Plugin bypass function not working in DAW since 5.9.2 update - issue fixed

Nightmare… I had clients running spots on-air with a freaking calibration curve applied. I've had to go back to them to fall on my sword and apologize. A really bad look that I hope won't cost us business. At the very least, you should have emailed an urgent warning to all users immediately upon learning of this issue.

This is insane.  I find it unbelievable that you haven't sent an email round warning people of this.  Like the user above Ive sent mixes off to clients with the EQ curve on, and as of writing this I'm not sure if it's too late to rectify mixes already sent out.  Only after spotting this am I seeing the buried on this page.  Why on earth didn't you send an email out about this?? People are using this in professional environments.  How are we supposed to trust any further updates from you goig forward if you can't do the right thing and warn people of a catastrophic malfunction 2 weeks after it's been flagged?

Hi, 

Thanks for reaching out! So sorry to hear you're experiencing the plugin bypass issue following the 5.9.2 update.

We understand the inconvenience and are looking into it. This issue appears to impact a small portion of users though, so we're currently addressing it publicly via our Help Center content and other solutions. There is always a list of bugs and issues present in various stages of fix development, and direct messaging to mostly unaffected users would likely cause more distress than do good.

However, your input is valid, and we've forwarded it for consideration regarding an email update. For those facing this issue, please submit a support request to help us address it faster. For immediate workarounds, we recommend checking the instructions in this guide above. 

This is an unacceptable failure by your company. I have been working on a project with headphones, believing my speaker profile was Bypassed. Due to your incompetence, I just lost a week's worth of work.  I have lost all confidence in your company!

Mac OS12.7

Pro Tools 2023.09

Is it fixed in the latest version?

It's not fixed. Best to stick with 5.91 for now

Hi, 

The plugin bypass function not working has not yet been addressed in the latest 5.10.0 update of SoundID Reference. We will make sure to update this article when a fix is available. As mentioned by Damjan Mravunac, we recommend installing the 5.9.1 version for now while we work on resolving the issue, see the revert steps here: Workaround

Thank you for your patience. 

Um, no.  Sonarworks should have let people know - I'm part of that ‘small population’ of people with screwed up projects for other people.  If it didn't affect a user, they would delete the message like the 100 other unnecesary emails people get in a week.  Finding this out after dissecting my signal chain from front to back and getting nowhere after hours of work puts me on the wrong side of your fanbase now.

sdklemm couldn’t agree more. Really, really poor handling of this situation. When your customers are professionals, you’d better hold yourself to impeccable standards of communication when a crisis emerges that directly affects their work.

…and still no email to warn others who haven’t spotted the problem yet.  Clearly they don’t care about their existing users.  I’m moving over to a dsp speaker alternative as soon as I can afford to.  

Are there any alternatives to SoundID that could replace both the plugin and systemwide options?

I borrowed ARC Studio 4 with hw external processor unit, but short A/B made me stay on Sound ID. I need to do more tests in the future when I can borrow the device again.

After watching reviews online, I have just ordered ARC4 Studio. I have been using SW for years, but since M1 and UA incompatibility, unresolved bugs and now the lack of support and communication with the bypass issues, I decided to jump ship. Not happy.

I honestly suspect the reason they’ve buried this error is through the fear people would make this jump.  Thing is I tend to stick with what works as I don’t have time for troubleshooting when working on jobs.  I also have loyalty for companies like RME who look after their customers and provide rock solid updates with clear communication.  If Sonarworks had held their hands up and flagged the fault I could have forgiven that.  Now I see no reason not to investigate a more stable solution.  

brockduffy agreed. As the saying goes “the coverup is worse than the crime”.

Y'all have known about this for over a month and still no email? Unbelievable… 

I know you know about this issue, but it's really unacceptable that it hasn't been sorted out now for MONTHS, not even in the latest version! This is a very fundamental bug in the coding of this plugin and one that needs to be addressed with the highest priority. I seriously doubt that it is only affecting "a small portion of users” - most people probably just haven't noticed or reported it - it's not something you ever expect to be broken!  

Thomas Aston absolutely. The silence for all this time is deafening.

I fully expected this bug to be sorted in the latest release (5.11.0), and I'm frankly astonished that it hasn't. How hard can it be? Bypass is such an important function for anyone who has multiple monitors. I've submitted a request, just to add to Sonarworks' awareness of the people that this is affecting. Will they reply, or do anything? I'm starting to have my doubts.

I find it absolutely disgusting that this was not broadcast to all of your customers about this CRITICAL bug that completely ruins the workflow of Sound ID. I have never, ever encountered a plugin that does not bypass properly. This is a massive f*ck-up, the silence is deafening, it's been months since it was reported, and yet I have to trawl forums to figure out why my deliverables aren't as they should be?

F*ck Sonarworks, we'll all be jumping ship to the multitude of offerings now available since its inception. You're never getting any of my money again.

Seems like they have no problem emailing us about an AI voice transformer though.  I would have thought the priority would have been to fix the most basic of functions for their flagship product but what do I know? 

Hello Samuel Brown,

Thank you for reaching out!

I totally understand your concern and we apologize about not warning the users of this SoundID Reference bug. I will share this feedback and perhaps there is something we can do to know our users about such issues that impact the workflow and outcome of the exported mix.

I hope this helps!

Has anyone downloaded the update and tried it yet?  l'm looking for confirmation that this works before I try it in Pro Tools for AAX.

Luckily, I noticed the “render-bypass” wasn't working as soon as I upgraded from Ableton Live 11 to 12. As luck would have it, I had just finished a final mixdown and was rendering it for mastering. I noticed that I didn't receive the usual, pop-up render warning. After some investigation, I noted that the headphone correction had been baked into my rendered file. This is not even close to being acceptable. 

I immediately contacted Sonarworks and was offered a clumsy workaround, which is also unacceptable, and I was provided with no estimation of when this problem would be fixed. 

I will say that Sonarworks tech support has been good about staying in communication throughout this ordeal, but still, the issue remains.

Today, I informed Sonarworks that if it isn't resolved by next week (week of 07/01/2024), I will officially be asking for a refund. I don't use the standalone and the plugin is useless to me in its current state, and can actually have a serious, negative impact on our business, as others here in this forum have noted. 

I purchased SoundID Reference and the room measurement piece as well, so I have invested a significant of money into this product that worked fine prior to the Ableton Live 12 upgrade on March 5, 2024. I stopped using it altogether since then.

I am expecting no problems with obtaining a full refund.

Tom Goodson is the bypass problem still an issue on the 5.11.1.3 update? 

Not as of yesterday (06/30/24). I tried it again (Ableton Live 12), and render-bypass still does not work. Their update may have resolved the issue with other DAWs, but not Live 12. My disappointment with this product and Sonarworks is profound. The way they just left everyone to discover this serious flaw the hard way, is inexcusable.  

I get promotional emails from Sonarworks on a frequent basis, but they couldn't send out an email blast warning their customers about this rendering flaw? Again, totally inexcusable.