JonD

If you are dead set against trying a newer version, you can do a complete (clean) uninstall of Sonar 8.5, outlined here: http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=1031378&high=clean+uninstall Then reinstall it. Let us know how it goes.

Well, that would be an odd exclusion considering the rest of the software is constantly being updated/developed! I would think that any REPORTED problems with specific 32 bit VSTs are looked at

If you haven't already, do a RESET and RESCAN of your VSTs (Make sure to do both, many people often skip the reset which can make a difference). What specific 32-bit VSTs are giving you problems? Someone else could test these out and at least determine if this is a system-specific issue.

For the same money I'd check out the Steinberg UR242. I've owned three Steinberg interfaces used on three versions of Windows and they've all been rock solid. IMO Steinberg are the most under-rated interface makers around. I suspect people who aren't using Cubase are turned off by the Steinberg stamp - which is a shame (Yamaha actually makes the hardware) - since I can attest that all of my Steinberg units worked flawlessly for years with Sonar/Studio One/Mixcraft.

Not soundfont, but sfz format: https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=349745

Could be picking up noise inside your PC through the USB port. Try a different port. Also, do you have 64-bit double precision (under driver settings) enabled? If so, try disabling it.

True, but by knowing the Native Access prefs exist, the user is free to change the paths to his liking, rather than simply accept where NI thinks they should be. Bottom line, the plugin manager is only helpful this way after the fact -- but if you're like me, it's preferable to utilize user-defined VST install paths whenever possible.

RBH, I just remembered - and verified - that Native Access has its own preferences window, where you designate VST and download paths. I set those paths up some time ago (when I first installed Native Access) to match my existing paths. So my guess is you just need to go into the NA prefs, find the designated VST path, then add that location to your CbB prefs.

Hmm, I just updated my Kontakt 5 to the latest (v5.8.1 , R43) a couple days ago using Native Access, then did a manual VST scan. The updated DLL files were just there in my designated VST folder (No further action required). After reading your post, I loaded Kontakt 5 into a project and the latest VST2 version shows up fine. Check the dates of the kontakt DLL files in your VST folder, and confirm they were recently updated. Also, after the manual scan, make sure there were no errors.

Could be a corrupt download. Close all tasks, and try downloading CbB again.

Sorry John, I should probably read the whole thread before posting! 😖 Maybe my second suggestion (Look for ANY program that isn't recognizable) will point to a clue.

Before you go further with any troubleshooting, you should look to see if any AVS programs are installed on your system. It's not difficult these days for software to get installed without your knowledge while installing other software. I'd also look for any other installed programs that you don't recognize, and remove them.

If you don't have a quality enhancer plugin, Toneboosters' Enhancer is worth a look: https://www.toneboosters.com/tb_enhancer_v1.html Until June 1, get 25% off with coupon code: TB_SPRING_2019

I thought the whole idea of cloud applications was so that the software company could have complete control of the software (Which is why I avoid most of it). It was my understanding that from version 1 of any cloud software, IT WAS UNDERSTOOD the user would have to abide by certain restrictions, and if they didn't, the company could deactivate the user's copy. Guess I'm just a bit surprised that in the article, it said the company SENT OUT LETTERS, which seems very 1990s -- since I imagined that the first person who used his software past the contract date would not be able to activate. (I stopped using Adobe when they went to the cloud, so I have no idea how they work).

Craig, are you sure it's actually trying to boot off the recovery disc? If it's a DVD burner, try changing to a different sata port. I had a similar problem where the BIOS showed the desired boot order, but nothing I did could make it boot off the first drive... Turned out the CMOS battery was flaking out. I changed it, reset BIOS to default settings, set desired boot settings, saved and restart -- and it worked fine after that (The previous steps are worth trying also even if the CMOS battery is good. Restoring to default can 't hurt - and can sometimes fix a corrupted bios). Another quick thing to try: Unplug the AC power, then hold in power button to drain any static electricity from the board. Good luck!

Have you tried connecting to a different USB port? (Preferably USB2 if available).

Start Sonar with Run as Administrator, then try Dim Pro again. If that doesn't work, maybe this article will help: https://www.cakewalk.com/Support/Knowledge-Base/20080921/Dimension-Pro-x64-not-installed-with-SONAR-8-Producer-Edition

Never install drivers using the enclosed driver disc (You don't know how old the drivers are). Always go to the manufacturer's website and download the latest drivers for your O.S. Also, as Noel pointed out, you may need to do the same for the firmware.

If you have an onboard sound card, install the free ASIO4all driver and see if that combo works. If it does, then you've isolated the Soundblaster as the problem. If the above doesn't help, then the next step is do a clean uninstall/reinstall of Sonar. This includes deleting registry entries, so you need to be careful or let someone who's more tech savvy do it for you (Do a search to find the step-by-step instructions. They've been posted in the old Sonar forums many times).

If you didn't already, make sure to do a RESET of your VSTs before you RESCAN. I noticed that many users forget the reset part and just do the rescan (which won't help in fixing any initialization errors).

I think it's likely. IIRC he posted a few times at the old CW forums as a Sonar user...