Cannot Use z3ta+ : Failed To Insert Soft Synth Error

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Innovationless
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2009/05/07 03:54:21 (permalink)

Cannot Use z3ta+ : Failed To Insert Soft Synth Error

Just yesterday I was using SONAR 8 and z3ta+ without any issues. The ONLY thing I did between today and the last time z3ta+ worked was to install the new Rapture 1.2 update. Now I can't use z3ta+ as I'm getting the dreaded "Failed to insert soft synth. The synth may not be properly installed." error. My version of z3ta+ is the one I bought from the web site (not bundled with SONAR 8) and is installed as a DXi. I'm using Vista 32-bit and I have an admin account. I've tried doing EVERYTHING I can think of and I still can't use z3ta+. Here's what I've done:

1. Uninstalled Rapture and z3ta+.
2. Installed z3ta+
3. Installed z3ta+ as an admin
4. Installed Rapture 1.1 (when I install version 1.1 I get the "Failed to insert soft synth" error)
5. Installed z3ta+ and Rapture in different orders
6. Cursed at my computer, z3ta+, Rapture, SONAR and Cakewalk.

The last time I got this error was with Dimension Pro and I eventually had to create a brand new admin account and I spent HOURS reinstalling all my software and synths. I've never seen this error message with z3ta+ since I've used this account and my only conclusion is that Rapture might be to blame. When I had the Dimension Pro issue, Cakewalk provided me with a list of things to do to get the synth to install properly and I've tried all those suggestions. Cakewalk is notorious (in my experience) for providing solutions that don't apply to my situation at all, providing dead-end solutions, taking weeks to respond, or not responding at all, so I'm hitting the forums first...

Anyone have any suggestions on this?
#1

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    Innovationless
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    RE: Cannot Use z3ta+ : Failed To Insert Soft Synth Error 2009/05/07 04:05:44 (permalink)
    UPDATE: I just tried to insert Dimension Pro and I got the same error. Also, the z3ta+ microhost will start execution when I click on the executable, but the process terminates most likely because of a permissions issue. I tried running the microhost as an admin and nada.
    #2
    techead
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    RE: Cannot Use z3ta+ : Failed To Insert Soft Synth Error 2009/05/07 14:45:43 (permalink)
    I have a couple of extra ideas that might help you in troubleshooting:

    a) Have you tried temporarily disabling UAC to see if that makes any difference?

    b) You say you installed the products with "Run As Administrator" but are you launching the SONAR host with "Run As Administrator"?

    #3
    Innovationless
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    RE: Cannot Use z3ta+ : Failed To Insert Soft Synth Error 2009/05/08 16:44:43 (permalink)
    1. I have the UAC disabled and I still get the error.
    2. I reenabled the UAC so that the "Run this program as an administrator" checkbox would be enabled in the Privilege Level section under the Compatibility tab when you right-click on the SONAR executable and select properties. This didn't work either.
    3. I right-click on the SONAR executable and run as administrator, but I still get the error.

    When Dimension Pro was giving me the same hassle a few months ago, I asked Cakewalk for help and they suggested doing the same things. Here is a snippet from the email they sent me. I believe this is right from the FAQ section on the website:




    Dimension Pro x64 - "Failed to insert soft synth. The synth may not be properly installed"

    The information in this article applies to:

    * SONAR 8 Producer Edition x64
    * Dimension Pro x64

    In certain cases the x64 version of Dimension Pro will fail to insert
    as a soft synth in SONAR 8 x64 edition in Windows Vista and display
    the error message "Failed to insert soft synth. The synth may not be
    properly installed"

    Until an update is made available there are two workarounds for this
    issue, details on both are below.

    Option 1 - Always run SONAR as an administrator

    This is an easier solution but requires running SONAR 8 with elevated
    user permissions. This can be done by right-clicking on your SONAR 8
    shortcut (from either the desktop or start menu) and choosing Run As
    Administrator from the context menu. When prompted by UAC click the
    Allow button to launch SONAR 8. Alternatively you can configure a
    shortcut to do this action for you automatically, to do this:

    1. Right-click on your SONAR 8 shortcut and choose Properties
    2. Click on the Compatibility tab
    3. Under the section labeled 'Privilege Level' place a check in the box for
    "Run this program as an administrator"
    4. Click the Apply button and then click OK

    Note: you will need to perform the above procedure for all the SONAR 8
    shortcuts that you use on your computer.
    post edited by SuperStruct - 2009/05/08 16:56:17
    #4
    Innovationless
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    RE: Cannot Use z3ta+ : Failed To Insert Soft Synth Error 2009/05/09 17:59:30 (permalink)
    I believe I've finally found the answer to this problem!

    The issue lies in a naming collision with a user-level RSA key. From my understanding, a RSA key basically gives Windows a green light to allow the user to run an executable or DLL. If there are problems, then Windows will deny the user access to the file. I believe this was the case.


    Here's how I figured it out.

    1. I ran Process Monitor and excluded every process except for the z3ta+ microhost.

    2. I started capturing events in Process Monitor and then ran the z3ta+ microhost.

    3. Once done, I found nothing out of the ordinary in the event logs except near the end where the microhost started closing down. There was a "Create File" operation which resulted in a "NAME COLLISION" exception. This seemed incorrect to me.

    4. The problem file resided in

    %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Crypto\RSA\*long folder name here*

    In this path reside a whole bunch of RSA keys.

    5. Process Monitor doesn't show which key was the trouble maker, so I placed all RSA keys in a temporary folder and then ran the z3ta+ microhost. Running the microhost created a new RSA key and z3ta+ stayed open. Success!

    6. Comparing the new RSA key to the old one, I found that they were indeed different.

    7. To validate my findings, I copied the new key to a temporary folder and placed the old key back in the RSA folder. I ran SONAR and tried to insert Dimension Pro and z3ta+ and they both failed. When I removed the old RSA key, I could use Dimension Pro and z3ta+ without any issues.


    The short answer to fix the dreaded "Failed to insert soft synth" issue is to delete the RSA key which is creating the name collision with Dimension Pro and z3ta+.


    I don't know if Cakewalk can fix this, but this definitely should be placed in the FAQ section. I hope this saves some people the major headache I faced in getting Dimension Pro and z3ta+ to work!



    Here are some links to understanding RSA keys and Windows' Cryptographic Service Provider for anyone interested...

    http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/clr/thread/a52df4b9-a716-483e-a827-9235f87400b0
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptographic_Service_Provider
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptographic_Application_Programming_Interface
    http://blogs.msdn.com/alejacma/archive/2007/12/13/key-containers-basics.aspx
    post edited by SuperStruct - 2009/05/09 18:20:09
    #5
    techead
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    RE: Cannot Use z3ta+ : Failed To Insert Soft Synth Error 2009/05/09 22:20:43 (permalink)
    Good detective work!
    #6
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