FM8 audio input trouble

When you insert FM8 into an FX rack, do you still hear your track or does it go silent?
 
There's a separate FX version of FM8 (FM8 FX.dll) that's supposed to be used when FM8 is inserted as an effect. If one tries to insert the synth version (FM8.dll), it behaves the way you described, so that would be the first thing I'd check.
 
You can use Plugin Manager to verify that the FM8 plugin you are inserting as an effect, really is "FM8 FX.dll" and has two audio inputs defined. If not, you could try rescanning the plugins.

FWIW, there are also FX versions of Absynth and Reaktor.

Well, guys. I "solved" it. I just unchecked the Configure as Synth box and FM8 became available as an output for my new MIDI track and also appeared in the Synth Rack. Which is weird, because yesterday, I had to click on Configure as Synth to get audio into FM8 as an effect.
 
Quirky stuff. Thanks for the help.

Alright. Now I have FM8 as effect accepting audio from theTrack its on, and also accepting MIDI from a separate MIDI track.
 
It is now showing up in my Synth Rack. I can assign controls via Synth Rack, but they are not moving parameters in the plugin. Also, theres not a little blue power button next to it in the Synth Rack like with normal synths. Sorry for all the questions, but I didn't expect using it like this would prove this unintuitive.

I think I figured it out. I can set FM8 into an effects chain and create knobs for the effect.

Hey, thanks msorrels for replying. I configured FM8 as an effect, it is NOT enabled as a synth under the properties, and enabled MIDI input via the VST2 dropdown. It now accepts MIDI notes from my keyboard and I can play it.
 
However, I am having a problem. FM8 appears in the Synth Rack. I am able to Assign Controls to all my parameters, but when I move the knobs in the Synth Rack, my parameters are not moving in my FM8 FX Plugin like they should. They absolutely don't move at all. I will post screenshots soon, but I am pretty exhausted with dealing with the technicalities of FM8/Sonar for today. Thanks for any help you can give.
 
 
I was able to use FX Chain to move the parameters, but it turns out that you can't actually use a physical control surface in FX Chain to control the Assignable Controls. So that way is kind of limited to me. 

Ok, here ya go.
I circled the Assignable Control knobs in the Synth Rack in red. Also circled the FM8 effect instance in red on far left page. Also, note that in the Synth Rack, the FM8 does not have the blue On/Off icon next to the Synth icon in the Synth Rack.
 
Sorry about the image. I'm not sure how to resize it. I could still see it if I zoomed in on my browser.
 

OK, I never, ever use that feature in the synth rack (since I never undock my synth rack).  I always just open automation lanes on the tracks themselves.  But I think I can understand why it doesn't work right.  The synth automation parameters are attached to the synth's audio track.  But technically when using a synth as an effect there isn't an audio track.  It's part of another audio track.  As a result the parameter automation is kind of different.  Near as I could tell when I added parameter automation controls to the synth rack it kept loosing the connection to the synth effect.  In fact if I had automation using an automation lane it would actually stop working right once hooked up with a synth rack knob.

You can do classic MIDI control channel automation in the MIDI track, which then sends to the FM8 effect.  But just trying to hook up synth rack parameter automation seems to become disconnected.  I was able to automate parameters using a automation lane on the track, but any attempt to get it into that synth rack control knob resulted in SONAR changing what the parameter was internally and as a result becoming disconnected.

Seems like a bug, but what exactly is wrong with it I'm not sure.  To be honest the synth as an effect even getting a synth rack entry seems kind of new.  I don't remember it even doing it before.

You could try opening a support ticket to see if they would look at this, since I'm pretty sure it is broken and is a bug.  But it would take a dozen emails to convince them to even look at it.  The nano-second you mention a third party plugin all blame will switch to it.

In the meantime you can't use that synth rack entry for anything really when using a synth as an effect.  You can add automation lanes on the track and do parameter automation that way.  You can also put MIDI CC messages on the MIDI track and have them control FM8 (using it's own internal MIDI learn/MIDI control system).  But I don't think you can use the synth rack automation control knob feature at all.