Hi, I'm new here and this is my first post so be gentle with me! Been using CW home studio 4 for ages for live instruments via DI box or condenser mic, and samples and wave files etc. and all is well. My problem is although I can configure and play soft synths on a track I can't figure out how to record. I've had a quick peruse through the forum but I can't find anything that caters for my low level of understanding. If anyone could provide an idiot-proof step by step guide on how to do this I'd be eternally grateful. Cheers

Greetings and welcome. 

With a soft synth, you are recording the midi data, not audio. That midi data is recorded into a midi track and triggers the synth to play the patch or sample in the synth you have selected. 

It is recorded like audio in all other ways.....arm the track and press go...start playing on the midi keyboard.
You should see the midi notes being recorded to the track.

Now.... if you are talking about converting that track to audio...... you would select the track and choose bounce to track and click OK.... it will bounce the midi and synth output to a new track as an audio wave. 

You can also freeze the synth in the track. I use this for temporary things only. You can unfreeze the synth and edit the midi. The problem with freezing is that the synth is still in the synth rack and MC only allows 8 synths. bounce it and remove the synth and you can use that synth space for a new track & synth. Handy for orchestral things. 


 Hope this helps..... if not, just ask a more specific question.

Cheers, will try that later. May download Home Studio 6 later too.

Brilliant! That Simple. Easy enough when you know how. Thanks.

You may not need to get HS6...MC is quite capable. I did most of my recording ...well 3+ years of it on MC4.

I have X1 essentials now but.... I use the same features in it that I used in MC4.... just a different look on the screen. 

Will be off work for 2 months after an operation so It will keep my occupied. Sorry, meant MC6 earlier.

If you can do so.... buy the boxed version from a store like Staples, Best Buy or a music store like Sam Ash or Guitar Center.....

the box has the DVD's in it which have more stuff on them than you normally get in a downloaded version. 

The extras include more instrument samples for the CakeWalk Sound Center synth.

Mountain


Cheers, will try that later. May download Home Studio 6 later too.

Welcome to the forum.
Just so you know, SONAR Home Studio 6 isn't available from Cakewalk anymore and was never available as a download, so any download of it will be illegitimate.
 

Ok, I'm new also. I can't record a drum soft synth to any track in Sonar X2 producer. All I want to do is lay down a percussion track and record guitar along with it. Then add more vocal and music tracks later. I just want to lay down two base tracks to start with, but this software is cutting me off at every turn. I just want to do one simple thing, record a drum and guitar track either simultaneously or separate, but get them synced together. I have two degrees in computer science, but I can't make this software do this one little task; it's very frustrating. I don't want to create midi, I just want to record the drum synth I here. Why is this such a heartache!

Hear..lol