Whatever anybody says this is still the issue as confirmed by Cakewalk (which will probably never get fixed unless it enters the bug tracker in the correct manner):

http://forum.cakewalk.com/Known-issue-Mislabelled-control-m3097199.aspx#3097199
 

alewgro
A Gain knob on EVERY track, audio and softsynth SHOULD be there.   Like i said - what if you want to gain stage properly but leave your synth track as midi?

 
No, thanks. I'd rather use MIDI Volume if I want more or less amplitude out of the synth, and still have Velocity Offset handy for when I want the instrument played harder or softer, not just sounding louder or softer.
 
I often use Vel+ on MIDI and instrument tracks; I can't remember the last time I used audio gain on a synth track.

brundlefly

alewgro
A Gain knob on EVERY track, audio and softsynth SHOULD be there.   Like i said - what if you want to gain stage properly but leave your synth track as midi?

No, thanks. I'd rather use MIDI Volume if I want more or less amplitude out of the synth, and still have Velocity Offset handy for when I want the instrument played harder or softer, not just sounding louder or softer.
 
I often use Vel+ on MIDI and instrument tracks; I can't remember the last time I used audio gain on a synth track.

So you would rather go into your VST every time and turn down the volume in there instead of just turning down the "Gain" knob already visible?

Velocity doesn't even mean velocity much when it comes to synths.  Depending on what the velocity is modulation, it can change the total tonal character of a sound.  It's like having an random MIDI CC# dial up there.  It just doesn't make much sense.

brundlefly

John
I wonder if anyone is gaining by any of this? 

No, but my velocity is seriously offset.

I think somebody's pitchwheel got bound to echo

I think the OP is right. Though I'm sure CW knows the meaning of gain. 
 
I never encounter this problem because I don't use simple instrument tracks. It makes perfect sense that a knob labeled gain would control the audio gain on a track. It has no meaning in MIDI. Velocity is not gain. 

SITs have their use when a it meets the criteria for which it was designed. I do use them where a MIDI track drives a synth without a MIDI through (bass usage is most common for me).

Actually, the bug report confused me.
 
I would expect the GAIN knob to increase the difference between input and output audio (which is gain as opposed to volume).  I would not expect it to have any meaning for MIDI.
 
Isn't that how it works now?
 
EDIT:  OK, I think the OP is saying the same thing I say above: it's just that the bug report is confusing to me.  Maybe Cakewalk misunderstood.  In any case, this doesn't bother me.

I have always used the output gain knob on the soft synth itself.Since that is how I do it with all my hardware units.That is why it is there on the soft synth in the first place.

brundlefly
... I think a Simple Instrument track should have Audio Gain on the audio tab in the Inspector, and MIDI Gain on the MIDI tab, but it has MIDI Gain on both.

I agree with this. I was checking this very thing out the other day - before reading this thread - and basically found the control useless as it is - what appears to be a numerical - as opposed to proportional - MIDI velocity offset. Turn it down low enough and the lowest-velocity notes in the track stop sounding at all, as they have an effective velocity of zero. How is that useful? Unless I'm wrong, but that's how it seems to me.
 
And instrument track is a combination of a hidden MIDI track and a hidden audio track. I would prefer to see the Gain knob be an input gain for the audio track, rather than a MIDI offset for the MIDI track. If an input MIDI offset is implemented in the MIDI tab, that would make sense, but not in the Audio tab.

AT
Well, that does it.  This means I con't use SONAR at all.  Gain, Volume and Velocity?  I'm so confused.  Not only that, I think I'll delete all my files since my old songs aren't labeled properly.  Thanks guys (and girls!).
 
@

what a stupid post.  Are you saying that unless something is of utmost urgency we cant post about it?  I never claimed that this was a HUGE deal, did I?
 
I just think its poor customer service to say something is "working as is" but clearly labeled wrong, and on top of that  - no thought process is being given to exactly WHAT that knob should do.

Right now it is acting as a CC# adjustment knob, which is kinda pointless.