I don't have BFD3 but would be interested to hear about any other "problematic" plugs. I have quite a varied collection and have never had a single problem.

I use slow bounce quite a lot because of BFD2 - it can be set to work in offline mode, but it's not automatic, and it's incredibly tedious to have done a fast bounce and realise that cymbal tails have been truncated so you need to open the plug-in, click the offline button, re-run the export...it's easier to just manage it from the export settings window and always run it in real-time.
 
That said, buying an SSD and moving the audio for BFD2 to the SSD *seems* to have negated the need to bounce in real-time, but I'll probably carry on doing it: it's also an excuse for a break for a few minutes!

Kev999

noynekker
I've read that for some VSTi's the "real time" bounce is necessary...Some sample information may go missing with the "fast bounce" method...

Indeed. I've had some issues with missing notes/beats with some softsynths and unticking Fast Bounce always solves the problem. I tend not to use Fast Bounce anyway unless I'm bouncing audio only.

Ditto...if I freeze most tracks I never have a problem with fast bounce but there have been times when I've had many MIDI tracks with lots of data on them (especially lots of mod data) that I've noticed a note may hang in the final render.
It's nice to have the option I think.
 

Are these specific plugs besides BFD, or a certain soundcard, or a midi buffer setting?

OK Now I understand, never had a problem with fast bounce but then I tend not to have more than 6 or 7 track unless I have drums and then it only doubles to 12 to 14 depending on how many drum tracks I split the kit into. 

BlixYZ, with all due respect, it is unreasonable to tell users not use a function or to exclusively use a function/option.  These options are there for convenience and need.  Real-time is necessary in some instances while fast bounce is self explanatory.  It is a matter of knowing when or how to use the functions/options available in SONAR and to be mindful of what options are checked when processing material in SONAR.  Keep in mind, SONAR is not a set-it-and-forget-it program.  If it were then it would be useless for most of us.
 
Kind regards,
 
Living Room Rocker
 
Maybe I'm just trying to bring up my decibel level or maybe inching my way to Forum Host. 

Just popping in to say... I respectfully disagree. Certainly FB is an awesome thing but I rarely, if ever, use it. Not that I've had any problems with it as far as I can tell but my rig is really overspec and my interface has been rock solid since I got it... so yeah, I would expect it to work. However I am not going to assume that it will and as stated up thread finding out there is a problem with a bounce after the fact (or even worse not noticing it at all before releasing the material or whatever) is a huge PITA/disappointment. I figure if I can listen to a track over and over and over again while editing/mixing I can sure as heck wait for a real time bounce to do its thing.
 
The real issue though is this seems to be implying that a real time bounce would be the source of a problem and fast bounce is the solution to that problem. I ain't no expert but that does not seem like it could ever be the case (except perhaps as a cure for impatience). Fast Bounce is a convenience for those of us blessed with powerful systems and/or small loads being fed into said systems. The advice (or at least my advice) is usually the exact opposite. If you have a problem with a bounce/export (like dropouts or system freezes/crashes) one of the first things to try when troubleshooting would be to DISABLE fast bounce features.
 
Perhaps I'm missing some context here (haven't been around due to extreme preoccupation so maybe there has been a slew of complaint threads that this relates to) but that's how I roll when doing these things.
 
tl;dr
 
Bounce problems?
 
Real Time > Fast Bounce.
 
Hope everyone is well. Cheers.

I use real time bounce only when I can't use FB. I have run into this once or twice in all these years. 
 
What is important is that Noel has repeatedly stated that there is no difference in the outcome of FB as its relates to real time bounce. The resulting files will be identical. I believe this is what the OP was trying to say. 
 
If one is fearful of somehow not getting the very best from a Fast Bounce try both. As long as your synths and plugins can handle FB you should have no problem. 
 
Also I don't see how its possible to have a difference. Its according to Noel using the same process.

Right. Under ideal conditions they should be identical but it is, AFAIK, more resource intensive thus more prone to dropouts and other flubs/hiccups related to the system tripping over itself. You know me. I'd rather err on the side of extreme (perhaps paranoid) caution than to risk even a tiny problem because a) I have so little time to screw around with the DAW (unfortunately), b) I'm not quite as experienced as others so if something does go wrong and I don't catch it right away I may end up chasing my tail thinking it was something else and c) I'm one of those people that seems to always encounter little problems if I'm not vigilant.
 
Great feature and it certainly should be employed and enjoyed but implying that using real time is going to cause some kind of issues that will be solved by using FB instead doesn't make sense to me and I think if a beginner were to read this they may misconstrue the intent of the thread. A couple years ago I may have read something like this and thought that real time was a source of problems and then erroneously avoided it.
 
Knowaddimean? Also... howdy, John.

And yeah... the BFD manual (at least the one I have) is pretty clear about using the Offline feature when rendering. You should still be able to use fast bounce if that's engaged but again I just use real time and wander off to make some tea or something. That, however, is kind of a different topic.