I am an experienced DAW user demoing X3.  Documentation does not match what I see on screen, there is NOWHERE to define the ooutput device for a channel, thus no sound.  I have defined audio devices in the preferences menu, they exist and are checked, I have set the master device, just no way to set it for a track.
 
Looks differnt from the cakewalk help page which shows a drop down.  I have been looking for over an hour; very negative first view of this product.
 
I have left and right clicked on EVERYTHING, gone thru all the menus, nothing.
 
Forum does not allow me to attach Screenshot.  Please show/tell  me where the "output button" is.
 
 

This is from the help.  THIS MENU DOES NOT EXIST ON MINE.
 
http://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR%20X3&language=3&help=Tutorial1.6.html

Above the track headers to the right of the time display is a drop down controlling the track header display. In the illustration below from http://www.cakewalk.com/D...amp;help=Views.02.html the drop down is set to Mix. Set it to All. Ignore the red box.

Near the top of your track view, you should see a button that reads "Custom". This is the default setting. Change that to "All". This will reveal the I/O options for the  track.
Hang in there. Once you find your way around, it gets very easy to set up projects.
 
Edit: The "Custom" button I referred to is the same one scook shows as "Mix". Either way, change it to "All".

Thanks so much for your fast response, but after an hour of frustration, I have to say it is a lame design, unintuitive, hiding an important option behind another option, and not even mentioning it in the setup guide.

If you hit ALT+2, you should see the console view, and for each channel strip for your tracks, you should see a button for Input and another for Output.  The normal routing assignment for Output of an audio track is either to the Master Bus, or to a sub-bus for eventual combining to the Master Bus.
 
You could also hit 'I' to bring up the Inspector Pane, which has three little buttons at the top (Clip, Track, and ProCh).  If you make sure none of those 3 buttons are lit, you will see two channel strips displayed.  The one on the left will be the channel strip for whichever track you have selected (brought into focus).  If you have an audio track selected, then you will also see a channel strip to the right of the displayed audio track channel strip, and this strip will be for the Master Bus.  For the audio track, you can set your routing assignments for Input and Output there as well.
 
Sometimes, trying to do everything in the Track Pane can be a bit small and hard to find things.  using the Console View and the Inspector Pane may help you.
 
In addition, there are tutorials that you could likely cruise through, because of your prior DAW experience, and these should help you get up to speed on how Sonar does things.
 
There are also a ton of free videos to watch on all sorts of features and basics of Sonar X3, and there are books available that offer tremendous insight into using Sonar at a high level.
 
Hang in there, 
 
Bob Bone
 

Learn your DAW here: http://www.groove3.com/str/SONAR-X3-Explained.html

There is method, logic and intuition behind the madness. Train yourself to see the light, it won't be the same as your last DAW, and you certainly won't get there by accident.

I think you are being a bit judgmental, considering you haven't really gone through either the documentation or the tutorials.
 
Different software will work differently.  While Sonar has some things in progress, and has compromised on other things, this release in particular has received widespread praise for its ease of use and for its stability and features.
 
I am not trying to bust your chops - just suggesting you put a bit more into doing the tutorials and going through the videos and the documentation it before you start blasting it.
 
Welcome to the forum, and to Sonar.  Give it some time, and you hopefully will find it to fit your needs.  The forum folks are also really good at helping folks, so hang in there.  :)
 
Bob Bone
 
 

Actually, while defaulting to the custom set of track widgets is great for regular users (one of Sonar's best features is that you can really customize your work environment), I agree it's not a good choice for those who are checking out the program for the first time.
 
Discussions in this forum have also exposed a couple other defaults, like the one involving MIDI buffers, that would benefit from being changed.
 
Although it's considerate that Sonar's defaults favor existing users, I suppose they could just as easily favor first-timers...the existing users would know how to change the defaults to their liking.

I've decided it boils down to "different strokes for different folks"...
My dearest uber intelligent buddy bought into X3 at my suggestion but just couldn't grapple with it and ended up in Ableton.  We're both pretty smart... and at this point, He's happy/I'm happy...what was "intuitive" to him isn't the same for me... but I can't imagine creating what I do on Live...
 
After all his feedback/frustrations, I decided to try Ableton and Studio One2 just for the heck of it but ended up extremely frustrated after a couple weeks...so many things X3 allows/enables or which are just intuitive to me now....do not appear possible; I became frustrated very fast.  I came away feeling S1/2 was more a toy than my ideal DAW... Now whether this is true or that I haven't "immersed" myself enough in the others to see their genius, I don't know...Studio one really seemed limited and Live just was so different...and lacked features I've fallen in love with, like "comping".  Each may be really great but I don't really care! Comping, track templates alone are unique enough and the rest is heavenly gravy.
 
Learning curves are not that steep but X3 is really deep...and little things like where you've gotten stuck can be frustrating at first... X3 can do a zillion things I don't even contemplate... whenever I reach a wtf moment... I google/search and always end up with an "ah ha!" 
 
I agree with others... watchin' the vids helps a lot.
 
and on your point about "custom", "All", "mix"... I do think the default should be "all" for beginners...
 
Not a problem once ur using templates/screensets...
 
 I have to admit, I've spent many hours going....????? especially in earlier versions... not so much anymore.  You wanna write off X3 this quick you're gonna miss the bliss.  Just watch the comping vids and spend an evening... you'll never go  back...
 
Although some people can be happy with the simpler stuff like mix-master... it definitely leaves lots less to learn...