trying to find if there is an explanation of all the act options for making a button on a controller activate a particular function. there are hundreds to choose from it looks like and when I try to assign the functions from the act preset options page this is overwhelming. I can't really tell what a lot of these things do by looking at the name and surely its somewhere in the manual but I can't find it.

I am trying to create a way to switch my guitar input from between 10 tracks while playing live / in the studio so that I can have a variety of tones to switch to. For instance if I am on track 1 a dirty lead tone and I want to add some phase or flanging I can punch a control and switch to either track 2 or 3-10 each having a different effect / sim. This control needs to simultaneously shut the input off to track 1 while activating whatever track I'm wanting to play on. I have a pcr500 and it has 18 + buttons I would like to use in this regard but so far nothing works other than to create snap shots and makers and switching to next and previous marker. I want to switch tones on the fly at my whim not when a programed snap shot dictates. I am sure if I study all the functions there may be a way to accomplish this maybe exclusive solo would help not sure anyone already conquering this beast feel free to chime in.

I did set up some CAL routines which when controlled by setting up a key binding allows you to switch between ten tracks by hitting the numeric keys on your keypad for exactly this purpose. See thread here:
http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?high=&m=2573471&mpage=1#2574315

so I copy this into notepad
(do
          (TrackSelect 0 -1)
          (= From 0
          (= Thru 0)
          (TrackSelect 1 0)
)
  Save this as "Select Track 1.cal".
(do
          (TrackSelect 0 -1)
          (= From 0
          (= Thru 0)
          (TrackSelect 1 1)
)
save this as "Select Track 2.cal"
(do
          (TrackSelect 0 -1)
          (= From 0
          (= Thru 0)
          (TrackSelect 1 2)
)
save this as "Select Track 3.cal"
(do
          (TrackSelect 0 -1)
          (= From 0
          (= Thru 0)
          (TrackSelect 1 3)
)
save this as "Select Track 4.cal"
(do
          (TrackSelect 0 -1)
          (= From 0
          (= Thru 0)
          (TrackSelect 1 4)
)
save this as "Select Track 5.cal"
(do
          (TrackSelect 0 -1)
          (= From 0
          (= Thru 0)
          (TrackSelect 1 5)
)
save this as "Select Track 6.cal"
(do
          (TrackSelect 0 -1)
          (= From 0
          (= Thru 0)
          (TrackSelect 1 6)
)
save this as "Select Track 7.cal"
(do
          (TrackSelect 0 -1)
          (= From 0
          (= Thru 0)
          (TrackSelect 1 7)
)
save this as "Select Track 8.cal"
(do
          (TrackSelect 0 -1)
          (= From 0
          (= Thru 0)
          (TrackSelect 1 8)
)
save this as "Select Track 9.cal"
(do
          (TrackSelect 0 -1)
          (= From 0
          (= Thru 0)
          (TrackSelect 2 0)
)
save this as "Select Track 10.cal"

Then folow the instructions for creating a binding right?
do we store these note pad files were the cal is located? C:\Cakewalk Content\SONAR X1 Producer\CAL Scripts

selecting the tracks is cool but after you select the track how does selecting the track silence the other tracks out of the ten tracks. Your playing a project and on a guitar sim on track one and you want to stop track one and at that now time start to play on track 2 with another sim active or any other track.
 
If I am guessing you could make this cover 20 tracks if you had a way to bind them to other keybindings. I think you can even assign that keybinding to buttons on my pcr500
 
is there an option to select a track and when its selected it starts to record?

 am so new to this.

my suspicion is that this is beyond the scope of ACT. It sounds like a recipe for all kinds of problems using Sonar IMO. I see the kind of flexibility you're looking for with signal routing ad control, and salute your creativity, but short of writing a custom controller plugin, I don't see how it could happen. I would love for a real expert, such as you inquired after, to hop in here and tell me how wrong I am - the flexibility to do what you're after would open a lot of doors in all kinds of areas for me in Sonar.

 oh if worse comes to worse I will have to dig through and experiment with bomes midi translator classic version (its free)to see how to use it. With that program you can create a macro of keystrokes that are activated by a midi controller so basically you structure several key commands in the right order and you can do this with that I just don't have a lot of free time this is a hobby not a career for me and I would really need to study like mad to figure that program out and integrate it with my DAW. I will go to the trouble to see if I can make SToons idea work it sounds like its a lot easier to pull off than messing with learning bomes.

OK. Can we please check into reality world, Cake? It is often very au****ious to use a word like su****ion. I mean, it's not exactly a ****y term, except maybe in the spic-n-span world of this board. Censoring it in a poorly done grab at political correctness is de****able. Oh well, I'll try not to be so con****uous next time.

OK, my first idea was a case of premature extrapolation.
 
I do apologize. Let's forget that incident ever happened. Who knows, maybe someday you'll find a use for the CALS.
 
It may actually be possible to do fairly easily (fingers crossed...). I'm not familiar with ACT but there are other options using the Remote option. Problem is I have no controller on hand to confirm and I'm using 8.5.3 not X1 so there may be differences.
 
In 8.5.3 you right-click on the Input Echo button of an audio track and an option will show called "Remote". You can assign MIDI control to the Input Echo button/switch, be it note, controller, mod wheel, sysex etc. to remotely turn the echo on and off. In -theory- (says Homer) you could use notes (keys), for example have the note C1 turn the input echo on and off in track 1. If you have ten plugins on ten tracks, in -theory- you could use C1 to activate/de-activate track 1, D1 to activate/de-activate track 2 etc. Of course if this works you could use any MIDI control method you choose to allow turning each track on and off, so to speak, via the Input Echo switch.
 
One drawback is it might require hitting two keys/buttons not just one as you might want to disable one track and enable another at the same time, although in -theory- you should be able to press two keys/buttons simultaneously. One benefit is this would easily allow stacking multiple sounds as well - you could play thru any two, three...for that matter all ten tracks simultaneously.
 
Keep me posted if you get a chance to try it, as a guitarist I find it an intriguing idea.

I just though of the same solution as you, SToons! ;D

But then there's the problem with switching off the echos you don't want when turning on the next..

Maybe it would be easier to remote control the solo buttons instead? ..One (piano)key on the pcr500 for each track's solo button.

And if you want to go crazy and change the tone with your foot (and have your hands free for guitar playing) you could have some space between the remote keys making it easy to just hit the one you want to activate.. :)

Loptec


I just though of the same solution as you, SToons! ;D
 

You know what they say, great minds...;-p
 
Of course maybe crazy people think alike too!

 

But then there's the problem with switching off the echos you don't want when turning on the next..
 

Yes, you'll notice I also mentioned that. Like you I also thought of Solo or Mute..but as I said six of one, half dozen of the other...I think any way you arrange it it may take a little tap dancing to suit individual use, in case one wants to layer sounds ie. using two or three tracks at the same time. Don't forget, if one track is in Solo mode and you Solo another the original track will still be in the Solo state so it will have to be "De-Soloed" anyways. Still involves two keys.

 

Maybe it would be easier to remote control the solo buttons instead? ..One (piano)key on the pcr500 for each track's solo button.

And if you want to go crazy and change the tone with your foot (and have your hands free for guitar playing) you could have some space between the remote keys making it easy to just hit the one you want to activate.. :)

 
LOL! Well, I was thinking more along the lines of using my MIDI foot controller, but hey, whatever works!
 
You might consider this:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct06/articles/sonalog.htm
 
Play video games and compose/perform simultaneously!
 
Or if you want to use any and every body part, including your ****, ***, and *******, maybe this:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Oct01/articles/soundbeam.asp