Multichannel instrument problems

[jkoseattle]

I am using a plugin which lets me load multiple instruments into a single instance. I have done this, and set each instrument to Midi channels 1 and 2 respectively. In CW I then Append Instrument Track, set the original track's input to channel 1 and the appended track's input to channel 2. This way, I can play off the single plugin instance but switch between sounds just by using different CW tracks. I am currently using this for a cello. One channel is arco, the other is pizz. But I can really see how useful this would be for building a drum kit from scratch, for instance, so I'm keen to figure this out. Couple questions:

First off, this works great when I set it up. Then I'm playing around with it and maybe going to other tracks too, and every time, after a few minutes the channel 1 instrument no longer plays. It receives input fine, so I can record, but no playback. This is also true within the plugin's own window. Simply reloading the errant instrument immediately fixes it, but again, only lasts a couple minutes. This is true regardless of the instruments I am loading. It's always the original instrument, which I set to channel 1, and the appended track which is set to channel 2, continues working. What am I doing wrong here?

Second question, while it seems intuitive that this is a better way to build my sounds, what's really the difference between doing it this way vs just inserting two separate instances of the plugin and not messing around with channels at all?

[jkoseattle]

Well, question half answered. The remainder of the 83 minute piece WAS in fact successfully deleted, eliminating the sluggishness from the software, so victory there. However, hitting Ctrl-End still takes me to bar 4455, so it's still irritating but not quite so bad. How many people have been frustrated with this in the past I wonder. I just have to remember not to just Select All and then export to audio!

[57Gregy]

23 hours ago, jkoseattle said:

Not to mention you can't assign the audio output to a bus until after you've created the track, which means manually setting every one even though they are all coming through the same soft synth.... ???

If I understand what you're trying to do I think I can help with this part.
Before you Insert the synth, set the desired synth bus as the default. For those who don't know how to do that, right-click in a grey area of a bus pane and select Set As Default Bus from the menu. Then you won't have to reset each output. After you're done, reset the Default bus to whatever you normally have it set to.

[John Vere]

The new Add Track dialogue allows you to select the output for both audio and instrument tracks. 
 

But I like your trick too. Never thought of doing that. 
 

And like all things Cakewalk there’s more! you can also select the tracks , go to the Tracks tab and use Selected Tracks output. 

[jkoseattle]

@John Vere Wow wow wow!!! HUGE time saver! THANK YOU!!

@57Gregy Wow wow wow!!! HUGE time saver! THANK YOU!!

See, there's always a good reason to post here! My god, two huge time savers in the space of a few moments! You'd think when there are so many different ways of doing things in CW, that I'd have stumbled across one of them at some point. But no. Thanks again.

[John Vere]

The new Export Dialogue lets you select the song ending. Its very well done now as this was a huge complaint for years. Use the time selection 

[jkoseattle]

Oh excellent! I haven't finished a project to export since my last update, guess I would have seen that eventually. (Tomorrow by 6pm eek)