I have been using Sonar since SONAR 6
I have been using Sonar since SONAR 6 and started out with Home Studio (which always worked perfectly). I have never ever had seamless, problem less functioning ever since I switched. I have always had some issue with either dropouts or Vst's etc.. I had a dual core with 2g running at 266. So I upgraded all my hardware so it matched the recommended hardware listed by Cakewalk (AMD Phenom 2X4 upgrade to 2X6 - 8 g RAM, got the recommended Edirol controller and the edirol interface UA25EX running at 2.88. I upgrade to WIN7X64. Downloaded all the appropriate upgrades and guess what. More problems. Dimension Pro would crash if I used certain waves. Half of my former valid FXs or vsts no longer worked because of...file placement of because the weren't X64 compatible ( I don't know)??? And yes, say goodbye to Project 5. Guitar Rig 3LE and 4 Pro were really screwed. I couldn't access the 4 Pro presets.
I contacted Cakewalk about this and they suggested it was something to do with the ASIO driver, but those are working fine. Frustrated--to say the least-- I bought Sonar X1 because as it was released into the world of the new WIN7X64 platform it must finally work, right? Christ! You know it ain't easy....
I erased all previous versions of Sonar and Cakewalk software. I erased all Dimension Pro. I erased all Native Instrument file. I cleaned out all traces in the registry.
SONARX1 Works, maybe . Guitar Rig 4LE??? Sonar doesn't even see it. Dimension Pro??? When I tried to load it, it said it couldn't because there was a previous version loaded (that was deleted, supposeably) and that I must use the 1.5 update. Well I reloaded my previous 1.2+updated version (1.3??) and then used 1.5 update that asks me where the files are and then where the files are...and now I get messages saying Sonar can't find Dimension Pro because it must have been installed improperly--geez, no kidding. I wonder where the files are so I can put them where the files are? Sonar didn't automatically recognize the Edirol UA25EX unit. I had to go in and set it manually. It didn't recognized M-60 (?) Edirol controller automatically -- I set it manually. If things were not good before they are but major screwed now!
And you know what: even VSTs that Sonar X1 downloaded (pentagon) can't be found by Sonar (obviously they weren't put into the right file folder --wherever that is (programs or programsX86 or ... )
If someone would just provide a file map of where everything is supposed to be and date it back to the original Sonar 6 then I can put everything where it is supposed to be. If the software can't do it then I'll do it. If it still doesn't work, I'll sell the whole mess buy a Mac and download ProTools or CuBase. I have invested way too much to just give up. I will take my computer to a shop and get the whole thing stripped back to WIN7X64, if need be - but there hasn't been anything but Sonar and NI on this computer out side of the original HP crap they put on. Brand new, out of the box and only Sonar and NI were installed. The UA25EX interface works great. The controller works great. The computer can outrun a cheetah.
I have been using computers since before Commodore 64 (texas instruments actually). I have been using recording software since Tracs (1980). I see the potential in Sonar, but I've yet to realize any of its promises. With the kind of hardware I'm using, I should be fairly unlimited in what I (alone) can do. All I see are crashes and walls. I have never encountered any piece of software that continually has so many glitches.