SAWStudio / SAC User Group

I think this has only been the case in SAW64 and beyond (not in 32).

1 -
Sometimes, when I left-click on the timeline, the whole timeline suddenly shifts, instead of the cursor simply moving to where I clicked. It's disorienting and catches me off-guard to the point where I can't give any details beyond saying that I have to zoom out a bit to relocate where things are. I'm not sure if the timeline actually shifts, even. But I do need to reorganize for a moment.

2 -
When I first open a session that might have an output, or return at the top of the MT (my default f-key opens to the MT almost dominating the view) and then go to an f-key with the wide mixer dominating, the image is corrupted - displaying a view as wide as the normal input channel mixer, but with everything to the right of the more narrow output (and Return) mixer being just black.

I can fix it by scrolling down to an input channel and then back up again and all is good afterwards.

But, a related issue (I assume), is that after a session has been open for awhile (maybe 10 minutes, or longer??), certain plugins that are already inserted (from a few to many) will not display their controls/settings when opened to adjust parameters - I just see the SAW plugin window background inside the plugin's border. Sometimes, jBridge'd plugins will still show the banner at the bottom that shows the jBridge details.

I'm assuming this may be primarily an issue with how SAW and my graphics card are(or are not) playing.... but I don't know why it's only after awhile and with not all plugins... Maybe the second issue is a RAM issue??

Any suggestions would be helpful.

:confused:

First... download the latest 2.1 version if you are on V2.... if you are on the 1.4 version, then make sure you have the realtime priority option checked in the options view and see if that makes a difference.

Also, make sure your FKeys are not corrupted... go thru each FKey and make sure each window view is not corrupt in any way... if so... clean it up and resave the FKey... then resvae the entire FKey set as the default.... see if that helps.

Bob L

Thanks Bob.
I will look into both things as soon as time allows.

hi, also when soloing busses the solo led doesn't turn on sometimes in the multitrack.
I find SAW ( last version) freeze more often, I had to stop the process.

If its version 2.0... definitely download 2.1... should stop any freezes.

Bob L

Bob L wrote:If its version 2.0... definitely download 2.1... should stop any freezes.

Bob L

Ok, I didn't see the new version.
Thanks very much Bob.
Regards

UpTilDawn wrote:Sometimes, when I left-click on the timeline, the whole timeline suddenly shifts, instead of the cursor simply moving to where I clicked. It's disorienting and catches me off-guard to the point where I can't give any details beyond saying that I have to zoom out a bit to relocate where things are. I'm not sure if the timeline actually shifts, even. But I do need to reorganize for a moment.

Could it be re-centering on the cursor? Maybe this happens when the cursor is beyond the displayed timeline.

But, a related issue (I assume), is that after a session has been open for awhile (maybe 10 minutes, or longer??), certain plugins that are already inserted (from a few to many) will not display their controls/settings when opened to adjust parameters - I just see the SAW plugin window background inside the plugin's border. Sometimes, jBridge'd plugins will still show the banner at the bottom that shows the jBridge details.

I'm assuming this may be primarily an issue with how SAW and my graphics card are(or are not) playing.... but I don't know why it's only after awhile and with not all plugins... Maybe the second issue is a RAM issue??

I have yet to setup V2, but the Tokyo Dawn Plugins do this in 32 bit. They are probably my favorites.

When this first occurred, I had (for example) one version of Nova, and also the paid Nova-GE. I thought there may have been a dll mismatch, but I purged all instances of the free version, and it still occurs. The only remedy is to save, exit saw and reopen...

It does not seem to be time related to me. Those plugins always seem to initially display properly regardless of how long saw has been running.

EDIT:
It seems this is more likely to occur if there are multiple instances of the plugin deployed - but this may just reflect the increased likelihood that I open one of the interfaces.

A tidbit of info I came across - it may be totally irrelevant - or something already being done in saw.

A search of 'vst api refresh display' yielded:

'To refresh the display of a VST plugin, the host application should call the audioMasterUpdateDisplay event to ensure that the parameter display properties are updated. This is particularly important for plugins that may change their parameter names or values dynamically.'

Edit: On further searching, I'm not sure this call even belongs to a vst API. It was text duckduckgo spit out.

UpTilDawn wrote:But, a related issue (I assume), is that after a session has been open for awhile (maybe 10 minutes, or longer??), certain plugins that are already inserted (from a few to many) will not display their controls/settings when opened to adjust parameters - I just see the SAW plugin window background inside the plugin's border. Sometimes, jBridge'd plugins will still show the banner at the bottom that shows the jBridge details.

I'm using 32 bit, so vst2. Are you hitting this with vst3? From what I've read, the plugin display is done differently in vst3.

jmh wrote:I'm using 32 bit, so vst2. Are you hitting this with vst3? From what I've read, the plugin display is done differently in vst3.

This is the one reply I can address for now... I'll have more time over the weekend.

This issue actually started happening for me with the 64bit vst2 of Sonible Smart EQ3 (and 4 as well). I tend to only use one instance of it on the main out for overall eq shaping on the way out and haven't gotten into the use of multiple instances on tracks, or sub outs. I'm pretty sure I don't have the issue in SAWStudio 32bit (although I need time to confirm this).

I only just began doing the ini file thing for vst3 plugins, so I think I can say that it's not been a problem with those yet - but we're talking about just 4-5 plugins. Up to this point, the few other vst3s I've used have been through a bridge (is that what they're called?) - mainly Waves Studio Rack, which was offered for free and has been helpful. I just recently bought The Blue Cat Patchworks, with the intention of weaning myself from Waves, while I still only have a small handful of their plugs (I'm just not thrilled about how Waves invades my work time - for lack of a better description), although I do like how the ones I have add to my idea of good sound production.....

That aside, I initially thought the problems here were centered around plugs that used the most resources, but it's been a problem with an assortment of plugs - mostly 64bit vst2s, I suppose -

It's not an issue (for me) of multiple instances, since Sonible's Smart EQ3 (or 4) is the most irksome, single use plugin I struggle with in this regard. I, too, have found that all I can do to resolve the problem is to Save, Close and Reopen the session (or SAW itself).

I wonder, also, if this is connected to the sudden, but thankfully infrequent, freezes I'm experiencing, which force me to use Task Manager to end SAW and reopen SAW and the session (losing anything that wasn't saved just before the crash). It will freeze while playing, or sometimes, just when changing f-key views (the most infuriating moments, for sure). I can always tell, when I've "done too much", just as SAW locks up. But I cant predict and avoid.

I have been getting blank and unresponsive plugin windows for a while now. As mentioned saving and restarting the session resolves it short term. I also have times when all the track labels disappear. Again fixed with a restart. I occasionally get a lockup that seems to be from fast mouse clicking, but not sure about the cause, it may be the freeze happens and makes me pay attention to the mouse not working. I have not been able to find a way to cause the crash on demand-so not much use to Bob. I also wonder if this is caused by the audio engine not always being live. I would love to be able to toggle that in settings, though I know I can setup a dummy channel to force Live mode. I don*t know how many mixdowns have been spoiled by reverb trails still in the buffers getting mixed into the starts of files inadvertently.

MMP wrote:... I don*t know how many mixdowns have been spoiled by reverb trails still in the buffers getting mixed into the starts of files inadvertently.

I've forced myself to follow a new procedure (thanks to a year of this during the last project)...
Before building a mix file, I always "play" a second or so of blank space to clear the tails.
It's not quite second nature yet, but give me another year...

I do the same thing, except when I forget.

MMP wrote:I have been getting blank and unresponsive plugin windows for a while now. As mentioned saving and restarting the session resolves it short term.

I have experienced this also. This appears to be a JUCE issue (not necessarily studio), as once it occurs, none of the plugins built on that platform will render.

I also have times when all the track labels disappear.

This is probably unrelated. Perhaps you are accidentally track or label selecting. If you don't use these features regularly, it can be confusing to clear that state.

Not user error. 30 track labels vanish in a second. Come back after reboot.

MMP wrote:Not user error. 30 track labels vanish in a second. Come back after reboot.

By unrelated, I meant to the blank plugin display.

Anyway, just throwing out possibilities. Here are another couple:

Could you have a keyboard or mouse macro selecting 'clear all mixer labels' in the mixer menu?

How about activating the default mix template (which I think impacts from the current hotkey down)? I'm not even sure how this is done off the top of my head.

Searching regarding the juce plugin interface becoming unresponsive just resulted in this discussion:
(if you try this, I'd back up the registry beforehand first so you can roll it back - I'm away at the moment so can't try it myself)
( you would save the following in a file like changes.reg with any changes as noted.)

EDIT4A: I'm in the editor, and there is no spaces scattered around - but they render on the forum, as people have noted. It is probably quicker to apply these by hand than to edit a .reg file.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; 1. GLOBAL SYSTEM STABILITY (Applies to both 32/64-bit)
; Disables HAGS to prevent DPC Latency spikes and audio stutters
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers]
"HwSchMode"=dword:00000001

; Disables window animations to keep the GUI message thread responsive
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"UserPreferencesMask"=hex:90,12,03,80,10,00,00,00
"MinAnimate"="0"

; Sets Visual Effects to "Best Performance"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects]
"VisualFXSetting"=dword:00000002

; 2. DPI SCALING OVERRIDES (Fixes "Dark/Unresponsive" JUCE GUIs)
; Replace the paths below with your actual install locations
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers]
"C:\\SAWStudio\\SAWStudio.exe"="~HIGHDPIAWARE"
"C:\\SAWStudio64\\SAWStudio64.exe"="~HIGHDPIAWARE"

; 3. GPU PREFERENCES
; For 32-bit: Power Saving (1) is safer for legacy JUCE OpenGL
; For 64-bit: High Performance (2) is better for modern 4K plugins
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\DirectX\UserGpuPreferences]
"C:\\SAWStudio\\SAWStudio.exe"="GpuPreference=1;"
"C:\\SAWStudio64\\SAWStudio64.exe"="GpuPreference=2;"



___________________________________________________




so a file consisting all of the .reg changes would look like?
Thinking

Working on this

In 2026, the ideal
.reg file for SAWStudio (both 32-bit and 64-bit) combines OS stability fixes with specific application overrides to ensure JUCE plugins render correctly.

Copy the following into Notepad and save it as SAWStudio_2026_Fix.reg.

Note: You must edit the paths in sections 2 and 3 to match your actual installation folders.
reg


Essential Post-Registry Steps for 2026:

1. Double Backslashes: Ensure every directory in your paths uses \\ (e.g., C:\\Program Files\\...). ---- Edit: I think this refers to the .reg above
2. Reboot: You must restart Windows for the HwSchMode (HAGS) change to take effect.
3. Manual Tweak: The registry cannot reliably re-enable "Show window contents while dragging." After running this file, it is highly recommended to:
   • Open Performance Options (sysdm.cpl > Advanced > Performance).
   • Manually check "Show window contents while dragging". This specifically prevents JUCE plugins from "white-boxing" or freezing when you move their windows. [1][2]

EDIT5: Also check "Smooth edges of screen fonts".



Why this is the "Best" Combination:

• HwSchMode=1: Reclaims CPU timing control from the GPU, which is critical for the sample-accurate assembly engine of SAWStudio.
• ~HIGHDPIAWARE: Stops the OS from trying to "rescale" the plugin window, which is the #1 cause of the "Dark/Black" unresponsive GUI in JUCE.
• GpuPreference=1 (for 32-bit): Avoids complex NVIDIA/AMD driver handshakes that 32-bit legacy code cannot handle. [3]

Edit: The preceding discussion suggested that these changes would actually result in slightly lower cpu consumption.
Edit2: Regarding the last point, GpuPreference=1 it suggested that this should also be done with intel cpus.
Edit3: Attempted to edit HIGHDPIAWARE - it was rendering with a space if you paste it into a file, make sure it looks right.

Thanks. Will give it a try.

Usage Note,

I had been playing around with these types of generated responses while doing a bit of programming. I found there would be mistakes inserted here and there It's like having an assistant that gets a 99 on an exam - gets his grrade then goes. But getting that last 1% right on code you didn't write may be just as hard as doing from scratch. So I would check the text carefully.

Another approach might be for whoever tests this first may be to do the changes by hand with regedit, then export those keys and repost them. I, for one, will be thrilled if this nails down this issue.

I am following this as I also have some strange graphic stuff going on with some plugins. There is one HOFA plugin in particular that shows these symptoms. I can't even get the VST3 version to open within SAW. Yet all the others I use from HOFA have no problems at all.

It will be interesting to see if these registry changes work.