I need some help using Sonar X1

Try one on my youtube page. MIDI routing for beginners

HTH

First of all, Mark, welcome to Sonar and to the forum.

One thing that would help us for posts that you make in this forum is to edit your profile in the signature section, to add the list of specs for your system.  You will see them at the bottom of most of the posts in this forum.  Near the top of the forum page, you can hover your mouse over User Control, and click on Edit Profile.  Once there, add your system specs, then check the box that tells it to add your signature to the bottom of your posts.  This will help us to help you better, by letting us see what kind of hardware/software you are running.

OK, now all of that aside, on to the midi.  Please note that there are several ways pf getting the following accomlished.  Some folks like using simple instrument tracks, for example.  I don't like them, so I do not use them.  My example below is one of multiple ways to get your external synth playing soft synth sounds, so please rest of the forum posters please do not jump on me for suggesting that my steps are the only way to do all of this - thanks.

To access soft synths in Sonar, you have 4 things to take care of:

1.  You need to have a soft synth loaded up into the synth rack.  Make sure that a sound is loaded for that soft synth.  Some soft synths have default sounds pre-selected, while others need to have you select a preset for them.
2.  You need an external midi controller (keyboard, wind instrument, etc) connected to your computer, and that device must be visible to Sonar and checked as a valid input device.  This is done Edit>Preferences>Midi>Devices.
3.  You need to insert a midi track, and the track's output needs to be set to the synth in the synth rack.
4.  You need to insert an audio track, and set the input of that track to one of the outputs from the soft synth, and the output of the audio track must be routed to some buss (Master or some sub-buss that eventually gets routed to the master buss).

So you have a synth loaded, you have a preset selected for that synth, you have a midi track's output pointer to the synth, and you have an audio track's input pointint to an audio output from the synth and the output of the audio track sent to some buss.

The above is the quick and dirty explanation.  I would suggest you review the video that was posted above, and also read some of the documentation on using soft synth's as well.  I think there is also a tutorial for this too.

Best of luck to your, and I hope what I posted helps you, 

Bob Bone

Thanks so much to all who have responded. I still need to follow up on what you all have written, but I have already run into problems. Some of the problems are easy to work around, like file paths and names being different in the tutorials than on my system, others are harder. A couple of the references given show the tracks differently than I see them, theirs show MIDI channel selection in the track box, and mine in another control on the lower left corner of my screen. Maybe if I even understood the project types it might move me ahead. I believe the 16 and 24 track audio types are for audio files, like .wav., and not for midi. Then there are normal and electronic. What are they? Which type would I want if I had MIDI tracks and audio tracks in the project? I have one project that is partially working, the MIDI keyboard in is working, and I can play or record from it. I can only select one of 2 voices, or various drum kits. Summing it up, if I knew what the types were and could find where to select voices I would be doing much better. Again, thanks to all for the help.

Mark, please!
You have not even told us what software you are using. There are differences between SONARs (though not actually in the use of soft synths or project formats, I admit). Nor have you given your system specs.

I suppose the Reference guide of X-versions is about 1800 pages as it is in earlier versions. That gives you some indication that there's serious studying ahead of you if you want to learn SONAR.

It's easiest to do it step by step, little by little, of course, but it sure does require active homework :o/.
Give yourself time to study. Don't expect to finish a project in a few weeks, that way you stay more patient.

Some people prefer videos. I'm a fan of written text. I'd simply read the Help files/reference guide at least once and then start poking.

Hi Mark,

If you need something to help guide you along your way to learning X1, you might want to check out my SONAR X1 Power book. It's available directly from Cakewalk in their online store: http://www.store.cakewalk...ductid=30-CTSP1.00-20C

Best,
Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://garrigus.com
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar ProAudioTutor video tutorial series: http://garrigus.com/?ProAudioTutor
* Publisher of the DigiFreq free music technology newsletter: http://digifreq.com/?DigiFreq
* Publisher of the NewTechReview free consumer technology newsletter: http://newtechreview.com/?NewTechReview

Mark - do yourself a favour and put your entire system spec & software in your signature.

You'll be asked time & again for this information and you'll get as fed up with typing it out as we will of asking for it!