I got music creator 6 a little bit ago.  I downloaded everything and verified my sound card.  I can play the example music that comes with MC6, but when I write something and try to play it. . . nothing.  I suspect it has something to do with enabling the MIDI-sound card connection, but I'm not sure. . .  Pls help so my laptop can continue to live! lol (very frustrated) What info is needed to help steer me in the correct direction?
Jeff

We do need your system and gear specs in order to answer, and it would be usefull to know how are you trying to record and what have you done in order to solve the problem.
What is it you use to produce the sound for the MIDI? Are you familiar with using soft synths?

what is it exactly that you are "writing"?  are you writing MIDI notes in the PRV or Staff view?  if so you need a softsynth as an output. 

MC6's normal template opens with a softsynth already in the project, you just have to point your MIDI track's output to that softsynth.  I forget which one is in the project, Soundcenter, or TTS-1.

I suggest you work thru the tutorials in the help files.  they will guide you on how to use softsyths better.

Are you trying to use the laptop's sound card? 

Are you writing to the staff view or PRV?

Did you insert a soft synth from the Cakewalk Sound Center?

Some answers
Yes I am using my laptop's sound card.
I am writing in staff view. (Putting in the notes for the sound I want)
I believe the problem is " MIDI track's output to that softsynth" as Beagle indicated.
I am not overly familiar with softsync, but do understand that MIDI is not sound, or electronically recorded sound, but data that tells the computer what sound it represents.

I went thru the tutorials a few months ago, but finally stopped as i did not want to cause harm to my computer, then RL got in the way.  Now trying to pick it up again.

If I basically understand it the data I input intothe MC6 program (Staff View) needs to go thru a Softsynth to get its specific sound qualities (guitar, piano, etc) and then be routed thru my laptop's soundcard. . . so if that is all true then somewhere I have failed to make a connection.
Jeff

It's quiter straightforward, actually.
You have a MIDI track with output to softsynth, and an audio track with that soft synth as an input and output to Master Bus > to soundcard.

OK... your reply to me splained a bunch.

The signal flow would be.... you write the midi data into a midi track. In a different AUDIO track you have inserted a synth like Cakewalk Sound Center (CSC) and selected an instrument sound. 

The midi source track output would be the CSC which should appear in the possible output choices for the midi track. 

It's as simple as that. If you have no sound upon playback, be sure you have the playback mode set to MME drivers since factory cards like MME better, and be sure the latency and buffers are set high enough. 

Now.... the factory card is kinda like trying to run the Indy 500 in a competitive manner using a go-kart. It is that inefficient. Actually it is quite bad for synth based tunes due to it's limited ability to do what needs to be done, which is handle all the data conversion to sound in a real time manner. 

Most of us here have purchased aftermarket sound cards, called interfaces. They are designed to specifically do music, suing ASIO drivers, and deliver very low latency and allow multiple synths to run at the same time.... in real time. 

Just a little side note..... I have the same exact problem as you do when I'm on my laptop and try to use the factory card. NO SOUND. If I plug in my Saffire interface, everything is lovely. And yeah, I change the driver modes but all to no avail. I have even run ASIO4ALL without much joy. I've been doing this for quite some time, and I can not seem to get sound from the factory set up. 

There are 3 ways to get sound using MIDI:
1. Route the MIDI data through your sound card's Microsoft GS Wavetable synthesizer,
2. Route the MIDI data through an external synthesizer, like a MIDI keyboard or sound module.
3. Route the MIDI data through a software synthesizer.
You have to set each MIDI track to those outputs by clicking the Output (O) and selecting which output to use. You should also set the channel, bank and patch in the track's properties (General MIDI [GM] has no banks, so no bank can be selected).
If you're using the MS GS Wavetable synth, you will probably have to use the MME Driver Mode. Press the P button on your computer keyboard to bring up Preferences and select MME as the Driver Mode. The MS GS Wavetable synth is okay for learning with, but most folks don't think it sounds very real.
If you have a MIDI keyboard or sound module, select that as the output and MC 6 will play whatever patch (instrument sound) that you have selected on the keyboard or will play whatever patch you have selected in the MIDI track's properties.
To use a software synthesizer, go to Insert at the top and select a synth. Then set the MIDI track's output to that soft synth, set the channel, bank and patch (in most cases; some synths have to have the patch set in their windows).
For real-time use of a soft synth, you'll need a fast audio interface to hear the notes you play/click without a delay, called Latency.
 

Ok, so to take this by steps;
 1. when I open a new project, how do I assign the tracks a softsync?  I.E. track 1 is guitar, track 2 is piano, etc.
2. How do I tell my computer which output the softsyncs should use to play the sounds?
I'm pretty sure I do not have this part set up correctly before I even know if my soundcard works. . . the pointing my MIDI track to a softsync (track?  Assuming I have to have at least 1 softsync track for every MIDI track that is going to "play" that instrument)
Thanks for the help
Jeff

Ok, I think I'm getting it. . . I have to create both MIDI and softsync tracks.  I tell the MIDI which softsync track to use (for the specific sound I want from that track)  The Midi data is converted into a sound based on the softsync track it is linked to ( piano, trumpet, etc)
My problem is/was that I was trying to write/input data into an audio file, which was not linked to a softsync. . . and i did not realize I had to create a softsync track in order to link the midi to it!
I will continue to play with this and I'm sure will come up with a BUNCH more questions!  :-)

Jeff