I use MP3's as scratch tracks... there are many valid reasons for using an MP3 file in a session. There is no valid reason for a piece of software that claims to have the function to not have it or have buggy implimentation.

I have the same issue the OP does, though I have never figured out why. I have some MP3's that were included in indie games, some from CD's and some from online stores but I could never find a link as to why some of them work and some don't. I get the same error message on my pc - windows 7 64 bit (32 bit Sonar), 8 gig of DDR3 ram, Intel I7, 3 hard drives etc.. certainly not out of memory!

The same files import fine in Pro Tools/Reaper/Cubase. Most of my music collection is tagged though some things haven't been and still have the same issue.

Thanks for the good ideas and feedback above.  I have 12GB RAM.  I don't believe this is about DRM.  I've never seen any evidence or had any DRM problems with Amazon MP3s, looking at file tags does not show DRM protrection, and I understand Amazon MP3's are supposed to be DRM-free.
 
My opinion is that since the MP3's work flawlessly in other programs, and can be opened by other editors, tag programs, etc. ... then they should also work in Sonar, without requiring the user to do any conversions or data stripping.
 
Obviously others have had this problem, but I did expect to see even more users having it.  So there may be something in certain configs that Sonar is not handling very well.
 
I still believe it's a Sonar problem.  It could be many things.  One idea is memory handling which throws an invalid out of memory error.

I feel silly for doing this, but can I bump my own suggestion?

Does the file have an embedded image?

I've run into issues where mp3 files with embedded images over a certain file size will causes this error when importing.

You can always extract the image from the file in a third-party utility. I'm sure there are many different 3rd party tools for this out there, but I've done this before myself with a free utility called Mp3tag that allows you to change the metadata associated with an mp3 file. You can find this at http://www.mp3tag.de/en/

Try saving the file without any embedded images and see if you can import it into SONAR.

If that resolves the issue for you, you're confirming something I've reported internally before. If it doesn't resolve the issue, maybe the others are on to something. Let us know :)
Best regards,

daveny5


Why is anyone serious about audio using MP3s as the source? MP3s are ok if you need to distribute over the web, but they are definitely NOT the end game.

Actually it is the end game.  Like it or not the world wide media of choice is MP3.

.

I get this error a lot and it's always with MP3's bought from....wait for it... Amazon.

I teach guitar and for each student i use a seperate Sonar project with Amplitube 3 and any material (audio files) that we're working on. I often purchase MP3's from Amazon of any songs my students want to learn. Lately (and I'm not outright saying since X1 but it's possible) I get the 'Out Of Memory' error when trying to import MP3s from Amazon. Strangely, not on all though, but on the majority.

Recent MP3s from Amazon that produce this error for me (off the top of my head)

Pyro - Kings Of Leon
Radioactive - Kings of Leon
Rolling In The Deep - Adele
Love Me Like You - Magic Numbers
Forever Lost - Magic Numbers
Mosely Shoals Deluxe (the whole double album) - Ocean Colour Scene
Who Knew - Pink
Paint it Black - Vennessa Carlton

I currently get around it by simply using Windows Media Player alongside Sonar. I will definetley get around to trying some of the fixes mentioned here.

Thanks
Dean

Noel,
 
Thank you for providing the answer.  By the hits shown on this thread, I think you can see there's a lot of interest, so I hope Cakewalk will make it a priority.  If other pro DAWs are not having this issue, there must be a practical solution.
 
Another thing to consider is that Microsoft frequently works with software developers to resolve errors like this.  If you can raise the issue to Microsoft then they may resolve it and put it in an update.  In a prior job, I often worked with Microsoft on things like this, and I found them to be very receptive.  This may be an option for you.
 
 

I have the same problem in Sonar 8.5. I was directed here. I also used to be able to do this without any problem. When I looked up the problem in Sonar help, I got the following paragraph. However, I'm not sure how to enact what they say. This is a line in the Wave section of the Aud.ini file that sets the buffer size for bouncing tracks. At a value of 0, the bounce buffer is the same size as the Mixing Latency value that you set in the Audio Options dialog. If you find that bouncing tracks, especially with certain soft synths, takes a very long time, you can set this value to 100, or some value between 0 and 350 so that the bounce buffer will use a more efficient size for bouncing, which has different requirements from normal playback latency. Note: on larger projects, setting this variable to a large value can cause out-of-memory errors.

I have had the problem numerous times.  Glad I followed this thread to find the reason why.  It would be very nice to have a permanent fix built into Sonar.

yoursong

When you say "most" mp3's fail to import, have you looked into what the differences are between the ones that do and the ones that don't?

 
I buy mp3's primarily from Amazon solely to A/B (Sure I'd prefer another format, but mp3 is what the retailers are selling, and what buyers are hearing on their players).  I've been using X1 since it came out.  Never had a problem before X1. The mp3s throw an out of memory error.  I've looked at the differences, I don't see any.  TAG formatting has been mentioned in the past, I don't see a difference there.  However, if Sonar is unable to read certain mp3s or TAG formats, I strongly believe Sonar should be fixed.
 
As far as shouting ... excuse me for that.  I'm very frustrated with this.  I'm trying to get attention from Cakewalk on this issue.  It's been brought up before and has not been adequately addressed, IMO.

If memory serves me right, I remember this exact conversation a few months ago on this forum about the exact same thing, something to do with the new mp3 format allowing full album covers inside the mp3 file...somehow and I don't remember how, one has to strip this info out and the mp3 will import fine..