Helpful ReplyPossible fix for plugin settings not being saved?

Page: < 12 Showing page 2 of 2
Author
sharke
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 13933
  • Joined: 2012/08/03 00:13:00
  • Location: NYC
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/01/29 17:35:21 (permalink)
I have to be honest, I was a little annoyed that the Bakers didn't go all out to fix this. I was always told that if I couldn't provide a recipe and if they couldn't replicate it on their end, then there was little they could do. But in my mind this problem was serious enough to warrant pulling the stops out - even if it only affects users who work on projects of a certain size or complexity, it's still a catastrophic bug which effectively makes the program useless for certain kinds of projects and that's not a good image for a DAW to have. I couldn't help feeling that the Bakers would know enough about how VST plugins are wired and receive messages from Sonar to be able to figure out a range of possible causes and work backwards from there. From my end, as a layperson who isn't intimately familiar with the code, all I can do is grope around in the dark and that's what I've been doing, without much success.  

James
Windows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
#31
burgerproduction
Max Output Level: -86 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 209
  • Joined: 2015/05/01 02:49:17
  • Location: Italy
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/01/29 17:45:15 (permalink)
abacab
 ....difficult to achieve that exact combination of variables in a testing lab, especially considering that some of the projects have existed, been modified, etc., through several versions of Sonar and/or Windows ...



I can vouch for that. I've gone through at least 5 versions of Sonar and 4 of Windows, and occasionally I open projects where some fx don't load (or no longer exist), VSTs don't load up, presets are lost, even the occasional wav file goes missing or gets corrupted. I see it as part and parcel of the rich tapestry of life (if I may mix my metaphors).
 
As I like to tweak old projects every now and then, I always make an updated backup each time, with a new name and date (and version no) and then archive them by year. Sometimes it means I have multiple copies of the same backup over several years, but at least it means I can always go back to a working version is something is lost or corrupted. I've stopped saving projects as bundle files since I've lost entire projects that way after they refused to open.

Cakewalk by Bandlab, Sonar Platinum Lifetimer, Windows 10, HP Laptop, CPU i5, RAM 8GB. Audio interface: Edirol FA-101 Firewire interface with moded drivers. Microphones: Audio-Technica, M-Audio, Behringer, AKG. Pianos: Casio digital, Yamaha B1 upright.  Guitars: Dobro, Tanglewood, Danelectro, Fender. Hats: Fez
Check out my music :
https://53mph.bandcamp.com/album/like-water-to-the-sand
 
#32
sharke
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 13933
  • Joined: 2012/08/03 00:13:00
  • Location: NYC
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 03:55:36 (permalink)
For those who are interested, I seem to be having success with the problem of Sonar not saving plugin settings. At least I think I've narrowed down the cause a little bit. I'm now 90% certain it has something to do with Sonar's preset system, in that something has been causing Sonar to select a factory default preset, thus wiping out the saved settings. Previous to this, I'd been using the plugin's own preset saving mechanism to save presets in the manufacturer's own format, in my project folder. Doing this, I'd still open projects to find EQ settings hosed, but at least I was able to reload my settings from these saved presets. A huge pain to have to do this with dozens of tracks every time I loaded the project, but at least it got my settings back. 
 
Now I've switched to using Sonar's native preset mechanism instead, and in the couple of days I've been doing this, so far the projects have been loading with the settings intact. Of course this still isn't ideal because I'm going to end up with a preset menu full of 200 or so presets for each affected plugin by the time I get done with these projects (for the life of me I cannot figure out where these presets are stored). 
 
But anyway, it's definitely starting to look like this missing settings problem is related to Sonar's preset system. 

James
Windows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
#33
jackson white
Max Output Level: -85 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 283
  • Joined: 2008/02/19 21:35:13
  • Location: BOS
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 05:10:39 (permalink)
sharke
(for the life of me I cannot figure out where these presets are stored). 

 
I assume you are clicking on the VST2 options in the title bar of the VST?
 
It should allow you to select a location for saving the preset. Mine are all saved to a VST preset folder which helps with migration to a different platform.
 
fwiw, I've occasionally noted some differences in mixes after reloading them, but not enough to track down the details to confirm if it's psycho-acoustics or software.

--------------------
Some pieces of wood with wires and bits of metal stuck in them, silicon and plastic
#34
sharke
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 13933
  • Joined: 2012/08/03 00:13:00
  • Location: NYC
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 06:30:30 (permalink)
jackson white
sharke
(for the life of me I cannot figure out where these presets are stored). 

 
I assume you are clicking on the VST2 options in the title bar of the VST?
 
It should allow you to select a location for saving the preset. Mine are all saved to a VST preset folder which helps with migration to a different platform.
 
fwiw, I've occasionally noted some differences in mixes after reloading them, but not enough to track down the details to confirm if it's psycho-acoustics or software.




I'm putting them in the preset menu in the title bar, because I suspect that this bug involves something along the lines of Sonar reverting to the selected title bar menu preset instead of loading the state of the plugin that was saved with the project. For example, if I load a new instance of Waves Q10 EQ, it shows "Q10 Full Reset" as the preset in the title bar menu. This preset is basically all parameters reset to factory default. As I shape the EQ, the menu bar is of course still showing "Q10 Full Reset."
 
What I believe might have been happening is that Sonar was applying this menu preset to the plugin instead of applying the settings that were saved with the project. And indeed something is occasionally triggering this default preset during the course of working on the project, because I've had occasions where I've set an EQ up and found it reset later in the same session. 
 
Saving my own settings as a preset in the menu seems to have done the trick. If Sonar tries to apply the menu preset again, then it can go ahead because I already have my own preset selected in the menu. Any time I adjust an EQ, I simply click the "save" button in the title bar and it updates the preset - no need to bother with saving files and loading them again. I believe the menu presets are stored in the registry, although I'm not sure of this. Of course I may be totally deluded and open my projects tomorrow and see all of my EQ's flatlined again, but this is the most hopeful solution I've seen and so far it's worked.

James
Windows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
#35
sharke
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 13933
  • Joined: 2012/08/03 00:13:00
  • Location: NYC
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 06:40:07 (permalink)
Well as if to mock my naive hope, as soon as I posted the above comment I opened a project to find multiple tracks with their EQ settings destroyed again 
 
Sonar - still junk 

James
Windows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
#36
azslow3
Max Output Level: -42.5 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 3297
  • Joined: 2012/06/22 19:27:51
  • Location: Germany
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 08:54:40 (permalink)
I have not went throw corresponding sections of VST specification (yet) so the following in IMHO at the moment. But since I want restore FX presets saved in Sonar project in Reaper, I am slowly digging throw...
 
In Sonar presets are saved inside the registry (sometimes directly, sometimes pointing to file). Cakewalk Plug-in Manager can deal with the whole tree, including exporting/importing sets of presets for one or more plug-ins.
And now interesting part... for some plug-ins (I have no idea yet why for some and not for other), the whole bank of presets is also saved into the project. So in the project there is not just one "black box" for one plug-in instance, but a bank of "black boxes" with "current" pointer, for each plug-in instance. Obviously, the list can be the same or different from what registry currently has.
If I remember correctly, VST itself can work with banks. And so DAW<->VST conversation is no longer "get black box"+"set black box", but get/set/manipulate the lists of them, with names and indexes. When one side has incorrect imagination what other side is doing (and as with several other areas in VST specification, there is some "interpretation freedom" there), that can trigger problems you observe.
 
I guess I will be able to tell more once I manage to import. And we can check what is going on with concrete plug-ins in your concrete projects then...

Sonar 8LE -> Platinum infinity, REAPER, Windows 10 pro
GA-EP35-DS3L, E7500, 4GB, GTX 1050 Ti, 2x500GB
RME Babyface Pro (M-Audio Audiophile Firewire/410, VS-20), Kawai CN43, TD-11, Roland A500S, Akai MPK Mini, Keystation Pro, etc.
www.azslow.com - Control Surface Integration Platform for SONAR, ReaCWP, AOSC and other accessibility tools
#37
marled
Max Output Level: -85 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 251
  • Joined: 2015/01/22 04:50:52
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 10:08:23 (permalink)
Very well written azslow3!
 
I like especially this part:
azslow3
... and as with several other areas in VST specification, there is some "interpretation freedom" there), that can trigger problems you observe.
...


This is exactly the thing a lot of software developers and also users do not understand: Each standard interface specification lacks some definitions that the interface creators say are in the blackbox, but essentially it is only a "grey" box and therefore it must be handled properly!

... many years before ...
#38
Bassman002
Max Output Level: -84 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 321
  • Joined: 2014/12/19 05:51:16
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 11:58:49 (permalink)
Now I've switched to using Sonar's native preset mechanism instead, and in the couple of days I've been doing this, so far the projects have been loading with the settings intact. Of course this still isn't ideal because I'm going to end up with a preset menu full of 200 or so presets for each affected plugin by the time I get done with these projects (for the life of me I cannot figure out where these presets are stored).

 
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\ActiveMovie\Presets\
 
Bassman.
 
#39
mettelus
Max Output Level: -22 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 5321
  • Joined: 2005/08/05 03:19:25
  • Location: Maryland, USA
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 12:25:10 (permalink)
I do seem to recall a few reports of people saying the indexing value was off by one, which makes more sense if SONAR is saving a "bank of presets." I thought that issue applied to a couple cases other than just presets though, like track orders/numbers/selections when doing certain functions.

ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero (Wi-Fi AC), i7-8700k, 16GB RAM, GTX-1070Ti, Win 10 Pro, Saffire PRO 24 DSP, A-300 PRO, plus numerous gadgets and gizmos that make or manipulate sound in some way.
#40
gustabo
Max Output Level: -49.5 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 2591
  • Joined: 2009/01/05 17:32:38
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 12:53:35 (permalink)
I don't get it, the cw preset system always works for me, I type in the name that I want to save it as (usually ProjectName-TrackName) and hit the save icon twice, once to save it and the second time to overwrite it to make sure it was saved. Simply typing in the name and hitting enter does not save it.

 


Cakewalk by Bandlab - Win10 Pro x64 - StudioCat Platinum Studio DAW - 32 GB Ram - MOTU UltraLite-mk3
M-Audio Keystation 88ES - Akai MPD26 (hot-rodded) - Alesis DM10 - a few guitars, a few amps
Novation Launch Control - Korg nanoKONTROL2 - PreSonus FaderPort - DAW Remote HD on iPad
Adam A7X - Behritone C50A
PreSonus Monitor Station v2 (controlling the mons)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sonarusergroup/

#41
chuckebaby
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 13146
  • Joined: 2011/01/04 14:55:28
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 16:52:02 (permalink)
sharke
 
Sonar - still junk 


 
I am only a semi professional (hobbyist).. But I wouldn't use anything that was junk.
 
- No more fixes
- No more support
- No more development
 
Im using Studio one now. With that said, I miss Sonar. It does things that Studio one does not.
I had no problem dealing with its quirks in exchange for a great platform to create music.
But if I were losing presets and other issues, id be gone yesterday.

Windows 8.1 X64 Sonar Platinum x64
Custom built: Asrock z97 1150 - Intel I7 4790k - 16GB corsair DDR3 1600 - PNY SSD 220GB
Focusrite Saffire 18I8 - Mackie Control
   
#42
sharke
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 13933
  • Joined: 2012/08/03 00:13:00
  • Location: NYC
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 17:01:57 (permalink)
chuckebaby
sharke
 
Sonar - still junk 


 
I am only a semi professional (hobbyist).. But I wouldn't use anything that was junk.
 
- No more fixes
- No more support
- No more development
 
Im using Studio one now. With that said, I miss Sonar. It does things that Studio one does not.
I had no problem dealing with its quirks in exchange for a great platform to create music.
But if I were losing presets and other issues, id be gone yesterday.


Like I've explained multiple times in different threads Chuck, I have a number of large, unfinished projects that are way too complicated in terms of track count, Fx chains, routing and automation to be transferred to another DAW. It would take me months. So until I get these finished (which is taking longer because of how poorly Sonar behaves with projects like this) then I am forced to struggle through, with all of the associated frustrations.

James
Windows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
#43
sharke
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 13933
  • Joined: 2012/08/03 00:13:00
  • Location: NYC
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 18:04:22 (permalink)
One odd thing I've noticed about these Sonar menu presets is that when I load the project, all of my selected presets have a star next to them indicating that they've been changed, even though they didn't have the star when I closed the project. Makes me wonder if this is a clue as to what Sonar's doing to bork my settings. 

James
Windows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
#44
KPerry
Max Output Level: -44 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 3120
  • Joined: 2011/04/26 15:13:15
  • Location: London, UK
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 21:49:26 (permalink)
That can happen with things like auto-running LFOs in the plug-in changing parameter values (and hence the opened version is immediately out of sync). Not saying that's what is happening here, but it does happen (and is a PITA sometimes).

Windows 7 x64 SP1
SONAR x86/x64
 
Intel Q6600/8GB
MOTU UltraliteMk3 (USB/ASIO)
Edirol PCR300
#45
sharke
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 13933
  • Joined: 2012/08/03 00:13:00
  • Location: NYC
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 21:57:39 (permalink)
KPerry
That can happen with things like auto-running LFOs in the plug-in changing parameter values (and hence the opened version is immediately out of sync). Not saying that's what is happening here, but it does happen (and is a PITA sometimes).



 
Interesting, I never thought of that. However in my case it's all EQ's, so I don't think any active LFO's 

James
Windows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
#46
KPerry
Max Output Level: -44 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 3120
  • Joined: 2011/04/26 15:13:15
  • Location: London, UK
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 22:29:35 (permalink)
Unlikely :-)

What's really annoying about it is when it dirties a project and you wonder if you've actually made a change or not...

Windows 7 x64 SP1
SONAR x86/x64
 
Intel Q6600/8GB
MOTU UltraliteMk3 (USB/ASIO)
Edirol PCR300
#47
sharke
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 13933
  • Joined: 2012/08/03 00:13:00
  • Location: NYC
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 22:35:47 (permalink)
That's the worry I have when I open projects now. And I have a kind of OCD urge to go through all my EQ's and click save again just to get rid of the asterisks. 

James
Windows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
#48
sharke
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 13933
  • Joined: 2012/08/03 00:13:00
  • Location: NYC
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 23:15:04 (permalink)
Another weird little clue just occured. I'm starting to think there may be more than one cause of Sonar messing with plugin settings. 
 
What happened was that I had a synth part running on loop in quite a large project. I then inserted an instance of Pro-Q onto the track, as the transport was running, and activated a high pass filter at 200Hz. Inserting plugins during a looped playback sometimes causes MIDI to go out of sync in large projects for me, and it did this time. So I stopped playback with the spacebar, and immediately hit space again to restart from the start of the loop. At the exact same time I did this, the high pass filter in Pro-Q jumped down to 30Hz in front of my eyes, without me touching it. I did the same actions again with the same results. I'll try and capture it in a screencast. I tried reproducing this in a fresh project but of course it didn't happen - so there must be some combination of conditions, which aren't present in a fresh project, which causes this nonsense to happen. 
 
I remain quite sure that certain actions cause Sonar to send errant automation data to plugins, and stopping or starting the transport seems to be one of them. Someone else reported that they saw the Quadcurve settings being messed with as they clicked the cursor back and forth to different locations in the clips pane. And finally there's this which I've posted before - evidence of Waves Q10 settings being messed with when turning the ProChannel on:
 

 

James
Windows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
#49
sharke
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 13933
  • Joined: 2012/08/03 00:13:00
  • Location: NYC
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 23:19:11 (permalink)
OK so here's a screencast of the Pro-Q filter being moved when I stop the transport. Inserting the plugin during playback makes the MIDI go out of sync, this seems to be a crucial ingredient. Might want to right click and "view in new tab" if it's too small. 
 

 
 

James
Windows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
#50
sharke
Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 13933
  • Joined: 2012/08/03 00:13:00
  • Location: NYC
  • Status: offline
Re: Possible fix for plugin settings not being saved? 2018/02/02 23:23:14 (permalink)
Well, perhaps the MIDI going out of sync isn't a crucial ingredient after all - now it's doing it if I insert the Pro-Q when the transport is stopped. As you see, as soon as I hit play, the same thing happens. 
 


James
Windows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
#51
Page: < 12 Showing page 2 of 2
Jump to:
© 2024 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1