Hi

90% of my music are made with kontakt. I like to open  just 1 kontakt then load different instruments in it.
Let's see the scenario in the other daws  :

1) I open kontakt in the rack.
2) I load two instruments (patches) 
- violin  st.1 A[1] 
- cello st.2 A[2]
3) I tell the daw how many audio ouputs I want to create from kontakt :  2
in the console it creates two audio outputs.
4) I create two instrument tracks in the track view :
- one instrument track for violin, instrument output : kontakt , channel 1 , audio output : st1
- one instrument track for cello, instrument ouput : kontakt, channel 2, audio output : st2

that's done and easy !!! two instruments , two tracks, two audio outputs, 1 vst in the rack :)

Now.. with sonar 

First method : instrument track

1) I open kontakt in the rack.
2) I load two instruments (patches) 
- violin  st.1 A[1] 
- cello st.2 A[2]
3) I tell the daw how many audio ouputs.... OOPS Not possible !!  
4) I check "simple instrument track" in the softsynth option ... 
Hmmm Ok I have one audio ouput  in the console for called kontakt .. ok..
5) I can't create another instrument track in the track view... So I try to clone it !
the channel of the cloned track : channel 2
6) the first instrument track works, with the channel 1
but not the second track, no sound
the second track with channel 2 will work only if they share the same audio ouput in kontakt :  str.1
Which is not good .. they share the same audio strip , not good for the mixing and mastering.
7) I try the option " make an instrument track" which requieres one audio track and one midi track
but it doesnt work, it doesnt accept , coz the vst is already applied for another instrument track :/

The solution would be to load one kontat for one instrument for one audio ouput... Not good for the memory ...


Second method : midi track

1) I open kontakt in the rack.
2) I load two instruments (patches) 
- violin  st.1 A[1] 
- cello st.2 A[2]

3) I create 2 midi tracks : 
- output  kontakt, channel 1
- output kontakt, channel 2
4) Ok no sound, which is normal,  midi tracks ! midi !
5) I have to create two audio tracks connected to the midi tracks
- input : kontakt st1 
- input : kontakt st2
6) yeahhh it works, but  wth ... I have 4 tracks , 4 strips for two  instrument (patch)
In the track view, I have to hide the audio tracks coz they can't have midi events
In the console, I have to hide the midi strips for a better view i need the audio ones for mixing/mastering
that's boring .... 

Maybe I have missed something
both method are messy ( my opinion)

So please  improve your instrument track !!!  we should be able to create instrument track, assigning audio outputs and channels
 without adding a new vst in the rack

For those who think it's not a problem, well I would say u are just used to work like that 

I don't work this way, but if you load Kontakt 4x or 16x instead of the stereo VST and you use the plug-in pop-up to use multiple stereo outs and assign the MIDI ins, I think it will work. Or you can use MONO outs.

You will need to assign separate MIDI channels for each Kontakt instrument and assign the proper MIDI In and audio output inside Kontakt.

Maybe I don't understand your problem, but I think you are using the stereo VST, not the multi-channel VST.

Be careful how you make the assignments in the Insert Soft Synth Options. Try this:

Simple Instrument Track OFF,
These ON: MIDI Source, Synth Track Folder, All Synth Audio Outputs: Stereo



EDIT: Kontakt comes in several flavors as a VST: 2 out, 4 out and 16 out.

Hi Arachnaut

thanks for taking time for reading my post

the technique u told me is the second method ( i forgot to mention the insert softsynth option)

Indeed I use kontakt8out
it creates 4 audio tracks ( linked to the softsynth)
but it needs midi tracks to compose , so it's exactly the second method 
the difference , with the all synth audio outputs, it creates many tracks at once
but as i said, i dont like coz u have one audio track + one midi track for one instruments

here the screenshot

So, as I understand it, what you're looking for is a way to have a single multitimbral/multi-output instrument in the rack, and have multiple instrument tracks associated.  Track 1 output MIDI to channel 1 and receive audio input from instrument outs 1/2.  Track 2 would out to channel 2 and get audio from instrument outs 3/4.  Is that right?

Here is how I would do it. I just tested this and it works.
I have two virtual MIDI keyboards - one for channel 1 the other for channel 2.

'Kontakt 8 out' is loaded but I set up only channel 1|2 and channel 3|4, I'm not using channel 5|6 and 7|8 (you can see this in the Kontakt Output section)

Kontakt is set up to use Brass ensemble for Midi channel 1 and plugin stereo output 1 and 2
Cello is Midi channel 2 and plugin output 3 and 4

I set up Sonar track 1 to use Kontakt output 1 and 2 (Brass)  and track 2 to use 3 and 4 (Cello).

The other 2 tracks are not used.

You can open this image in a new window or download it to see it full sized (it is HD format):

Here is the setup when you load Kontakt:

toshiroo


...
but it needs midi tracks to compose , so it's exactly the second method 
the difference , with the all synth audio outputs, it creates many tracks at once
but as i said, i dont like coz u have one audio track + one midi track for one instruments 

But don't you want one audio track for each instrument? You will want to level  and EQ each separately, right?
You can mix them all into a single stereo out.
You can use 'Hide Track' to make the unused tracks disappear if screen space is an issue.

I don't work this way because I think this makes the VST work in one CPU core, maybe not, I don't know.

But basically, if I do this, I just load one instance of Kontakt per track, one for each instrument. That seems easiest to me and I know they run in separate CPU cores.

Bill Jackson [Cakewalk]

So, as I understand it, what you're looking for is a way to have a single multitimbral/multi-output instrument in the rack, and have multiple instrument tracks associated.  Track 1 output MIDI to channel 1 and receive audio input from instrument outs 1/2.  Track 2 would out to channel 2 and get audio from instrument outs 3/4.  Is that right?

..I also wonder if this is what he's after..

Hello Bill 

yes and no
I don't ask how to do it, the method 2 shows it ( in the screenshot)
In the insert synth option :  "first synth audio outputs" or " all synth audio outputs"
 = one multitimbral  with many instruments having their own audio channels
that works good . 
I know it's possible
I don't ask how to do it, but why this traditional method still? coz we need two tracks ( special audio and the midi track) that we can't "make instrument"  for each channel ( with different audio outputs)
The recent daws tried to simplify that instrument track , why not Sonar?

my "wish" is to  be able to create by clicking right button in the track view an independent "instrument track" 
More power to the instrument track allowing to assign :
the channel ( already possible) AND the audio inputs ( st1, st2 ....)
( for that,  kontakt needs to communicate to sonar the selected audio outputs)

That said, I know that 's the "professional" way and it has always been like that  in old daws
so I understand cakewalk will not change just coz I ask lol
I am still learning so maybe I miss something , I was just surprised sonar didnt do that (yet)

I am french, and i can't explain better , sorry if it's messy ...
I think while waiting , i will add one vst in the rack for one instrument and deal with instrument tracks.
I need to test if it's greedy about memory and cpu ...

Some people will say " ok if u feel good with the other daw, why u wanna change??"
Coz .... hmm how to explain...to be honest  I wanna buy my first daw.. and the "downloaded" daws I have are not stable coz  they were "free" :), tired of crashes.. 
I am using  the demo of x1 now, and I like it. and  I fell in love with X2 lol
 I wanna give a chance to sonar and buy later the studio edition ( i am poor but i think it's enough). 


EDIT :  WOW THE TIME I NEEDED TO TYPE THAT MESSAGE TO BE CLEAR I CAN SEE NOW  I MISSED  POSTS 
OK LETS READ