I am using Sonar X1 Essential but I cannot get Midi to play my external synth. It comes up with the instrument in the "Out" and the keyboard registers Midi on the way in "In", but when I try to open the Bank and Program number / name all is gives me is the General Midi standard instruments (and it appears to play the MS Windows GM sounds). It starts off as C = None, Bank= ---, and P = 0, but I have changed everything and it will not play any sounds or come up with my synths program names / banks etc. I had / have the same problem with a Yamaha keyboard I had, but I just thought that because the keyboard was essential a General Music keyboard with some extra sounds, that was the way it is, but now I find it is doing the same with my synth. I have taken some screen shots of what it shows. I am sure it's jus a case that I have not ticked a box / or have ticked one by mistake, but I cannot for the life of me fix it. It plays VSTs without any problem. Help, thanks

You choose your audio interfaces midi port as the output of the midi track you using. 
One would hope you do have that connected to the outboard hardware. 
If your using a USB connection to the hardware then you choose that as the output.
There are 4 output boxes for each midi track.  
Output= choose your midi port or a soft synth
Next box is for midi channel set to the receiving channel of the hardware. 
Next box is the bank , self explanatory
Last box is the patch ( instrument sound) 

Welcome to the forum.
In order for SONAR to play your keyboards's banks and patches, you will need the Instrument Definitions for each keyboard installed in SONAR.
Exactly what keyboards are you using? Maybe someone here has the IDs for you.
I have the Yamaha PSR 280/282/GX76 ID.

Johnny, I’ve already done all the things you said, but unfortunately nothing. I’ll quickly outline every element of the way it is and see if any light can be cast on where the error is.
I am using a USB connection and have connected my Venom synth.
Greg, the two keyboards I am using are M-Audio Venom synth and my Yamaha is a PSR 295. I don’t really know what you mean by the definitions and how I could apply them. Perhaps the rest of what I have written eher depends on the answer to this point (??)
In PREFERENCES in the Edit menu in the MIDI section under DEVICES, in the INPUTS section both and only the Venom Synth and Venom MIDI are ticked. In the OUTPUTS section the Venom Synth OUT and Venom Midi OUT are the only boxes ticked and SYNTH Out is at the very top.
In preferences MIDI Instruments the Venom Synth is highlighted (a total of 16 Venom synth options and 16 Venom Midi options are available) and this can be routed to “default” General Midi, Generic Patches (0-127) among others, but whatever is chosen it has no effect hearing any sound)
On the actual track concerned, in the IN/OUT section the IN is set to the Venom synth and it registers MIDI data. The OUT section is set to VENOM synth (below that the other options are VST synths I have used on the project and Drum Map Options). The OUT is set to Venom Synth Out. In the next section “C” above Bank shows only what is set in the MIDI Instrument setting in Preferences, the Bank gives no options at all and the Program section gives only a list of General Midi instruments 0-127 with names, the last of which is gunshot. No sound is heard from the synth.
I set up my Yamaha Keyboard again (it has 480 patches I total) but the only ones available were the General Midii ones, the difference between the synth and the Yamaha was that those general midi ones made sounds. The Yamaha keyboard’s sounds between 0-127 are not exactly the same s General Midi ones, but it was the General Midi ones that I could play.
Any further suggestions? Thanks

http://www.tweakheadz.com/how_to_build_a_cakewalk_ins_file.htm
 
An instrument definition is a list of all the patches and banks a keyboard has. Installing an ID allows you to select those banks and patches through SONAR.
As I recall, Yamaha has an extensive list of IDs on their web site (years ago). If you search for them, you probably can find them, if someone has made one and uploaded it to the internet. Or you could write your own.
My Yamaha ID has made it very easy to change patches and banks. If you don't have the instrument definition, it will play the GM sounds, as you've already discovered, because you can't change banks.

https://www.keyboardforums.com/threads/m-audio-venom-cakewalk-instrument-defintions-ins-file.24670/
 
As always, be careful of files from unknown sources.

Thanks Greg, I’ll try this and let you know how I get on. I found the ID for my Yamaha on a site that appeared to have most of the Yamaha ones. Hopefully it will all work out fine, I’ll let you know.

One thing to note is that you dont need to use Sonar's instrument definitions to play a hardware synth.

All you need is MIDI and audio routed correctly. If that's done then you can play they synth by selecting the bank/program on the synth itself. If the synth sends program and bank changes over MIDI you can record that in the MIDI track - it's a good idea with MIDI to leave the first few bars empty, I use those bars to record the program the synth is using, assuming it has presets.

It's a good idea to switch synths that have keyboards to "local off" when working with a DAW. Otherwise you hear every note you play twice, once when you press the key and again when Sonar echos the MIDI back to the synth.

Success!
Thanks to your help and guidance I have now managed to get the midi to work: I still have a couple of teething issues but I think I should be able to get them to work.
I’ll get back if I encounter any persistent problems.
Thanks