Guys, did either of you use Cakewalk DOS 5? I actually started using Cakewalk from a friend in '88, and VST wasn't developed, or even released until '96, so until then THE ONLY way you could use Cakewalk (at least say 5 yrs or more before Sonar) was via MIDI, and it was simple. You hit a note on your keybd, and it sends MIDI OUT msg, and comes back around to the MIDI IN to trigger a sample in your keyboard. The VST, or DirectX stnd that Sonar 1st used required LOTS of RAM to avoid intolerable amounts of latency.  I know because I was one of those poor saps that couldn't afford the hardware required for that until years later.
 
Having said that, I still haven't gotten my MIDI tracks to work yet. I'm actually going to try RE connecting my Alesis Firewire device to see if that fixes it. OR, I might connect an old Roland TD-8 to my MIDI and eliminate whether my keyboard is the problem, thinking that if Sonar sees the MIDI OUT signal going INTO the Track Input (which the meters show) then it may not be sending the MIDI signal back to the MIDI IN port on my keybd, or the keybd may not be seeing the MIDI signal. I know the MIDI cables are good because I've already tested them. Will keep you posted.  But let's please not argue over the settled ground.

 
 
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Hey Johnny, I wouldn't bother at this point since King has been using Cakewalk since the DOS days, so he knows how it all works.
 

King Conga
Guys, did either of you use Cakewalk DOS 5? I actually started using Cakewalk from a friend in '88, and VST wasn't developed, or even released until '96, so until then THE ONLY way you could use Cakewalk (at least say 5 yrs or more before Sonar) was via MIDI, and it was simple. You hit a note on your keybd, and it sends MIDI OUT msg, and comes back around to the MIDI IN to trigger a sample in your keyboard. The VST, or DirectX stnd that Sonar 1st used required LOTS of RAM to avoid intolerable amounts of latency.  I know because I was one of those poor saps that couldn't afford the hardware required for that until years later.
 
Having said that, I still haven't gotten my MIDI tracks to work yet. I'm actually going to try RE connecting my Alesis Firewire device to see if that fixes it. OR, I might connect an old Roland TD-8 to my MIDI and eliminate whether my keyboard is the problem, thinking that if Sonar sees the MIDI OUT signal going INTO the Track Input (which the meters show) then it may not be sending the MIDI signal back to the MIDI IN port on my keybd, or the keybd may not be seeing the MIDI signal. I know the MIDI cables are good because I've already tested them. Will keep you posted.  But let's please not argue over the settled ground.

 
King, I have been using Cakewalk products since the old days including using a Commador(sp?) for processing.  That being said, we are discussing how things are working in SONAR (X3) so your vast experiences with earlier products are not relevant.  So, I do not appreciate the contempt or your supercilious comments directed toward us (or me).  I am sincerely trying to help you, but if you would described exactly how you have your setup setup, then I can help narrow down the problem.  Otherwise, that would explain my verbose responses in dealing with what information you have so far provided.  I can only go so far with what you give.
 
 Kind regards,
 
tecknot

Ok, let me see if I'm understanding correctly: you are using SONAR to record MIDI data from your keyboard and sending it back from SONAR to your keyboard's tone module in order to play the actual sounds, yes?
 
I also understand that the problem is that you aren't getting audible playback, unless you add an extra audio track in SONAR and set its input to be the audio output of your keyboard's tone module.
 
If my understanding is correct, I think I have an idea of what's happening here.
 
I'm assuming that you've set up your MIDI connections correctly, having years of experience working with MIDI in Cakewalk products. You can easily verify this by plugging a pair of headphones into your keyboard and seeing if you're getting sound when playing back the MIDI data you've recorded.
 
If this is indeed the case, the issue is with how your keyboard's/tone module's audio is connected to amplification.
 
My understanding is that you have your hardware connected via an Alesis interface. Whenever an interface is involved, there are two ways in which input signals can travel to the interface outputs:

1. Routed and mixed in the software domain - which is what I believe is happening here. The audio inputs of your interface are being sent to SONAR, mixed in with whatever audio is generated in SONAR (this could be recorded audio, soft synths, etc.) and the resulting mix is fed to the audio outputs of your interface. Such a setup will necessitate setting up an audio track in SONAR to hear playback from the tone module, because otherwise it isn't being fed into the software mixer,
2. Mixed in the hardware (interface) - this is usually known as "direct monitoring" and exists in order to allow you to hear the input audio without latency imparted by software processing. Not all interfaces have such an option and the specifics of setting it up will depend on your hardware.

With that in mind, there are two ways to get the result you're looking for, that is: having only MIDI tracks in SONAR and hearing playback through your hardware tone module.

1. Set up direct monitoring, if available - consult your interface's operating manual on how to do this.
2. Connect the audio outputs of your tone module/keyboard to a separate amplification setup, instead of feeding them into the inputs of your audio interface.

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Thanks Faza. I'll check the Direct Monitoring, but I think I have that set correctly, as I didn't change anything from before when it worked.

Just curious, how do you route audio out of your keyboard? Can you draw your audio (and MIDI) routing?
 
regards,
Jaymz

Hello James,
It's pretty routine. I simply route the MAIN OUTS to ANALOG Ch.s 5&6 on my PreSonus 1818VSL.  I have vfd that I AM getting sound out of those as I have plugged my hdphones into both of those jacks to hear it.  My MIDI I have going from my keyboard is MIDI OUT to MIDI IN on my interface, and vice-versa on my MIDI IN.  As I mentioned previously, I can see the MIDI data getting to the Sonar MIDI track as the meters are working.  I just haven't had time to vfy what's happening on the return path BACK to my keyboard.  I've never had this problem before.
 

So you are getting sound via phones from your 1818, but not your interface's main/monitor outs?  Check your Presonus VSL (or Universal Control ?) software routing and signal flow (checking for mute channels, etc.).
 
not so kind regards,
 
tecknot