Reference Guide

1376 Troubleshooting
SONAR doesn't recognize new plug-ins
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.
3. When you have selected the folder that contains your new plug-in's dll file, click OK.
4. Click Scan VST Folders.
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” on page 1364.
Note: VST scanner looks for dll files. So for example, the file PerfectSpace.dll is found
under C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\VstPlugins. You will probably notice that this
directory has already been added by default and thus Perfect Space appears automatically.