Canopus

There are two versions of HALion Sonic; HALion Sonic 7 which is freeware, and HALion Sonic 7 Collection. The difference is basically that Collection includes 35GB of library content, the same as HALion 7, whereas HALion Sonic 7 does not. Here's a comparison: https://www.steinberg.net/vst-instruments/halion/compare-editions/

Unless you've already done so, one thing to check is that your Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables are up to date. In case you've installed some old, less well-behaved program recently, that installation might have put an older version of the Visual C++ runtime, that the Nektar program depends upon, on your system. It seems like version 1.1.3 of "ImpactLX88+CakewalkDAWControl64.dll" contain dependencies to MSVCP120.dll and MFC120.dll. That indicates that the Redistributable package that might need to be reinstalled for that particular version would be the Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable. Of course, version 1.1.5 is most likely built upon a more modern VC++ Redistributable package. That might even be the only difference.

Okay, thanks. Well, 1.1.3 is the version running on my machine so it can't be a general problem. But maybe you're using Windows 11?

So, what's the version number of your failing DLL, and what's the version number of this new one? And also, are you using Windows 10 or 11?

I just made a quick & dirty test in both Sonar 2024.06 and CbB 2024.02. Everything I tested seems to work; I can e.g. navigate in Cakewalk using the transport keys on my LX88+, as well as twist the knobs in my plugins from my keyboard, using MIDI Learn. Windows 10 Pro 22H2, fully patched, including the 2024.06 cumulative upgrade (KB5039211).

I guess you’re talking about the file “ImpactLX88+CakewalkDAWControl64.dll” located in C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Shared Surfaces. FWIW, I’ve had version 1.1.3.0 of that software running on my three computers for years without any problem. If that dll indeed is the cause of the problem, I would simply try to reinstall it.

The font doesn't matter. The capitalization does.

That's a fair assumption, but...I've a got copy of The Power in Cakewalk Sonar by William (Bill) Edstrom Jr., that was published in 2013. [...] I'm guessing the current Sonar has changed a bit since then and that there may still be a few stragglers using the original version, which could cause confusion. Here's a simple rule: if it's spelled "SONAR", it's the release up until and including SONAR Platinum. If it's spelled "Sonar", it's the version that was introduced 2024. Or, so it should be. BTW, Mr. Edstrom got it right.

A long as CbB works, I’m in. Should a permanent license option for Sonar be presented, I'd buy it. Should CbB for some reason stop working without a permanent license option being available for Sonar, I would evaluate my alternatives. But the statement made by Jesse Jost, about CbB remaining free and even receive essential maintenance updates, is to me reassuring enough to keep using it.

Maybe you know there are other parts of the Cakewalk forum than the Deals section? I think the first mentioning of it was posted here, long before this thread was created. Soon after, other threads were created, like this one. Also, it was discussed extensively in other already existing threads, like this one. That it didn't get immediate attention here in the Deals forum isn't that surprising, since so many here use other DAWs.

Yes, I know it does. Here's some of Softube's ProChannel modules on my PC in Sonar from five minutes ago:

Great news for users of CbB and Sonar that have Softube's ProChannel modules. It seems like those are working again. As far as I know, the last ProChannel version of Passive-Active Pack, FET Compressor Mk I, and TSAR-1R Reverb that worked in ProChannel were version 2.5.46 from May 2022. Later versions would make CbB and Sonar crash hard when instantiated. Today I tested version 2.5.83, released on April 29, and all of the plugins mentioned above can be instantiated without error. According to Softube’s change log, 2.5.83 contains a fix for an issue where a corrupt Preset Collection settings file would cause plug-ins to crash on Windows. I’m not sure if that was the root cause in the case of ProChannel, as I have ignored a number of updates from Softube, but it might very well be. However, I did notice that three of the plugins still have a minor issue; selecting a preset in Focusing EQ, FET Compressor Mk I, and TSAR-1R Reverb made it deactivate, so you’d have to press the Enable button after a preset change to reactivate. But, of course, that’s a minor issue compared to a crash. Personally, I will keep copies of version 2.5.46 and 2.5.83 to fall back upon, in case some future Softube release would make their VST2 ProChannel modules break again.

Some of the things I would miss if I had to go back to SONAR Platinum: Articulation Maps Arranger Tracks Tempo Tracks Support for ARA2

Here’s a list of feature enhancements and bug fixes from 2018.04 to 2022.11. But first, go get a cup of coffee. The document is 87 pages long. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aFOe_zJrd3x2EnaZ_Jc3iSbZPG2WANiCD4_RP83OjlA/edit?pli=1#heading=h.2 The list ends there, so it’s not complete. There's a year missing, so I guess the guy who wrote it got tired of writing.

Part of my Windows Taskbar: Unfortunately, that's SONAR in all capital letters ...

Or, you could press F11 in Sonar and temporarily remove it altogether.

First there would have to be a Sonar Theme Editor, or should I say a Color Scheme Editor, as it’s not called theme any longer in Sonar (which probably is a hint for the future). To make any more extensive modifications, that editor would also have to allow for changes to the glyphs/icons and not only to the colours. That function could either be built-in, or, more realistically, by allowing import of vector-based SVG files from external programs like Adobe Illustrator or GIMP. Personally, I think that the former might appear in due time. However, I doubt the latter will ever happen.

No, never. You might confuse it with UVI Grand Piano Model D which might have been free at some point.

I think the reason for not clearly stating whether there will be perpetual licenses available in the future, or not, might be a wish to test the waters. If a sufficient number of users are willing to pay $15 monthly for a BandLab membership, maybe that will generate more revenue than outright purchases. If not, maybe the incentive to offer perpetual licenses might be greater. Only time will tell.

Maybe it's about time to dust this off.

53 "We just have to wait and see." 54 GOTO 53

53 "We just have to wait and see." 54 GOTO 53

Verify that you haven't got a very short Loop active at the beginning of that project.

Um, not really. Like it or not, but the graphical user interfaces in software is moving in quite the opposite direction and has been for a number of years. Just compare Windows 11 to Windows 10 to Windows 7 to Windows Vista. The 3D skeuomorphism found in older software has for a long time been moving towards flat 2D interfaces. Not that I personally like that transition, but that's the way it is.