Rendering Specific Tracks To Single Track

I've searched the forum and tried every way from Sunday to do this and I've not been successful yet. I'm trying to get a track comprised of the sum of some other tracks in a project. For example four different vocal tracks combined into one track. When I render I select the desired tracks and I still get the entire mix, not just the selected tracks. I'm trying to combine tracks in order to apply deep compression and then be able to bring up a little of the combined/compressed track with the original tracks to increase how "big" the part sounds without increasing volume. What am I missing here? I don't want stems, I want a "stem" track plus the originals. Help! Michael

You could do that without rendering, just by sending the tracks to an "FX bus" track. The sending tracks will send to the master at the same time, so you get that "parallel compression" thing by design. To create an FX bus track just insert a track with the effect(s). Then make sure you have "Show sends when size permits" enabled (right-click on the master) or resize so you can see the send slots. Now click an empty send slot on the track you want to route to the FX track and hold it until the cursor has a tiny TRS plug shape and then drag it to send slot area of the new FX track. Rinse and repeat for every track you want to have on that bus - done. If you use compressors with dry/wet controls make sure they are set all the way to 'wet'.

You don't have to use the send controls, you can mix in the compressed sum of the sending tracks with the fader on the receiving FX track. To reduce CPU load, set the receiving track to "Record: Output (Stereo)" and record it, then switch the plugins 'offline'. Alternatively solo this sum/bus track and use the render dialog to render it and reimport it into the project.

To render specific tracks, simply solo the tracks you want and render the master mix, (what you hear is what you will render).

You could also group the separate tracks into a folder and click the folder tack and render it.

Thanks for the alternatives to the routing solution given earlier. I'll give them a try next time I'm at my DAW. I'll admit that my way of doing this may be simplistic compared to using a bus track (which I do a lot of for other tasks) but this has been the easiest way for me to get things sounding the way I want in SONAR. I also like to compile multiple tracks into a single track "stem" to make mixing easier and less CPU intensive (and I know I could do this with a bus but it is quicker for me to render and reduce screen real estate). Thanks again for the suggestions, Michael

I just mute the other tracks. I have a separate file for vocals - I just render a mixed version of everything except vocals, and then tweak vocals in a separate reaper setup. compressors and fancy plugins like podfarm and ezdrummer can really slow things down in reaper, so render them and then mute them and disable their effects.

Hey Michael, great avatar!!! :) -Data