Ok, so i'm still very new to all of this, never used Sonar before, i've been playing around with FL studio for the last couple of years. So that's what i know. Sonar is way more advanced and it's quite the challenge getting the hang of all the features.
 
I'll try and describe my issue as well as i can. I am using the Audio Damage 'Tattoo' plug-in with Sonar, it has an internal step sequencer wich i find very easy to use, it also has the ability to change patterns on the fly. How do i actually get it to play with the song? For instance, when i use Rapture or any other soft synth, i play it on my Axiom midi controller and then record it with Sonar. I can then move the audio clip around within the song. This does not happen with this plug-in. If i choose to make a drum pattern in Sonars step sequencer it then shows up as a clip wich i can do whatever with.
 
Yes i am a real noob, please forgive me for asking what might be a dumb question. I have searched the documentations and online FAQ but i can't find the answer. I guess it's because i am unfamiliar with a lot of the terminology so i don't even know how to ask the 'correct' way.
 
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)
 
 
 
 

I'm not familiar with Tattoo but if it's like most virtual drum machines then it will synchronize with Sonar's clock, i.e. when you hit play in Sonar, then Tattoo will start up. So you create your patterns and organize them into a song with Tattoo's internal sequencer, and it will play along with whatever other stuff you have in Sonar. This is how you'd work with a real drum machine. There are some drum VSTi's, like Maschine, which allow you to drag the patterns into Sonar and arrange them there. But if Tattoo doesn't have that functionality, you're going to have to arrange your drum part inside of it. 
 
Although looking at the Tattoo specs, it seems that it supports MIDI in, so you can arrange the drum parts using Sonar's step sequencer (or the piano roll) if you like, and have the drums triggered by Tattoo. It also has MIDI out, meaning you can use Tattoo's internal sequencer to trigger sounds in other VST's. But as far as I know Tattoo has no MIDI export, so you can't drag your Tattoo patterns into Sonar. 

Thank you very much sharke. 
 
Indeed it does play the patterns i've created when i hit the play button. However, i do not understand how to get it to switch between the patterns automatically. So that when i play the tune, i don't have to manually switch between patterns. Because the only pattern that is played is the one i have loaded at the moment. 

look to see if you can automate the pattern switching. I looked at the website and from what it all says, I would think that parameter is available to automation. Look and see. If it is, just use automation to change the patterns as the song plays.
 
Would that accomplish what your looking for?

Surely Tattoo has some kind of arrange mode where you can arrange patterns into a song? Not all drum machines have a sequencer (eg Battery) but if they do, they pretty much always have a song arrange mode.

Grem
look to see if you can automate the pattern switching. I looked at the website and from what it all says, I would think that parameter is available to automation. Look and see. If it is, just use automation to change the patterns as the song plays.
 
Would that accomplish what your looking for?

 
Well Grem, i am able to automate volume, fading etc. My guess is that i am at fault here. Hopefully i'll figure it out. Thanks for your reply.

My feeling is that you need to read the Tattoo manual from start to finish. I can guarantee it'll explain how to arrange the drums into a song 

I wrote a long reply last night but the forum said, "Unexpected error" when I trited to submit.
 
In short, I looked at the manual online.  Product looks great.  Manual looks like it was done by programmers and not writers.  I did not see a way to chain patterns into a song, which is surprising.  I hope that is just a miss in the manual or something I overlooked.
 
You might try just clicking the patterns while Sonar is running and WRITE is enable on the soft synth track.  Note that a pattern completes before Tattoo switches to the next so that should make programming your clicks easy.  I hope that works.
 
The manual also says Tattoo will learn MIDI controllers but does not specifically mention pattern changing (although maybe I missed that also).
 
Alternatively, you can just put MIDI notes in Staff or PRV views since Tattoo responds to MIDI, but that defeats the purpose of the pattern creating interface.

Select the pattern to play with MIDI notes, similar Session Drummer 3 (except Session Drummer will switch patterns immediately rather than wait until the end of the pattern).
 
From page 32 of the Tattoo manual:
You can also use MIDI note messages to select Tattoo’s active pattern. When Tattoo receives a note message in the range C4 through D#5 it will switch to the corresponding pattern. C4 switches Tattoo’s sequencer to pattern 1, C#4 switches it to pattern 2, and so on. As usual for the Pattern Control, Tattoo changes patterns when it reaches the end of the current pattern.