Reference Guide

778
Software instruments
Inserting soft synths
For step by step instructions, see:
“Inserting soft synths” on page 778
“Waveform preview for buses and synth tracks” on page 828
“ReWire instruments” on page 795
“Freeze tracks and synths” on page 829
See also:
“Using instrument tracks” on page 781
Inserting soft synths
In order to play a soft synth from a MIDI controller or with recorded MIDI data, you need to have at
least one synth track that lists the soft synth in its Input field, and at least one MIDI track that lists the
soft synth in its Output field. The data from the MIDI track feeds the synth track and plays the soft
synth. If you’re playing the soft synth with a MIDI controller, the MIDI track that’s feeding the synth
track must have the focus (lighter color). You can also patch the soft synth into an audio track’s
effects bin instead of a synth track’s Input field.
To add a soft synth to the audio and synth tracks’ Input menus (drop-downs) and the MIDI tracks’
Output menus, you have to insert each soft synth that you want to use into each project. There are
two basic ways to insert soft synths in SONAR:
1. You can insert soft synths from the Browser’s Synth tab or with the Insert > Soft Synths
command. If you use this method, you can choose to have SONAR create the necessary synth
and MIDI tracks, and patch them together correctly. If you want to use multiple synth tracks to
take advantage of SONAR’s support for the multi-output soft synth format, you need to create
and patch additional MIDI tracks manually to feed the additional synth tracks.
2. You can insert soft synths into effects bins of individual audio tracks. If you use this method, you
need to set a MIDI track’s Output field to the name of the soft synth you inserted. Then you can
record MIDI data in the MIDI track to play the soft synth with.
The procedure for inserting multi-output and single-output soft synths is basically the same. There
are just more tracks possibly involved when you insert a multi-output soft synth.
You can insert more than one copy (also called an instance) of the same soft synth. Each new copy
has the same name as the previous copy except for having a higher number after the name. Every
copy appears in a separate row in the drop-down menus of synth and audio track inputs and MIDI
track outputs.
Note: SONAR X1 Producer and Studio can use unlimited plug-ins. SONAR X1 Essential can
use up to 64 plug-in effects and 16 software instruments.