I am slowly updating my system to X3 on a new pc. I am up to sonar 8.53 (which I what I used to use with a Win 7 pc and rarely had any issues of any kind).
 
 I have a 1st gen Focusrite 2i4 installed and just installed my nanokey, also the 1st "gen" (drivers for win 10). I have a 2nd HD for projects installed and will soon be installing a Roland A-500s before installing the rest of Sonar and then plugins, etc.
 
Now I am just checking as I go along and find I cannot get any sound out of a synth. I have created audio tracks and recorded guitar. All is well.
 
So I click the + to insert a synth, select midi source and all analog outs (something like that). When Dim Pro comes up, I select a preset.
 
The top track has input set to Dim Pro X64 (v. 1.2) and output set to master.
 
The midi track has:
i: nanokey omni
o: Dim Pro X64
ch: 1 Dim Pro or none or anything else
bank: bank or none
patch: none
 
also input echo: either auto thru or on
 
I get midi lights in the taskbar icon (little red flashing lights), and there is a peak in the midi meter for each note played on the nanokey.
 
R for recording armed or off.
 
I can play the guitar track and hear it.
 
I've tried all kinds of changes to the midi settings but no sound.
 
Does anyone have an idea, I use the nanokey for creating rough ideas (bass, for instance) or checking patches. I hope all is well and my sonar isn't hosed. Is it just something I am missing. Focusrite and nanokey are listed and checked in midi devices, in device mngr so I can figure out what I have missed.
 
But no sound.
 
I really could use some help. Thanks!

Hi. Could you be playing out of range of the instrument in Dim Pro?
Try to transpose your Nanokey an octave up or down (+/- on the controller) to see if that could be the case.
All the best.

Good point, I did try that to no avail. I also used TTS and nothing. Today, I'll write some notes in PRV and see if that gives anything.
 
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm really bummed this has stopped my progress.
 
My pc must have been on the shelf for a while as last week, I just got the Fall Creator's updates, then another windows update and then Dell flashed the bios so I am getting (probably unjustly) paranoid.
 
Could something in my system be disallowing midi to be heard, or is it sonar? I'm lost on this...

To be clear - MIDI makes no sounds.  It is just information (notes played, how hard, channel, etc.)
 
I would double check the signal routing setup.  From midi - controller to synth input and synth output to master buss and master buss assigned to the audio card/device.  
 
I no expert - nor have I ever played one, but in my earlier years, this was always where those types of things were at.
 
Good luck!
 
 

Thanks randyman, I will double and triple check today
 
But I ran into this days ago and have done this over and over, with new projects, new synths, etc, just clicking on different settings hoping I've just done something blindly and incorrectly, but always with a midi track and an audio track as I've done since 2007 when I first began working in Sonar.
 
I'm not sure if a vst, or a driver or Sonar is corrupted or what, I am way more than you, no expert whatsoever and I'm completely at a loss, so much so I don't think I can enjoy the Vikings game tonight!
 
I see there is another post with apparently the same exact issue and I will be following it closely. If no cigar, I guess I have to give up because I am clueless in Seattle and everywhere else :)

o I click the + to insert a synth, select midi source and all analog outs (something like that). When Dim Pro comes up, I select a preset.     
There are a few way's to insert a synth. I will tell you what I do as for sure it always works. Here is all you need to check. You can get fancy later, for now KEEP IT SIMPLE> 

 
Now INSERT A MIDI TRACK Notice these dialog boxes are in 2 place where you set your input/output. 
 

I= Input- select you midi controller and OMNI
O= Output select Dim Pro
C= Channel select a channel ( not always required unless your using a multi timbral synth. 
B= Bank - for now set to NONE but can be used instead of selecting in the GUI
P= Patch - same as above. 
 
Now put focus on the track and INPUT ECHO should highlight. 
 
This will work. In the example above the RED tracks are assigned to the SI DRUM KIT
Notice track 4 DRUMS and 5 HI HATS are MIDI tracks as noted by the track icon. You can have as many midi tracks as you want all pointed at one VST instrument. 
Track 3 is the VST instrument track for the SI DRUMS as  noted by the track icon. 
 I use colours to define each instrument. I always use the same colours, Red is always drums etc. 
So you'll clearly see there is a midi track ( or 2 or more) and the VST instrument track for each instrument. 
 
You treat  VST instrument TRACKS  like any audio track, example you can use Pro Chanel,add effects etc. 
 

Cactus Music
 
You're the best, I owe you a brew and a bundle of thanks.
 
What you describe above you have expertly done in other posts as well (thank you for your gracious time) and I have followed those to no avail.
 
Today, however, I created a new project (in case the other test project was corrupt) and used TTS rather than dim pro. The only other difference is I de-selected midi source and added later as you describe. It played audibly! I did this over and over to be sure.
 
Then I added dim pro and still no sound. So that is the culprit. In the past, when I tried other projects, I always started with dim pro, which didn't work, and then nothing worked, in fact Sonar often froze or stopped working.
 
So now, I have the basic Dim Pro 1.2 which came with Sonar 8.5 producer. I believe there is a patch and I have three other Dim Pro 1.5's in my Cakewalk account. I will try the patch and, if not, upgrade to 1.5 and then all should be well I suspect.
 
Finally some progress again. Wahoo!
 
Again thank so much Cactus Music!

robbyk
 
Then I added dim pro and still no sound. So that is the culprit. In the past, when I tried other projects, I always started with dim pro, which didn't work, and then nothing worked, in fact Sonar often froze or stopped working.
 

In no post do I see where a program is selected in DPro. By default DPro makes no sound. A program must be selected from the DPro program browser before the synth will make a sound.

scook

robbyk
 
Then I added dim pro and still no sound. So that is the culprit. In the past, when I tried other projects, I always started with dim pro, which didn't work, and then nothing worked, in fact Sonar often froze or stopped working.
 

In no post do I see where a program is selected in DPro. By default DPro makes no sound. A program must be selected from the DPro program browser before the synth will make a sound.

Yes, I normally pick a pad and then a bass, just to try. Sorry, I should have made that more clear. Thanks!

When testing DPro choosing a full range program is a good idea. This way all MIDI notes are mapped to a sound. Programs like guitars and basses are programmed for a limited number of notes and often not the range expected. When TTS-1 plays and a Cakewalk sfz engine synth does not, it is either a problem with the MIDI notes playing outside the range of the program selected or there is data in the MIDI clip that shuts down the sfz engine. This problem may be fixed by either cleaning up the MIDI data or enabling the "Do not intercept NRPNs" option in the synth's plug-in properties. Here is an image showing SI-Bass but all synths have this property

 
 
On a different subject when moving from DPro 1.2 to 1.5 keep in mind DX support was dropped. Any projects using the DX format plug-in will need the old plug-in otherwise the project will be missing the synth. There is no automatic migration from DX to VST.