Instruments Question

Welcome to the forum.
There are several VST instruments included with SONAR. Which ones you have depend on which version of SONAR you're using.
Click the Insert button at the top, then Soft Synths to see which ones you have.
Read more on using software synthesizers in the Help files.
If you're using XP, you can check out the great (and free!) Proteus VX. There are tons of other synths available on the internet, from free to thousands of dollars.

Timothy, what are your system specs? edit:answered while I was typing.
In particular, your OS and interface(if any).
Will your digital piano function as a MIDI controller?
RE the bumpy start, we all had that. It does get better, really.
 
VSTs come in basically two flavors, VST Effects, and VST Instruments(aka Soft Synths).
DimPro is nice, and Cakewalk offers some free expansion packs to give it an even broader range of sounds.
It is a worthwhile addition to your arsenal, imo, and will cover a lot of the sounds you seem to be looking for.
I'm a big fan of Proteus that Greg mentioned. I'm still using it on a Vista machine, but I don't know that it is faring well under the newer operating systems.
 
Based on what you've outlined so far, I might lean toward X3(basic version) and DimPro.
Maybe X3 Studio. It does bring some nice stuff to the table.
Be sure to leave some room in the budget for an interface( if you don't already have one).
This is critical for playing/recording soft synths real-time.
The built-in sound card in your computer will most likely not cut it.
 

Thanks, some really helpful responses.

Right now I'm still using the trial version of Sonar. I imagine I'll probably end up buying the program because I like it despite the very steep learning curve (and I am a previous Cakewalk owner - tho my last version was Cakewalk Pro Audio 4 or something, like 15 years ago). Currently I have it interfaced with my digital piano (Kawai CN34), which has a few hundred built in instruments of varying quality. I had a bunch of old midi files I created with my old version of Cakewalk that I wanted to use as a starting point, so I loaded them into Sonar Trial, and used my CN34's instrument suite for playback through the piano (which I also used to record mp3 files). After a whole lot of tweaking, I've been fairly happy with the results, but some of the instruments on my CN34 I just don't like, notably the cello (sounds like a walrus in pain), some winds, and brass. Also the selection of effects, like pads and leads, is a little limited, so all my songs end up sounding very similar. Honestly, I don't use the digital piano for playing notes into the software. I usually do most of my note input with the mouse, and use the piano only for its sounds. My laptop near my piano (Windows 7 32 bit) also has a very small screen, which is difficult to use with Sonar.
 
Therefore, what I'd kind of like to do is have Sonar installed on my desktop computer (64 bit windows, with 32 inch screen) and ditch the piano altogether. As has been pointed out, the sounds that come with the sound card just don't cut it. So what I'm looking for is a few hundred good quality instruments and sounds that I can put on my desktop computer so I can run Sonar right from there, using my piano for recording only if I have to.
 
I tried installing Soft Synths on my cakewalk. When I go that I have under VST2 an option called Cakewalk Sound Center. I tried fiddling with it but I can't hear anything on playback and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of instruments to be honest. Maybe there are more options with a real version of Sonar?
 
Also, sorry for the ignorance, but what do you mean by "interface"?
 
My budget isn't hard capped but I'd like to spend less than $200 to $250 on this (including price of Sonar) since this is really just a hobby for me.
 
Thanks again for the guidance. I had previously thought Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop were hard to figure out. This audio stuff is even crazier...

Oh, and an interface is an audio interface. That's a high-quality sound card designed for recording and playing sound, essential if you're using a lot of software synthesizers and/or many audio tracks and effects.

Corribus
Hi Greg,
Thanks for the pointers. 
 I know Sound Cards usually aren't very expensive.. but what will one allow me to do that I can't do with the integrated one?
Thanks again
T

The integrated soundchips simply don't have very good drivers, which often means you can't get the latency low enough (= disturbing delay between hitting the keyboard and hearing the sound). Dedicated cards don't necessarily offer you much special that you in theory couldn't do with the mobo chip, but they just work better and more reliably in multitrack recording. Less glithes, better AD/DA converters etc.. better pre amps, phantom power feed for condenser microphones etc. 

Hello Corribus
 
My understanding is that IK Multimedia is getting ready to come out with SampleTank 3, so Sampletank 2 is on sale (as are the other IK soft synths).  The sounds that come with it are generally good, and you can expand it with additional packages.  Check esoundz, as they seem to usually run IK specials.  One caveat is Sampletank 2 is 32 bit, though you can use it with Sonar 64 bit by using jbridge (it's about $20 as best as I remember).
 
Best of luck with your music!

That's a killer deal for sure. It's enough sounds and instruments to keep you busy for a long time.
Getting back to the interface question, here is a link to some offerings from Sweetwater (a company that you will probably come to be familiar with).
http://www.sweetwater.com/c695--USB_Audio_Interfaces/popular/params=eyJkaW1lbnNpb24iOnsiQnJhbmQiOlsiNDI5NDk2NzI2OCIsIjQyOTQ5NjY4NjUiLCI0Mjk0OTY2MjczIiwiNDI5NDk2Njc4MCJdfX0
The link is long because I set some filters. The full list would show units ranging from less than $100(marginal quality) to several thousand $.
I realize this is just a hobby for you, as it is for myself. I have also learned that most worthwhile hobbies tend to be somewhat of a money pit. That said, an interface is probably the best investment you can make. $200-$250 will make a huge difference in your experience.
Your built-in sound chip is fine for simple playback, but can cause problems when it tries to handle the more sophisticated requirements of a program like Sonar.
The software is just part of a system. For it to really sing, you need a proper balance of hardware and software.
Consider for a moment, a race car. You can have the best engine, the best driver, but if you have bad tires, it's all for naught.
I also strongly recommend thinking about getting a MIDI controller. Yes, more money.
But many of the soft synths we have suggested really come to life when you can play them as an instrument rather than punching in notes with the mouse.
I understand that we are suggesting that you spend more than you had anticipated, but for what it's worth, once you get into this, you're going to do it anyway.
Just for fun, here's a little piece that was done with some of the soft synths available to you, DimPro, Sample Tank, and Studio Instruments(Strings). All instruments were recorded real-time with a MIDI controller.
http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=10285834&q=hi&newref=1
 
 

Corribus
...I am about to conclude my trial run of Sonar...digging any further than that got me into a confusing world of VSTs...All I really want are some nice instruments and other sound effects...Can anyone boil it down for me, maybe make a suggestion for what might satisfy my needs? It doesn't have to be free, but on the other hand, I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on these either.

Maybe you are unaware that the Sonar package includes a lot of VST instruments and effects and that these are excluded from the trial version. Don't purchase any extra ones until you have tried these first.

pls ignore : I'm just posting something here to get rid of the spam header left-over.

And again...