I mentioned this problem in another thread and got some help, but still can't solve it. So I decided to give it its own thread.
http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2831237

To make it easier to identify the cause, I did this simple test today:

1. Closed all programs except for Notepad (to make notes :))
2. Launched Sonar and opened a project using the Blank project template.
3. Inserted one audio track and one stereo bus, and changed the bus name from [Bus A] to [Master].
4. Selected "Left Quad-Capture 1-2" from the audio track's Input pull-down and "Master" from the Output pull-down.
5. Turned on Input Echo, Record Arm and metronome.
6. Recorded an 8 measure-long guitar phrase. The name "Record 1" appeared in the track header.
7. Played back the recorded clip. No problem (both the sound and waveforms).
8. Saved the project. 

After the project was saved, the "Busy" message appeared at the end of the clip name.
I can still see the waveforms and hear the guitar without problem. I don't know why this message has to appear.

I added another audio track and recorded another audio clip, choosing "Stereo Quad-Capture 1-2" from the Output field this time (instead of "Master"). And this time, the Busy message appeared after I reopened the project.

Anything I should have done before recording?

Thanks

Just a thought. Try deleting all the files in your picture cache. The default location IIRC is C:\Cakewalk Projects

If I delete all the files in the Picture Cache folder and launch Sonar and open the test project, the "Busy" message disappears. But, then if I exit Sonar (without doing anything to the project) and launch it and open the project again, the message comes back.

I normally use Sonar with "Share Drivers with Other Programs" disabled. I don't know if that's the recommended setting, but now I enabled it and it didn't fix the problem either.

Don't know about Essentials, but in my X2 Professional, when I load the default blank template, a "Master" bus is created as part of the template... Stupid question, but are you adding a second Master bus? If so, it may be part of the problem...?

Rob


EDIT: OK, after thinking about this, does the "blank" template not include any busses at all?  Not in front of my machine, so I don't remember.  Another thing you might try is loading the "Normal" template and let SONAR set up your Master bus...

rcrees

does the "blank" template not include any busses at all?  Not in front of my machine, so I don't remember.  Another thing you might try is loading the "Normal" template and let SONAR set up your Master bus... 

That's right, the Blank template includes no tracks/buses at all.
I just ran the same test using the Normal template, but again, the "Busy" message appeared after I saved and reopened the project. I'm so mystified by this...

Have you verified the playback and record timing masters in Edit > Preferences > Driver Settings are defined correctly?

This is what I found on the site.

Optimized picture cache redrawing
There are several options in the .ini files to speed up picture cache redrawing The biggest improvement will be seen on machines with multiple processors. Parallel processing can yield a significant boost in performance.
There is also an option in the Associated Audio Files dialog box to selectively redraw waveforms for individual clips that may have a corrupt waveform display (see To redraw waveforms).
.INI file picture cache options
3 new INI file variables that are used by picture cache generation and display:

In Aud.ini:

In the [Aud] section:
EnablePicCacheThreads=1 (default)
This option creates extra background worker threads for the generation of wave pictures when you load a project. One worker thread is automatically created per CPU/core. Setting EnablePicCacheThreads=0 reverts back to only using a single thread for picture computation.
If you are running a system with multiple CPU's or cores setting this to 1 can greatly speed up the computation of pictures.
Notes:
-These threads are only active while the picture is being computed.
-This option is only applicable on multiprocessor/multicore systems.
Also in the [Aud] section:
ComputePicturesWhilePlaying=1 (default)
This option allows waveform pictures to be computed in the background while audio playback is in progress. Most modern computers should be able to handle this load with no problems. Note that work is only done while new pictures are actually being computed—once the pictures are finished rendering there is no overhead.

In Cakewalk.ini:

In the [WinCake] section:
ProgressiveWavePictures=1 [default]
This option enables progressive display of waveform pictures. When enabled you will see pictures being displayed in the clips view dynamically as they are being computed. The waveforms will update in the background when the application is idle. If the ComputePicturesWhilePlaying flag is set to 1, waveforms will continue being displayed progressively even while audio playback is in progress. This can save time waiting for a complete picture to be finished before you can see it.
To redraw waveforms
1.
Select the clips that you want to redraw.

2.
Right-click a selected clip, and choose Associated Audio Files on the pop-up menu to open the Associated Audio Files dialog box.

3.
Click the Recompute Picture(s) button. A dialog box appears, asking if you want to recompute the pictures on the selected clips.

4.
Click OK.

scook


Have you verified the playback and record timing masters in Edit > Preferences > Driver Settings are defined correctly?

Yes, the both timing masters are displaying "Quad-Capture 1-2."
I deselected Quad-Capture from all options in Preferences and restarted Sonar and re-selected the device, but the Busy message still recurs.

cowboydan


This is what I found on the site.

Thanks. I think I didn't find this when I did a search myself.
But, in my case, the waveforms are fully displayed and the clip plays fine, so these options probably won't fix the problem (the recurring Busy message).

Might help if you were running Windows 7 64-bit instead of 32-bit.