File - VST Settings

Figure 602. The VST Settings section.

The VST Settings section lets you manage VST effect and instrument plug-ins.

The VST Settings section contains the following settings:

VST Scan Paths

This window lists the folders that are scanned for VST plug-ins. “Scanning” a VST plug-in means adapting the plug-in’s file format so that the plug-in works in Sonar.

To add folders or remove folders, use the following buttons:

Add. This button opens the Browse for Folder dialog box, which allows you to select a new folder to be scanned.

Remove. To remove a folder from the to-be-scanned list, first select the folder, and then click the Remove button.

Scan Options

This group of commands controls the following options:

Specify when to scan for new VST plug-ins. The options are as follows:

Automatic Background Scan. Sonar automatically scans the folders in the VST Scan Paths list in the background by periodically detecting when data in the folders have been updated, or the scan paths have changed.

Scan On Startup. The folders listed in the VST Scan Paths list are searched for new plug-ins whenever you start Sonar. Scanning occurs in the background.

Manual Scan. The folders listed in the VST Scan Paths list are searched for new plug-ins when you click the Scan button.

Rescan Failed Plug-Ins. Checking this option causes any plug-in(s) that didn’t scan correctly to be rescanned during the next scan.

Rescan All Plug-Ins. Checking this option causes plug-in(s) that did scan correctly to be rescanned during the next scan. This is a way to implement any changes you’ve made to the Folder defaults settings.

Scan in Sandbox. Scan each plug-in within a private scanner process. While this is slightly slower, it is more robust and prevents plug-ins from corrupting or stopping the scanning process.

Generate Scan Log. Log the VST scanning progress to %APPDATA%\Cakewalk\Logs\VstScan.log. This can be useful to troubleshoot problems when plug-ins fail to scan properly.

Note: Logging is intended for diagnostic purposes, and can have overhead. Generate Scan Log should only be enabled if instructed by BandLab technical support.

Scan. Click this button to immediately scan the folders listed in the VST Scan Paths list.

Reset. Click this button to remove all scanning records and settings from all your VST plug-ins. Use this button if you want to completely start over.

VST3 Migration

Hide Related VST2 Plug-Ins. If you have both VST2 and VST3 versions of a plug-in, you can instruct Sonar to automatically hide any redundant VST2 plug-ins from Sonar’s plug-in menus.

Replace If Possible on Project Load. If you have both VST2 and VST3 versions of a plug-in, you can instruct Sonar to automatically upgrade to the VST3 version when loading a project that uses VST2 plug-ins.

The following table shows the expected plug-in substitution results when opening projects containing VST plug-ins.

 

Table 100. VST2 to VST3 migration  

Source	Sonar
	Replace If Possible on Project Load enabled	Replace If Possible on Project Load disabled
VST2	Use 64-bit VST3, if available, otherwise use 64-bit or 32-bit VST2 as available	Use 64-bit or 32-bit VST2 as available
VST3	Use 64-bit VST3	Use 64-bit VST3

BitBridge Server Configuration

Cakewalk’s BitBridge technology allows you to use 32-bit VST effects and instruments when using the x64 version of Sonar.

32-bit VST effects and instruments are loaded into “servers”, and each server can address up to 4GB of RAM. BitBridge supports up to 32 independent plug-in servers, and each server can address up to 4GB of RAM, allowing access to a massive 128GB of RAM. This allows Sonar x64 to address all available RAM in your computer.

By default, Sonar manages memory automatically, and will allocate and allow access to all available RAM dynamically as plug-in's are used. This is done by dynamically creating new BitBridge servers only when necessary, up to a maximum of the available RAM.

Server loading is either automatic or customizable, giving you full control over which server to load plug-ins into. To enable automatic server loading, select Automatic (Based on available RAM). To manually manage BitBridge servers, select the server that you want plug-ins to be loaded into.

After a specific server is selected, all plug-ins subsequently loaded will be loaded into that specific server, bypassing Sonar's automatic memory management. This also applies when you load a project that contains VST plug-ins.

Tip: To more optimally use your available memory, assign memory hungry VSTs to their own private BitBridge server. The actual memory consumed by a server instance is shown in the server list, allowing you choose which server you may want to load into.

Custom server assignments are saved with the project file.

Note: Server management is common for all loaded projects. If you have multiple projects open simultaneously, you can potentially overflow the 4GB capacity of a server if the projects reference the same server. Under this condition, a plug-in may fail to load. If this occurs, close the current project before opening another project.

Tip: To open a BitBridge plug-ins preset window in addition to its UI, hold down the ALT key and click the BitBridge plug-in in an FX Rack.

General

Recycle Plug-In Windows. By default, Sonar recycles the currently-open plug-in window when you open a new plug-in UI, and all previously open plug-in windows are closed. This prevents Sonar from being filled with numerous open plug-in windows, and you don’t have to manually close plug-in windows that are no longer needed.

If you prefer to always open a separate window for each plug-in, clear the Recycle Plug-In Windows check box.

To toggle the current behavior, hold down the CTRL key when you open a plug-in UI:

If Recycle Plug-In Windows is enabled when you hold down the CTRL key to open a plug-in, all other open plug-in widows also become pinned.

If Recycle Plug-In Windows is disabled when you hold down the CTRL key to open a plug-in, all other open plug-in widows close, and the new plug-in window is unpinned.

You can also pin individual plug-in windows so they remain open when you open another plug-in window. To do so, click the Pin Plug-In Window button on the plug-in property page.

Pinning windows is the only way you can have multiple plug-in windows open simultaneously.

 

Note: Plug-ins that are docked in the MultiDock are not affected by the Recycle Plug-In Windows setting. Docked plug-ins are automatically pinned and cannot be unpinned. To dock a plug-in window, hold down the CTRL key and drag the window to the MultiDock.

 

Note: Plug-in window recycling is disabled when loading projects, which ensures that projects open with all previously open windows.

Send All-Notes-Off Messages on Stop. Send a “Send All Notes Off” message to all VST plug-ins on transport stop. Only enable if you experience stuck notes with VST plug-ins after playback stop. This option is off by default to avoid incurring delays when stopping playback when using many virtual instruments.

 

See also:

Preferences dialog

File - Folder Locations

File - Audio Data

File - Initialization File (Advanced)

File - Advanced (Advanced)