No vstplugins folder to be found anywhere; can't get Sonar to find EastWest VSTs

You need to do a VST scan in Sonar. Go to Preferences-File-VST Settings. In the VST Scan Folders section you need to add the folders where the library is installed. You may be able to just put the drive letter since they are on their own drive. You'll have to add the drive and folder for the ones on your other drive. Then click the Scan VST Folders button.

Look for an entry labeled "play_VST_x64" in the Cakewalk Plugin Manager under the category "VST Instruments (VSTi)" . This is the player that allows you to access all libraries you have purchased a license for. You won't find individual VSTs for your libraries. I believe this is what is happening to you according to my understanding of your issue. Hope this solves your issue. Good luck!  

When you inserted the softsynth, did you check all of the folders called VST Instruments, VSTplugins, etc. It could be in one of those. Also, make sure your iLOK security key is installed. 

Guys, I'm indebted to you all for your help and guidance. Play_VST_x64 doesn't appear anywhere in the dropdown menus in the Manager. I'm beginning to think I didn't install something correctly - certainly I hadn't purchased the SONAR X2 (or reinstalled an older version of SONAR, which I wouldn't have anyway because of the new OS) when I was installing the CCC hard/software, so it's possible I just skipped a step which asked for plugin details. Is there a way of rerunning the installer so I can correct this? It now looks like a PLAY issue now rather than a Cakewalk one.

I don't think that will show up in a Windows Search.

I just did a search for 'Dimension Pro x64', for which there are 2 entries with that name within the VSTPlugins folder within Cakewalk program folder.  One entry is for the dll, and the other is for the executable.

Only the executable Dimension Pro x64.exe returns in the search.

Bob Bone

I had updated PLAY to the latest version; however, I don't think it's located in my C: drive but rather in the HDD on which the libraries came preloaded - a second hard drive in my computer. I've rerun the PLAY installer, but it doesn't seem to give me a choice as to location. Problem is, I can't find where it actually *is* - a Windows 7 search (and it is very different from the XP engine I knew so well) suggests it resides in My Folders, within a sub-folder My Favorites, but that folder is empty. HOWEVER - A search throughout 'in computer' for "play_VST_x64.dll" (I've only just learned how to do this in Windows 7) yields the result: C:\Program Files\Common Files\East West\VSTplugins. I typed this into the relevant place in the Plugin Manager - and kapow! I was in! There was the familiar PLAY interface, and I was able to play the virtual keyboard successfully (i.e. the correct sounds came out of the speakers etc.). However, it didn't show up on the meters in SONAR; conversely, playing the MIDI keyboard *did* show on the meters, and was able to record MIDI data in the tracks.... but I can't hear anything. So, thanks to you guys, I'm 90% of the way there. Once I grasp the concept of getting MIDI and the VSTs to communicate (and I was able to do this before, in XP days), I'll be there. Once more, thanks all.

My guess is you need to set the Output of the MIDI track to the Play VST. Then you have to load a sample into Play so it has something to play. Its the same with Dimension Pro. When you insert it, you still have to load a patch so it has a sample set to play.