Dimension Pro Browser Lockups and Crash

I have Dimension Pro (and ExpPacks 1 - 12) which is loaded inside of the latest Producer 8.5 and I love it!!  But when I try and load a larger instrument sound from the browser, or when I try and load a successive next instrument and switch from my current one - in each case the browswer blanks out and freezes, and Producer 8.5 freezes as well and has to be shut down and restarted.
 
I am recording at a 9600 sample rate and have probably 6 tracks total typically, 2 of which are MIDI Dimension Pro tracks.  I am on a i7 series processor with 6 Gigs Memory and my system is typically loaded at 28% with Producer running.
 
But every time I try and load a new instrument in DP, it locks up.  This has gotten progressively worse over the last few weeks as well - whereas it used to be odd urban combo kits which would lock up the browser, and now it is anything over 5 Megs or more which locks it up.  So really every piano and quality symphonic instrument.
 
Most times, my first switch works OK - it is just the next one thereafter.  Not sure what to do.  I have reduced my number of tracks and effects, and that does not reduce the DP browswer lockups at all.

techead
I suggest you report this to Cakewalk support and see if they can work through it with you.  I don't recall seeing that issue described here before, but perhaps someone else here does.

Hey thanks Techead,
 
I did just that and they sent back an interesting remedy with which I was unfamiliar.  Of course they gave me the normal good advice which all users should follow (but were not my issue, nonetheless I will cite them here for reader's reference):
 
1. Freeze tracks and synths that aren't needed
2. Bounce to clips.
3. V-Vocal especially Bounce To Clips when you are finished
4. Turn off all antivirus software or other tray hogs
6. Make sure your audio device and drivers are setup correctly.
 
All these I am good on.   But it was this one, which I was unfamiliar with and which did the trick for me.
 
5. You can try going to <C:\Cakewalk Projects\Picture Cache> and
deleting the contents of this folder. This should help free up space
so SONAR may perfom more efficiently. Please ONLY delete the contents,
do not delete the folder itself.'
 
Indeed, through normal use of the package over the months, I had accrued over 1200 pictures files in this directory.  When I deleted all these files, I loaded two back to back symphonic instruments (1700 Megs each) and they worked excellently!!!  Sweet!!! (Picture me dancing in my studio)
 
So this resolved the DP Browser Crash issue for me.  My only concern is, I am using top of the line Power i7 quad 64 bit, with 6 Gigs of Ram and the top 10,000 rpm SATA disks.  SURELY if this pic thing is a normal issue for DP running in Sonar, SURELY someone would have run into this before?????????????  Well, I guess since tech suppt had this on their list, then they have.  All good tho....
 
But man I gotta say I LOVE Sonar 8.5 Producer, LOVE V-Vocal, LOVE Guitar Rig Pro 4, and LOVE Dimension PRO......gosh they are fantastic!!!
 
People, gettin ready for the News...
TS

AND!!
 
I did one more thing that Cakewalk Support recommended.  My I/O is a MOTU 828 mk3.  MOTU provides WDM/KS drivers which have their own peculiarities - and prompted me to switch to the ASIO set provided in Sonar early on.  The ASIO set is very functional except that it uses a great deal more system overhead with the MOTU.  Even though the ASIO drivers are very good (which most people seem to be using with Sonar), the techs recommended I consider using the MOTU ones instead.
 
I switched back to the MOTU WDM/KS drivers and my system load dropped from 17% average CPU load to 0% averaqe while static.  My latency at 9.6kHz also dropped from 11.7 to 5.3 ms.
 
IN ADDITION, my crackling and popping (which expressed in the audio while recording, but did not show up in the recorded sound) totally disappeared.
 
Now, I will address the WDM/KS idiosyncracies seperately because the advantages of using these far outweight the quirks.
 
TS