I had some trouble remembering how to configure Waves Vocal Rider in Sonar X1 X2 X3 Platinum.  After being unable to find the instructions via the site's search tool, I decided to post this to the group as a searchable reference.

 
From Waves Tech Support.
 
Here are the basic setting for the Vocal Rider in Sonar.

Insert Vocal Rider as the last plug-in on your vocal or vocal group track (make sure that you load it as VST3).

Open a new Bus track and send all the instruments tracks to it. 

Open a Send from the new Bus track to Vocal Rider mono... 

Begin playing your song, then set the Vocal Sensitivity and Attack controls.

Set the Target control by moving the transparent screen to the Vocal range peak.

The main Rider fader will begin to move automatically, levelling your vocal.

Limit the amount of automatic gain change by setting the Range faders.

To correlate the vocal level to the instrumental level, adjust Music Sensitivity.

Arm your track to Write automation, then press Automation Write in the plugin at any time to send the Vocal Rider Fader to your host application automation edit lane, make your manual edits, and then press Read in plugin and track.

Using your ears, find the sweet spot and trim using the output fader. 
Writing Automation with Vocal Rider
After setting Vocal Rider according to your program material, follow the steps below.
Writing Automation
1. In your DAW, set the vocal track’s automation mode to 'Write' or 'Latch'.
2. Enable automation for Vocal Rider's main Rider Fader.
3. Set Vocal Rider’s automation mode to 'Write'.
4. Hit Play.
Please note: The Vocal Rider interface window must be open during automation writing. 
All previously written automation will be lost in Write/Latch modes.
 
Reading Automation
1. In your DAW, set the vocal track’s automation mode to 'Read'.
2. Set Vocal Rider’s automation mode to 'Read'.
3. Hit Play.
Editing Rider Fader Automation
Controlling Vocal Rider Using a Mouse or Control Surface
1. In your DAW, set the vocal track’s automation mode to 'Touch'.
2. Set Vocal Rider’s automation mode to 'Read'.
3. Hit Play.
4. Use the main Rider Fader to manually ride as needed. 
When you release the Rider Fader, it will return to the previously written automation.
Using the main Rider Fader automation line in the track editor
1. In your DAW, set the vocal track’s automation mode to 'Read'.
2. Set Vocal Rider’s automation mode to 'Read'.
3. Open the Rider Fader automation line in the track editor to manually draw in your edits.

Thanks for posting that, Zurc. I just bought Vocal Rider and Bass Rider on sale a couple weeks ago. Looking forward to trying them out. Your post helps a lot!
 
~Jeff

thanks, I'll bookmark this :)

I just have a small adjustment to the suggested workflow;
I create a new bus that is my new "master bus". I will however keep my old master bus as default bus, rename it to "premaster" or "bandmix" or whatever and send it to the new master, then send the new master bus to my outputs.

I will also send my leadvocal (with vocal rider) to the new master bus. This essentially gives me two faders - lead vocal vs bandmix. You can add a send from the bandmix/premaster to the vocal rider side chain input. Additional benefit is that if you add any tracks (parallel compression or even entirely new instruments) they will all automatically go to the (default) bandmix bus and be added to the send to the vocal rider sidechain input.

Zurc2cruz,
 
Great Instructions they worked for me great, but I would like to add, if you are placing your vocal Rider on a Stereo Bus to add the Stereo Vocal Rider Plugin. 
 
Secondly,  When using a send to add the all music Bus (Sub Mix) to the Vocal Rider FX, use the Send Side Chain as this is how you enable the Music Sensitivity control and light on the vocal Rider. 
 

 
Other than those two, it was a great Tutorial.

I followed this tutorial. No idea how old this thread are, but if anyone here uses Waves Vocal Rider, it would be great with a few things cleared up.
 
When I followed these  steps, the "Music" sensitivty button gets active and the green light is active too. So, when that is the case it is working as intended, right? The reason I ask is because on all the tutorials videos I can find (Not any with Sonar), then there are a "Key Input" option with a key symbol at the high/left. Can not see this here in Sonar Platinum.
 
I guess all is good when the "Music" knob and the green light is active.?.

if you want it to ducked the music, see image. if you want it to just level your vocals just drop it on your FX box and adjust it as needed. 

Okay, thanks  .
 
I want the vocals to duck to the music for sure, so then I did it correctly. Nice graphic instruction  .
 
Both my music senestivity knob and the green light is active when running the vocal rider now.

oh, you want to use V-Rider in stereo mode because the music is in stereo.
Have a good one! :)

Kristianzhe
I followed this tutorial. No idea how old this thread are, but if anyone here uses Waves Vocal Rider, it would be great with a few things cleared up.
 
When I followed these  steps, the "Music" sensitivty button gets active and the green light is active too. So, when that is the case it is working as intended, right? The reason I ask is because on all the tutorials videos I can find (Not any with Sonar), then there are a "Key Input" option with a key symbol at the high/left. Can not see this here in Sonar Platinum.
 
I guess all is good when the "Music" knob and the green light is active.?.

The Key on the plugin is for users of Daw's (Pro Tools) that support Side Chaining via the plug in.  Cakewalk doesn't use side chaining that way.  You are suppose to use the sends and select the bus that contains Vocal Rider with the option for side chaining.  Don't just select a Bus, select the Bus that has the long name with Vocal Rider in it.  Look at my previous pic above, there are bus names and below then\m are the plugin names and buses which support side chaining, select the one with Vocal Rider.