Hello everyone,
I am new to Sonar, while I am trying to use Ample guitar VST, I get constant crashes.
When start everything plays fine but then it start to do this strange sound (prrr) then is freezes the plug in, I have to reboot the software every time to keep working.
I only have this guitar and a basic drum, (kick drum only) nothing fancy.
 
My Pc is windows 7 with Intel i7 and 20Gb RAM, SSD500Gb
not sure it is the default sound card software related?
your help is appreciated.
Thank you.
 

I have the Ample Guitar series and have not had any issues so far. Couple of questions come to my mind is Which Ample Guitar are you using and have you tried it in stand alone mode to see if you have issues with it by itself?
 
Kind regards,
Rick

Are you using an audio interface, sound card, or the Realtek? It sounds like an interface issue (hardware, driver mode, and buffers), but need to understand your audio setup if you can help us out with this info.

Thank you for your fast responses.
I understand that it is hard to debug this type of problems so let me know if you need more info.
I used to have a Mac with an external interface, never had any problems now I had  move to Windows and I don't have any dedicated sound card.
My motherboard is an ASUS p8 Z77-V it has the default Realteck HD Audio. 
I am using SONAR Professional, and Ample Guitar M ( martin model) 1.8
I just contacted Ample guitar so they can send me the latest drivers , I guess they are 2.XX now
 
My profession is CG artist but I am also a musician, and I like to write some music for the videos that I do.  If the sound chip I have is not enough (I am guessing may be the problem) which sound card or external device you guys would recommend that won't break the bank :) but not el cheapo either.
 
I thought in buy some interface since I have a few acoustics and electric guitars, I also have a Alesis QX25  and Q49 MIDI keys.
Thanks again.
 
P.S.
Forgot to mention, that when using Ample Guitar M Stand alone there is no problems.
 

Hi fco3d,
 
It sounds like you have came to the conclusion that it is probably due to the lack of an external audio interface. I wish I could recommend an inexpensive solution but not sure what your price range is. On my portable machine I use an RME babyface and I can highly recommend it if you do not require much I/O.
 
Hopefully someone will chime in here with a good less costly interface that will work for you.
 
Wishing you the best. 

The Realtek chip can be adequate for playback, but tends to fall short for recording. A couple things you can try with this setup:

1. Go into Windows "Change Sound Card Settings," click on the "Realtek High Definition Audio" and then "Properties." On the "Advanced" tab be sure it is set to what your SONAR project is (mine is set to 24 bit, 44100Hz) and that both "Exclusive Mode" options are unchecked. Edit: Also disable everything on the "Enhancement" and "DTS" tabs.
2. Repeat this on the "Recording Tab" at the top. (Step 1 was for the Playback tab).
3. Inside SONAR Preferences (shortcut "P" or Edit->Preferences), check Audio->Playback and Recording on the left, and change "Driver Mode" at the top to WDM/KS or even MME. You will need to check the Devices and Driver Settings (on left) to be sure they are correct after shifting driver modes.
4. On the Driver Settings, you may need to bump up "Buffer Size" (in the middle) to 256 or so, depending on performance. Also ensure that "Audio Driver Bit Depth" and "Sampling Rate" match what you chose when adjusting the Windows settings in Step 1 above.

Unfortunately, that chip is not ideal, and precludes "ASIO mode" since Windows uses it. The above may give you adequate performance to do what you are attempting, but a dedicated interface with ASIO drivers is preferred. I have had very good experience with Focusrite products, and (depending on what you "need") the Scarlett 2i2 (2-in, 2-out)is a nice entry-level USB interface that is pretty much 150USD everywhere. There are others in this price range that are popular as well. http://www.sweetwater.com/c695--USB_Audio_Interfaces is a good place to read reviews for USB interfaces in your price range.
 
Edit: As you narrow down what options you like, feel free to post a question in the hardware section on opinions before buying. Also, it is good to buy from a store with a 30-day return policy just in case you are not satisfied with it.

I have not tried to use a onboard sound chip for DAW work....but is it possible, and what setup would allow some?
 
Perhaps tweaking might help, as in other threads, to reduce sharing of irq's, and turning off redundant devices..???..turn off hdmi audio playback, and such, disable wi fi and nics....before going out and spending more for something you may not need, right now...and if so buying will only need to do some tweaks to get that working....So what are all the tweaks to gain DAW bliss?...surely variables in system specifications, and setup as is, and or should bees set first...then make choices in upgrading devices for a price....
 
Focusrite make some really good stuff...so does m audio for the lower ended markets...and RME have been there also since way back...depending on where you want this to go in future?...perhaps save for a better audio device/ newer ones are coming!.... while playing around with the onboard audio chip first?....

You mentioned having an external interface for the Mac. If you still have it, are Windows drivers available for it?

Hi everyone,
Thank for the input, I will try to review the settings of the Realtek chip and see how far I can go.
When I sold the MAC I sold everything, I sold it to a friend so it was a good deal for him,it was an M Audio interface,  I was not planning to do more music recording by then but oh well here I am again :p
I hear good things about the Focusrite, I thought I'd ask here to see what more compatible with SONAR, I used to use Pro Logic so SONAR is pretty new to me.
Thanks again.
I'll check the hardware forum and see what how it goes.
Thank you.
Fco.
 

I think you'll find many here have Focusrite interfaces, including the lower cost USB Scarlett series (myself included).   Works great with SONAR!