Feature Request: Give Folder Tracks all Track Controls (e.g., Volume Fader)

[Shane Taylor]

I'd love to see Folder Tracks evolve into a normal track with all the same controls, including a volume fader, output selections, sends, FXs, etc. Basically, make a folder track a normal track that acts like a buss in that its volume fader controls the output of the sum of the folder's tracks, and to which you can apply FX, use Sends, etc. Why have a folder track that is really nothing more than a container that allows you to condense space? It would replace having to have a separate buss for each folder and then manually route all of the individual tracks to that buss. All tracks in a folder would automatically (by default, but which could be changed) route to the FOLDER track, which would then be routed to a submix buss, or Master. The Mute, Solor, Record buttons already do this kind of "group" function, but Cakewalk stopped short and made Folder Tracks less useful than they could be. Reaper uses this approach and it is very handy. Could this be considered for the Sonar release?

[Bruno de Souza Lino]

Then what would you use Aux Tracks for?

[Mark Morgon-Shaw]

On 8/9/2023 at 6:33 AM, Shane Taylor said:

Why have a folder track that is really nothing more than a container that allows you to condense space? It would replace having to have a separate buss for each folder and then manually route all of the individual tracks to that buss.

Those containers are actually pretty handy, they allow you to group intruments that may belong together but don't necessarily all go to the same buss. Take a Drum Folder for example, I use heavy drum bus compression for some styles so most of the tracks go to a drum bus but NYC compression can absoloutely wreck the hi hats and cymbals which are part of the same instrument. So they get routed elsewhere even though they live in the same folder.

Then when it's time to send deliverables you can use those folders as a source for your stems regardless of the routing of the tracks inside.

Not saying we shouldn't evolve the track folders to do more but to write them off as a mere space saving container is doing them a disservice.  

Edited August 10, 2023 by Mark Morgon-Shaw

[Shane Taylor]

9 hours ago, Bruno de Souza Lino said:

Then what would you use Aux Tracks for?

What I'm suggesting doesn't change anyone's desire/need for Aux tracks. I'm merely suggesting an improvement to an existing feature that would add functionality, not take any away (of course, depending on how it is implemented).

2 hours ago, Mark Morgon-Shaw said:

Those containers are actually pretty handy, they allow you to group intruments that may belong together but don't necessarily all go to the same buss. Take a Drum Folder for example, I use heavy drum bus compression for some styles so most of the tracks go to a drum bus but NYC compression can absolutely wreck the hi hats and cymbals which are part of the same instrument. So they get routed elsewhere even though they live in the same folder.

Then when it's time to send deliverables you can use those folders as a source for your stems regardless of the routing of the tracks inside.

Not saying we should evolve the track folders to do more but to write them off as a mere space saving container is doing them a disservice.  

I'm not sure what you are saying about "using those folders as a source for your stems" since AFAIK, folders aren't routable as a track (which is exactly one of thethings I'd like to see changed). What I'm suggesting doesn't change the grouping behavior at all. With this change they can also be used to route the sum of the contained tracks anywhere you want, even if the individual tracks are also Sent somewhere else (as in your example). Hope that makes sense.

[Mark Morgon-Shaw]

9 hours ago, Shane Taylor said:

I'm not sure what you are saying about "using those folders as a source for your stems"

In the Export Module you can select Track Folders as a source - the below example will create 6 Stems with the correct Naming - Bit Depth - Sample Rate etc  as required by the publisher with  a couple of clicks. This is a real game changer for those of us that make a lot of deliverables so I was just making the point that currently Folders are not  merely for condensing space. They are a huge time saver for some of us.

Edited August 10, 2023 by Mark Morgon-Shaw