81. Why do I get a "cannot make connection" error when I try to choose a plugin in the DirectX/VST window?

That error means that PowerTracks Pro Audio was able to find the plugin listed on the system, but when it tried to 'make a connection' to the plugin, an error occurred.

There are a few possible reasons why this could occur.

If the plugin used to work on your system:

  • The plugin may have been installed/registered at some time in the past, but was later either deleted or moved on your hard drive. Windows thinks a plugin exists if there are proper entries in the registry. If the registry entry doesn't point to the real location of the plugin (because it was deleted or moved), an attempt to connect will fail.

  • One of the PowerTracks configuration files could have an error in it.

To resolve the problem, try uninstalling and reinstalling the plugin. In the case of the PG Music DirectX plugins (for example, PG Reverb, PG Dynamics, etc.), they can be uninstalled using the Add/Remove Programs window, where they show up as "PG Music DirectX Plugins". You can install the plugins either by reinstalling PowerTracks, or by double-clicking on the file pgdx_plug_*.exe in your pt folder (* will be the version of the plugins included with your version of PowerTracks). If that doesn't help, try closing PowerTracks and deleting the DX (or DXi/VST/VSTi as the case may be) configuration file from your pt folder. The files are DXiPluginList.ini, DXPluginList.ini, VSTiPluginList.ini, and VSTPluginList.ini.

If the plugin has never worked on your system:

  • Because of the nature of the DirectX specification, there are some Microsoft plugins that sneak in on the Audio Plugin list because they fit the 'description' of a DX plugin, but were never intended to be used in an audio sequencer program as a user plugin. PowerTracks has an exclusion list that can be used to prevent particular plugins from being displayed. To edit this list, in the DirectX Window click on Options | Edit DX Exclusion List.

  • A few of the third-party-written plugins were coded as copy-protected and bundled with specific software (not PG Music Inc. software). PowerTracks can find them from Windows, since they are the right kind of plugin and they exist in the registry. But since PowerTracks doesn't know the 'secret handshake', the plugin declines an attempt to connect. You could check with the manufacturer that you obtained the plugin from to find out about this.

  • The plugin may be intended to be used with audio programs like PoweTracks, but there may be something wrong/corrupted with it. Or, for some reason it is compatible with some host the plugin writer tested with, but doesn't happen to be compatible with PowerTracks Pro Audio.


Alyssa - PG Music