REPEATABLE CRASH: Soloing track causing complete lockup

Cubase
,
1

Getting an issue here, project/tracks fairly loaded up on inserts, deep track to track routings, layered track FX. Big template, but only a few tracks with audio.

I’m in the process of rebuilding my main template and just testing things as I go.

Things are playing back just fine, not CPU crapouts or anything.

But it has been a few times now, where solo’ing a track causes a complete lock up of Cubase.

Windows 11 latest updates,

Cubase 15.0.1

no crashdumps

haven’t done any plugin trouble shooting yet.

haven’t been keeping my eye on computer/cubase performance graph analysis.

will update as I try to find the problem.

2

crashdump

Cubase 15.0.10 64bit 2026.5.11 6.29.36.671-freezedump.dmp (2.1 MB)

3

just happened again,

this new crash dump is a few kb too big to fit on forum though…

edit

and again,

the tracks solo fine when no playback. if I solo during playback, it locks up

4

Do you use WinDbg?

the crash is in PhoenixII.vst3

STACK_TEXT:  
00000000`0015c1b8 00000000`00430000     : 00000001`089ef000 00000001`0889351b 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000478 : PhoenixII+0x7223213
00000000`0015c1c0 00000001`089ef000     : 00000001`0889351b 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000478 00000000`00ca7000 : 0x430000
00000000`0015c1c8 00000001`0889351b     : 00000000`00000000 00000000`00000478 00000000`00ca7000 00000001`09155040 : PhoenixII+0x737f000
00000000`0015c1d0 00000000`00000000     : 00000000`00000478 00000000`00ca7000 00000001`09155040 00000001`00000002 : PhoenixII+0x722351b


STACK_COMMAND: ~0s; .ecxr ; kb

SYMBOL_NAME:  PhoenixII+7223213

MODULE_NAME: PhoenixII

IMAGE_NAME:  PhoenixII.vst3

FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  BREAKPOINT_80000003_PhoenixII.vst3!Unknown
5

Thanks, I had a feeling it was that one because the demo license is expired.

(and no i didn’t, didn’t know that was a thing)

6

Hmmm, interesting… Getting another same crash with that plugin gone now. Haven’t got a crashdump yet after 3 lockup/crashes.

7

Here’s a video:

5 times in a row, no crash dump

things I’ve troubleshot,

  • I restarted my computer. Upon getting back into Cubase and the project - I did the solo.. it allowed me to solo and unsolo once, and then trying again and it locked up.
  • upon re-opening Cubase, I tried hard disabling the plugins on that channel. still crashed/locked up on solo.
  • Removed all the plugins from that channel, solo’d - still locked up.
  • removed all Insert plugins from project, solo’d - still locked up
  • Removed all project insert plugins, VSTi instruments, and Control Room Inserts - still crashed
  • reset entire mix console (all inserts/routings/etc removed) - still crashed
  • Deactivate 3rd Party Plugins / Use Current Program Preferences - still crashed

…

  • Disable program preferences: No crash…

ffs, what could it be about program preferences that is causing solo’ing a track to crash?

8

Chat GPT

In Cubase, the preference file most commonly responsible for crashes/freezes during actions like soloing, muting, loading channels, or opening projects is usually:

  • Defaults.xml

That file stores a huge amount of GUI state, mixer behavior, track visibility, window layouts, routing preferences, and general operational settings. If it becomes corrupted, seemingly random actions — especially mixer/channel operations like soloing — can trigger freezes or crashes. Steinberg users and support docs repeatedly point to this as the primary “troublemaker.”

ffs man, I haven’t backed up my preferences yet. ffs.

Why. Why. Why… don’t they have a correct-shutdown-backup system for these files if they are prone to corruption. why.