John Vere

I myself have never had issue with the authorization of Air software. Yes you have to install the ilok app but once you authorize you can then forget it exists. I think it asked for an update 2x in the 5 years I've had it. I also like that I can use the ilok to authorize different computers without much hassle. It's almost just as easy as using a USB dongle without wasting a port. This is not so with others like XLN on line installer. I tried to run the demo version of Addictive drums and Keys on a machine that once was fully authorized and the activation app won't let me past the "you already have this on 2 machines" warning. Tried wiping everything to do with XLN from the machine and it comes back so must be buried in the registry.

My solution would be to google " whats the best video scoring software" and see what the status quo use. I doubt if Cakewalk will be mentioned. Cakewalk is a midi/audio sequencer. The video playback track is sort of a quickly done afterthought like many things they did in the past and is not professional quality. The software is now free and I can't see them spending development time on the video track,, just like the notation issue. I use Vegas for movies but that's just using a mastered audio track. I can see scoring would be the other way around with a mastered video and a full powerful featured DAW underneath.

The OPEN automatically with TTS-1 is actually not that well documented. I couldn't figure out why it only worked sometimes until thanks to the forum & scook who pointed out the secret was having nothing checked in midi devices outputs. I only use TTS-1 for preview purposes. I certainly haven't used it in a song or backing track for a long while. I open the project and if I decide to use it I simply populate the project using my Track templates for each part and then point the appropriate tracks to those. The sonic difference is huge right away. I've done this as an experiment using only Cakewalk supplied instruments like Dim Pro and the SI stuff. Pretty much Dim Pro can replace most of the weird stuff in TTS-1 but because it's not GM it's a lot of work finding sounds. But once you have them you make a track template and name it Horn Section or Flute etc. I also use a very inexpensive synth called Air Xpand. It's always on sale for under $20 and it has a huge library of very usable sounds. https://www.jrrshop.com/air-music-tech-xpand-2 It might go on sale Boxing day for $9.00. One of the big differences is the built in effects are always much better on anything other than the TTS-1. I hope it keeps working forever as for me it's an important tool and huge time saver for previewing songs.

One way to test TTS-1 is to OPEN an midi file. First you need to set Cakewalk to automatically open midi files with the TTS1-. Go to Preferences/ Midi/ Devices and un check any output boxes. Now find any midi file and tell it to open with Cakewalk. I set this up in Windows. Cakewalk should open the midi file and TTS-1 and all the tracks ready to go. This will rule out any project specific issues. I have always opened midi files this way without issue. And as said the developers were Roland and the synth has nothing to do with the Bandlab team. It's an old piece of software and basically unsupported. Just open it with the synth rack if that works. It is a hard one to replace for it's ease of use with GM files.

I'm following this as well. I also need to be able to jump to any song at anytime.

I'll have to try the "new" playlist, I wasn't aware they had updated that feature, it seems very few people use it so that's cool they took the time to give it some attention. I would like to have the option of basic 4 track mixing as well as midi control of some lights and effects. In 1984 my Atari controlled all this no problem.

I totally agree with having trustworthy bulletproof software for live performance. Your fear of changing to something untested by you personally is not unfounded. As it is there would be no real difference as far as the playlist goes between the 2 versions. Home Studio is all you really need in that regard so Artist is a cut above. Why not install and use CbB and use it for creating your tracks but stay with Artist for performance? I have stayed with a version of Win Amp that must be 20 years old for this reason.. I've yet to find a replacement. Most media players are all about looking stuff up on line so you can have song info etc. Win amp is the only player I have found that can stop when a song is finished,, manual playlist advance, nothing else has it. I toyed with the Sonar playlist idea but my gripe was it was slow between songs. I sometime like to start the next song immediately while the last chord is still ringing.

Generally it is not recommended to install software to data drives. There's no real reason to do this. I have 240 GB SSD drives on all of my computers and none of them are much over 1/2 full because I use data drives. Even my Laptop which only has one 240 GB drive is around 2/3 full and it's got a heck of a lot of software running. I just store stuff to external drives and the cloud.

If the song is soft in the beginning and louder at the end then I would not reach for any compression just yet. I would fix those tracks. Easy to fix this in Cakewalk using automation or dividing tracks into segments and normalize them to -6 db ( or whatever) so the track is the same average level from start to finish. This will take a while but if you have the time is first choice. The faster method is this is super easy to do in Wave Lab. I would use the analyzing tool to see what my overall RMS level is for the whole song. Then I would look at the waveform and scroll through the song looking for any spikes or peaks, fix them and also pay attention to the levels at the different points in the song. If what you say is the beginnings are lower level that's easy to rectify. highlight the first verse analyze it and fix it's level. Carry on in parts to the end of song. If your good at this it only takes a few minutes to even out the level of a song, You just have to use a light touch and not have dramatic changes.

I agree, much easier to create a new lane. I do this a lot for adding mod wheel to organ to change Leslie speed.

If you have Dim Pro which came free back in the old days then the acoustic bass patch is actually very good. I use it a lot.

A round trip latency of 25 is normal for so, so interfaces. Both my Tascam us1641 and my Scarlett 6i6 run around there when I'm using a Safe buffer size. I just got this antique M Audio fast track pro along with a PA system and a bunch of junk someone actually put out on the curb with a FREE sign on it. SM 58, 3 Nady wireless systems and best of all a Rexx model 602 pre amp.. Anyhow you can see my screenshot and the reality of crappy interface specs. I don't know how old your interface is but if it's older Behringer then toss it out and get something new that works with W10. And while your shopping a little more RAM wouldn't hurt either. 8 Gigs is sort of bare bones. Anyhow the RTL has no bearing on transport responce time. Mine stops and starts instantly. If I put a million plug ins in a project with only 8 GB RAM I think my computer would freak out and stall like that. It too busy coping so it ignores you.

You should learn how to use track templates. You can save a complicated set up and save it. Then you just insert into a fresh project. It will even add sub mix buses. I have templates for everything I normally use. Example midi VST instruments all ready to go with my patches etc. And as I always use the same inputs of my audio interface for certain things the template remembers my inputs. Example: Electric guitar clean template- Input set to Channel 2/ Track is colored green / Pro channel has my effects and they are set they way I like/ Output inserts a Guitar sub buss/ colors it and inserts all my effects. Templates are a simple way to have your tracks set up the same from song to song. I never use song templates anymore, just the track templates. I can populate a blank screen pretty fast.

Why I never use simple instrument tracks,, every attempt in the last ? years has resulted in weird behavior of midi. And for those who only use them to keep track count down learn how to use track folders. This is even better as you can do things like have 2 or 3 midi tracks for one instrument like say piano and splitting right and left hand. And drums work really well using track folders. For me it makes editing or copying parts easier. My first reaction to a silent VST is to open the GUI and if it has a playable interface trigger it. Look at the master volume etc.

I just did this and I used my last version of Splat and 8.5. Don't see anything missing so far. As said just do bare bones installs and best to do them in sequence of age. I saved my Command center download folder so I just copy that over and run it. That way no downloading and goes fast.

The PVR works with anything that uses midi notes and controllers. So yes you can use it. I'm a little peeved at Ample right now, I have downloaded and used the P bass lite and the Guitar VST freebies for years now. I was just loading up a new computer and after 6 attempts neither one of these will work. Get error messages about can't find samples even through I have not changed pathways same as I always do. And even after you point them at there own libraries same message,, so some sort of bug in latest version. Don't give them any money just now, Have you just googled free Guitar VST's? Try KVR web site or look in JRR shop for deals right now. Never pay full price for software,,, just keep looking for deals..

I get e mails monthly from a lot of Plug in companies as that's usually the penalty for grabbing freebies. Generally I delete the email without opening. I love new plug ins, but find most of what I got with Sonar is still as good as it is going to get on my budget. But being Black Friday I thought I'd actually look and see. I'm a sucker for a cheapo deal or freebie. I set the filter at under $0-$99 and go. Took 2 hours to look through the 1,000 or more VST plugs on the JRR site alone. And that' just the under $99,, :- I was paid well for my time spent as there are many freebies that do not show in the JRR shop freebie listing page. Here is a few I think I might find useful. Audified MultiDrive Pedal LE Overdrive Pedal Plugin https://www.jrrshop.com/audified-multidrive-pedal-le Zotope Vocal Doubler - Free https://www.jrrshop.com/izotope-vocal-doubler Beatskillz MAX1 Intelligent Automatic Compressor Plugin https://www.jrrshop.com/beatskillz-max1 zotope Ozone Imager Plugin https://www.jrrshop.com/izotope-ozone-imager And a few from Shattered Glass. https://www.jrrshop.com/shattered-glass-audio-sga1566 https://www.jrrshop.com/beyer-dynamic-virtual-studio-monitoring-plug-in Also check out Black Rooster site https://blackroosteraudio.com/en/products?utm_source=newsletter_bib&utm_medium=email_bra&utm_campaign=eoy2019 Some cool freebies there too.

I was going to say that most 3rd party VST's default to the Steinberg folder and I didn't see that on your list. It's the first thing I do on a fresh install is include the 2 Steinberg vst folders where I keep all my 3rd party stuff. There be one under "Program files" and another under "Program Files (x86) " I just spent last night looking over all the Black Friday deals, In the process I found a dozen very cool freebies. The JRR shop and Black Rooster as example. The Ample P bass lite is my main bass now. Only limitation is it doesn't go below E. I also use the Guitar plug in if a midi track has something worthwhile , most don't. But that one seems a bit better than Strum Session to me.

My computers were all put on ice while we moved last June. I did fire up my old W7 Laptop right away to use for email etc, but we were busy outside etc so no time for fun. Just last week I unpacked our 2 desktop computers and fired them up on our nice new fiber optics network. When I turned on my DAW and opened Cakewalk it showed as being in Demo mode ( first time I've had this) OK fine. Before I did anything I immediately opened Windows Update and let it do it's thing. As you are aware there was a major update so it took quite a few re boots to finally stop updating. Then I opened and logged on to the Bandlab assistant and it updated and finally then I updated Cakewalk. Took all of 4 minutes to complete. As said the system works flawlessly if you follow those 3 simple steps and in that order. I then logged on to all my various VST licensing apps and updated everything. The Office computer is always on line but my DAW machine I often disable the internet while working but only out of habit. I actually notice no difference between being online these days and have often found my DAW has been working away happily with the wireless adaptor active. I was a huge believer in staying disconnected in the past but have slacked off on believing in that now, As long as Windows is up to date all seems to work now as it should. It's free software and it is what it is as far as the way they choose to keep us connected. I just hope they keep this ship afloat. And free is great but I'm sure most of us would not be that upset if we had to start paying again.

Yes this seems to be the way it is no matter what key signature you give the song ( I just tried) the E, D and B show as flats and the rest are #.

For what it's worth when old VST don't work I move on to something newer that does. A great Free Bass is Ample Lite -https://www.amplesound.net/en/download.asp Only bummer is it does not go lower than E. For those songs I have tweaked SI Bass. But sounds like it might work if you simply re install and leave the samples at default location.

Best to make sure your Audio interface is actually recognized and set up in preferences first. It's common to open transferred projects and get that message. I mostly get it when I've transferred to a different computer using a different interface but it even will show up when using the same interface if it doesn't like some setting. No big deal just make sure your Master is the default output for your tracks or in most cases it would be from sub busses.

It's a simple matter of using the global effects bypass toggle which is a box marked FX. Couldn't be more simple. It's "good practice" to learn to keep projects light on effects and bypass all mastering type effects while tracking. VST's instruments do not cause "more" latency. And only certain effects can be the offenders so with me if I need to re record something when I'm at the mastering stage, I just use that magic button "FX" and there is no latency. This same latency will also appear if you try and record midi with a controller.

Huge time saver for me when making backing tracks. I have over 200 now and I need them all to be exactly the same mix. I get weird glitches where even though there is no volume controller data my Ample bass will jump to a louder level than the pre set. I will catch that right away by the level in the meter.

To solve the issue of different VST's having this crazy all over the map outputs I use custom presets for the ones I use the most. I also have track templates saved where I've already tweaked them to my liking. The default levels are normally a bit loud. I think they do this because of the "Everything will sound better if it's louder" rule.