I am thinking about upgrading my 8.5 Producer to Artist. I'm having trouble with two things: I can't see how to import a piece from Reaper. When I go to Import, I see the midi option is greyed-out.  The other is that I'm getting no sound from my midi keyboard. I do have sound during playback when I open a piece done earlier in Sonar 8.5. Having been away from Sonar for a year, the solutions are not obvious to me at this point.
 
Thanks,
 
Mike

Try File > Open, I am not sure the demo supports import.
Check the MIDI track output setting? If the output is set properly make sure input echo is enabled.

Thanks scook, I'll check those output settings. Re: the first issue, I opened a piece in 8.5 Pro, and it also had the midi option greyed-out. I don't think I ever imported into Sonar during the many years I used it. Exported, but not imported. I'm going to try saving the file as midi 0, instead of 1.

Does the project have a MIDI track available? There must be one for import to be available as an option. Keep in mind if you import a MIDI file, SONAR strips out tempo information. To have the complete MIDI file in SONAR you must use File > Open. Open can handle type 0 and 1. Also if there are no MIDI output devices defined in preferences, when opened MIDI files automatically load and setup TTS-1.

Thanks again, going on my music rig now and will try these suggestions.
Edit: successfully imported as midi 1 file. Setting up synths now.
Edit 2: getting sound now from TTS-1, Dim Pro and Aria-GPO. Can't get Vienna or Cinematic Strings to work (uses Kontakt Player).
 
So, some progress. It looks like demo only loads 86 versions of synths? Is this correct?

It is always better to open a MIDI file. For many good reasons. 
And if you go to preferences/ midi devices and choose none as the output, opening any midi file will automatically set sonar up with the TTS_1 so you can listen to the file the way it was originally composed. 
You'll have a nicely set up project ready to edit by adding and swapping out better sounding VST instruments. 
If you still have 8.5 installed Artist will use it's VST's so nothing will change for you that way. 
Basically the different versions just come with more VST's and plug ins. 

Cactus Music
It is always better to open a MIDI file. For many good reasons. 
And if you go to preferences/ midi devices and choose none as the output, opening any midi file will automatically set sonar up with the TTS_1 so you can listen to the file the way it was originally composed. 
You'll have a nicely set up project ready to edit by adding and swapping out better sounding VST instruments. 
If you still have 8.5 installed Artist will use it's VST's so nothing will change for you that way. 
Basically the different versions just come with more VST's and plug ins. 

Great tip on the TTS-1 thing. All I have to do is insert synths and load inst's and I have sound. At least with Aria and Dim Pro. Still trying to get sound from KP and Vienna. Also can't get Play to load for my EW libraries.

Manual insert of TTS-1 is unnecessary if

• there are no MIDI output devices selected in preferences and
• the MIDI file is accessed by File > Open

SONAR automatically adds TTS-1, audio and MIDI tracks, assigning instruments based on the data in the MIDI file

Thanks for clarification. Making progress now, have all 31 inst's set to correct synths. Having problem getting EW Spaces into mix, however. No matter where I put it, Sonar is not seeing it.

I've decided to put this on hold for now. I need to finish the piece I'm working on in Reaper. I messed up the location of "Spaces" so bad I had to do a system restore, so it could be found again in Reaper. I'll probably purchase Artist to do my next piece in. Then I can compare better which one really works better fro me. Thanks for the help, it was great, as usual.