Just installed X3 and updated to X3c.
 
I have automap settings for all my plugins.  It appears that if there is a VST3 version of a plugin then I am not able to see the VST2.4 version of it.  My automap is only working on VST2.4.  
 
2 Questions:
1) Can I get X3c to see my VST2 versions?
2) Is anyone successfully using Automap with VST3 in X3c?

Maybe the VST3 migration switches are getting in your way. From http://www.cakewalk.com/D...;Req=Dialogs2.064.html

That looks like a much better answer than I came up with on my own which was to change the file extention on my vst3 plugins so the system wouldnt see them.
 
I had automap set up to wrap them but they still didnt work.  If they work with automap then I would love to use them but not otherwise.
 
Can anyone tell me the practical benefit of VST3? 

Jackel
That looks like a much better answer than I came up with on my own which was to change the file extention on my vst3 plugins so the system wouldnt see them.
 
I had automap set up to wrap them but they still didnt work.  If they work with automap then I would love to use them but not otherwise.
 
Can anyone tell me the practical benefit of VST3? 

 
From what I've heard, the biggest benefit is that they don't draw CPU unless they're actually processing something although I'm not clear on the details. I want to try this on clip effects and see if the CPU usage goes up when Sonar passes through the clip/

Actually pulled this from  http://www.gearslutz.com/board/9452413-post18.html

Noel
Straight from Noel of CW:
"Regarding VST3, I will publish an article listing the features we implemented later.SONAR doesn't support the Steinberg specific features like expression maps, but our implementation is goes beyond what other non Steinberg VST3 hosts do today. We chose to implement all the more important and useful features. Sample accurate automation, silent buffer CPU savings, sidechaining, plugin resizing support, automatic VST2-3 migration, hierarchical parameter organization and plugin categorization are a few that that we did. The work in this area however goes well beyond just VST3. The entire VST engine was overhauled so many of these benefits apply to VST2 plugins as well. e.g. SONAR now fully supports mono sidechain plugins both in VST2 and VST3. There are some industry firsts with general plugin management as well. Plugin scanning is now transparent and automatic so you can launch the app and start working immediately in seconds, without waiting for a boring plugin scan operation to finish. Hardcore plugin addicts will be happy to know that there are no more limits to the counts of plugins listed in menus and the browser as well"

 
The bottom line really depends on what plug-ins you use and how you use them.
Even though the VST3 spec supports things like 'plug-in resizing' it's up to the developer to take advantage of them in a meaningful way.
 
Other factors...
* Some developers only develop VST3 plugs or have stopped VST2 development.
Such as Waves - (from what I've read in other posts) has frozen VST2x development and in the future will only be coding VST3 plug-ins. So no more updates for VST2 versions.  (Anyone have link to something official on this?)
 
* Side-Chaining is supposedly easier. Let others argue about this.
I haven't used side chaining since I stopped doing jingles.
 
* CPU savings (in terms of shutting off when not used).
This item has been hotly debated.
What the devs say is that a well coded VST2 plug-in in will already do this.
In terms of CPU usage - really that depends more on what kind of plug-in it is & how the plug-in operates. All things being equal a well coded VST2 plug-in will use less than a badly coded VST3.
 
I am happy X3 supports VST3s. Hopefully it will lead to better, more user friendly plugs-ins.
The 'plug-in resizing' feature by itself could be wonderful. Possible some other features will surface (in VST3 vs VST2) that I will find indispensable. 
 
...Steven

(I did not wrap the following in a quote because it messed up the formatting) 
 
From Noel's
DEVELOPER NOTES: SONAR X3 VST ENHANCEMENTS on 28 SEP 2013
Supported VST3 functionality 
 
VST3 defines the protocol for a host and plugin to communicate with each other. As such VST3 itself doesn’t implement any features.like parameter automation, sidechaining, bypass etc.These must be implemented by both the plugin and the host. This is akin to the MIDI specification where there are a myriad operations defined in the spec, but typically a given synth only implements a subset of these.
 
X3 has a fairly deep VST3 implementation. All prior operations common to VST2 are supported of course, as well as a bunch of VST3 specific ones. Some highlights are:

All VST2 compatible operations

Improved Sidechaining including support for true mono sidechains.

Resizable plugin edit windows (eg Melodyne, Waves Dorrough Stereo, Fabfilter Timeless 2)

Plugin subcategories (plugin can be viewed by category in the plugin browser and menus)

Logical parameter organization (plugin parameters are organized logically by category in the edit filter allowing you to easily find a parameter)

Dynamic plugin packages. All VST dlls can now package multiple plugins. In VST2 Waves were the only vendor actively using Waveshells.

Automatable Plugin Bypass button/parameter. The effects view toolbar now shows an automatable per plugin bypass button when supported.

CPU savings for silent buffers. Silent buffers are marked so that plugins will not consume extra CPU for processing.

Sample accurate automation. Automation is now timestamped so plugins can interpolate and process it in a sample accurate way. In VST2 automation was as accurate as the audio buffer size.

VST preset support. You can save and load VST3 presets in the .vstpreset format.

VST program support. Programs built into plugins will be shown in the fx toolbar where supported

Backwards compatibility with VST2 plugins. Where supported, SONAR will automatically  migrate a VST2 plugin to its VST3 counterpart and retain its settings when loading projects. e.g Vendors like Waves support this.

 
IMPORTANT:
1.  All the above operations require support from the plugin itself so may not be available.
2. There is no VST3 bridging. You must use native 64-bit plugins in the 64 bit version of SONAR   

To address one of the OP's original questions, I am able to use Automap with VST3 in Sonar X3c.  The only VST3 fx plugin I have is CA2A the leveling amplifier, but Automap addresses it with no complaint.  
 
I'm using Automap v 4.7 which has a selection option for VST3s on its Software Setup page. Pick the VST3, check the enable box, and that's all there is to it.
 
What version of Automap are you using?