Deleting unused plugins

Simple question: is there a simple (one click) way to remove all unused plugins (effects, instruments) from a project...? Like you can select and remove all unused colors in InDesign...?

I was going to say what Beagle said but re-reading your post I believe your talking about removing Plug ins from a project not your system right?? And by plug ins are you talking about soft synths or efxs or both?

sorry.

removing them from a project you just click on it in the FX bin and hit the delete key.  simples.

Well if that was me I'd be tempted to open a new project and copy the tracks. That's a fresh start. Don't take long to make a new mess o things. 

This is getting funny (and out of hand LOL). Imagine this: you have a huge projects and in that project you have added lots of effects that are NOT used anymore on any track and lots of soft synths that are NOT used anymore on any track. To prevent stuff from loading and cluttering up the project you would like to remove all unused effects and soft synths. But because you completely lost track of what's used and what's not, it would be very convenient if Sonar had an option that would scan the project for unused stuff and then remove it. And my question is: is there such an option? Apparently not...

Copying all the tracks to a new project: then you lose all connections to the soft synths, I guess? And will effects be copied too...?

Well, I think the only solution is to check each and every track for what it uses and what it is connected to and then manually remove unused items...
 
EDIT
P.S. Forgot to explain 'remove safely': InDesign is a lay out program, brother (sister?) of Photoshop and Illustrator. When I want to remove a color from the list of colors I get a warning if the color is used by an object: I can choose to cancel or to replace the color with another color. Now when I want to remove a soft synth from a Sonar project I don't get a warning like that: if a track is using the synth or not: you don't know... So if is not safe to simply delete a synth because it might be used and something may go wrong due to that. It would have been great already if Sonar would warn me if I want to delete a synth that's being used!

Similar question for softsynths, i.e. what do you mean by "unused"?

If there are redundant items in the Synth Rack for which there are no corresponding tracks, then these can be identified by selecting each one in turn and hitting middle C on your midi keyboard.  If there is no sound, then (assuming that nothing is muted) the selected synth is not outputted to any track.

On the other hand, if there are routed softsynths for which there is no midi, then the absence of midi clips within the tracks should be evident in Track View.

Or if there are any other ways that a softsynth can be "unused" in a project, please tell.

Ok, well, that's clear then. Pity there isn't an option like that. You make it sound a little as if it is a weird desire, but imho it would be a real handy feature and not something totally impossible.

The tips Kev999 has given are obvious and well known but require you to check really everything and still things can go wrong. (How about tracks that DO drive a softsynths but don't have actual midi in the track (like Jamstix). Or how about softsynths that make no sound when you hit the C because of various possible reasons (no sound within range, synth requires modwheel input for volume). Or how do you easily check if there really isn't anything routed to a bus. Or how about a LOT of effects in a track which can't be seen in a glance but need you to scroll the list.)

As I said, other programs tell you when something you want to delete is in REAL use, so it amazes my Sonar isn't that clever. It's not something impossible imho.

Anyway, I already cleaned up my projects the hard way: took me two hours or so... I would have prefered a one click solution. There are some things I just can't get used to. (Like not being able to undo changes in VSTi's canlike you can undo things you've done in Sonar...) Ah well, nothing is perfect.

Ditto what Beagle says, How would Sonar even come close to knowing what you are using in the tangled mess of options and routing? I think if Sonar even tried to do this it would screw something else up in the process. Example the clean audio folder that is next to useless. You can only expect so much from $500 worth of coding. I am forever amazed at what is hidden in there. Sorry you found the missing feature resulted in you having to spend time manually housekeeping, but if you don't keep your workspace clean on a daily basis then your going to have a big job on your hand by the end of the month.

LOL Ok, clear, sorry about the confusion and what not.  English isn't my native language so if what I said sounded a bit harsh or anything, I sincerly apologize! I am always very grateful for all the quick help one gets here, so don't think I didn't appreciate that! And I did get a crystal clear answer on my question: what I want isn't possible, so I will have to live with that!  


I suppose my opening post wasn't too clear either: when you are used to specific options in other software, you tend to forget that not everyone may know options like that and/or people might not have a clue what you are talking about. The next time I'll forget about 'keeping it simple', haha, and try to be as detailed as possible.


Again, your input is much appreciated, as always!

Yeah, that would be cool: that would already help a lot! But it won't happen though, at least not in Sonar 8.5...  And since I don't plan on upgrading to any other DAW (X1 or anything else), I will have to live with how it is now, I guess.

How would Sonar know that a plugin is used. If it's in the project it is either in use or bypassed.

It could tell you that certain plugins are in a project but how would it know whether you want it in a project.

Now if you were to remove a plugin from your VST path or uninstall a plugin that was inserted in a track or bus, Sonar would tell you when you open the program that a particular lugin couldn't be found, but it can't make a subjective choice for you.

old thread alert, revived by msg #20

scook
old thread alert, revived by msg #20

So?   The topic still seems relevant. It was just sleeping for a while.
 
I think a couple of matrix view would be good.
 
One showing plugins, by track/bus I/O, enabled/not,.... would be way useful.
 
I do not hide tracks, but I do clone and mute and archive. Something that could show the state of all kinds of stuff would be good.
I am happy to be able to locate (within a few centimeters) a synth's input track. I would like it to highlight the track(s) as well.
And to show output tracks. 

If a synth in the synth rack has no MIDI track feeding into it, and no audio from the synth is feeding into any audio tracks, then it is unused (completely disconnected). So it seems Sonar should be able to identify those (regardless of mute, freeze, solo states etc). Maybe as a way to identify such orphaned synths, they could be highlighted in some other color.
 
This is what I think the OP meant. And he wants a way to identify those so that he can confidently remove them without screwing up the song by accidentally removing an in-use synth.
 
From time to time I run into the same thing (usually after experimenting with multiple synths), and then usually highlight them one by one and try to see if any tracks get highlighted in order to identify orphaned synths.

Some one please confirm.
 
SPLAT:
Create new project
choose 16 track template
add session drummer, track folder, midi track, all outs
click on SD in browser
  the midi track is high-lighted, no outputs
insert new midi track below the SD folder
  output to SD
click on SD in browser
  the midi track in the SD folder is high-lighted, no outputs
click on track 7
  insert new midi track
     output to SD
click on track 1
  click on SD in browser
  the midi track in the SD folder is high-lighted, no outputs
    track 7 is skipped
Close the SD track folder
  click on any audio track
  click on SD in browser
TRACK 1 is highlighted!
To be consistent would mean the SD track folder is highlighted
 
==============================
 
Open same project in X3
 Click on ANY audio track
   click on SD in browser
   The FIRST midi track is selected
 
Put track 7 (first midi track into folder)
   collapse folder
  click on any audio track
     click on SD in browser
TRACK 1 is highlighted!
 
 
An existing project created in SPLAT behave as X3, with selecting the first midi channel if the folder is expanded.
 
 
I think ALL midi channels feeding a synth should be highlighted.
 
And I want ALL output channels to somehow be identified.