SONAR doesn't recognize new plug-ins; missing plug-ins message

SONAR supports both VST and DirectX effect and instrument plug-ins. You will first need to determine which of these two types of plug-ins you have. Most third-party plug-ins are VST.

For VST Plug-ins

When you install a new VST plug-in, be mindful of the folder where it is installed as often times this location is set by the plug-in manufacturer upon installation. Common default locations include:

C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\VstPlugins (recommended location)

C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VstPlugins

C:\Program Files\VstPlugins

VST plug-ins appear in SONAR via the integrated VST scanner. If you have installed VST plug-ins to a common location, like the folders listed earlier, you may not need to take any additional steps. If the new plug still does not appear, you will need to point SONAR's VST scanner to the exact directory where your new VST plug-in is installed.

To do so:

1.	Go to Edit > Preferences > File - VST Settings.

2.	Under VST Scan Folder(s), click the Add button and browse to the folder where the new plug-in is installed.

Note: VST scanner looks for dll files. So for example, the file CakewalkSoundCenter.dll is found under C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\VstPlugins. You will probably notice that this directory has already been added by default and thus Cakewalk Sound Center appears automatically. If you do not know where your new VST Plug-ins are located, use the Windows search function to search for the plug-in name. You are looking for where the “.dll” file is installed. For example, if you are searching for “Beatscape” and find out that Beatscape.dll is installed to C:\Program Files (x86)\Cakewalk\Vstplugins, then this is the path you must add.

3.	When you have selected the folder that contains your new plug-in's dll file, click OK.

4.	Under Scan Options, select Re-scan Existing Plug-ins and Re-scan Failed Plug-ins, then click Scan.

5.	Click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.

Your new VST plug-in should now appear in SONAR’s plug-in menus.

For DirectX Plug-ins

Normally, no additional setup is required for DirectX plug-ins. DirectX plug-ins install globally into Windows and are seen by any DirectX host program, such as SONAR. If your new DirectX plug-in is not appearing in SONAR, first check to make sure it is installed properly. If you are confident it is installed properly, then the plug-in may be excluded from your plug-in lists. To check:

1.	Go to Utilities > Cakewalk Plug-in Manager to open Cakewalk Plug-in Manager.

2.	Click Show Excluded in the lower left corner.

3.	In the Plug-in Categories list, select DirectX Audio Effects (DX) (for audio effects) or DirectX Instruments (DXi) (for soft synths).

4.	Verify if the plug-in appears in the Registered Plug-ins list. If so, the plug-in is excluded.

5.	To enable any excluded plug-in, select the plug-in in the Registered Plug-ins list, then click Enable Plug-in.

 

More Frequently asked questions.