[UPDATE] Audio Engine quirks

scook
Creating an empty project should have the audio engine enabled, at least this is the case with my interface. Don't know why it is not consistently happening when using the internal sound chip. Maybe windows sounds or another app are interfering with it.
 
One thing about being a SONAR owner is you are entitled to free phone support. Tech support may be in a better position to offer an explanation.
 

scook
I hope you will believe me when I tell you the audio engine is enabled when I open an empty project. Do I really need to create an account somewhere an post a picture? I do believe the picture you have posted represents a snapshot in time on your system. After inserting a synth in an empty project do you really have to enable the audio engine to test a patch? Or does the engine turn on when it sees midi data from the controller? In my case, I add a synth to my empty project (n.b. the audio engine is already running) and can test the synth right away.
 
It may be system specific, IDK. I can only speak for my system and configuration.

robert_e_bone
So, just so I can sleep tonight, please do the following and tell me if you get sound (please note there are lots of ways to do things in Sonar, and the following are but one way, HOWEVER, the following steps work, so let's follow them exactly):
 
1.  Launch Sonar
2.  Since I understand you have a modified template that opens, CLOSE it so no project is open.
3.  Click File>New, and create a brand-new project - call it whatever - using the Cakewalk-supplied 16 Track Audio project template (NOT your modified Normal template).  The 16 Track Audio project template is just their original Normal template, loaded with 16 audio tracks.  Please note this will have extra tracks, but it is no big deal to remove those, and we will be then very close to the original Normal template.
4.  Click on the 'X' at the bottom left corner of the Console Pane, to close it for now.
5.  Click directly on the '2' on the far left side of the second track in the Track Pane, which will highlight it.
6.  Now, hold Shift down and click on the '16' on the far left side of the 16th track in the Track Pane, which will highlight tracks 2-16.
7.  Now, right click on any one of the highlighted track numbers, and click on 'Delete 15 Tracks', which will simply leave us with Track 1 - which is an audio track, and we will also have 3 buses (Master, Metronome, and Preview - though you won't see those buses since we closed the Console Pane).
 
OK, so now we already have an audio track to work with.  We just need to add a midi track, load a soft synth, make the appropriate routing assignments, and play some sounds.
 
1.  Right click in the Track Pane, under the existing Track 1, and insert a midi track.
2.  In the Media Browser, click on the tab labelled Synth.
3.  Now, click on the '+' to get the Insert Synth dialog started.
4.  Expand the 'Insert Synth' then expand DirectX, and click on 'Cakewalk TTS-1 '.
5.  This will open the 'Insert Soft Synth Options' dialog box.  For purposes of this walk through, leave only the 'Synth Property Page', 'Recall Assignable Controls', and 'Ask This Every Time' boxes checked.
6.  Sonar will complete the insertion of the TTS-1 synth, with no associated tracks or assignments.
7.  Go ahead and close  TTS-1 UI.  It already has a Piano sound loaded into channel 1, and that's all I am looking for at the moment.
 
OK, so now we need to connect the dots, between the tracks and the synth.
 
1.  Click on the '1' to highlight Track 1, the audio track.
2.  Now, in the Inspector Pane, they have Sonar default to having the Pro Channel displayed.  Click on the blue 'Pro Channel' button to click it off.  That will leave the Track Inspector displayed (since you highlighted the audio track, you should see Track 1 and Master channel strips in the Inspector Pane).
3.  Click on the audio track Input, and assign it to: Output 1: Stereo of TTS-1.
4.  Click on the '2' for the midi track, to highlight it.
5.  Click on the Output for Track 2.  The Output should already be set by Sonar to the 1st loaded synth in the synth rack, which happens to be the one we want - TTS-1.
 
OK, so we have midi data being sent to TTS-1, and it will be default react to any input, so if you have a midi controller/keyboard set up, if you play notes on it, you should hear Piano sounds being produced by TTS-1.
 
If you do not have a midi keyboard/controller available, you can still hear sounds, by double-clicking on the TTS-1 in the synth rack, to open its UI, then press and hold the Preview button at the bottom left of channel 1.  This will cycle TTS-1 through a short clip of piano midi data, which you should hear because by having the assignments correctly set, and having highlighted the midi track, Sonar will automatically by default turn on the midi echo on button for the midi track.
 
So, please do EXACTLY the above, and post back on whether or not you get sound.
 
Bob Bone

gcolbert
Grundberg - I'm assuming that you are using ASIO4ALL?
 
Try turning off windows sounds, setting the exclusive mode of the device and in Sonar, rebooting before using Sonar, open the ASIO panel and then just close it then try using Sonar to see if it doesn't work better for you.