I started a new song today for the first time in about a month, and it looks like recent Sonar updates changed the way soft synths are displayed.
 
I can't figure out how to access the soft synth rack, which shows which soft synths are already used in the project.  I use that rack to rename the soft synths, so it's easier to assign MIDI outputs in the track panel.  However, I don't know to access the synth rack anymore.
 
Also, it took me a while to figure out how to add a new soft synth track to my project.  It looks like soft synths are no longer displayed in a popup, but are instead listed in the Plugins / Instruments panel, from which we now drag and drop onto the project.  Is that correct?  This took a while to discover, but hasn't been a big problem (so far).  I am wondering, though: why did they change the way we can select soft synths?  Was it considered "broken" before?  Or is the new way demonstrably more efficient?
 
Also, are there any other side effects to the recent soft synth selection/rack changes?
 
 
p.s. I hope Cakewalk don't keep changing the UI just for the sake of appearing "productive" or getting cooler screen grabs and videos for marketing purposes.  The last thing I want is to be continually confronted with a learning curve each month just to keep up with a stream of arbitrary UI changes! 
 
Is anyone else concerned about this, or is this just yet another case of my "old school" roots showing?

CTRL+SHIFT+S will display/hide the Synth Rack.
 
Alternatively, from the Media Browser, you could click on the button that says Instrument, and then navigate in the display-tree of instruments (by category) to the one you want, then double-click on it to open the Insert Soft Synth dialog box, just like if you had clicked on the + sign from the synth rack in earlier versions of Sonar.
 
And in the newest version of Sonar, once a midi track has an output assignment to a synth made, clicking once on the midi icon of the midi track will open that synth's Property screen, just like double-clicking on the synth in the synth rack would do in earlier versions of Sonar.
 
I personally find it pretty handy to use the Media Browser Instrument-tree categories to quickly add a synth - for instance, Kontakt is my go to sample player, and since I only have 3-4 different sample players, along with the 3 flavors of Kontakt one sees, it makes it real quick and painless for me to add an instance of Kontakt.  In similar fashion, only the uncategorized category has more than a handful of entries, and even that isn't any slower than scrolling down through synths the old way of clicking the + sign in the synth rack to insert one.
 
Give it a few tries, and I theorize you will find the new ways quicker than pulling up the synth rack and clicking on the + and so on.  
 
I have found that I often no longer use the synth rack in projects, as I insert synths using the instrument categories in the Media Browser Instrument tab, and then simply clicking on the midi icon in the appropriate midi track for the instrument whose property screen I want to open, and once the synths have all been inserted, I just usually hit B and collapse the Media Browser pane and have more room for displaying the time line - more measures.
 
Bob Bone

The Synth Rack can also be opened from the Views main menu option.
 
Just a word of caution:  Some users, myself included, find that docking the Synth Rack in the upper right location of the Browser causes some keyboard shortcuts to stop working.  If you have this problem, the simple workaround is to either change the location of the Synth Rack to the bottom right of the Browser, dock it in the Multidock, or undock it.
 

 
Hope this helps,
-- Ron

...and the change created room for a Notes tab to replace the awkward Project Info page that would open up. The Notes tab makes writing lyrics so much easier it's ridiculous.

Anderton
The Notes tab makes writing lyrics so much easier it's ridiculous.

My lyrics are always ridiculous, and rarely come easily..
 
(I really hate writing lyrics, that's why I usually leave it to someone else...)

 
          "...p.s. I hope Cakewalk don't keep changing the UI just for the sake of appearing "productive" or getting cooler screen grabs                and videos for marketing purposes.  The last thing I want is to be continually confronted with a learning curve each month                   just to keep up with a stream of arbitrary UI changes! 
 
            Is anyone else concerned about this, or is this just yet another case of my "old school" "
 
 
Well it me stumped for a bit too. I am no power user - I probably open Sonar once or twice a week. Sometimes I dont update for months just because I know I am in for some degree of learning curve and I just dont want to commit the time. I find changes affecting the UI are the most troublesome and, personally, I do wish updates that materially affect the UI were introduced less randomly , more predictably once or twice a year. When you only have a few hours at a time to devote to Sonar, having to spend time refiguring out the interface is proportionately more time wasted. 
 
I get it for the pros and power users, it may be a plus and the monthly learning curve may be time well spent. But I have to wonder, if even those users dont find the constant trickle of small changes a bit of a drag on productivity. 

I didn't like it at first , but then I just suck it up and get used to it. It won't stay put anyways. I keep getting the Help module hogging the whole side bar view.  What's an even bigger super FU for me is --- even though I try setting my  screen layout using our wonderful Lenses and screensets or??? . it always reverts to something I hate every time I open a new project or even try to open any other screen set. This is 100% broken for me, but I just have to suck it up of change DAW's which is a real dumb idea. 
No matter what I save as my preference layout it just goes back to a view with the bottom being hogged by the console view which I totally don't use until mixing. 
So yes it might be all for the better but they are messing with our heads in the process.  
I think this stuff might work fine for all new projects but it makes a mes out of old ones. 
Note; Home studio doesn't have a synth rack at all! It's like Cubase. You have no clue what you have running It seems to be either hidden or it just removes synths you delete from the track view.