreeze to make changes....that just annoyed me to no end. So I just do a bounce, archive the original midi/vsti tracks and I'm working with old fashioned wave files and can process them in real time without freezing or the extra over-head of the drum modules I may be using.
 
That said, with a fast enough computer, none of it really matters. My system is so bad-ass (thank you God...and Jim Roseberry lol) I never have to freeze anything even when using Sonar 32 bit. If I start going nuts with synths, of course I do...but it's rare for me to use that many synths to where I have to start freezing things. When I use lots of synths, I just use Sonar 64 and then all is well. I'd stay 64 exclusively but need some of my old 32 bit effects that have never been ported to 64.
 
Anyway, try some of that stuff out and see what works best for you. I think you'll definitely like bounce though. Good luck man! :)
 
-Danny

You definitely know where I'm going with this Danny. Another thing for me is once I get my drum part I just want it done. Yanno? No going back and screwing around and moving notes around or cramming in a new fill here or there just... "this is the performance... work with it". Otherwise I'd be constantly going back fiddling with things when I know damned well if I was happy with a track at a certain point it's a good track. Then there is the aspect of having the slight variations of having the synth performing the track every time, especially with anti machine gun settings in place or whatever. It may not be a HUGE difference in how the effects respond to the part but I'm the kind of freak that would notice it especially if I'm going OCD and automating a specific hit or something so it pops just right at the right time ("Why does the compression sound different on this ONE HIT THAT I THINK IS SUPER IMPORTANT BLAAARGH!!!"). Just seems to take a whole pile of weirdness out of the mixing process. I may be totally wrong but I'm used to working with audio and new to MIDI so it would just make me feel more comfortable have a printed track.
 
Am I crazy? Definitely... but I think at least some of my reasoning for wanting to do things this way are sound and you seem to be confirming my assumptions.
 
Anyway, thanks again. I've actually been contemplating sending you some more of my wacky charts to round out what I've already sent you but haven't had much time. Just a couple tweaks to unlock the alternate modes that you may find interesting. I'll let you know. Cheers.

I use freeze exclusively. I also have drums going to their own audio tracks. Of course I do this for all soft synths.  

When you freeze, by default it literally freezes everything...the track fx bin and any plugs VSTi's, pro channel (though it really doesn't freeze it, it just globally shuts the track down at the top, but if you turned it back on you'd be double processing) and to me it's just the long way around really.

 
Sorry Danny.
 
I have to disagree with you on this one.
 
Let's just clear the decks, I'm talking about freezing the synth as opposed to freezing the track
 
There is a world of difference between the 2 and you do get completely different results.
 
But, on your Midi track, if you right click the freeze button, Sonar lets you choose what it is you want to be frozen - including Track Fx. I never include any Fx to be included in a freeze, I just pop in & out of freeze whenever I need to make Midi adjustments.
All my Fx bins and Pro Channel are live constantly, whether the track is frozen or not.

Bristol_Jonesey

When you freeze, by default it literally freezes everything...the track fx bin and any plugs VSTi's, pro channel (though it really doesn't freeze it, it just globally shuts the track down at the top, but if you turned it back on you'd be double processing) and to me it's just the long way around really.

 
Sorry Danny.
 
I have to disagree with you on this one.
 
Let's just clear the decks, I'm talking about freezing the synth as opposed to freezing the track
 
There is a world of difference between the 2 and you do get completely different results.
 
But, on your Midi track, if you right click the freeze button, Sonar lets you choose what it is you want to be frozen - including Track Fx. I never include any Fx to be included in a freeze, I just pop in & out of freeze whenever I need to make Midi adjustments.
All my Fx bins and Pro Channel are live constantly, whether the track is frozen or not.

I think for how my brain works Freeze would be better in the composition/tracking/editing phase. For mixing though I just wanna deal with audio because frankly MIDI is a little too weird for me sometimes and I'd rather just take it completely out of the equation at mix time. Same  for other synth parts. I'm so meticulous when putting my parts together that if I got to the point of printing them they will be as good as they can get. Besides if I REALLY wanted to change something I could always dig the original MIDI out of the archive.
 
But thanks for all your input here Jonesey. It's always a pleasure. ;-)

twaddle
Hi Beepster
There's so much to learn with computer music production I try and keep it to a, "need to know" basis but obviously there are methods you might not be aware of that are much quicker and easier than the ones you'd adopted.
As I said, sonar's prv automatically displays all the drum notes for all fxpansions drums which is really useful and it also updates when you add or remove new kit pieces, I prefer to have my kit pieces in a certain order and mapping them in BFD2 & 3 (and Eco) is a lot quicker than creating drum maps but I must say I prefer to look of drum maps and the fact that I can edit the names when they're too long but I can get by without them. One of BFD3's new midi mapping features I really like is the ability to control/select each articulation and then drag those artics on to the keyboard and it adds them in the order you clicked them. Really useful when mapping hi-hats with 13 articulations.
 
I hate to be the harbinger of doom but I'm quite sure you won't get an upgrade to BFD2 from fxpansion as they are no longer selling BFD2 on their site but I guess there's no harm in contacting sales to see if they still have any boxed upgrade versions, however I just did a google search and found people selling BFD2 Upgrade for £84 ($135) which is well worth it and probably cheaper than you would have got through FXpansion anyway. The link I posted is in the UK but they do say it's an upgrade for BFD Eco users too.
 
I know you're saying you can't afford to go straight to BFD3 but I would have advised you to go via BFD2 anyway as you'll be getting 10 very well recorded kits for $135 which is pretty cheap. I'm not a V-drummer but I'm sure I read that you are, or did I ?
Anyway, a lot of improvements have been made for V-drummers and I read some very positive posts from very happy users.
The cost of getting to BFD3 via a BFD2 upgrade may well be about the same as getting BFD3 direct with no upgrade but the difference is you get the 10 extra kits from BFD2.
 
Christmas is coming so I'd suggest treating your self and breaking the bank for the BFD2 upgrade and then you can think about BFD3 further down the line. Did you try the BFD2 demo when it was available ? There will be a BFD3 demo available within the next week or so. It's very different from BFD2 and in some ways is more like Eco in the way it's laid out which should please you
 
 
Here's a list of FXpansion Dealers from around the world, I'd suggest contacting your nearest one and using all your powers of charm and persuasion but I don't wont to get your hopes up
 
 
Steve

Thanks, Steve. If there are indeed boxed upgrades for eco floating around out there I'm sure I can scrounge one up. It's odd that they didn't include those BFD2 kits in BFD3. You'd think since they are already recorded and ready to go they just toss them in. Weird. Cheers.