After clean re-install of Sonar/CbB "missing" VSTs

[winkpain]

I have completed a squeaky clean re-install of CbB and now have certain iZotope plugins that show up as "Missing" when loading projects using them.

I did not touch these VST3 installations throughout the re-install process. They are in the default VST3 folder right were they have always been and were earlier today when the same projects opened (before re-install of CbB) without them showing as "missing".

I have tried re-installing these plugins to their defaults, but they still show as "missing" when loading projects already using them.

I can load new instances of these exact, untouched VSTs and use them fresh without problem. However, in the case of many projects, they were in use on every track with specific, long worked on settings that are now supposedly saved by "stand ins" mentioned in the attached window, but the saved states do not apply to the new instances.

What gives?!  Why does CbB no longer see these plugins as being installed when loading a project using them despite being able to load new instances. Why does it not apply the "stand in" states to the working versions?? How do I now recover the hours and hours of work established over weeks of careful editing??

 

 

Edited March 14, 2020 by winkpain

[scook]

Is it possible the project was built with the VST2 format plug-ins and those plug-ins are no longer in the scan path?

AFAIK, iZotope does not support VST2 to VST3 migration and NI Guitar Rig 5 does not come in VST3 format.

 

[winkpain]

12 hours ago, scook said:

Is it possible the project was built with the VST2 format plug-ins and those plug-ins are no longer in the scan path?

AFAIK, iZotope does not support VST2 to VST3 migration and NI Guitar Rig 5 does not come in VST3 format.

 

Well, that is possible.  But I have CbB pointed to my custom VST(2) folder as well as the separate default VST3 folder, and all my other VST2 plugins were seen.  However, now the project in question is, in fact, loading those VSTs. I guess it just took a few scans to see them...?  I don't understand that, but I'm not complaining.

I didn't realize the migration issue with iZoptope. By that, I see that you mean that CbB's ability to choose the better of multiple versions of a plugin as chosen in Preferences/File/VST Settings will not function with iZotope plugins.

NOW, the remaining issue with this project (and others) is that, upon opening I get the attached message about  those few included CbB plugins which, in my case, were installed automatically by CbB into both the /.../Cakewalk/Shared AND my custom VST folder as indicated when choosing from the pull-down menu in the window. The items in the two locations have different CLSIDs and the window seems to indicate it doesn't know which to use. It also seems to not matter which one I choose, however, and simply clicking "OK" allows me to continue as usual.

This is an issue I have noted elsewhere here, but it was one that I thought my clean re-installations would remedy.

Should I just remove the duplicate dlls?  Why does Cakewalk install them in both places if it on confuses itself?

Along the same lines, should I just remove the "duplicate" VST2 versions of the iZotope plugins in the above original issue in order to force VST3 usage in their case?

[scook]

28 minutes ago, winkpain said:

I didn't realize the migration issue with iZoptope. By that, I see that you mean that CbB's ability to choose the better of multiple versions of a plugin as chosen in Preferences/File/VST Settings will not function with iZotope plugins.

Plug-in manufacturers must add the appropriate information to their plug-ins for VST migration to work. Here is a blog entry for this http://www.noelborthwick.com/2014/01/22/developer-notes-sonar-x3-vst3-internals/

28 minutes ago, winkpain said:

NOW, the remaining issue with this project (and others) is that, upon opening I get the attached message

Given the prior installation, there could be some confusion when loading projects containing plug-ins bundled CbB and SONAR. You will need to address these issues on a per-project basis likely replacing the plug-ins with the appropriate version.

In a normal installation there are no duplicated plug-ins but some dlls may be duplicated for different uses. Removing dlls from shared folders is not a good idea. Removing plug-ins from the regular VST folders is OK if you never plan on using them but I would not do this either. By default, some bundled plug-ins are in the exclude list. They should be left alone. This is not related to VST migration.

[winkpain]

6 minutes ago, scook said:

Plug-in manufacturers must add the appropriate information to their plug-ins for VST migration to work. Here is a blog entry for this http://www.noelborthwick.com/2014/01/22/developer-notes-sonar-x3-vst3-internals/

Thanks for this!

6 minutes ago, scook said:

By default, some bundled plug-ins are in the exclude list. They should be left alone. This is not related to VST migration.

Yes, it would seem to be these very excluded plugins that are the issue here with that referenced window/message. I had, indeed, enabled them as led to by a friendly post by Creative Sauce on YouTube, not an official CbB post, I know, but he does have good and seemingly knowledgeable presentations.

So, you are saying that I should re-exclude them as they were done by default?

And then, on the per-project fixes you mention above, how do I go about "replacing the plug-ins with the appropriate version"? They are, after all, the default plugins that came with the install. Where would I find other more appropriate versions?

Again, my re-installation process was a "clean" one. So all traces of previous installations had been wiped from Registry and all, as directed. So where would the  "confusion" now stem from?

[scook]

3 minutes ago, winkpain said:

I had, indeed, enabled them as led to by a friendly post by Creative Sauce on YouTube, not an official CbB post, I know, but he does have good and seemingly knowledgeable presentations.

This has been suggested before on the old forum, this forum and other sources. AFAIK, this have never been recommended by Cakewalk or BandLab.

 

9 minutes ago, winkpain said:

So, you are saying that I should re-exclude them as they were done by default?

And then, on the per-project fixes you mention above, how do I go about "replacing the plug-ins with the appropriate version"? They are, after all, the default plugins that came with the install. Where would I find other more appropriate versions?

I cannot recall if you have X3 Producer or a lesser version. The VX-64 Vocal Strip was bundled with X3 Producer. If you have Producer, restore the excluded plug-ins and use the X3 Producer version in your projects. The default location for this plug-in is C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Vstplugins\Vocal Strip. Since you mention a "custom VST folder" I guess it may be there.

[winkpain]

2 minutes ago, scook said:

I cannot recall if you have X3 Producer or a lesser version. The VX-64 Vocal Strip was bundled with X3 Producer. If you have Producer, restore the excluded plug-ins and use the X3 Producer version in your projects. The default location for this plug-in is C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Vstplugins\Vocal Strip. Since you mention a "custom VST folder" I guess it may be there.

Yes, my Sonar is X3 Producer.

And, sorry I'm still a little confused:  by "restore the excluded plug-ins", do you mean restore them to their excluded state? And, since there are two versions that Cakewalk sees - for me one in the default "Shared" folder, the other in my custom "E:\Vstplugins64" folder - which ones should I use (have enabled), and which ones should I have excluded?

[scook]

10 minutes ago, winkpain said:

do you mean restore them to their excluded state?

yes

10 minutes ago, winkpain said:

which ones should I use (have enabled), and which ones should I have excluded

Exclude the ones in the shared folder path use the ones in "E:\Vstplugins64"

[winkpain]

3 minutes ago, scook said:

yes

Exclude the ones in the shared folder path use the ones in "E:\Vstplugins64"

Excellent! Done.

Thank you!

[winkpain]

...I also just found your "VST Inventory Tool" which helps see things more clearly, as well!