Hi All,
 
I am new to this forum, and I hope to use it often. After my learning curve I will contribute. For now I have two problems I can't figure out.
 
I bought the $99 version and am running it on PC with Windows 7. I've got a Roland synth connected to this PC with a MIDI to USB interface. It is cabled correctly. The main problem is that I cannot figure out how to record MIDI events, they are not showing up on the staff view, or any other view when I play them on the keyboard while SONAR is recording. I've selected MIDI inputs and outputs in the preferences, but the I/O option on the track only offers audio choices. make sense?
 
Samples will not sound either. I see the "cursor" line scrolling along over the notes in the funky bass sample, but I hear nothing. That brings me to problem 2, The moment SONAR loads, my PC speakers cut out. I'll be playing something on PANDORA, and when SONAR ARTIST loads, the music stops.
 
Thanks in advance, EK
 
 

Welcome to the forums.
Try inserting a soft synth by using the Insert/ soft synth menu.
Your Roland is simply transmitting midi data to trigger. if you want the sounds of your Roland keyboard, you need to use an audio track but also must hook up the audio outputs of the Roland keyboard. make sense ?
 
Your probably losing sound from Pandora because your soundcard cant share audio with 2 different applications at the same time. Sonar is a professional DAW and will produce better results with a dedicated soundcard.
What are you using ?
 

If the track does not show both MIDI input and output options, the track is either and audio or instrument track.
May want to work through the tutorials., there are links to them in Getting Started on the Help menu in Artist. The audio hardware setup guide is here.
 

Thanks Chuck and Scook,
 
I was using track one. When I opened track two there WERE options for assigning MIDI IN and OUT, and when I activated them, what I played on my keyboard was recorded on that track, but far from verbatim. It was a mishmash of notes that continued to sound after I stopped the playback. After that initial attempt, I couldn't record any more notes. I want to do this all with MIDI, no audio inputs. But something is not set properly.
 
Chuckie,
 
I regards to your reply, it is a Realtek sound card. It will play YouTube and Pandora audio simultaneously.
 
I want to try soft synth, but I can't find the Insert menu. Where is that?
 
EK

Sonar works best with a proper audio interface, They start at around $100 and are well worth the money if you plan on recording Audio too. 
But if all your doing is MIDI you can get by with your on board sound card. 
Try WASAPI exclusive mode in Preference Audio driver settings. 
I use Asio4all on a laptop that I only do midi on and it works great. Asio4all used to get a bad rap from even me, but they must have improved and I have now tested it and it is the best choice if you don't have a interface on hand. 
You were using a default template which obviously had track 1 as Audio and track 2 as MIDI You can tell by the little track icons. 

Im afraid the WASAPI mode might not do much for you with Windows 7 but ASIO4ALL is a substitute and WILL get you where you want to go (using your keyboard and the soft synths). ASIO4ALL will take a bit of reading up on documentation and installation. You do not want to use onboard audio with Pandora and sonar though at the same time if you are going to use ASIO4ALL. you will create a feedback loop within the soundcards and it is nasty ugly.
 
but if you don't have a soundcard this is a clear choice among many.
If not your going to have Latency = you hit a note on your keyboard and the sound is produced a 1/2 second later.

Actually Chuck I was using WASAPI mode for a few months on my W7 laptop I have at work. I do sing a longs so I download midi files of old campfire songs and use Home Studio to polish them up. WASAPI seed to work fine but with one flaw- Sync issues just like MME and WDM. 
So  this topic came up a few months ago and once again people were bashing on board and asio4all. I thought? I'm going to try it and see what's up. Asio4all performed better on the loopback test. So one needs to be aware that if you are using any driver mode other than ASIO you will have out of sync issues with audio. Sonar can only accurately use Asio. Asio4all is not truly asio but seems to perform the same. 
 

If you have been into preferences and selected everything that applies, you must also click on "TRACKS" and select inputs and outputs, then expand each track. This can be done by dragging the bottom line of the track downwards sufficiently with the mouse, to reveal more selections of input and output devices, and also "Clips" where you may want to make other selections. (Quite a lot of clicking and selecting before you can start recording) don't worry it gets quicker with practise! After dispensing with the clip requirements, you can attend to the Input and output devices which appear at the left-hand side of each track. The identification icons or symbols for these are really tiny and hard to distinguish, so use your glasses or a magnifying glass. PLEASE Cakewalk, could you use larger print and symbols here, it would make life a lot easier. Now, after completing all of the foregoing, save the file, then click on "EXIT" at the bottom, and when you reopen it you should find everything working.
PS: IMPORTANT:  You may also find that connecting your Roland using a MIDI lead will solve some of your problems.
 
Let me give you the benefit of my experience: I am an 84 year-old novice (Admittedly with some accrued experience now) and recently, I had a baffling problem. I had bought a new M-Audio controller keyboard and a new Bespeco sustain pedal, and I had just upgraded to Sonar Artist, and I also upgraded my music libraries.  They worked well with the program in stand-alone mode. However, when I tried to use them within a VST plugin situation, that's when it all went wrong. Every time I used the sustain pedal I either lost the sound or it sustained and wouldn't stop! I worked at it for about three weeks, and only then asked for help from several experts. No one could advise me, but this is no reflection on the experts all of whom were really trying to help but they didn't know the state of my PC. So, I made a decision: I decided to save all the important files by doing a complete backup to a removable drive, and then format the hard drive in my desktop, reinstall Windows, repopulate with all my music production software, and guess what? I did all that, and everything worked and the sustain pedal worked! 
 
So, my advice is: start off with a clean sheet, get rid of all the dross that builds up in your computer, give the new software a proper chance to do it's stuff, it will pay dividends. I'm glad did. Hope you find this helpful. Best wishes,  Bernard.      

Guys,
 
Thanks to all... I've got to pore over these posts and try a few things. I'm bound to have both updates and follow-ups questions.
 
EK

If you click in the Help menu there's a link to various tutorials which I recommend you do. Very basic but it will get you going .