Hello, I've been using SONAR X2 essentials for about a year now and I absolutely love what it has allowed me to do musically. Unfortunately I have an issue. I just recorded a song with about 60 tracks and when I try to apply a plug-in to any one of the 60 the window for the plug-in opens and I'm able to manipulate the interface of the plug-in but I hear no difference in the track the Plug-in is applied to. Also, above the volume fader where the name of the plug-in is the name of the plug-in shows but is in a light gray as opposed to the normal white. Any solutions for me? The answer is probably very obvious haha. 

Sounds like the FX bins have been globally bypassed. Try pressing SHIFT-CTL-Y. (I'm assuming that shortcut still works in X2, but the shuffling of all the keyboard shortcuts was one of the reasons I stayed on 8.5.)

The shortcut in X2 for globally bypassing Fx is E

Bristol_Jonesey
The shortcut in X2 for globally bypassing Fx is E

Dangerously near to the R key for record.
 
Caught me out a few times before I sussed why my project started sounding so different..