I'm having the same problem with Dimension Pro X64 crashing  Sonar.
I have to reboot in order to be able to start Sonar again.
At first I thought it was some kind of midi streaming issue as I was using my old Yamaha QY700 sequencer to trigger sounds from it.
  Now even just running Dim Pro and playing a patch from my keyboard causes Sonar to hang. 
Driving me nuts now,and making Dim Pro X64 totally unusable.

Next time it hangs try this: Instead of re-booting, LOG OFF, then log right back on. Sonar should start back then. Since X1, We've all had to figure out the fastest way to re-boot... stability is NOT X1's forte. 8.53 is still MUCH MUCH more solid and reliable.... (AND you can Still Fastbounce timecode based plugins in 8.53) Come on Bakers, you burnt the last Cake. Where's our much NEEDED X1 Exp E.

I have the same problem withe Quad Capture and Echo 8Pre drivers.  I usually have to reboot.

Guitarhacker


20 minutes to dump..... 

Maybe some bran would help.

Yeah, logging off and on again obviously quickens it up but really doesn't address the issue, these bugs are seriously seriously draining my workflow and sapping my soul.... The last sound design project I worked on for a movie Sonar was hanging every 5 minutes, taking 20 mins to dump when I had a very tight deadline to make, it wasnt easy explaining to the Director or Producer about my woes and all I got back was "Why dont you switch to Pro tools?" which naturally made my blood boil even more!

Anyway, I digress.....

So it seems I have stumbled across 3 issues in this thread.

1. Why does Sonar take so long to dump regardless if its an M-Audio driver or not? (as others are pointing to in this thread) - Will this be addressed in X2?

2. Why is Dimension Pro completely unstable if I am running anything non Sonar along side it? (i.e NI Kontakt 5) - Will this be addressed in X2?

3. When will M-Audio write some decent stable Win 7 64 bit drivers? (not aimed at Sonar obviously)

Also on a side note, Sonar no longer offers me any crash reports to send to the Tech Support team.....

Blogman


Next time it hangs try this: Instead of re-booting, LOG OFF, then log right back on. Sonar should start back then. Since X1, We've all had to figure out the fastest way to re-boot... stability is NOT X1's forte. 8.53 is still MUCH MUCH more solid and reliable.... (AND you can Still Fastbounce timecode based plugins in 8.53) Come on Bakers, you burnt the last Cake. Where's our much NEEDED X1 Exp E.

Using ASIO drivers here and crashes take about 5 minutes to clear.

Mostly ASIO here, with an occasional WDM just to test the waters.   But TBH I haven't had a "hung" crash over the last two months with a Focusrite 18i6.  The only real issue I've had is when I use it's Mix Control software to tweak output settings while SONAR is still open - that's a hard driver lock-up that requires I unplug and replug the interface's AC.   I use the Scarlett for both audio and MIDI.
 
Markyzno, have you tried unplugging all MIDI devices when the SONAR.exe hangs?   I've definitely never had a hang like that since moving to Win7 about a year ago, but may have a few times over the years when using WinXP.  I think.  I recall reading other users here that were able to get around the long hang time by unplugging their MIDI devices, and I think I may have as well.   And on that WinXP system I was using a Roland VM3100, which coicidentally uses MAudio drivers.  
 

This issue always gets me fired up - Sonar is pathetic in this regard. I HATE when processes cannot be killed. This is usually due to Sonar waiting for a driver response that it will never get. If you find the culprit - usually from a MIDI or audio device - cycle its power and then you may be able to kill the Sonar process, or it will then eventually self terminate. There are quite a few programs that are MUCH more graceful than Sonar in this respect. Anytime it has been brought up - Noel and the gang have basically said its the "right way to do things" and its not their fault - even though the hardware in question is usually fine and it is Sonar that has decided to crash for no decent reason. Unfortunately while Cakewalk digs their heels in to follow some nameless standard - we deal with the consequences of their approach by waiting around all day to kill the process or having to mess with our hardware. Good robust engineering of any system takes into account flaws and works around them or adds redundancies/checks as a part of the design. But lately not at Cakewalk. I see a lot of "their way or the highway" in the last couple years. Judging by the "as intended" responses I get to most genuine bug reports, the way X1 was released with reduced features (that they will now sell back to us piece by piece) its seeming to me that Cakewalk will dictate to the customer what comprises a good DAW, and all we can do is vote with our wallets.

I have tried having no MIDI plugged in as have read about this work around or cause but my Delta 1010 has only one midi controller keyboard plugged in which most of the time is never switched on....

stevec


Mostly ASIO here, with an occasional WDM just to test the waters.   But TBH I haven't had a "hung" crash over the last two months with a Focusrite 18i6.  The only real issue I've had is when I use it's Mix Control software to tweak output settings while SONAR is still open - that's a hard driver lock-up that requires I unplug and replug the interface's AC.   I use the Scarlett for both audio and MIDI.
 
Markyzno, have you tried unplugging all MIDI devices when the SONAR.exe hangs?   I've definitely never had a hang like that since moving to Win7 about a year ago, but may have a few times over the years when using WinXP.  I think.  I recall reading other users here that were able to get around the long hang time by unplugging their MIDI devices, and I think I may have as well.   And on that WinXP system I was using a Roland VM3100, which coicidentally uses MAudio drivers.  
 

Hi Cornelieus.... If you read above then yes, *I think* the root culprit in my case must be the pathetic M-Audio drivers but killing that process or power cycling or unplugging Midi does nothing.....( I have tried every possible sequence of killings to minimise away time from the DAW)

I have had so many different instances of Sonar crashing in different working environments (Live work, Sound Designing, Scoring) and I can root out the cause of the initial problem and usually find a work around......For example BITBRIDGE can be just AWFUL at handling 64 bit plugs like Guitar rig 4 or 5 (I bought JBridge to get around this), then I find that DPRO x 64 wont work correctly when Kontakt is running...then I find that Sonar hates anything more than 50 audio tracks in one of my sound design sessions with Guitar rig 5 FX running....blah blah blah I could go on.....BUT, the one stable across the board problem is this SONAR process not being able to be killed so I can dive straight back into a project with minimum fuss.

Cornelieus, I totally agree with your very valid point of other software having more grace in this respect. I use Adobe CS5 Premiere Pro and when it crashes it CRASHES, but I can kill the process in seconds and then can be straight back into a project without having to make a coffee, roll a cigarette pissed off to the maximum then come back into the studio having lost all creative flow, instinct and fluency.

I have been using Cakewalk all my producing life going back to the late 90's and have never experienced something as seriously and inherently wrong as I am finding with X1.

May I hope and pray that this is going to be addressed in X2. Its clear to me by digging around on the forum and the web that I am not alone with this issue.

Also please nobody tell me to go back to XP 32 bit Sonar 8.5 please (cue jokes)

Come on Cakewalk team, I am using a Delta 1010 on a 64 bit system with Quad core and 8gb of RAM, shed loads of HD space, dedicated audio drive blah blah...this simply SHOULD NOT be happening. It doesn't happen on any other bit of software.

cornieleous


This issue always gets me fired up - Sonar is pathetic in this regard. I HATE when processes cannot be killed. This is usually due to Sonar waiting for a driver response that it will never get. If you find the culprit - usually from a MIDI or audio device - cycle its power and then you may be able to kill the Sonar process, or it will then eventually self terminate. There are quite a few programs that are MUCH more graceful than Sonar in this respect. Anytime it has been brought up - Noel and the gang have basically said its the "right way to do things" and its not their fault - even though the hardware in question is usually fine and it is Sonar that has decided to crash for no decent reason. Unfortunately while Cakewalk digs their heels in to follow some nameless standard - we deal with the consequences of their approach by waiting around all day to kill the process or having to mess with our hardware. Good robust engineering of any system takes into account flaws and works around them or adds redundancies/checks as a part of the design. But lately not at Cakewalk. I see a lot of "their way or the highway" in the last couple years. Judging by the "as intended" responses I get to most genuine bug reports, the way X1 was released with reduced features (that they will now sell back to us piece by piece) its seeming to me that Cakewalk will dictate to the customer what comprises a good DAW, and all we can do is vote with our wallets.