Lacking Instruments in Sonar due to Bandlab

[Count Vlad]

HELLO,

I have Sonar 7   and  my SI  (bass, drums, piano    and strings)   are gone now that I have installed Cakewalk by Bandlab.   They are in Cakewalk by Bandlab but not in my Sonar 7.    Is there a way I can get them to be in both?    How would  I get the instruments back to Sonar?  Thanks.    

[scook]

64bit SONAR and CbB use the same plug-in manager, VST scanner and 64bit version of Studio Instruments.

They maintain their scan paths and list of scanned plug-ins in different parts of the registry.

Make sure the scan path is correct.

Then launch the plug-in manager from SONAR 7 and run a VST scan. If the plug-ins do not appear in the "Default - All Plug-ins" list run a VST Reset.

You should only use the VST scan and reset options in the plug-in manager for SONAR 7. For CbB, use the VST settings in preferences for these functions.

 

 

32bit SONAR 7 has its own plug-in manager, scanner, scan path, list of scanned plug-ins and 32bit plug-ins.

Make sure the scan path contains the 32bit Studio Instrument dlls (these will need to be installed using the SONAR 7 installer) and run a scan.

 

FYI, please do not cross-post on this forum. It just makes more work for others and does not get a faster reply.

 

[Count Vlad]

Thanks for that .  I don't know what  the correct scan path would be?   Other   plugins do show up .   And I don't know  where the  "Default - All Plug-ins" list would be  as well in order to  have a VST reset.   Sorry, I won't cross post in the future.  

[scook]

The default scan path for

• 64bit Studio Instruments is C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Vstplugins
• 32bit Studio Instruments is C:\Program Files (x86)\Cakewalk\Vstplugins

"Default - All Plug-ins" is the default plug-in layout used in SONAR 7. It has been about 15 years since I have used SONAR 7 so I cannot be more specific.

The VST reset and scan functions for SONAR 7 are run from the plug-in manager.

 

 

 

[Count Vlad]

Thanks, it  is there in the  plugin section, however, when I create a track it  says    it has failed to load  . If I load a song with these plugins it also tells me they could not be found or are missing or improperly installed.      This all started when I load a  Cakewalk  by Bandlab song in Sonar.    So  I don't know what to do to correct this.   

[abacab]

I don't think that Cakewalk project files that have been saved in newer versions of the software are backwards compatible with older versions. I think it's always been that way, and not just with Cakewalk.

Most vendors recommend that you save a backup of your old projects before you open and edit them in new versions of their software, in case you decide to revert to the old version of the software.

Edited August 28, 2020 by abacab

[scook]

18 minutes ago, abacab said:

I don't think that Cakewalk project files that have been saved in newer versions of the software are backwards compatible with older versions. I think it's always been that way, and not just with Cakewalk.

Generally projects ARE backward compatible but the DAW will issue a warning about the project being created with a newer product.

Of course, the DAW opening the project may not have the ability to support all the features referenced in the project. In this case, the unsupported feature(s) will not be present.

Projects containing patch points and aux tracks will not open in DAWs that lack support these features. Patch points and aux tracks are supported in CbB and SONAR Professional/Platnum Oct 2015 or newer.

[Count Vlad]

I still don't see how  loading a  Cwb file into Sonar changes Sonar  so that instruments have    gone missing.     The  instruments get misplaced but still you see them listed in the plugin manager.  What is going on?  Strangest thing and how do get the instruments back?

[abacab]

12 minutes ago, scook said:

Generally projects ARE backward compatible but the DAW will issue a warning about the project being created with a newer product.

Of course, the DAW opening the project may not have the ability to support all the features referenced in the project. In this case, the unsupported feature(s) will not be present.

Projects containing patch points and aux tracks will not open in DAWs that lack support these features. Patch points and aux tracks are supported in CbB and SONAR Professional/Platnum Oct 2015 or newer.

That's probably true, but since we're talking 13 years difference in file formats, I would say at least make backup copies of your old projects before working in the current version. Just in case, you know?

[Starship Krupa]

6 hours ago, Count Vlad said:

it  is there in the  plugin section, however, when I create a track it  says    it has failed to load  . If I load a song with these plugins it also tells me they could not be found or are missing or improperly installed. 

Are you running the 64-bit or 32-bit version of SONAR 7? Cakewalk is said to coexist well with previous versions of SONAR, but I don't know that I've seen anyone with a 32-bit version doing it, so there may be more of a chance for a configuration problem. I would think that a 32-bit version would completely ignore 64-bit Cakewalk, and vice-versa, but who knows.

Your SI plug-ins appear in your list of available plug-ins, but when you try to use any of them, either in a new or an existing project, you get error messages. Is that correct?

I've never used SONAR 7, so I don't know what the interface looks like. My guess is that Plug-In Manager is still the same. Do you know how to run the Plug-In Manager? In my version of Cakewalk, I can run it from the Utilities menu. You need to run it in SONAR 7.

Once you have opened Plug-In Manager, you'll see a list of all the plug-ins SONAR knows about over on the left. You can click on VST Instruments and see if the SI ones are on the list. If they are, you can click on one and see information such as the path where it's installed. Down at center bottom, there's a section called VST Configuration. If you click the  button there that says Options, you can do things like check what folders SONAR is scanning for plug-ins, re-scan the folders, and reset your plug-in system's folder configuration.

Doing a re-scan is the first thing, then if that doesn't work, try the reset button. These will force SONAR to rebuild your plug-ins list. Also, when you check to see what folders its scanning, make sure that it's set to scan the correct one(s) as Scook outlined. There may also be paths to other locations, but you can leave them alone as you choose, if they look okay.

[scook]

By default 32bit SONAR installs in C:\Program Files (x86) along with a set of 32bit "Shared" folders.

Of course, there are separate 32 and 64bit registry entries.

The version folders in "Cakewalk Content," user directory and ProgramData are shared by the same 32/64 version of SONAR.

 

 

[Count Vlad]

Thanks    Starship Krupa and SCOOK , but  it does recognize the plugin and pathway   but it says the plugin failed to load.  I don't know why it would fail to load.

Edited August 30, 2020 by Count Vlad

[Count Vlad]

And the other  weird thing is that both programs go to the same place, but Cwb loads the instruments whereas Sonar 7 doesn't. 

[mark skinner]

The same thing happened to a friend of mine. He was using 32bit Sonar 7 and 32bit Sonar LE 8.5 and lost SI drums. We couldn't get it resolved. Uninstalled CbB, reinstalled the Sonar versions then reinstalled CbB. Everything is fine now .  Never got to the root of the problem.

[Count Vlad]

Thanks Mark.    I'll start by reinstalling  Sonar first and  see how that goes.

[Starship Krupa]

On 8/29/2020 at 2:18 PM, Count Vlad said:

Thanks    Starship Krupa and SCOOK , but  it does recognize the plugin and pathway   but it says the plugin failed to load.  I don't know why it would fail to load.

That's why my first question was whether you were running 32-bit or 64-bit SONAR.

The SI VSTi's that come with Cakewalk are 64-bit. If you are running 32-bit SONAR and for some reason the paths setting got changed to load the 64-bit versions, of if the installation overwrote the 32-bit versions, 64-bit plug-ins will fail to load.

I don't know how SONAR 7 handled this, but some DAW's, when they try to load a VST and it fails to load, they will mark it as broken and not try to load it in the future, in order to speed up scanning.

Only you know whether you are running 32-bit SONAR, so I don't know if this could even apply. If you are, and you want to keep using SONAR 7 and not Cakewalk by BandLab, I suggest also installing the 64-bit version, as it will likely remain compatible with modern plug-ins longer than a 32-bit version.

[Count Vlad]

Yes, my Sonar 7 is a 32 bit program.   I'll have to see if I can reinstall it   as a 64 bit version, if that option is given to me on the installation CD.  Otherwise , I probably will just use Bandlab -- though I have to see if it opens Sonar files without  anything going terribly amiss. Thanks.

[abacab]

1 hour ago, Count Vlad said:

Yes, my Sonar 7 is a 32 bit program.   I'll have to see if I can reinstall it   as a 64 bit version, if that option is given to me on the installation CD.  Otherwise , I probably will just use Bandlab -- though I have to see if it opens Sonar files without  anything going terribly amiss. Thanks.

The Sonar 7 installer should supply both versions.

I believe that the only reason to install 32-bit Sonar would be if that is all your hardware will support, or else maybe if there is some 32-bit VST plugin that doesn't run correctly with the built-in BitBridge in Sonar x64. CbB  (x64 only) also has BitBridge, if needed.

I used to install both 32 and 64 bit versions of Sonar 8.5 and X1 on my 64-bit system. But in recent years have not bothered with Sonar x32.

Edited September 1, 2020 by abacab

[Starship Krupa]

11 hours ago, abacab said:

The Sonar 7 installer should supply both versions.

This, Vlad. My next suggestion is to install 64-bit SONAR 7 alongside your 32-bit version.

I don't speak from experience, but I'd be very surprised if it didn't run much better than the 32-bit version. It will be able to do more with the extra memory it can use, and 64-bit Windows 10 runs 64-bit programs better, in my experience.

One BIG reason is that also opens you up to being able to use 64-bit plug-ins. Often, I see plug-in developers stop supplying 32-bit versions, so it will help "future proof" your system, and you can keep using SONAR 7 longer. I really like Cakewalk by BandLab, but I wouldn't want to be forced into using it.

[Count Vlad]

Thank you very much everybody.  I have reinstalled Sonar 7  and  the SI    are back.   There is only one version of Sonar    on my disc and that is the 32 bit version.  But I'm glad that I have my program operating again.  The   Bandlab    Cakewalk is an excellent  program  -- almost unimaginable potential for free --  but there is some conflict and I will be working with it mostly for new music.    Some things to figure out like the arrangement space above the measures  bar line.  It could be for a certain type of music perhaps.     I'm sure about    ripples  and rewire or where are the overall solo/mute buttons -- if they exist --    and there is a lot to digest.     But I'm very happy with  it and can't conceive how Bandlab can make money by giving Cakewalk  and samples    away .  Yes, there is a lot of free stuff on the net and the competitors of Cakewalk  have affordable programs (all in the $100 mark)  but giving it away is a mystery.  It really is a wonderful program !