Hello. As far as I can tell, when bypassing a plugin in the FX bin, the latency introduced by that plugin is still present. In Pro Tools, there is something called "Make inactive" when right clicking on a plugin insert. In Reaper, it's "Offline FX". This has been practical when needing zero latency for tracking, especially for certain plugins on the master fader. Does anyone know if there's similar functionality in SONAR?

Bypass the FX rack using the FX rack context menu (right-click in the rack to display the context menu). Click on the FX button in the Mix module or "E" on the keyboard to bypass all plug-ins. While reading the help about the FX button in the Mix module, take a look at the PDC button too.

So the only way to bypass the latency introduced is by bypassing the FX rack entirely? The PDC button could be a nice solution.

Yes

Well, it sounds like a good idea, letting you disable PDC on a track-by-track or per-plugin basis, but in practice it can make tracking much more difficult. Just ask anybody whose audio interface doesn't report its own latency correctly how much even a few milliseconds' time shift matters. 
 
If you have high-latency plugins in the chain and you're still in the tracking phase (don't do that!), or even if you're just overdubbing a list-minute addition/correction, you're really better off doing a global bypass or using the Live Input PDC Override feature and thus remove PDC from the equation altogether. 
 
 

I went ahead and made a feature request for this:
https://bakery.cakewalk.c...fline-inactive-plugins

May be irrelevant, but "Bypassing" a plug-in using its own button (most plug-ins have such a button) is not only different from bypassing it with global FX button but also different from "disabling" the plug-in in the FX bin ("Power" button for each plug-in). I mean the resulting sound is the same in all 3 cases, but only last 2 options remove delays.

You may want to try using the Mix Recall function. I have saved one Mix Scene for tracking, and one for mixing. The tracking scene has only a few plug-ins turned on, mostly just guitar plugs (Amplitube). On this scene there are no ProChannels on, no Bux FX, and no track FX except Amplitube on a few tracks. For tracking in this scene, I just lower the settings on the interface to 64 or 128ms, then record the part. 
 
Once the part is recorded, I save the scene, save the project, then switch back over the Mixing Scene. With this scene, all the PC modules are turned on, as well as all the track and buss FX.
 
This is one of the best features in Sonar, imho. I use it every day. It works great if you need to add a new part to a song, or re-do an existing part. 
 
~Jeff

Just curious... I did a loopback test the other day with Sonar Platinum and a RME Babyface Pro. I had a session with lots of tracks and plugins, some of which were linear phase and look-ahead plugins, which I am assuming are creating some latency. I left all the FX enabled and left PDC on, solo'd my drum tracks and recorded the stereo output directly back into the stereo input. (The master bus has some hefty plugins on it as well). The resulting recording was perfectly in time and in phase with the original drums. Does this mean I can leave everything enabled and record a brand new overdub to a new track with no plugins on it and have the new track be in sync to the way I played it, or am I missing something? In the past I would just make a quick bounce of the mix in progress, disable FX and PDC, and record overdubs to the temp mix, then put everything back on again. Thanks, Mark.