Platinum Plugin Manager gone Crazy (Solved I think with explanation) See Post#27

My plugins are all over the place since the Cambridge update.
 
I don't use any special menus, just the default and I have VST 3s showing up in VST 2 entries in the menus but in the Plugin Manager they are correctly listed as VST 3 with their locations properly shown.
 
I don't do anything fancy with plugins. They all go to Program Files\VSTPlugins\Manufacturer Name\   for VST 2's and VST3s just go to the default Program Files\Common Files\Manufacturer Name
 
I even have data paths showing in my default plugin Menu in the Browser under VST 2. I t starts with Program Files\
 
I have paths that were not being used before showing and I can't make paths that I type into Preferences or the Plugin Manager to stick hence I don't scan most of my plugins, not to mention that all my Waves plugins have also gone crazy and Ive just deleted the whole of Mercury while I try to sort this mess out.
 
Anyone else having issues? I've done a reset and rescan many times. I rebooted as well. I've checked the registry and Sonar is not even honouring registry entries with respect to plugins - VST 2 anyway.  VST 3s are Ok except for Waves which I've uninstalled as I've mentioned already.

The paths aren't sticking after I browse to a location and press enter nothing happens. I've found a couple of corrupt Registry entries that may explain matters. The key for a VST path is named differently to the txt string contained within and its that txt that indicates a different Plugin path. Really weird as this was all fine before the update.
 
Tell me scook on another but perhaps related matter, what happens to a link that's deleted in windows explorer? Its gone isn't it? Shouldn't effect things anymore.

There should be no need to be digging in the registry for this stuff. All the paths except for the ProChannel are exposed in Preferences > File > VST Settings but since you are in there make sure you are looking at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\SONAR\Cakewalk VST X64\Paths, the path

 
A deleted link is gone and should not affect things anymore.

Yep. The only reason I'm in there is because, as I said the Plugin Manager wont allow me to add a new path that actually sticks.
 
I've now found 2 entries in the registry where the name of the key does not match the name of the txt string within the key. I now fixed that and doing a complete rescan of all plugins. But it still doesn't explain what's showing in my browser. Maybe by the time the scan is done everything will be OK.
 
The question is how did this happen. Happily working on a project, get the news about the new update and this afternoon install it (No new windows updates, everything else as it was yesterday and this morning) then all this weird plugin business.

Well hooray, after the Registry edits to correct the 2 keys showing incorrect paths, it all scans OK with the exception that it still shows an entry for Program Files etc in the Browser as per the screenshot above.

Did you scan or reset?
Do you have the VST2 version of VKFX installed? I did not see that in the list above.

I started by doing a reset and rescan after the initial problems all to no effect. But I'm repeating myself now as I stated that in the very first post.

mudgel
I started by doing a reset and rescan after the initial problems all to no effect. But I'm repeating myself now as I stated that in the very first post.

That is what I understood from the first post, I was asking about the process in msg 9 but I doubt it matters WRT your VKFX issue.

Ah OK I'll put them back and see.

The VKFX PC module issue is nothing like anything you would have experienced in SONAR 8.
 
There is only one VST scanner for 32bit SONAR and one for 64bit SONAR, it is a shared utility. Up until the new SONAR, there was one VST inventory for 32bit SONAR and one for 64bit SONAR. So when running 64bit SONAR 8 and X3 you were actually using the same scanner building the same registry entries.
 
The new SONAR still uses a shared scanner but builds a separate VST inventory.

mudgel
why did I get corrupt registry entries? Why has there been such a mess after the Cambridge update?

Don't know. The update happened after or during the time the registry flaked out.
 
I would guess there have been quite a few updates performed in the last few hours and you were the lucky one to have this issue. At least the only one to report it so far.
 
Not sure what good a rollback would do if the registry is foobar. The rollback would be trying to reinstall an older version using a broken registry.

I don't do Waves.

Does it look the same in X3? I thought the plugin manager is a shared component.

I think I know what's happened.

After doing the Cambridge update I reinstalled all the various plugins through the CCC that had been nullified by having signed out of the CCC. As there were no updates to any of the plugins it used the installers already on my computer. Perhaps there's some changes since Braintree and Cambridge that cause some sort of incompatability with existing plugin registry entries.

I guess those various installers have played havoc with the registry, accounting for the errors and difficulties I've had. I can think of no other rational explanation.

Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]
1. The overloud PC modules are dual mode modules. i,e they can be both PC modules as well as normal FX. The PC spec supports that. Thats why you are seeing them in the plugin browser and its normal. If you don't like seeing them in the internal folder just move them to the normal VST folder. 
2. BTW please check if you have the internal path listed explicitly in the vst scan path. That is unnecessary if so and should be removed.

Thanks for chiming in Noel.
1. It's all sorted.
2. It is set that way but why is that the default if it should not be so. Also after the Cambridge update Sonar insisted on wanting to do a Personalisation at startup which I eventually did.