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The new issue of Beat Magazine, #218, gives you a free Bitwig 8-Track license. Plus a 5.9GB vocal soundbank. And of course, there's a new Zampler expansion again, called Hyper Vox. Bitwig 8-Track is free quite often. Owning the 8-Track version gives you an upgrade price for the higher versions: You get Bitwig Essentials for 79$/€ instead of 99$/€, Bitwig Studio Producer for 169$/€ instead of 199$/€ and Bitwig Studio for 359$/€ instead of 399$/€

Here's video

I just got home from having a jam with some old friends, and man did it feel good to have a few 🍺's and let it fly. recorded using 1/4 reel to reel, I'll post it in the songs forum in a few days.

My drives are littered with hundreds of "projects" that never got off the ground. My success rate for taking a doodle to finished song is less than 1%. Building a song from idea to completed composition within a DAW is a journey that can take surprising turns. I have some that I really like that began as nothing more than a synth pad but evolved into complex and interesting final products, guided by nothing more than "hmm, that sounds good" as a roadmap. Those successes, however, are the minority. Most just died because I didn't know where to take them next. By contrast, the majority of songs I'm happy with began life far from a computer. Most began on a piano or acoustic guitar, and had already developed into a fully fleshed-out song before I ever sat down at the DAW. Of course, once they became digital they quickly wandered off into new and unanticipated directions. But they all started with a prepared framework, which has proven to be the most common predictor of success. Or, at least, a finished product. The beauty of the DAW is that we don't have to choose one methodology and stick with it. It can adapt to whatever process works for us. If that means jamming with your band for a month, recording it and picking out just the best bits for a song, then fine. If it means plunking down colored bars onto the PRV and randomly scrolling through synth presets, that's OK, too. Whatever works for you. But what you don't want is to rely solely on serendipity to produce something you'll like. One of my favorite quotes is from Dwight David Eisenhower, famous for masterminding WWII military campaigns: "plans are useless, but planning is essential".

https://www.gog.com/en/game/mordheim_city_of_the_damned Offer ends on: 06/02/2024 09:59 EET

https://audioplugin.deals/product/mixbox-se-by-ik-multimedia/

https://www.two-notes.com/en/genome/

kinks - apeman

Sounds like Gulfoss with a 4 band eq built into it? And magic dynamic audio dependent frequency things? My Gulfoss use is on the master bus, predictably around Tame 20, Recover 15, so pretty minimal and quick. My Soothe use is never on master bus, probably just vocals, and I agree too many controls that do similar things, taking longer. I wonder if people who go to NAMM are often "blown away" because, they have invested a lot of time and money going to NAMM.

PSP Audio updates User Area of their web site! https://www.pspaudioware.net/UserArea/identify Web page now shows release dates on all software and a green label to highlight recent releases. This makes it so much easier to determine which of your plugins you need to update.

This week the free game on Epic Games is Infinifactory. "Infinifactory is a sandbox puzzle game by Zachtronics, the creators of SpaceChem and Infiniminer. Build factories that assemble products for your alien overlords, and try not to die in the process." Get it here: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/infinifactory-ec9686 Free until: February 1 Steam rating: Very Positive / Overwhelmingly Positive Steam page (for reviews & more info): https://store.steampowered.com/app/300570/Infinifactory/ Gameplay video:

Guitar instrumenta Fender stratocaster … Squier affinity J-bass … programmed drums

Here is my latest release. Some notes about the song: It's the first time ever that I've completed a song at 'Final Mix 1', mainly thanks to the clarity I can now get with Slate VSX headphones. These days I'm completing mixes so much quicker and slowly getting better quality with each song. It's also the first time I've used a cowbell in a song 😂 The song is about the impact that us humans have on the planet and how we don't always learn from past mistakes, and sometimes bury our heads in the sand to avoid hard truths. The reference to the pyramids in the video is because the song was partly inspired by some of Graham Hancocks work and theories regarding ancient civilizations. I hope you enjoy it and any feedback is much appreciated. It's also on all the streaming services. https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/xlsx/this-can-only-end-one-way

AAS GS-2 used to be my go-to instrument for quick and dirty guitar mock-ups. A few years ago I injured my left wrist and was unable to play the guitar. Although now my wrist seems to have recovered from that injury, I still cannot practice/play for more than 30 minutes. That's why I'm looking for easy to use guitar instruments and libraries and often compare their UI/UX against GS-2. It's a very capable little gem (head and shoulders above UJAM, imo) that can do electric, acoustic and nylon string guitars; all strumming and picking is a breeze. The only downside- it cannot compete with quality sampled instruments tonewise.

There definitely are some odd design decisions in this new version: Omission of instrument mode, particularly since they do have it in Carbon 2. As Soundwise points out, the pitch keys are definitely playing the wrong notes relative to a real guitar. This is actually really poorly implemented -- the third and fourth strings play the same pitch -- this is a bug or perhaps user error because rarely it does work correctly. Almost all of the presets seem to be geared to creating synth sounds rather than guitar sounds Small number of pattern presets, at least compared to Carbon 2 and Silk 1. Patttern presets are a key feature, if not the key feature, of an instrument like this. MIDI drag-and-drop only works with Silk instrument mode. It would be nice to use the patterns with a different instrument (acknolwedge that this wouldn't work for strums, but it would for arpeggios). AAS GS-2 has the same limitation. But also some good things: Key triggering works better than Silk 1 -- less choppy, more playable than its predecessor Remove the stomp box and finisher effects and, in my opinion, the guitar sound is better than in Silk 1. But it doesn't sound nearly as good as NI Nylon. And the patterns aren't as good either. Silk 2 is better than AAS GS-2 nylon guitar models -- although I think the AAS nylon models are actually pretty darn adequate. I am finding that the best use for Silk 2 is playing its synthy/guitary presets alongside Silk 1's more traditional arpeggio patterns. The keyswitches are the same between both so this is easy to make happen. I understand the complaint about not having an instrument mode, but I think most folks who can proficiently tinkle the keys might be happier with Heavyocity's free Foundations Nylon Guitar, which sounds amazing.

Hi Treesha Really pleased you liked the lyrics - as I said I wrote this one for my wife!! Again thanks for those great comments - really appreciated Cheers Nigel

Thanks for listening and the feedback. It's worth mentioning that I'm still very much in the learning stage but I feel like my mixes are steadily getting better. I did focus a lot on the vocals on this one following feedback from previous efforts, but maybe at the expense of other bits. I did EQ the synths but maybe could've done something different. Thanks again for the feedback, it all helps. 🙂

Truly enjoyed the song even with the very scary and true message. We're our own worse enemy.. mark

I've never been blown away at NAMM. But I don't go there for the *****. I'll be right there tomorrow at 5AM. I having brekkie with my mate @daryl1968 and driving him to LAX so he can get the 'ell out of this god forsaken country. 🙂

They sent me a free copy of Gnome yesterday although I only have a minimal account with them. Haven't tried it out yet but looks interesting. :)

Get 66% off all VCL plugins until January 28th 2024 (11:59PM CET). Use the following voucher during checkout: COMP24 https://fuseaudiolabs.com/#/pages/plugins

And then there's Bloom Vocal Aether just released by Excite Audio.. I think these guys need to use different AI / LLM for creating their product names 🤣 As for price, they released some plugins that were a lot more expensive than the competition and got away with it.. I wouldn't be surprised if they charge like a wounded bull for this one Will be a nice surprise if they don't though.

i see nothing but Plusses for modern daws. it's up to the user to reign it all in. you have to have a vision. otherwise, you are spinning wheels, whether it's old analog gear or modern DAW.

PSP InfiniStrip updated to v. 1.3.0 PSP InfiniStrip v. 1.3.0 New: 1) Added the "oldTimer" compressor module, inspired by the PSP oldTimerME. Changes: 1) Adjusted the reference for the Threshold in the FET Pressor to better align with other compressors, with a shift of -1.5dB. Bug Fixes: 1) AudioUnit: Resizing problem fixed. 2) AudioUnit: LED meter not shows value - fixed 3) Cubase 13: Plugin no longer opens in full-screen window; issue resolved. 4) Minor bugs fixed. Please Note: 1) macOS 10.13 and Earlier: We are no longer supporting older versions of macOS (10.13 and earlier). 2) Windows Vista and Earlier: Discontinuing support for Windows Vista and earlier versions for better performance and security. Install: 1) Log-in to your PSP account and go to My plug-ins section. 2) Download the installer appropriate for your operating system. You can overwrite the newer version over the old one so after downloading simply start the installer. 3) Restart your computer.

I did this recently. I transferred some very old recordings I made on 4 track from back in the mid 80s. I added instruments, fixed a lot of vocals with Melodyne, remixed, and remastered everything. I was even able to separate out some instruments that were bounced down on to one track using O9A. It was a lot of fun and the end product was amazing compared to what I started with. I also did that with some old 8 track band demos from the 90s. We played to a click track and I was able to completely remove the poorly mic'd drums and replace them with samples. I also sped the track up without artifacts using software. We originally recorded it too slow but didn't pick up on it at the time. If Joe Schmoe sitting in his bedroom/home recording room can do that, imagine what the professionals in real studios with access to a lot more equipment and software than I have can do. Not to mention a lot more talent and skill than I have.

Yes you can change devices with a project open. Issues like the OP is having are a good example of what can go wrong if you're not savvy to audio set up in preferences and driver modes. And Blue tooth doesn't always support both WASAPI modes. We will assume the OP doesn't have an Audio interface and is using a WASAPI shared mode with Cakewalk, this is why I posted the Video so if they watch that and do a proper Windows audio set up it rules out a lot of possible issues. I have a Bluetooth speaker I use for proofing mixes which I do by exporting the song first and using Media player. I also have Bluetooth headphones for this as well. I could play directly from Cakewalk by simply changing to WASAPI shared mode as you see in the screen shot. The critical difference is what Cakewalk decides is the timing master. If it gets confused then you won't have sound. In the Bluetooth set up below I had no problem with playback but I was unable to get a recording signal from the Zoom interface. With Bluetooth speakers I get 80 MS more latency. This makes it impossible to do any editing. It's only use is to play projects for comparing a mix in something different than using proper monitors. That 80 ms does not include the transmission latency of Bluetooth. This is from the Bluetooth Wiki info Bluetooth codecs have higher latency than wired headphones, ranging from 34-200 milliseconds, which may be experienced as a noticeable lag between the action occurring and the corresponding audio. In contrast, wired headphones experience an average latency between 5-10 milliseconds.

I think if someone is disciplined, that now is the best time ever to record. I get the argument, and I do think for some "analysis paralysis" is a thing. I just got a digital copy of my old band's last demo done "traditionally", and while it sounds really good and I like it, it still is missing things that if we had more time, we could have fixed. It was all post-recording, so if I had a copy of it in a DAW, I could have played with it until I was happy.

We all know what the most important part of that song is and on which instrument it was played, don't we?

Included in Mercury!

Thank you to everyone that helped and contributed to bring this project to the finished line. I am now done and time to move on. Many Thanks, Gary

Hi folks! Recording yourself in a comfortable environment with good acoustics is crucial - but how can you control your DAW? In this video I show how to control Cakewalk by Bandlab using an Android phone! WATCH HERE: https://youtu.be/6ndfakrS6Gw

THAT fixed it! Thank you! I've been working with IK's tech support and will let them know that appending .vst3 on a folder name is suboptimal.

That's a fair point...better safe than sorry! We played some good (and bad!) gigs with the band, sometimes joined by some ex-HW members which was cool!

A true 60's icon.

great sounds.jack c

As a words guy I think this message is strong and makes sense and I thought modern in it's approach. However I think although the vocal is clear there is a lot of 'sound wall' covering / fogging out the separate instruments, the bass isn't clear and the pads could do with a little love with EQ .. maybe too much compression caused this problem .. danno. . Overall, and having listened to this a few times, I think you need to check your mix with a less emotional feel to you message ... But I do love the song and it's worth spending some time with the mix.

The "room" I've been playing in of late is marked "Stem Separation" - the ability to isolate instruments and voices from a mono recording. This is the earliest/oldest one I've been able to process in that way. The original recording dates from 48 years ago. It comprised me singing and playing drums simultaneously whilst my friend (who wrote the tune) played the rhythm guitar. What I've been able to do is to separate all three elements of the recording and use them in the CbB DAW. For the guitar, I combined the two halves of the song and panned each one left/right. For the drums, I was able to sample the snare and bass drums and use the samples in a Superior Drummer 3 kit. I could have used a built-in kit but I wanted to retain some 70s authenticity (maybe I should have lit some candles and turned off the electricity too 😆) whilst keeping the tempo consistent. I then added some other bits and bobs and this is the result. I should warn you that the lyrics are ridiculously naïve and overly "flower power", with a couple of phrases stolen from John Lennon, but I've always wanted to "finish" the song and I think I have now. Didn't take long did it? https://www.bandlab.com/revisions/9749ca7a-c6ba-ee11-b660-000d3a428b97?sharedKey=HjJ-syGph0SZ7u0FN9Tscw EDIT: I've improved the bass as suggested and added tambourine for good measure. I've also hosted it on Bandcamp because I've mastered it myself and didn't want Bandlab to master it again in order to host it there: https://keithwilby.bandcamp.com/track/sweet-scented-rosie

You've done it again and now I can't sleep 😲. I'm not sure if a crit is in order but the mix could do with some separation in my lugs, but when it comes to experimental stuff you hold the challis, I have never really understood your work, but it's inspirational and I'm glad your back in the saddle. Stay well Steve

Yeah the VSX are a total game changer for me. I'm working out of a small spare room at home and it would never be ideal for speakers. Thanks for listening and the feedback on the mix. Glad you like the vocals as I did focus on mixing those a bit more following some common feedback on earlier projects. I'll have a review of the drums and take any learnings forward to the next song, which is definitely going to need punchy drums. I suspect that maybe I went a bit too hard on the limited on this occasion which may have impacted the punch. Thanks again for listening and providing feedback. 🙂

re: I wonder... Being that they only started doing this this week, no idea. re: wouldn't it be nice. Not iLok's job, they don't maintain that data as PSP software, etc. is not their product only a licensor of their product. But they do notify you if your iLok software had an update.

Actually the Brainworx Blue2 chorus can usually be picked up free when Plugin Alliance do their big voucher sale things. Sounds pretty much as close to a CE-2 as you need. Or just get the Waza

Earth, Kiss, and Fire - "I Was Made for Boogie Wonderland"

Nine Below Zero - Boogie Chillun

I've been with cakewalk since msdos. No response from the beta, no word from anyone else. From a broader perspective, a company announces a new product in June, and doesn't have it out for the holidays, and still has released no other info since June... Says to me they've hit a snag and they're hiding ... Not a good look. I sadly updated my cubase, I'll relearn that while I wait zenly for SONAR.