(all this is doubly frustrating as I’ve been trying London Acoustics Brighton compressor and it’s fantastic … and I’ve also just tried the Azure EQ (Knif Soma) and it’s very probably the best EQ I’ve ever used, software or hardware…)
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I feel your frustration. Any other plugin maker, you’d probably find an alternative, but they are unique. And yes, I’m confused about the same thing re already being JUCE. I don’t know if it’s possible that they’re coded with a combi of both…?
From AA tech - "Acustica Audio after waiting some months for an effective solution has decided in the course of 2021 to change the graphic framework from VSTGUI4 to JUCE.” So it looks like everything runs on VSTGUI currently but then in the history of N4 player is N4 Player features in version 2:
Compatible with Windows 10 1909.
Compatible with macOS 10.15.
Universal Aquarius Engine (UAE) updated to the latest version.
**JUCE framework upgraded to version 4.3.1.**
Built with Xcode 10 for macOS.
Built with Visual Studio 2017 for Windows.
VST3 SDK upgraded to version 3.6.7.
AAX SDK upgraded to version 2.3.2.
So I don’t know…
As an alternative, have you ever looked into running an older version of Win 10?
(Actually probably more trouble than it’s worth…)
Now you’ve posted that info… I remember reading it. Who knows what they’re up to.
I think I rolled back the Windows Version as far as 1909 during last year and nothing improved. I might have downgraded further… (1903? can’t remember if that exists) I’ve been at this problem for a good 18 months so you can probably imagine how many things I’ve tried.
These days I use placeholder plugins until the hardcore mixing starts and then try to use, print and remove the AA plugins as quickly as possible. Kind of makes it like a very frustrating computer game (nearly 15 mins, c’mon!) I always lose eventually.
I thought as much… I’m just content to work on a project, turn off any unused AA plugins and when I finish, just kill Cubase Then restart Cubase and unload the AA unused plugins straight away. It’s a tolerable MO.
I have an open ticket with AA asking them to clarify this whole VSTGUI / JUCE business. We’ll see…
And maybe Steinberg will accidentally fix it in their next update 
Latest from Acustica tech:
" We are working on a different approach, in fact, Magenta, Cream, and Purple updates available in Aquarius should fix the Cubase freezing on exit .
For the moment, test on a new session without any other Acquas or N4 to make sure those are not causing trouble.
There will be more products updated soon."
And, indeed, so far it does seem to have solved the problem…
Just testing Cream2 now.
Let me know if it works too… I’ve only had a chance to test Magenta briefly
So far so good. Kind of. Removing instances and closing projects fine after 16 min limit. Tried PINK4 as a control and immediate freeze, so definitely an improvement.
Only bad news is a freeze upon audio export with Cream2, but not every time. This is new, so could be the fault of the update. I’ll be testing more. They said they’ll be updating more plugins asap.
Ok thanks. I’ve done a few more tests exporting files with the updated Magenta being the only AA plugin involved and I haven’t had a problem so far. Always exiting Cubase smoothly too…
Have incorporated Sienna (trial), Tan and CoffeePun (freebies) into the Magenta project and still no freezes. Tried plenty of exports too with no problems, so hoping your experience is just a blip or specific to Cream (Not celebrating yet!)
At least it’s looking promising. But yep. Hold the champagne for now. I’ve had consistent freeze free Cream testing, and I’m actually happy to say for once that all the other AA plugins I use cause the problems as predictably as before.
Looking forward to trying more updates as they appear…
This is one of most frustrating bugs. It’s hard to believe that steinberg is ignoring it for so many years.
The onus has been put on the 3rd party plugin makers, but it is something related to the VSTGUI programming language and Cubase / Nuendo.
Can’t be 3rd party plugins’ fault tho. Because those same plugins don’t cause reaper or cakewalk sonar to hang on exit
After wading through 18 months of support tickets, forums and experiments I can at least say it’s not just one thing or another. It’s some combination of Cubase, certain 3rd party plugins and Windows 10 that is only an issue for a small percentage of users. Acústica have shown that some kind of fix in the VST programming can repair the issue. I’m just happy that it looks like they’ve found a solution.
Indeed they have. Lots more ‘core 17 DirectX fix’ updates for AA plugins today…
So far so good for me. Will be testing each one as thoroughly as possible.
UPDATE: About 80% of my Aquas are updated and the old freeze-on-close problem is thankfully gone. However, Render In Place and Audio Export now freezes. I don’t know if any other AA users have this problem. I’ve been sending my results to Acustica.
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That must be really frustrating.
Everything I’ve tested so far seems to work fine (only waiting for a couple of updates) and I can’t replicate any freezing on export or render at all. If you could send me a list of the Aquas you’re using I can see if there’s any we share that I could test specifically in case it’s a more specific problem.
I’ve got Amber, Amethyst, Coral, Cream, Ebony, Honey, Gold, Sienna Trial… amongst others.
Thanks for offering to check. My problem’s easily fixed if I deactivate and reactivate all instances in the project. So I prefer this problem to the original one, I can live with it.