I'm using Sonar Artist and I'm trying to get a decent end result with my music. When I mix the music in headphones it sounds OK, but when I play the music on the big stereo it does not sound very proffesional. Muttled audio, samples, especially drums sounds bad. Even synths. I'm using primarily samples that comes with the product, like SI instruments and I can accept that there might be better alternatives out there, but I have tried a lot of different synths and just can't understand why synth music from the 80's still sound better better than mine. Also do my type of sound card have any influence on the finished product other than maybe S/n ? I use an Akai EIE pro. I was thinking about the Native Komplete 10 bundle. Will that make a big difference in my sound over the standard Cakewalk sounds ? I have tried a lot of the synths and not that impressed, but maybe the samples are worth getting ?

It could be because of a million things.  
Those 80s synth songs were often recorded, mixed, and mastered by talented professionals who also spent a fortune on gear.
Everything in your signal chain will affect how your music sounds.  Mixing on headphones will usually cause different issues when played through a stereo.  Music will sound different through almost any system; engineers tend to find the best all-around mix for consistency, but that's about it.
I can't answer your question about buying Komplete, but your money might be better spent on mixing courses or tutorials.  A good engineer can make gold from garbage, but a mediocre one would be lucky to make garbage from gold...
 
As an aside, I've been playing for almost 30 years, recording for 20.  I've worked with some amazing engineers and producers, in more "pro" studios than I can count.  Now that I'm working on my own at home, my mixes don't sound professional either.  I still hire a great engineer/producer to mix and master for me.

I ran across this when I was floundering (and I still am!) around trying to make pro sounding recordings. 
 
http://www.resoundsound.com/best-mixing-tutorials/
 
It seems to me that people who make great sounding recordings typically acquire a great deal of experience making mediocre recordings before they do anything else. So I read the tutorials, read books, and record, record, record, mix, mix, mix. Progress is slow but it's also real.
 
You might also consider posting your music in this site's song forum to get feedback on your work. Great folks there!
 

Absolutely concur - Prime example, Beatles on a 4 track.  Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.  AMAZING sounds, on primitive gear, because of the great care and great talent put into all aspects of the process, from the quality of the songs, the quality of the performances, the good engineering techniques used in recording the performances, the solid knowledge of the engineers of the available gear/effects, and the art of mixing/mastering.
 
LOTS of pieces to it all, but basically those folks were able to create timeless songs because they knew the craft of it.  I encourage you to consider some structured process (tutorials/classes/etc) for learning how to be better at the recording/mixing process, (and mastering if you are planning do that yourself), and it is when your knowledge of technique and concept become stronger, what you produce will sound better.
 
Best of it all to you - enjoy the process, and know that the sooner you strengthen your knowledge of the process, the faster things you create will sound like what you are trying to achieve.
 
Bob Bone
 

No, a different interface won't make that great of a difference in sound quality if what you are getting now is completely unacceptable.  Native stuff is good to great and a professional tool, but if you aren't getting a good sound now it won't help that much either, I would think.  I'm not sure what soft synths come w/ Artist, but I've used most every Cake synth, old and new, and they all can sound good to great.
 
I would suggest it is a combination of things.  1st thing is to listen to your mixes across various systems.  Headphones are usually the last suggestion I would give for mixing, tho plenty disagree.  You are listening to raw sound w/ no interaction w/ air in the room pumped into your ear.  And your problem w/ the big stereo may be w/ that system and the room having bass problems (a common failing).  It may have other room problems, or the stereo may just suck.  You need to try out your mixes on various systems - car, mono bookshelf, computer speakers, a professional monitoring system that covers the sub woofer range.  It is like PR, even a bad system will help w/ your sound.  The point being is to learn your monitoring system by hearing how it sounds across other systems.
 
Then there is what used to be called arrangement (it still is but seems to be seldom talked about).  Balancing staccato sounds with something legato; lots o' bass needs salted with some high frequency ear candy, and so forth.  It is pretty much an instinctive thing, but it still needs to be cultivated and can be easily overlooked, esp. if you are working alone.
 
Finally, mixing is as much a skill as anything else music related.  I doubt when you first picked up a guitar or sat at the keyboard your playing sounded like you hoped.  I don't imagine why you would think recording and mixing would be any different.  It takes time to learn the tricks of the trade (or craft), but one has to develop an ear and experience.  You know how you want this instrument to sound and how that sound fits in the overall song.  Again, something that needs to be cultivated and develop an ear for it.  It might not be rocket science but it is a trial and error process and the less sustained work you can do the longer it takes.  And for the most part many home recordists are on their own (or have bandmates no more experienced) and have no mentors right there to learn from - which makes sites like these so important.  I read a lot of truths before I could hear and use them.
 
The good news is if you are primarily "in the box" you can work on all the needed skills at once, which will take a while but gives you total control.
 
Good luck

The 80s were basically the pinnacle of analog mixing. People are still attempting to reach the same clarity and dynamics, even if the music itself sounds dated by now.
 
That said, I'm sure there are things you can improve. There are great books and tutorials out there too. But I think it's ultimately a never ending struggle.

It takes a lot of patience, and well-recorded tracks to make a good mix. You might want to try some of the mix challenges that are available online. You can download pre-recorded material and mix it your self to practice your skills. There is a lot to learn about mixing before you'll start to get results that are audibly comparable to semi-pro or pro mixes.
 
Here's a link to an article regarding the mix challenges: http://www.soundonsound.com/news?NewsID=14319
 
Regards,
Dan
 

I used to spend hours trying to make my drums sound like the records I was hearing on the radio...A Bing them ...back and forth...Even after being an engineer for 20 years, and working on record projects, the hardest part was mixing...you think you have it, then put it in your car, and you don't...very frustrating.
I think the "big time" engineers go through this too though...making mix after mix until they just feel it's the best they can do for the time they have.
I would suggest reading all material such as books, magazines, etc you can get your hands on, then practice your craft...switching from a "hit" song in the style of the one you're working on, then to yours...analyzing what is making them different. Drum sounds make a hugh difference in 80's mixes...if they sound bad, the rest of the record will not be up to par

I don't own NI Komplete (wish I did) but if you are willing to shell out the cash for it's really a great package crammed with all sorts of cool stuff.
 
However... just having access to nice sounding synths and samples will not change the fact even great sounds need to be mixed and mastered properly to translate well to other soundsystems.
 
The synths and sounds that come with SPlat are really good and you can do a lot with them but you are on Artist, the base package that doesn't really have all the good stuff (mostly older instruments which are still good but not top notch compared to the fancier stuff).
 
You can upgrade to SPlat for far less money than Komplete costs and get those synths. They aren't as good as having Komplete but with some elbow grease and knowledge you can do a LOT of stuff.
 
BUT... again, you need to know how to mix those sounds and perhaps more importantly how to WRITE a tune in such a way it naturally sounds good before you'll get anywhere near pro results.
 
As far as samples? I really would not rely on the included loops to create anything epic. They're old and kind of busted. Plenty of sites out there that offer quality sample/loop libraries for free/low cost.
 
If that's REALLY your thing learn how to do your own sampling and looping. I think even Artist comes with some sampling stuff like Cyclone (and maybe the Matrix View). Groove Clip Looping is another area that avoids all the fancy sampler type stuff and allows you to do the same thing right in the Track View.
 
So... I'd say...
 
First and foremost use youtube search to find some general mixing tutorials or get a Groove3 monthly pass to learn about mixing fundamentals. You can ask mixing questions here on the forum too in the Techniques area. Tons of helpful and experienced pros down there.
 
Second, explore the tools and synths you currently have with Artist and how to tweak them. I'm not sure exactly what comes with Artist but it is a limited package so consider upgrading to Professional or better yet Platinum. This includes exploring FX which can have a HUGE impact on even crappy generic sounds. There are two vids by SWA/Karl Rose in the Cake store. One I think is called "Sonar X2 Workshop FX" and the other is "Virtual Instruments Revealed". They are great walkthroughs of ALL the synths and effects that were included in X2 Producer (almost all of which remain and only a few things have been really added so it's still relevant). Karl's "SWA X2 Complete" is up on youtube for general stuff.
 
When I first got started I thought I needed to invest in a TON of extra instruments and FX. Once I started learning how all the stuff I already had with Sonar worked many of those things became unnecessary. Saved me a fortune (that I don't have BTW).
 
Now I KNOW the things that are missing or maybe not as good as third party stuff and what's actually worth spending money on outside of the SPlat package.
 
Anyway... you get the point. You can do a lot more with some knowledge and simple tools than throwing a bunch of cash at expensive third party stuff and just poking away at it hoping something willl sound good.
 
Cheers.

Good suggestions...I still have recordings from the early 80's that I recorded with a Teac 4 track and a StudioMaster mixer  that stand up today except for the amount of hiss that was layered on from multiple mixdowns, just in the process of adding more tracks to the mix. I'd say work with what you have. If it sounds good with bass, drums, a keyboard and vocals and guitar, you going in the right direction.