Adding tracks for additional outputs after selecting Simple Instrument Track

[Terry Kelley]

I'm sure this is answered on the first page of the manual but ...

Is there a way to add tracks to a soft synth outputs after inserting it as a Simple Instrument Track but switching it to multiple outputs?

Scenario using EzDrummer:

1. Insert EzDrummer as a Simple Instrument Track. You get one track.

2. Go into the Mixer and change the Kick output from 1 to 2 .

3. How to I create a track that is now listening to that number 2 output?

Right now I insert a new Ez Drummer with an Instrument Track per output and then copy over the patterns.

Is there another way? I played with Insert Multiple Track using the Midi section but none appear to be pointed to the EzDrummers second output.

Am I missing something?

[scook]

Add audio tracks

Set the audio track inputs to the appropriate synth outputs.

[Terry Kelley]

11 minutes ago, scook said:

Add audio tracks

Set the audio track inputs to the appropriate synth outputs.

It's just so crazy it worked!!!!!!!

Thanks as always. And I noticed that all of the synth outputs available (if you did track per output or simple) are all there. Never noticed that before. Like a lot of things ...

Edited June 26, 2021 by Terry Kelley

[scook]

Instrument tracks are nothing special.

There are only two basic track types in CbB, audio and MIDI.

An Instrument track is presentation of MIDI track input and audio track output controls taking up 1 track slot. The clips in the track depend on whether the track is frozen or not.

An instrument track may be split into its audio and MIDI tracks any time and an audio+MIDI track pair associated with a synth may be merged into an instrument track any time.

Instrument tracks are convenient but sometimes I feel they hinder understanding how routing works in CbB.

[msmcleod]

@Terry Kelley - in a lot of cases, you can just use the "Append Instrument Track" command.  This will create a new instrument track (i.e. combined Audio & MIDI tracks), assigning the audio track to the next available audio port, and the next available MIDI channel.

Before doing this, I'd recommend you set the MIDI output channel of the existing track to Ch 1 (by default it's "None" for simple instrument tracks, meaning it can receive on all MIDI channels).  You can do this in the inspector, by switching to the MIDI tab:

Changing it to Channel 1 will ensure the next MIDI channel assigned is Ch 2, and the audio port will be the second one.

If you don't do the channel change the sequencing of Audio / MIDI channel pairs could get confusing.

I've pretty much stopped using Simple Instrument Tracks now, instead leaving my synth options as follows:

The only difference between this and a Simple Instrument Track, is that the MIDI input output will be set to Ch 1 instead of None.  Apart from that, its identical to inserting a Simple instrument Track.

But it does mean that I can use "Append Instrument Track" to add new tracks to the existing synth instance without worrying about my MIDI channels getting confused.

EDIT - I meant to add... although this will add the new instrument track, and assign the MIDI/Audio parts accordingly within Cakewalk,  you're still going to have to configure the MIDI to Audio output routing within the plugin itself - i.e. you need to use the plugin's own UI to tell it to output MIDI Ch1 to Audio Output 1 & MIDI Ch 2 to Audio Output 2 etc.  Unfortunately the method of doing this is completely different for every plugin.

[Terry Kelley]

Thanks guys. What I was missing is that I could use a synth output as an input to a audio track rather than needing a simple instrument or midi. In hindsight I had already done this but it escaped me.

 

[User 905133]

@msmcleod Thank you for this insight into what Cakewalk does with MIDI "under the hood."  And thanks to @Terry Kelley for asking the question that led to this.

Edited June 26, 2021 by User 905133
to add a TY to TK for asking his Q

[Terry Kelley]

It's hard work being this stupid but someone has to do it.

Edited July 1, 2021 by Terry Kelley

[User 905133]

Just in case it wasn't clear, both expressions of "Thanks" were and still are sincere. 

7 minutes ago, Terry Kelley said:

It's hard work being this stupid but someone has to do it.

If you thought I was being sarcastic, I wasn't.  

Edited June 27, 2021 by User 905133

[Terry Kelley]

30 minutes ago, User 905133 said:

Just in case it wasn't clear, both expressions of "Thanks" were and still are sincere. 

If you thought I was being sarcastic, I wasn't.  

No, just injecting some levity (tm). I'm the guy that posts a question asking where the Play button is. SCook and msmcleod always come through except for the beer part.

Seriously, I took your comments as positive in that (I think) I asked a questions that others have pondered. Not sure why the thumbs down but maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Without faces, words only do half the job and with faces, words get overworked.

Edited June 27, 2021 by Terry Kelley