Random Crashes and Tracks Suddenly Becoming Silent in X1

Sigma


So, I am using X1 64 Producer to mix the audio for a full-length movie. The problem is, more and more as I get farther into this project I am getting crashes with no apparent consistent cause, tracks suddenly going silent when I press play then a crash when I press stop on the playback, crashes during saving (which caused me to get truncated files several times resulting in hours of redoing work).

Basically this project is taking me three or four times as long as it should because x1 keeps crashing, corrupting files (luckily i save every few minutes now to a new file because of this). I've tried opening the save files in 8.5 x64 and it's no better now. Same issues.

I am not taxing my CPU. I have about a 6-10% load going on and it's literally just mixing audio tracks, using maybe two instances of boost 64 and several instances of perfect space (for different shooting locations) with a max of two getting any signal at one time. 

What the hell? This shouldn't be an issue.

When can I get compensated for my dozens of hours of lost time?   Tonight alone I have gotten half a dozen crashes usually by simply pressing play.

You're confirming my assertion that the people who buy software, especially HOSTS/DAWS, are becoming increasingly tired/intolerant of the rush to market approach whereby the vendor meets their financial projections (or tries to) at the expense of quality, well-tested applications == that we pay for in more than dollars.
 
I have been a 7 year user/supporter of Sonar/Cakewalk.  I'm tired of it though.  I've tried other software packages that -- while not perfect, seem to be much more stable.
 
All I can say is - wait (unfortunately) for X1B and see how she flies.   There's no gaurantee, but one thing is for sure -- it won't be a rush release.
 
I'm sad to have to feel this way.  I really am.   Sonar has been my 'right-arm' musically.  But I haven't even touched X1 in months now.  I have no reason to put myself through it.
 
Just look at the list of bug fixes coming.   I'm stunned, but pleased they ARE addressing these things.
 
So don't feel alone or crazy.  There's a lot of fixin' to be done.
 
And IF and WHEN it is, I will be a big supporter again (IF it all works).
 
 

Sigma


Yeah, I don't really have months to wait, unfortunately, so I am just going to have to slog through and hope for the best. I don't understand what is going on, but I don't really have another alternative at this point.

It's a shame because I very much like the new layout and features it's just this program is driving me crazy with its unpredictable crashing. It seems like, if I have played the file then try to save it will crash about half the time. I'm having to sometimes make edits and save without playing back the file then go back and listen to what happened to make sure it was ok. 

Oh I think a lot of us actually like some of the new layouts/directions/features -- if they would work lol.
 
I'm not one of the CW haters or bashers.  I've been a loyal customer and supporter.  But there does come a time when we want the same from the vendor.   That's not what happened in this case, at least not from my perspective.
 
What I chose to do is to stick with 8.5.3, which has been exceptionally stable for me (most problems have been 3rd party issues not Sonar issues, interestingly).
 
But, with my years of experience and knowledge, I just found X1 to be sub-par release.   So I decided not to add to the stress in my life.
 
I did an entire weeks worth of TV cues in 8.5.3 with hardly a burp.  I could simply not have done so in X1(a).
 
BUT - again, and I stress this, I do know that the developers (as opposed to management) do NOT want their product to be sub-par.  So I am reasonably sure (though no guarantees) that X1B will be a MAJOR improvement.
 
And I actually do honestly and anxiously await being able to benefit from the new features.
 
However, CW has lost some of my loyalty because they didn't provide the same to "us".    It is up to them to correct that, not me.
 
I cannot speak for management, but I have seen the talent/skills of the developers -- and those are second to none.
 
So I think we're in for a better ride soon.
 
I understand and comisserate with your frustation.  NOTHING makes up for lost creativity, time, etc.   But life is not fair nor perfect.   Let's hope that what is coming is worth the wait.
 
 

Friends?   Cakewalk?  A company?  A vendor?   Friends?
 
Wow you must have a shallow life.
 
And frankly I don't give a damn what you think, sir.
 
 

thomasabarnes


Ba_MIDI:

It's no wonder you complain to switch DAW software. You complained big time before, in between SONAR 3 and SONAR 4. It turned out that your complaint, back then, was more of a user error that was to blame. Cakewalk helped you to resolve the issue you were experiencing, and then you got on the special Cakewalk team (just I I did back then), and you even wrote a song about SONAR. I bought some things to your attention that seemed to help to calm you down, back then.

But now, it seems hopeless to even try. You probably don't remember this stuff I'm saying. You complain so much about X1, now. It seems all the talk you make about you are or have been a loyal Cakewalk supporter is nothing but talk. Cakewalk is in need of support now because the release of X1 has been a disappointment for a good number of users. Heck man, that's when Cakewalk can really appreciate supporters. Instead, you keep expressing how feed up you are about Cakewalk's behavior (in releasig X1 in the condition it is/was in.) Sure the release should have worked as advertised. But a friend is a friend through the good and the bad times, and friends have a tendancy to even show they recognize and disapprove of the short comings of a friend, yet that is with gentleness. Now-a-days, I see people causing me to recall the saying: "With friends like that, you don't need enemies."

Another fair weather friend, you appear to be to Cakewalk.

Oh well, you win some and you lose some.

  I look at this as personal and not appropriate for this forum.  Please don't get into such matters with forum members.  Its unnecessary. Not really something a forum of this type should entertain.

Sigma


To be honest, I have been using cakewalk/sonar since I was about 12 years old or so (I will be 27 on Thursday). There have been lots of instabilities over the years but it's what I know best. This, however, is a major project for me and x1 is really making me nervous. I wrote the soundtrack to this whole movie using 8.5 and then decided to switch to x1 when I was asked to do the overall mix because of the new mastering features/management layout etc, but It's been getting more and more unstable.

Happy Birthday Sigma.  Maybe you'll have X1B in time to finish your project.
 

I had a similar experience over the weekend.  I had a high profile project that needed a couple of elements added to an existing 8.5.3-created project.  It should have taken me an hour tops.  This was before X1a started crashing, randomly shutting down, refusing to playback.  Approximately 8 reboots and 5 hours later, I got about half of what I needed to get done and just had to submit as-is because the absolute deadline had arrived--I didn't end up fully meeting the spec from the supervisor so it may have cost me the gig, for all I know.   I was about ready to kick my PC out the window.  I'm no fair-weather friend or disloyal to Cakewalk--I've used Pro Audio since version 1 and every subsequent version of Sonar and have NEVER had this level of instability.  I don't dare try to do anything too fast, change screensets, etc. for fear of crash.  By now, I have easily topped 40-50 crashes/hangs of the SONARPDR process in the months since X1 was released.  8.5.3 was extremely stable on this machine.
 
I have no idea what it was - I  eventually just started saving new versions every 5-10 minutes out of paranoia that whatever change I made was going to make the project un-openable in Sonar.  I had repeated cases where the project wouldn't even load after a crash and had to step back a version.  I was getting runtime errors, immediate closes of X1a as soon as the project loaded.  It was even complaining from the get-go about Omnisphere not being loaded -- Omnisphere was in the project.  If I loaded the project right after starting Sonar, I would get this error every time but If I loaded a blank project, inserted Omnisphere, closed the project, then loaded my project it worked fine.  The Project would would blow up if I tried to insert an additional instance of NI Kore 2, so I finally gave up on adding that. 
 
Making music used to be fun, but this was an evening of pure unadulterated frustration.  I can only hope X1B comes out soon and addresses a ton of instability on opening/closing/editing projects. 

Well my sound card is capable of 192khz/24bit which is what I usually record at but, actually this file (not doing any new recording, really on this project, just mixing and using compression/eq/slight reverb) is 48/24 so it really shouldn't be having much trouble with it as I generally use much higher rates with no issues in 8.5. I just meant I was running the 64 bit version of the program and had the same issues after trying it on 64 bit 8.5 for some reason. 32 bit 8.5 is working just fine.

I did have 64 bit boost 11 running and deleted that in favor of 32 bit version. I suppose its possible that could be part of it?

Honestly I have a lot of trouble getting stuff like rapture and dimension pro on rare occasion to run in 64 bit sonar.