Screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/Y7baPKx.jpg Halion Symphonic Orchestra works fine in standalone mode. When I try to use it as a soft synth in Sonar, I get no sound from it. I can see activity in Track 1 (the MIDI track) when I press a key on my MIDI controller, but I can't hear any sounds coming from HSO. I can hear the sampled sounds fine when I do the same thing in HSO stand alone. Doesn't seem to matter which instrument I sample or MIDI channel I pick.

What audio track routing is set up for it?

Bob Bone

I've tried various things, but my troubleshooting approach has been: - open a blank / empty project - add the Halion soft synth (with no tracks checked) - select a sound sample for channel one on Halion Symphonic Orchestra (HSO) - add a MIDI track - add an Audio track - set the input on the MIDI track to my MIDI controller - set the output on the MIDI track channel to HSO - set the input on the audio track to HSO - set the output on the audio track to channels 1&2 on my Toneport

For whatever it's worth, the same approach works for other VSTs.

Why not set your audio output for track 2 to Master?

Bob Bone

Lerrem


I've tried various things, but my troubleshooting approach has been: - open a blank / empty project - add the Halion soft synth (with no tracks checked) - select a sound sample for channel one on Halion Symphonic Orchestra (HSO) - add a MIDI track - add an Audio track - set the input on the MIDI track to my MIDI controller - set the output on the MIDI track channel to HSO - set the input on the audio track to HSO - set the output on the audio track to channels 1&2 on my Toneport

Remember a soft synth is a plugin. When you set up the synth try to select at least one audio track for it when you insert it with the synth rack. If you are simply inserting it in the FX bin make sure you do so as a synth.  This all done from the properties page that pops up when you insert a synth. The audio track that you selected when you inserted in the rack will be its output.

Typically only the Master bus gets directly routed to your interface outs.

Again, route your audio output to Master and post back.

Bob Bone

"Master" does not appear as an option for me. My audio interface is a Line6 TonePort UX8 using ASIO Drivers. This works with other VSTs, using outputs 1 & 2 for stereo. For example, if I use Virtual Guitarist 2 as a VST and set it up in the same way, I can hear it playing fine. After recording MIDI I can "freeze" the VG2 soft synth to create the audio waveforms on the audio track. Here is an album of screen captures showing it working with VG2, plus my ASIO settings, etc. http://imgur.com/a/TLuDY

I am a bit confused.  Master is the default output option for audio tracks.  Is your track 2 not a regular audio track?  

I will grab a cup of coffee and take a look at your screen shots.

Can you try the following and post back?

1.  Start a new project, using the Normal project template.
2.  Insert a midi track and an audio track
3.  Insert your synth into the synth rack, with only the box checked for opening the synth properties.
4.  Once the synth UI opens, load a sound into it.
5.  In the track inspector, set the input to your audio track to the stereo output of the synth,  The OUTPUT parameter should say Master.  That is the default setting.
6.  Set the input for the midi track to None (should be the default), and set the output to the synth.
7.  Select the midi track, by clicking on the number on the far left of the track in the Track Pane.  This will highlight the number at the far left, and you should see the midi input echo button lit too.  (If it does not automatically do that, there is a setting in preferences to tell it to do so, and that option is set to do that by installation default).
8.  Make sure your midi keyboard/controller is a valid input device in Preferences, and play some notes on the keyboard - making sure that the key range you are playing is in the range of note values that are valid for that particular sound in your synth.  (you can't usually play violin notes that are outside of a normal range of possible notes for a real violin, in most sample players).  You should be hearing output.

Please do the above steps, exactly as indicated, and post back your results.

Thanks, 

Bob Bone

Trapped at work. I will follow your instructions when I get home this evening. Most of it I'm already doing, but I will try it again carefully, step by step, in case I'm missing something subtle. Right before I left for work I noticed something odd about Halion in standalone mode. After I open it and load an instrument, it also won't play right away. I have to go into preferences and "re-select" my MIDI controller (even tho it's already selected) and then it will start to play the instrument sounds. HSO is good about showing you the range of valid notes for the instrument in the UI and it even animates the keys on the screen as you depress them on your controller.