Using Aux Tracks and Patch Points

[Stephen KorstParticipant]

New to Sonar are Aux Tracks and Patch Points. Prior to this, you could route a track to a bus using an output or send. Now, Cakewalk describes these in terms I don't understand what their specific use is intended.

Does anyone know how to use Sonar, particularly with Aux Tracks and Patch Points? The video describes how an Aux Track can be set up to record an effect plugin at the same time when recording a clean track. Why not just apply the effect plugin afterwards?

[Jim GahaganParticipant]

I havent started using them yet. I still rte to the seperate bus per instrument group myself. then to the master track.

[Chris LalkaModerator]

Aux Tracks aren't really needed for most typical functions. They come in very handy when you want to try creative or atypical things.

Say, for example, you want to use a wildly exaggerated compressed & EQed reverb on the main vocals as a filter into a Synth or LFO. (I know, who the heck wants to do that?! But bear with me LOL).
Without Aux tracks, that is difficult (maybe impossible?) to do.
With an Aux track, you "record the effect" and then you have the audio for additional after-uses AND you then can reset the effects parameters on the vocal track back to normal settings.
I've used an Aux Track to record audio from one track that I heavily filtered and then used that Aux Track later in the Drum Replacer and with AudioSnap.

So Aux Tracks and Patch Points are tools for tapping into (or patching into) streams of audios that the recorder wouldn't normally be able to access or record (such as outputs of effects etc) without creating & duplicating many other tracks.
They have a slight advantage over busses for SOME things since you can visually group an AuxTrack right near another track. (In Sonar, Busses must always be in the Buss window.)

I hope this helps... I also hope Cakewalk University or Craig Anderton posts some examples of other useful things we can do with Aux Tracks.

[Stephen KorstParticipant]

Yes, that's my typical setup too. I haven't much use for the Aux Track or Patch Point feature yet, because I'm still trying to learn all the other basic stuff from before (ugh). I like Craig Anderton's videos and need to go back and watch them again. It's been a while and maybe this time it won't sound so much like learning a foreign language.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Stephen Korst.

[Jim GahaganParticipant]

would you use them for re-amping?

[Stephen KorstParticipant]

Styxer08,

I'm not sure what you mean by "re-amping". Can you please explain?

[Jim GahaganParticipant]

This was a question directed to Sigel sorry, meaning to send the audio out like a d.i. Guitar to an amp or a sim. Then use the combination of all takes for a guitar sound?

[Chris LalkaModerator]

I haven't tried using Aux tracks for re-amping. I've done re-amping simply by cloning the DI track and adding one of many virtual/sim amps (Guitar Rig 5, Amplitube, THD).

I don't see why you couldn't use an Aux track. They are so new in Sonar, I haven't used them for much.
I did use them for the string section on the chorus of my "Bullet - Reimagined I" track by recording the output of the String Section synth into the Aux track and then processing it, etc.

[Chris LalkaModerator]

Ditto. I totally agree with you!
Sonar is so powerful I barely scrape the surface of its capabilities and often need to Search the docs for how to do things.
re: Craig Anderton's videos / Cakewalk blog - I have started taking notes in a Word doc. He has AMAZING tips and so many of them - that I was losing track of them and forgetting about them.
My doc is small because I've just started. But once I have something substantial, I'll find a place to post it 🙂

[Chris LalkaModerator]

FYI - just saw that Sound on Sound Mag had a feature on Aux Tracks & Patch Points in Sonar
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec15/articles/sonar-1215.htm

Hope this helps!

[Mark MooreParticipant]

Thanks for the link Sijel.
According to Craig's SOS article, you could reamp virtually using a DI track into your favorite virtual amp plug in.

From the article:
A basic example is track-to-track recording. Suppose you want to record track 1’s output into track 2’s input. You’d assign track 1’s output to a Patch Point, then assign track 2’s input to the same Patch Point. This patches together the output and input. If you record-enable track 2 and start recording, it will record track 1’s output, including any processing in track 1’s FX Rack (track outputs are always post-effects).

Very cool.

[Chris LalkaModerator]

@mcmoore : yup - you give a good example of Patch Points making the recording or printing of a track to another track with effects.

BTW - are you a left-handed player too?! Or is your pic reversed LOL?

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