I'm talking about the associated audio track that is created when you insert a synth. Why is the record button missing? Even if I route that output to another audio track then the R button gets removed.
I know that I can freeze a synth and/or bounce the audio but this doesn't let you capture the craziness that can be created in real-time with some groove modules such as Stylus RMX.
I can do this easily in Ableton Live! When I set the input of an audio track to recieve the output of a synth, I can arm the record button and record away and the waveform gets recorded. In Sonar, the best I can do is preview the waveform but it never gets recorded.

Why is the record button missing? Even if I route that output to another audio track then the R button gets removed.

Because your really not recording it. Its a reatime bounce and what ever you do durring it gets recorded or/and printed

I'm pretty sure the feature your talking about was added in Sonar 8. However, me no have so I'm not sure how it's done but I think it's in a round about way. If you have Sonar 8 check out the help files for something called Live input bounce.

Live input bounce
When using the Bounce to Track(s) or Export Audio command to bounce audio in real-time, you can now choose to include any live audio input in the bounce. This allows you to capture realtime inputs as part of the bounce. This feature can be used to record soft synth outputs to a track in realtime - i.e. MIDI that triggers the synth will be printed to the track.

Why is the record button missing?

Because the Bakers, in their unlimited and eternal wisdom, decided at some point that no one ever needs to record soft synths in realtime.

And no (again), "live input bounce" doesn't do it either. You cannot access the GUI during that process. You can however control (or/and play) the synth via MIDI controller.

- your friendly let-us-record-softsynths-in-realtime-already lobbyist -


EDIT: StylusRMX is actually one of the best examples why this feature is needed. There are so many parameters in it, every single one of which may yield interesting results at some point, that it's practically impossible to map them all out to MIDI beforehand - AND keeping track of it. Not even talking about the 128 parameters limitation.

yeah this would be very useful on certain softsynth plugins and stylus is a perfect example like when using the chaos section of it-

ORIGINAL: WDI


Live input bounce
When using the Bounce to Track(s) or Export Audio command to bounce audio in real-time, you can now choose to include any live audio input in the bounce. This allows you to capture realtime inputs as part of the bounce. This feature can be used to record soft synth outputs to a track in realtime - i.e. MIDI that triggers the synth will be printed to the track.

I know how to print the midi data to a track in real time but what I want to do is print the audio to (assigned)audio tracks in real time as I'm recording. There are many parameters when "playing" a complex groove module such as Stylus RMX that don't get captured in automation and the only way to capture the nuances is to print to audio.
I can't believe that a sequencer as evolved as Sonar Pro doesn't accomodate this necessity! I've tried all sorts of routing schemes to no avail and yet in Live I can do it with two mouse clicks!

i may be able to help with this.
i was trying to do the same thing recently with the Percussion Agent part
of Groove Agent. Percussion Agent does not output midi, whereas Groove
Agent (classic) does, and i wanted to capture the audio that i could see hitting
the "synth" track (the one with the R button missing).

i ended up downloading Silverspike Tape It 2. http://www.silverspike.com/?Products:TapeIt
Tape It 1 is free, Tape It 2 is about $20 and has some very nice features..

Real-time recording? It ends up working like this:
Insert Tape It into the fx bin of the synth track.
Create a file name in Tape It, check the checkbox that allows Broadcast Time Stamp.
Arm the Synth Track folder, start recording in SONAR.
Start recording in Tape It.
Start your synth, groove agent, whatever.
When you're done, stop the synth, stop Tape It, stop SONAR.
"Close the file" in Tape It. just one click.
Insert an empty audio track into SONAR (you could have done that first).
Drag the file (from the Tape It icon) into the audio track.
Assuming that SONAR is configured to recognize Broadcast Time Stamp, the audio will pop right to
the "realtime" starting point, regardless of where you drop it in that audio track.

Complicated? No. Once you try it a few times, all the above steps in Tape It take about 10 seconds total.

I've been very happy with it. I tried the free version for about 5 minutes, then purchased Tape It 2.

HTH
rusty

also: Voxengo has a similar free plug called Recorder.
after trying out Tape It, i didn't look at Recorder any further.

R

+1 for TapeIt.... did EXACTLY what I was looking for. (wanted to operate and record Arturia Moog Modular, including the changing sounds as you pull patch cords, adjust, well, anything. ) very cool.

I don't really see why this should be so hard in Sonar. Many hosts have been able to route audio from one track to another and record the output of VSTi's to audio that way for a long time (examples: Live, Energy XT, Reaper, Samplitude)