Hi Folks,
Why are the instrument names not visable and just numbers in the patches of my VST's?
I'm using Sonar X1 LE with Cakewalk Sound Centre & Studio Instruments, Edirol UA-25 and EMU 25 Keyboard.
Appreciate your time and help with this.
Regards, John.

In CSC and SI, you select the patches from the patch browser in the synth GUIs, so the patches don't show in the MIDI track.
If you're using SI Drums, which is MIDI-mapped, you can right-click on the piano keboard in the Piano Roll view and choose 'MIDI Drums' and the drum names should appear.
I think.

Hi Greg,
Thanks for that!
I should have realised that as I've selected them through their own screens
While I have you there and if you don't mind, do you know if the sounds in either CSC or SI are best or are they equal? Also do the patterns in different instruments in SI work together in a song as one style and how do you get them to relate to a chord arrangement? Do you have to have a midi track to trigger it?
Not sure if that even makes sense so sorry but I'm a bit novice to this!
All the best, John. 

I don't know that CSC is necessarily better, but it certainly has a larger variety of sounds, and it can be expanded.
The patterns in SI can work together, if you select carefully from the drop down menu's. Note the descriptions, and match as you see fit.
This little tune was assembled rather quickly, using standard patterns in SI:
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=5511094
One really cool thing with MIDI is it doesn't care what instrument is being played. For instance, you can drag a pattern from SI to a MIDI track, set the output of that track to a different instrument in, say, CSC, and play the same pattern with a completely different sound.

"how do you get them to relate to a chord arrangement? Do you have to have a midi track to trigger it? "
Yes. You can trigger the patterns internally from SI, but to build a song, you must drag the patterns to a MIDI track.
Here, you can assemble the various patterns. If you go to the PRV (Piano Roll View), you can select notes, or groups of notes, and move them to follow your chord changes.
Also, you don't have to use the patterns. You can freely trigger SI from your keyboard, if you so desire.

I particularly like the way SI strings responds to keyboard input, and it plays a prominent part in this little number:
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=10285834

Hope that whets your pallette, and inspires you to use these synths to their fullest.
Try stuff. And have fun with it.

I wasn't here when you responded, and I don't have Studio Instruments and have only played around with CSC, so I can't really answer your question. CSC sounds pretty good to me, but I haven't used any of it's patches in a song yet.
 
As RobertB wrote, a MIDI pattern is a MIDI pattern and can be used in any MIDI track. There used to be a Cakewalk page on how to use their MIDI drum patterns as lead guitar patterns. Data is data wherever it is used.
 
I haven't used many patterns, either. Sorry, I'm not being very helpful. I usually record things live, but don't let that stop you.
Have fun!

Hi Robert,
Thanks very much for that it's a great help! To my ear they bot sounded in or around the same quality but it's always good to hear a second opinion from someone who is more familiar with them. I know very little about Midi as I'm mainly an acoustic instrument player but I have a few things I want to experiment with and I want to expand the sounds in X1 but am not sure whether to get SI or CSC. Maybe some of each as budget allows :-)
I have been making up midi tracks of a song chord arrangement and style in Band-in-a-box so far, is there some other way you can suggest? I just save the BIAB file as a midi and open it in X1. I know how to use SI or CSC in the tracks as an instrument but how would I use SI patterns with the midi track?
Thanks for your time and help Robert! Appreciate it! J.

Hi Greg,
no worries man, thanks for your time also, I appreciate it! And it's interesting what you say. I no very little about midi and any info is a great help.
Thanks, all the best, J.

PS: The tracks sound great Robert! :-) J.