I've tried changing patches, opening a new patch on a different channel, etc. For me, once it's silent it's silent. 

So far the only thing that seems to work consistently when creating and importing a track template is a basic 1 audio/1 midi track that's created when I insert a new synth. I just tried inserting the 1 audio/2 midi track template into a new project again and it just gives me silence. It didn't work this afternoon either but worked this morning when I inserted that same track template into a new project. 

Are you actually cloning the MIDI track or inserting new ones ?.
When you create the template, don't clone the midi track, use "Insert Midi Track".
 
I have and use track templates for all the Spectrasonics stuff, as well as Kontakt and Play with full patch setups and I've never had any such issue. That's why I'm wondering about the "Clone the MIDI track" ... because that's something I've never done when setting up a template.
 
There are other annoyances with Spectrasonics like the audio out resetting to 'A' when you load a new patch, and volumes getting reset if you have to reset the MIDI engine.
 
But as far as setting up a track template with the works - full patches, BUS routing etc., it should certainly work without problems.
 
When I load my track templates, everything comes back, all the BUSSes and routing get created, patches loaded, ready to fly :-)
 
Let us know how you're going.
 
Cheers - Cliff

Just tried with multiple midi tracks using "Insert MIDI Track" instead of "Clone the MIDI track" and saved as a track template (making sure I was getting sound before I did so). The first time I inserted the track template into a new empty project everything worked fine. I closed and opened a new empty project, did the insert track template and... silence. It's bizarre.

Dave I have the same problems and I can't figure out why track templates work and then don't.  I do think that there is some sort of conflict between the Sonar X series (I'm now on 3) and the Spectrasonics  instruments and yes, it is bizarre.
 
I can still use everything fine, but not having a reliable Omnisphere track template is annoying.
 
 

I tried it with Omnisphere, Kontakt (Damage), Play (Hollywood String)... all with the same bizarre and unpredictable results. Definitely not just a Spectrasonics thing. Not happy that you're having this too but a bit optimistic that my submission to Cakewalk can be reproduced and then hopefully fixed

Hi Dave,
 
Could you pls keep trying to get to the root of this. I'm occasionally having same/similar issues and I'd really like to know what's causing this. Yet, I don't have Omnisphere and Play, but whenever I see these issues there is Kontakt involved (but that's getting heavy use at the moment and is in virtually all active projects).
 
So I'd much appreciate if you'd give it a try just with Kontakt and see if you can make this a reproducable issues. If yes, PM me with the template and I see if it happens here as well because then it's not a system issue, either.
 
For the record: I had the silent master bus happen again once yesterday. Did not go away until I restartet Sonar (then it was all back to normal) ... and I had my strangest of all problems that Sonar X3c wouldn't open its previously saved files (neither the recent nor the auto-saves from the last hour) until I rebooted the system (then it opened) ... both problems I only see (occasionally) since X3, all use at least one instance of K5 with multi-out configuration and contain some parts that originate either from an X2 track template or project template ...
 

I don't have Kontakt full version but just the "free" version that I use for several items including Damage. I did try it with Free Kontakt/Damage, multiple midi tracks and same issue. 

If you have the full version of Kontakt I don't think that a template using the free version will work or will it? I can try. I'm just replying here real quick. I'll get a template to you by tomorrow and we'll see what happens. I have submitted this to Cakewalk in their "official" bug report thingy.

So I created a new project, inserted a Kontakt 5 soft synth with AbbeyRoad 70's drummer.
Recorded something
Saved a track template.
Created 4 new tracks with recently saved template. All worked as expected.
Recorded on a few them.
Could trigger MIDI and record fine from all of them.
 
With 64 bit precision engine disabled (not that it should matter).
All Native Instrument plugs and samples are up to date with service centre.
 
One thing I notice with this plugin is that it does not matter about the MIDI channel on Sonar, it's what the plugin itself is set to. Defaults on MIDI channel 1.

Dave,
 
can you give us your system specs ?.
 
Are any of you people who are having this issue with track templates running Win/64, Sonar 64bit, and have any 32bit VSTs installed on your computer ?
 
If you are running Sonar 64bit, and have ANY 32bit VSTs installed on your system, make sure that the VST scan path does NOT scan both 64bit and 32bit paths in 64bit Sonar. If both 64 and 32 bit plugins are scanned by Sonar, you can expect all kinds of really odd behaviour, and will be very hard to diagnose it.
 
Please check that first - it caught me out a long time ago, and as soon as I fixed that, my whole system thanked me for it :-).
 
 
Cheers - Cliff

Hmmm... my specs are exactly as you described. I'll eliminate the 32 bit versions, dupes of the 64 bit versions of a few programs and we'll see what happens. Thanks for pointing me/us in that direction. If not this then at least it'll head off other problems as you've described.