sonar Error message when trying to play a track in Sonar on a different PC

[Edward Allen]

Hi there

I'm using Sonar on a Win 11 PC, and work in 2 parts of my house, and I have noticed that when I create a song on my OFFICE PC, then save it to my shared GDrive, and then go to my Studio PC to launch the same track, everything appears to load up correctly but when I hit play I receive this error message 

I have checked all the settings I can but still cannot identify what might cause this error. 

The main difference I know of is that the STUDIO PC (where the error occurs) is connected to my Allen & Health SQ6 mixer, and here are the driver settings...

 

I have checked that the OFFICE PC is not running Sonar when I try to open the track on the STUDIO PC already.

(I can do the process in reverse whereby I create a track on the STUDIO PC and then open on the OFFICE PC without issue)

I am using the latest free version of Sonar.

Do you have any thoughts on how I can track down this error please?!

Many thanks in advance!

 

[Wookiee]

@Edward Allen suspect you have different sample rates on each PC.

[Edward Allen]

Hi Wookiee

thx but that doesn't seem to  be it.

Here are the sampling settings (perhaps there is something else I am missing in  here?)

BTW: Should it matter if both machines have Sonar open (even if with different  / no tracks open)?

Thx.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 21 by Edward Allen

[Chaps]

Can you confirm that your Windows is using the same audio driver settings as Sonar?

[Edward Allen]

7 minutes ago, Chaps said:

Can you confirm that your Windows is using the same audio driver settings as Sonar?

Hi there Chaps

On the OFFICE PC its WASAPI Shared

On the Studio PC its ASIO as its the protocol to work with the SQ6 mixer.

Thoughts?

thx.

[Chaps]

16 minutes ago, Edward Allen said:

Hi there Chaps

On the OFFICE PC its WASAPI Shared

On the Studio PC its ASIO as its the protocol to work with the SQ6 mixer.

Thoughts?

thx.

I was thinking along the lines of the Windows audio settings.

[Edward Allen]

17 minutes ago, Chaps said:

I was thinking along the lines of the Windows audio settings.

Ahh OK. Does this help?

Thx.

[Chaps]

7 minutes ago, Edward Allen said:

Ahh OK. Does this help?

This is what I was referring to. Both of your Windows machines are using a 48kHz sampling rate and Sonar is using 44.1kHz. I don't know how much of a difference it would make because I just use 1 PC, but it's part of the problem solving process to rule out everything that isn't the problem.

[Edward Allen]

36 minutes ago, Chaps said:

This is what I was referring to. Both of your Windows machines are using a 48kHz sampling rate and Sonar is using 44.1kHz. I don't know how much of a difference it would make because I just use 1 PC, but it's part of the problem solving process to rule out everything that isn't the problem.

So I changed BOTH copies of Sonar to 48k sampling, and tested a few songs but its still the same error code sadly.

It was worth a try! 

Thx

[reginaldStjohn]

What if you tried copying the wave file that is in the shared drive to your local project audio folder? It could be a permission issue or shared drive specific thing.

Edited September 21 by reginaldStjohn

[Edward Allen]

34 minutes ago, reginaldStjohn said:

What if you tried copying the wave file that is in the shared drive to your local project audio folder? It could be a permission issue or shared drive specific thing.

Hi Reginald

No joy I'm afraid!

Thx.

[Wookiee]

@Edward Allen one PC seems to running at 44.1kHz and one is 48kHz that indicates sample rate difference to me. Your second screen capture notes sound settings at 48kHz.

At the risk of upsetting you, you are also using devices with a driver that may not be supported, ASIO4all is an unsupported driver as it is not quite ASIO. 

[Edward Allen]

6 minutes ago, Wookiee said:

@Edward Allen one PC seems to running at 44.1kHz and one is 48kHz that indicates sample rate difference to me. Your second screen capture notes sound settings at 48kHz.

At the risk of upsetting you, you are also using devices with a driver that may not be supported, ASIO4all is an unsupported driver as it is not quite ASIO. 

Hi Wookiee

So at present everything is  48k and the problem persists.

your comment on drivers might be onto something though: all I know is that its the one A&H suggest to use I think to work with their SQ6 (sound sensible?) 

It works fine on that STUDIO PC, but perhaps the glitch is when a file is accessed starting with one driver and then sent to machine with a the ASIO4all driver?

Thoughts?? 

thx

 

 

 

[Wookiee]

@Edward Allen what sample rate was the project recorded at?

[Edward Allen]

Update!

So I tried using the WASAPI Shared driver instead of the ASIO one suggested by A&H and thus far its working fine. Hurrah! 

My concern now is that because I don't understand the different functionality / differences of the 2 drivers, that I might have messed something else up on my STUDIO PC!?! 

This might well be something that only A&H staff can answer so I've asked them already, BUT if anyone here has any insights please do share.

Many thanks for all your assistance with this annoying issue...

 

[Jonathan Sasor]

These kinds of things are definitely driver related, and whether anything else is trying to access those drivers. I'm not surprised that it's working with WASAPI Shared, although that probably won't get the lowest latency performance possible, but it'll definitely be fine for general playback. In ASIO it's probably a setting in the driver's ASIO panel or if the device has some kind of physical sample rate switch (most likely the former). Some device drivers can flip sample rates automatically when prompted by an application, but others require setting manually, which would appear to be the case here. Just bear in mind that the setting in Sonar's preferences for sample rate is indicating that value for new projects. Once a project has been created, it's sample rate is set and cannot be changed. So bear in mind that the device sample rate needs to match the project sample rate. 

[57Gregy]

Hundred-foot USB cable?

[Rick Daugherty]

I get the same exact message on my desktop from time to time when I unplug my main Montage M7 controller or unplug my SSL audio interface.   Though it is a strange thing, it ALWAYS rights itself simply by unplugging/replugging in the sound card and rebooting, and sometimes I have to check in the preferences like you're doing a re-select the right driver or audio card.   It's a flaky sonar cakewalk thing.  Happens to me more than I would like.   If you're only moving your project/bun file from one pc to the next, you should NOT get any message like this at all.   One pc/the other laptop have nothing to do with each other unless...you're unplugging your interface from the main pc and taking it to the 2nd location.  So what I suggest is...do not turn the 'other' pc back on until you plug your soundcard/interface in FIRST.   This way you might be able to trick Sonar into thinking it never left, was never unplugged.   Bottom line is, this is not a serious issue.  "UNABLE TO OPEN PLAYBACK DEVICE" simply means sonar can't find, for some reason, your interface.  It has nothing to do with sample rate, and that other stuff.   I get the message from time to time, and within a few minutes of unplugging, replugging, rebooting, checking 'preferences', I'm good to go.    Again....to trick your pc's...make sure everything is plugged back in BEFORE you start the 'next' pc...plug everything back in, just like when you left it, THEN turn on the pc, then open sonar.  Same in reverse.   When done in one room, close sonar, shut the pc down.  Move your interface to the 2nd room/pc, and while it is OFF, hook everything back up.   This is not a 'deep' issue.  That error messaage is common.  SOMETIMES you may have another device using your interface/set up to use it, and you don't have your preferences set up to 'share'.    And you do NOT want to use ASIO4all drivers, ever.    In my case, 'realtek' drivers always want to take over Sonar, even when I disable them outside of DAW.      That message just means Sonar/DAW/PC is not 'seeing' the right sound card, or its in use elsewhere, and it's tied up, not available to sonar.    It's really that simple.  But yes, it is frustrating when it happens and you do have to monkey around a bit to solve it.   But...if you notice:  You probably get the same error message several times, not just this once?   So that means, Sonar eventually DOES see the soundcard, and you're back up and running.    Don't need to change all those internal preference settings.  Those are not the problem.