I don't use a lot of midi. Mostly AD2 and it's where I do 99% of my midi recordings. The rest are basically performances from start to finish. I almost always have the written figured out and/or learned before I push any record buttons. It's do bass rhythm guitars keys leads all the way thru and go with that. This is apparent after listening to what I have posted but I'm not selling anything or impressing anyone. Just having fun! I'm thinking about doing some midi stuff but I figure I'll get a few comments before my next project. 

I must be not wording the question right 
 
 

I generally try to just plop my tiny little blapples on the desk and give 'er.
 
Then the nerdballing begins.

Hiya Bill ,
 
I shouldn't even be in here... By that I mean, the stuff that I do is quite removed from what would be considered to be "normal music."
 
Anyway, in answer to your question, I, personally, use more MIDI than the recording of sound sources. I use a lot of VST instruments and can do a lot of stuff "in the box." Sometimes I will use my mouse to place notes in piano roll and sometimes I will record via one of my keyboards.
 
But I also have a few hardware synths, plus a couple of guitars, so I do have to break into recording audio from time to time, and mostly I DI stuff, even my guitars.
 
Another way I am so opposite to you is I never flesh anything out before opening SONAR... I do all my "creating" in there. I'm more of a "sounds" person, so don't sing or use any kind of lyrics so that's one aspect that I don't have to worry about.
 
Takes all sorts to make a world, as the saying goes!
 
And, yeah, it's all about having fun
 
cheers
 
andy

Hi Bill. I hope you are well.
I use mostly midi as I play keyboards.

1. Create track
2. Set track Input source
3. Arm track
4. Click Record button
5. Record
 
Or did I miss the point again?!
 
 
... ...

10 minutes recording, 10 hours processing

pwalpwal
10 minutes recording, 10 hours processing

Oh yes! Absolutely haha!

Like most who use Hardware and Software synths a lot is MIDI, though any guitars, including Bass, I record either DI'd into amp sims or I record one of my small combo amps with one or two of the microphones I have on hand.  Some percussion also gets recorded that way.

As to how I achieve it depends on what sound or objective I am trying to arrive at. Block pad sounds sometimes it is quicker to place the notes with a mouse, sometimes to record.  Lead and melody lines are usually played and then tidied because the fur gets caught in the keys.

Mostly I try to have the piece roughly worked out over a simple drum pattern before I start working in earnest. I find if I start recording before I've got the sections properly worked out, the track goes nowhere. Then I'll begin choosing what I think are the right guitar tones for the piece - that can change several times, because the tone determines how and what I play.
 
The track I'm working on now started with 3 lead guitar motifs/riffs so I've laid those out roughly and now I'm working out the rhythm guitar parts. Once that's sounding right I'll re-do the lead guitar to suit. Then it's either dig in to AD2 for the drum track, or (hopefully on this one anyway) send it off for a live drummer to work on. Oh, and provide Ed with tracking shell and a mix as a WAV for him to do his bass.
 
Then it's faders to 0 and start mixing, ignoring emails asking me if it's done yet