New User Having trouble recording MIDI

Still learning basics.  I can bring in a MIDI file from another source, apply TTS-1 and handle instrument assignments, channel assignments, etc and get some decent backing tracks that way, but I do some writing, arranging, and composing.

I set up a New project, Insert a MIDI track, Insert TTS-1, assign a MIDI channel to the track, set the Input to my digital keyboard, set the output to TTS-1, assign a Patch, arm the track to record (red button in Track view), then I either push the record button in the control panel or press the "R" key on the computer keyboard.  The metronome sounds and I play the part I'm trying to record.  Nothing records.

The Cakewalk tutorial and documentation says I should check Edit->Preferences for my Midi settings.  Input is set to the digital keyboard.  I've opened other recording software and verified that recording the digital keyboard to a MIDI file on the computer works.  The keyboard, cabling, and computer work fine recording in other software.
 
I'm not good at handling this level of frustration.

I appreciate answers at basic levels.  Imagine you're helping someone so bad at using Sonar that I've spent over a year with it (50 to 60 hours is my estimate of the time I've spent on it) and still can't record a MIDI file.  I appear to be intelligent enough to record MIDI in other software, but I've got Sonar and would like to use it.
 
Thanks in advance for helping me find the simple thing I must be missing.  It just can't be as hard to use as what I'm experiencing.

Tutorial 4 - Playing and recording software instruments
http://www.cakewalk.com/D...;help=Tutorial4.1.html

There are two record buttons, one next to the other. One is to arm, the other to record. Just in case you missed that, though it doesn't sound like you did.

Did you follow my instructions? Your pictures do not show here.  I think you need a post count of over 25 first. 
 
You need to follow my instructions as that will work unless something is broken which I doubt. 
Sounds to me like you have not set the input correctly. 

OK good progress we can rule out a lot of things that needed to be set up as DONE.
Most VST synths have a graphic of what they are. The SI Bass as example has a bass and you can play it with your mouse. AD2 or SI Drums have a drum kit you can play with the mouse. TTS-1 has little preview buttons , read the instructions to see where they are but from memory they are below the volume fadder. You click on them and it plays a short sample that fits the part. 
The reason I'm asking you to do this is that will conferm the VST is outputiing properly. 
If you don't hear anything then the issue is your VST is not set to output to your Master buss and onward to your audio interface. 
And input echo for sure needs to be on so you can hear what your playing, it might be as simple as that. 
 
You should try other VST's as the TTS-1 is the lowest quality of what Sonar has to offer. 
I use the TTS-1 just to see what a downloaded file sounds like then if I like the file I change all the instruments track by track. 
MY Standard band is 
Dim Pro Full accoustic Bass
AD2 a custom kit I built
True Pianos or Airs Mini Grand
Airs D33 organ ( Dim Pro also has a few good ones but Air's D33 rocks!! 
Strum Session ( gets deleted later) 
SI string section
Lounge Lizard EP
Then Dim Pro or Air Xpand for horns, flutes, accordion and whatnot. 
 
And as I said most of these synths you set the patches within the GUI using the drop down menu.  Most I tweek the sounds and save as my own custom pre sets. 
 
When I say insert a VST that is how you put synths in the synth rack, You select them in the browser on the right, look for the Instrument icon, when you select one it will open a dialog and you can choose different option for how the VST synth is inserted in your project. 
 

MerlinSuderman
Insert a VST instrument- to test use one that can be PLAYED in the GUI like SI bass or a Drum kit. - Huh?  I can assign a TTS patch number to my MIDI track.  Is that what you mean?  My MIDI track is set to Channel 1, with patch 32 (Acoustic Bass).  I don't see where this is much of a factor, since nothing is getting recorded.

The way TTS-1 decides which MIDI instructions to apply to each of the instruments it emulates is by MIDI channel, and follows the General MIDI (GM) guidelines. GM was created so that games designers, for example, could use MIDI to play anu music in their games and be reasonably sure it would sound similar on all systems. Or at least that the bass MIDI wouldn’t end up playing a flute.

By default, GM sets channel 1 to control the “piano” sound. Try setting the patch to be “piano” and see if that works.

Synths that can output multiple voices (usually referred to as “multi-timbral”) generally accept input from several MIDI channels then split the channels so each controls a single voice. This can actually make them more complicated to use because you have to make sure that the MIDI channel you use corresponds to the voice/sound you want.

I strongly suggest you work through the tutorial on playing software synths.

I seriously doubt you need to reinstall anything. It sounds to me like either your MIDI routing is set incorrectly or your audio routing is - or both.

I have had this happen before. 
I changed tracks and it recorded on the new track and was able to subsequently record on the previously unrecordable track.
No idea why it happened.
About a decade ago.