Observing many recent discussions about hardware/windows/sonar problems and troubleshooting, I have decided to publish my own "checklist": http://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,395.0.html
 
There is nothing "new" for long-time Sonar users. All points was discussed in this forum and elsewhere many times. But I guess I am not alone with "hm... I had that before, how I have fixed it?" or forgetting to check/set something again and again.
May be other find that short (till you open spoilers) list helpful.

Good stuff as always.  I bookmarked it. Will come in handy. 

I think you deserve a Public Service award. Cakewalk should take what you've done and create a PDF doc that's included with every version of SONAR.

Thanks again, Alexey.
You always deliver good stuff
All the best.

ya it was alright I guess .
Great stuff Alex, very in-depth.

Anderton
I think you deserve a Public Service award. Cakewalk should take what you've done and create a PDF doc that's included with every version of SONAR.

 
This is seriously a good idea. Sonars documentation is all from X3 and grossly out of date. 

You say in your checklist:
Plug-in load balancing - In most cases it should be disabled ...
 
I say in most cases it should be enabled. On my 4 DAWs SONAR runs so much faster and better with load balancing enabled. I would say it saves us 1 or 2 hours of working time per day. Processing and rendering audio data is so much faster. So this depends on the type of work and computer.
But this was one of the best improvements Cakewalk has ever made.

THambrecht
You say in your checklist:
Plug-in load balancing - In most cases it should be disabled ...
 
I say in most cases it should be enabled. On my 4 DAWs SONAR runs so much faster and better with load balancing enabled. I would say it saves us 1 or 2 hours of working time per day. Processing and rendering audio data is so much faster. So this depends on the type of work and computer.
But this was one of the best improvements Cakewalk has ever made.

I have mentioned the exception case, it happens that you have that situation.
But from https://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR&language=3&help=NewFeatures.017.html :
a) it is not working in case you live record anything (I do not think someone record with buffer 256 or more, at least not MIDI nor with DAW monitoring)
b) ineffective/can course troubles on low cores / slow computers (the total load from the buffer splitting)
c) ineffective when the system is already well loaded
d) assumes the existence of CPU heavy plug-ins apart from several other plug-ins in a chain
 
The "check list" targets people which probably already have some problems, just start to use Sonar or just upgraded the computer/reinstalled Windows and want to get Sonar stably working, before thinking about rendering time optimization.
Only CW Analytics can give real answer, but do you think the majority of such users has top computers, use heavy FXes and do not record the music live?
 
My advise to turn that option off (till the person understand for what it is good) assumes worse (but I guess not unusual) scenario. Someone tries to use Sonar on far from perfect computer and after attempt to use 128 samples buffer which his system can not handle (ASIO4ALL with Realtek chip...) has switched to 256... and he hit "plug-in load balancing" limit. I have hard time to imagine in which conditions that can be good in such case, but I can easily imagine why it can be bad...

I believe I know what Alex means.
I had issues with load balancing blowing the lid off my CPU threads.
Turned Load balancing off and CPU went back to normal (like it was before that feature was implemented).
I have periodically tried turning it on to reap the benefits of it but I cant seem to find any productivity from using it.
 

HI:)
 
Great!! Thank you very much for your work!
 
Heinz.