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Thread mutiple instances of midi in sonar 3.0

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1 mutiple instances of midi in sonar 3.0
does anyone know how i can use 2 or more midi signals with sonar 3.0 ie:

midi keyboard-channel 1- softsynth
2nd midi keyboard- (im guessing channel 2?)- softsynth 2
and so on

i want to be able to play both synths at the same time with out ever having to touch the mouse during live play. i know its possible, just cant figure it out. i am pretty new to midi so it could be extremely simple and i am just not seeing it. could someone point me in the right direction please?
thanks
2
I'm not really sure I understand what you want to do.
Are you just using Sonar as an expander for live performances?
3
absolutely not.
all i am trying to do is to have 2 midi keyboards controling 2 different soft synths at the same time. it has to be possible.
ok, my friend wants to throw away all of his hardware synths and play live via computer with softsynths. we do not know how to set up 2 midi signals sepratly controling 2 different softsynths at the same time.
i am trying to do the same at my studio. thanks so much for any help you can give me.
4
Nihility-

I'm not a Sonar user, but I use it's daddy- Cakewalk Pro Audio. I would think it'd be similar :?

You assign a soft synth to a track, right? The track is designated as a midi track in the track properties dialog. The midi source is also designated there. So, if you have one synth set up to transmit on midi channel 1, you would set the source on the corresponding Sonar track to midi channel 1. Set the other synth to midi channel 2, and set the corresponding source for track 2 to midi channel 2.

Make sure the "local" mode on both synths is off (or the volume is turned down), otherwise you'll hear the synth playing as well as the soft synth. You just want your synth to act as a midi controller keyboard.

Hope this is clear. If not, look in the help file under "track properties" or "assign midi channel"
The Axeman (##(===> Cuts From My New Blues CD
5
I am a SONAR 3 user and have a ton of softsynths (see my post answer in the Computer forum herer). Here is what you do, to make life simple.

First click on the open file tab in "File". I'm not sitting in front of SONAR now so the folloeing directories and file names might not be 100% accurate.

Go to whatever directory SONAR loaded into. If you chose all of the defaults the path would be C:program filescakewalksonar 3 xx. Load the Tutorial 8 file. When it loads you will note that it is set up to allow 4 track/channels of the Edirol GM DXi synth. Go to the manual and look at the Tutorial exercise on using DXi instruments and complete the tutorial. If you can hear all of the parts, and all of the effects are patched correctly you can go on to the next step. The reason I say this is you don't specify what you are using for a sound card and what kind of Audio drivers you are using. There is a caveat here in that if you cant implement low-latency WDM drivers or, even better, ASIO drivers in your sound card, you will never achieve anything that is remotely playable. Get back to me if you have a Creative Labs card other than and Audigy II Z-Series.

SONAR 3 is different than SONAR 2 or Cakewalk Pro Audio in that it is more flexible in its audio routing capabilities. So, if you get the tutorial working correctly, make sure you take note as to how the Edriol synths are routed to the eventual audio outs. I have a Dakota/Montana card set that has a combined 32 audio channels so that in my set each of the Edriol DXis can go to their own separate and independent stereo digital audio ports and show up as separate imputs on my DXX3216 mixer. In my office, where I have only a Soundblaster Live! card, the mixing is done in SONAR and everything comes out the front digital audio ports. Anyway, I digress... Once you have the tutorial working, delete everything but the 4 Edriol tracks. You can then proceed onto the next step.

Go into the first Edriol control track and set the MIDI inputs to match whatever output of Keyboard 1 in your set is. If you have a multiple port interface choose onme of the ports and allow it to be set in the omni mode (unless you have channel specific information). If you have only 1 MIDI port choose a transmit/recieve channel for both the Keyboard and the Edirol MIDI input. The outputs should be going to the Edirol DXi channel 1, you don't need to change them. Set the program number for something in the GM set that makes sense (e.g., a piano sound). As the other responder suggested, make sure that you have local off on your keyboard. Now, when you play the keyboard 1, you should hear the piano. Do the same thing for the the second keyboard (either choose a port and use omni, or choose a midi channel for transmit/receive). Set the program in the edriol midi track to something obviously different than the piano sound of the first Edirol channel (Tubular bells, for example). Now when you play KBD 2 you should hear the bells. You should also have independent keyboard contro for the piano soiund from KBD 1 and the bells from KBD 2.

Now, I assume that you are probably not using the Edriol synth as your performance instrument. Go to the insert tab and choose the insert DXi instrument function. Insert whatever instrument(s) you are going to use. Make sure that you specify the creation of a MIDI control track in the left side of the dialog box. Click both radio buttons on the right side of the dialog panel. When you click OK, you should get 2 tracks added in your SONAR track list, one for the mIDI control track of whatever DXi you are using, and the audio control track for that instrument. You should get the instrument's control panel.

For the track that will play from Keyboard 1, set the midi controls in that instrument's control track identically to the way the Edirol control track is set. Similarly, set the audio control track for that instrument identically to the way the Edirol's is set. Right click on the Edirol Channel 1 midi track and delete it. Also delete the Edirol audio track. Now if all is right in the universe, your KBD 1 should be playing its intended DXi instrument. Do the same for KBD 2.

This should work. Save the file with a reasonable name (e.g. TEMPLATE). You can then use it as a starting point fo more complicated setups.

I am in the process of converting much of my studio to virtual instruments. The flexibility you get with DX effects patching (hell, the Lexicon reverb that comes with SONAR, alone, is worth the price of admission) maqkes it all worth while. I think this would be an ideal setup for a live gig. As you become more acquainted with SONAR and the routing possibilities, my guess is tha you will never go back.

Moss