williamcopper
Thanks for the info, shaking my head at CW ... putting preferences in yet another place ... never occurred to me that the little freeze button on the synth might have its own options.
You can shake your head at Cakewalk all you want, but you would benefit much more by realizing that there are
UI standards for both Windows and Mac. It doesn't matter whether
you find those standards logical or not; even most beginning users are aware of these standards, so Cakewalk follows them. That way users can have a more consistent experience as they work with various programs from various manufacturers.
Right-click context-sensitive menus are NOT preferences in the sense of a Preference page that deals with global aspects of the program.
Context-sensitive means just that. I've learned a lot by right-clicking on things and seeing what was available. Some buttons, like Record and Smart Grid, open up the global Preferences page that relates to those parameters so you can change global characteristics
in the context of those parameters rapidly, without having to go Edit > Preferences and then look for the page with the parameters you need. Other right-clicks, like the Freeze and Toolbar buttons, the Pro Channel, tracks in the Track view, metering, etc., are more specific in their context.
This is all extremely basic stuff of which you seem to be unaware - no wonder you're having so many problems. That's okay, you've made it clear you just want to play music and not get bogged down in technical details; I understand that desire. However, there are certain unavoidable dues you need to pay if you want to use a DAW. One is learning the standards of the platform itself, whether Mac or Windows. Don't blame Cakewalk for following them; blame yourself for not knowing them.