Issues With The Audio Engine And Track Restrictions - Sonar 7 Producer Edition

Recently, I've ran into an issue with Sonar 7 Producer Edition. 
For some reason, the audio engine won't run and the project won't play if I have more than 14 tracks in a project. 
This is strange because with the exact same set up, I've been able to have upwards of 40 tracks before my hardware gave me any issues. Even then, I've very rarely had the engine refuse to play. 

I've tried changing the driver mode, I/O buffers, latency, pretty much everything I could think of to get it to work and nothing has gotten it to play. I've even re-installed the program, but still no luck. 

To save some time, instead of typing everything out, I've taken some screen pictures of the various audio settings I have that have worked in the past as well as the basic information of my computer. 


I'm new to this forum, so I'll just provide links to the images. Hopefully that's alright.

Basic computer information.
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7255/basicinfo.png 
Project settings. 
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/9186/projectsettings.png 
Audio options. 
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/5870/audiooptions.png 
ASIO panel. 
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/183/asiopanel.png 
MIDI devices. 
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/4078/mididevices.png 


The project I'm working on has 25 audio tracks and 3 synth tracks, which is nothing new, I recently worked on one that had about that many audio tracks with 10 or so synth tracks (I can't remember specifics.) 
As far as effects are concerned, I have 19 all total, 17 of which are the LP64 EQ plug-in, the other two are the vfxFreeHaas plug-in. Neither of these have ever given me issue before and I've been able to, in the past, have many times that number in plug-ins. 
Before I started having to add more tracks, I was running at around 30% of one processor and next to nothing on the second processor. 
Other than that, one track has a volume envelope and all of the others just have fade-ins and fade-outs for various parts that need it. 
I've tried removing effects and removing the MIDI tracks, but that hasn't worked. 

Concerning hardware, I'm running through a Line 6 Toneport GX USB interface which, from what I've seen while trying to get a replacement, seems to be discontinued. 
The reason for trying to get a replacement is that, at times, it will turn off without warning. 
Even with this, I've been able to simply unplug and reconnect it and it worked fine. 
I've also tried unplugging it and using the built-in audio hardware, the name of which is Conexant High Definition SmartAudio 221. 
None of this has solved my problem, either.

I've also had the latest computer updates and, as far as I can tell, I have the latest drivers for everything installed. 


It's obvious I'm overlooking something, so if anyone that reads this could be of some assistance, I would greatly appreciate it. 
Also, if further information is needed about anything, let me know and I'll arrange it. 

Thanks for your time, 
-RM_1

...19 all total, 17 of which are the LP64 EQ plug-in...

...and there you have it. You're going to have to increase your buffers - a lot - to accommodate those CPU-munchers. Try substituting the Sonitus EQ for those 17 instances and I'll bet your track count goes WAY up.

RM_1

Looking into what you mentioned further, it's more expensive than my current model, which could definitely be an issue.
I suppose whenever it gives out, though, I'll be forced to.

I purchased a GX last year (to use with my laptop) from a London store for £64 (UKP).

It may or may not be possible to use the GearBox software with the newer model.  If it is possible then it will probably require a licence transfer or maybe some intervention by a Line6 operative.  You may find an answer to this on the Line6 support forums.
http://line6.com/support/community/support/forums/

If you want to use mastering tools on individual tracks, it's advisable to bounce.

RM_1

Kev999,

I think my old model cost £32, so £64 is a bit more than I was expecting to pay...

I think I bought it in late 2007 or early 2008, so it would probably be a good idea to upgrade...

£32 for this product sounds too good to be true.  Are you sure?

The current conversion rate for the UK£ is not even close to its 2007 value.  Price comparisons between now and then for non-UK products would be much simpler if you leave the UK£ out of the equation and work in a different currency.

If the six bands provided by the Sonitus isn't enough (and it should be unless there's something drastically wrong with the source tracks) you can cascade 2 or more instances of the Sonitus and create as complex an EQ curve as you want.

Bristol_Jonesey,

That's basically what I ended up having to do with a few tracks. My only issue with doing that is it adds more plug-ins to the chain. As long as it doesn't hinder my mixing, though, even that isn't an issue.
As I said, I'm probably not mixing correctly, but being self-taught, boiling it down, about all I know to do is analyze it, see where the main bulk of a sound is at, then cut out a bit in that frequency on the other tracks so it comes through a bit.
With having multiple synth, drum, guitar, and vocal tracks, things start getting a bit crowded, hence why I've been using LP64. 

Now that I know how much of a CPU hog that is, though, I'll be doing a lot of cascading. 
Let's just hope I don't add too many and freeze things up again.


Bitflipper,

Those are a bit beyond what I'm willing to pay right now. With still learning, I'm hesitant to start buying plug-ins. Just from glancing at them, they seem a little beyond my skill/knowledge.
ReaPlugs, though, looks more feasible.

That's always a plus with free: they usually can't make things too complicated.
Although I admit, I've been pleasantly surprised before.




Thank you both for your suggestions.

Kev999, 

From my experiences with it, I would agree, it's a good value. I've put my old model through the mill and it just keeps on going. If Line6 is consistent with quality, I wouldn't be that hesitant. 

As for the UX, I've found two of those on Amazon. 
http://www.amazon.com/Line-6-POD-Studio-UX1/dp/B001EKECAY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317714633&sr=8-1 
http://www.amazon.com/Line-6-POD-Studio-UX2/dp/B001EKECC2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1317714633&sr=8-3 
Which of those would you recommend? 

Another one of my concerns is that with my old model, I've been using all sorts of presets for recording guitar, vocals, drums, etc. and I would hate to lose those. Is POD Farm too far removed from Gearbox? 
If not, you may have me sold.