Automation and Sonar 6

[MRT]

Help me out here, for the most part I'm liking 6 but I'm having an issue with automation.
I want to record a Vsti synth and it's controller info, when I stop recording and play back the track I'd like it to play back as recorded.
The problem is that now on playback the Vsti is still controlled by my controller, and not the track, and needs to be adjusted for proper playback? (save and reopen and things are OK)
I seem to be missing something with the read/write/echo settings.
The concept seems pretty straight forward, read automation and write automation..
Any ideas?

Thanks

[fandango]

I want to record a Vsti synth and it's controller info

What are we meaning by "controller info" here? Internal VST parameters controlled by an external MIDI controller device? Internal VST parameters controlled directly via the VST GUI interface? Pre-set MIDI CCs that the VST responds to?

when I stop recording and play back the track I'd like it to play back as recorded.

Okay, so you've selected the WRITE button on the synth interface (or the Synth Rack entry)? As you record (or playback), moving the controllers should 'draw' in realtime on the Track View to reassure you that they are being recorded correctly.

When you press STOP, the VST track should have envelopes recorded from your controllers.

The problem is that now on playback the Vsti is still controlled by my controller, and not the track, and needs to be adjusted for proper playback? (save and reopen and things are OK)

This is where I get confused. You've switched WRITE off, yeah? Just the READ button should be on for playback.

When you press play, those envelopes recorded on the track should be outputting to the VSTi on playback, controlling those parameters.

You say that "playback on the Vsti is still controlled by my controller". This is what I find confusing. Do you mean that no MIDI data has been recorded during that take?

To be able to control parameters and play notes via a MIDI controller at any point while the audio engine is on would be considered desirable behaviour.

Am I analyzing the wrong thing here? I'd like to help if I can.

[EDIT - do you mean that on playback, moving your MIDI controller inteferes with the data being played back on the track?]

[Stupid American Pig]

make sure you enable automation writing when you record and it should record yer automation.

[MRT]

I'm using a hardware keyboard as a controller, I have selected the parameters I want to control in the synth rack and they are displayed below the synth. I record and all midi note data and automation data is recorded as would be expected.

Switch off write and select read and playback the track and it does not play back correctly.
Save and close reopen playback is correct.
Is there a point in the additional red write buttons? Seemed to work fine with out them.
Never had this problem before figure I must be missing something.

Hope this is a little clearer

[fandango]

How have you linked the parameters to your hardware device?

Are you using an ACT-enabled controller with ACT Learn, or have you right-clicked on the synth rack parameters and selected "Remote Control" (or similar, haven't got S6 here at the moment).

I'm wondering if you're recording MIDI CCs from the controller, instead of actual parameter values (which would definately require the WRITE buttons being on (bright red), otherwise it wouldn't work at all).

[MRT]

Thanks for the reply. I think you may be on to something.
I did not mess with ACT, controller or learn. I selected remote control from the synth rack and added the synth knobs I wanted to control.
The piano roll for the track shows all the controller action in the cc lane at the bottom. So I would say yes it is recording cc data.

Whats the deal with parameter recording?

All I'm sure of is I pretty much skipped S5 and all this was just record your track and play it back before. As much as I like this upgrade this controller thing seems to complicated.
Thanks for the ideas, I'll see what I can dig up in the manual under ACT,

[fandango]

Definately have a good read-up on ACT as it is (imo) one of the most important additions to Sonar 6.

Parameter recording is as easy as selecting WRITE on the VST plugin, pressing Play (or Record) and then moving the knobs on the VST gui or alternatively the knobs that you have specified below the synth rack.

As for hardware controllers with ACT, you can press the "ACT Learn" button (this didn't appear by default on my setup and I had to add it manually , but I'm told it's there by default), click on the VST interface knobs and then move the MIDI controller knobs. Toggle "ACT Learn" and it will ask you if you want to keep those mappings.

When you have a plugin in focus, the WIA surface controller interface should show:
A) The plugin that's in focus (in the bottom left of the properties page).
B) A list of parameters connected to the different rotaries on your hardware device.

I wish Cakewalk would do a simple video demo of the new ACT and VST parameter recording capabilities at it's quite hard to describe with just text here.

It sounds incredibly complicated but it is, in fact, incredibly flexible and easy to use. I'm just making it sound more hectic than it actually is.

Definately read the new Sonar 6 help pages on ACT (in the help file). It's a long(ish) read, but worth it. DON'T read the ACT pages in the manual (if you got one with your upgrade) as they are (afaik) incorrect and the descriptions don't match the dialogues.

[saturdaysaint]

ACT is incredibly easy to set up - enable ACT Learn, touch a plugin parameter, move the controller you want to associate with that plugin (repeat for as many parameters as you want), then disable ACT Learn. Once you have the hang of it, it takes SECONDS to create a permanent dynamic remote control map for any given plugin.

Does anyone know if you can assign one hardware controller to multiple software parameters in ACT Mode?