DSL

Some good advice, thank you everyone.

Oh thanks chaps! I'll try these out.

Hi friends,

I do realise that I won't be the first person to ask about this, but I couldn't find what I was looking for by searching...

Would someone please point me to a tutorial video or similar that shows how to write pitch bend information in my MIDI tracks. I'm only looking to be able to do the basics. I've found the 'wheel' controller pane, but I can't seem to draw what I want (ie smooth bends).

Thanks as ever,

Dave

Thanks chaps!

I had a look at the freeze options and saw what you meant about changing the default so that the FX rack was unaffected; that was my biggest issue. I'll give this some more thought.

Cheers,

Dave

Hi friends,

I wonder if you can help me get to grips with something...

I've been using CbB for well over a year now, and in many regards I feel I've learned a lot about it. However, there is one area that I don't really understand, which is freezing synths. I use a mixture of external synths and internal. As I don't want to have excessive CPU load, by the time I'm ready to mix I freeze the internal synths. I want to be able to work on these tracks just like audio tracks, but because they're frozen if I add plugins they wont work; so what I've been doing is copying the audio clips onto new tracks and muting the originals. I'm pretty sure that's not the best way to do it! I thought there was maybe a way to bounce (render) the synth tracks so that they behave exactly the same as the other audio tracks, but I can't seem to work out how.

If there is (as I suspect) a more elegant solution than my workaround, please will you point me in the right direction?

Thanks,

Dave

Thankyou so much!

Hi friends,

I have a stereo track that I would like to split into mono. What is the best way to do this?

Dave

8 minutes ago, msmcleod said:

I can think of two alternatives:

1.  Automate the bus input gain - setting this to zero will effectively mute it. Also input gain isn't changed very often ( unlike output volume ), so you should be able to just  switch between zero and whatever your normal input gain is using jump shapes.

2.  Use an aux track  (either instead of the bus, or in between your tracks and your bus), and use automated mute on the aux track.

Thanks, I'll give that a go.

Yes, don't know why I didn't think of using an Aux track! Problem solved, many thanks...

Hi Friends,

I've hit a little snag in my current project. I have some lead vocal layer tracks routed to a bus, which I want to bring in and out as required. I wanted to automate this, so went to the bus automation options and...no automated mute. Oh! I can automate each track of course, but that's a lot of work. Am I missing something -  surely muting buses within a mix is a common requirement? Please help if you know what I'm doing wrong,  or can suggest a suitable alternative.

Thanks,

Dave

1 minute ago, Cactus Music said:

And don’t forget you can also use the CTRL/W.  this toggles space bar behaviour between stopping in place ( pause)  and rewind to where you started from. 

I didn't know that either, thanks! You guys must think I'm dumb as an ox...😀

Thanks! (easy when you know how...)

Hi Friends,

I don't have an external controller, so I usually use the computer keyboard for transport controls (i.e. stop and start with the spacebar) . My question is: is there a similar shortcut for PAUSE? I looked in the online manual but it didn't offer any alternative to the transport section within CbB (for the pause function). Anyone aware of an alternative?

Thanks

Dave

On 7/9/2022 at 8:21 PM, bdickens said:

They  aren't. But if the only VSTi you have in your project is a drum kit, what do you think your new MIDI track is going to get routed to? You would have to put another VSTi in your project.

I leave everything connected all the time so that it is all available instantly.

Hey Everyone,

Thanks very much for your help. After buying a USB extension, I've decided to follow bdickens' advice and leave the external synths permanently connected! As you may imagine that solved the issue.👍

Can I just take this opportunity to thank you all for being so sharing with your knowledge - this really is an excellent Forum with some really great people.

Dave

2 minutes ago, sjoens said:

The short answer to the OQ is No.

When inserting a new MIDI track, CbB will default output to the 1st or only device available. In your case BFD.

If absolutely no devices or softsynths are present the default is "1-" and the Output dropdown only gives drum maps as an option.

If you have a MIDI interface with multiple ports connected AND listed in Preferences, CbB will default to the 1st device.
    You can label one EMPTY or NONE and switch to it.

 

Ah thanks, I thought that must be what was happening. Glad to know it isn't just me being dumb (for a change!)

18 minutes ago, bdickens said:

You can't have a track routed to something that isn't there.

Obviously not, even CbB isn't that clever!😁

No, but I think that other new MIDI tracks should not have to be automatically treated by Cakewalk as drum MIDI tracks - and that's what I was getting at. I want to write the MIDI before connecting a synth, which seems a reasonable thing to do. Once it's done I can connect up, check it works, make any tweaks and then track. That's how I used to do it back in the day with an external sequencer.

Anyway, if it can't be done no problem - I just wanted to ask in case it's a question of my ignorance. Thanks for trying to help my friend!

Dave

1 hour ago, bdickens said:

I'm not sure what you're asking. The piano roll only works on MIDI tracks.

How do you have this external synth connected?

Hi bdickens,

I don't have the external synth connected at present, I only connect it for tracking to save having trailing leads across the room.

Basically, I think CbB defaults to whatever MIDI device it can see connected (in this case BFD3 drums is the only thing), and I'm asking if there is a way to override this on any other MIDI tracks that I add. Obviously I already have a MIDI track for the drums.

I'm pretty sure that if I were to add TTS-1 or similar I would have the option, as I could then set the MIDI channel output to it.

I can live with the workaround, I just wanted to see if there was an easier way to do it.

Thanks,

Dave

Hi Friends,

A quick question about the piano roll view:

In my current project I already have some audio tracks and have BFD3 drums. I am trying to write some MIDI for an external synth, but the midi editor seems to be defaulting to a drum map rather than piano roll, which is obviously no use to me. I don't have any soft synth in the project. I also note that the channel midi output options are only BFD.

As a workaround I opened a new project, inserted a midi track and that defaulted to the normal piano roll, so I was able to continue. Once I have the MIDI track completed I intend to import into the original project and assign to external synth.

So my question is can I force piano roll in a MIDI track? I tried all the obvious menu options but was unsuccessful.

Dave

7 hours ago, bvideo said:

FYI for future reference: the term "class compliant" does not apply to ASIO. Most operating systems provide a common driver for "class compliant" devices so they will work with the driver model(s) built into the OS. But Windows does not provide ASIO, so class compliant doesn't apply.

Thank you, I did not know that. 

3 minutes ago, John Vere said:

I guess Mackie is going Green 🤢

I like paper manuals still but I get the point of on line stuff too. But see what happens is then a well meaning user doesn’t always realize this so is kinda forced to fumble around in the dark. 
Anyhow your one page of settings looks normal and ASIO drivers are often shared by different devices made by the same company. 
But ASIO has a limitation of one driver at a time  so if the big knob is an ASIO audio interface as well, then it will only show if it does use that same driver. 
I think it will have a (2) after the device name. 
The only other option is to use WASAPI shared mode but then tracks will record out of sync so don’t go there 

Thanks John! The setup appears to be working so far, but I haven't done any tracking yet so fingers crossed. I freely admit that I don't really understand all these drivers and protocols, but I'm glad that people like yourself do and are prepared to help out.

Have a good one...

Dave

1 hour ago, bdickens said:

I think it is, quite frankly, stupid.

In my former life, I used to be able to fix cars that no one else could because I would do RTFM first instead of after days of banging my head against the wall and throwing $$$$ of parts around. I even more than once had a colleague ask me for help after having torn a car apart trying to "fix" something that was a design feature!

Of course, this forum would be considerably shorter if people would RTFM. The "songs" subforum might be a lot longer, though....

I agree with you wholeheartedly - I'm an engineer. But I also believe in asking for help when I need it, especially in areas outside of my field of expertise...

2 hours ago, John Vere said:

Lots of people never read the instructions that come with stuff? I find this very odd? 

Mackie usually supplies very good manuals with very easy to understand instructions with sometimes a little humour tossed in.
I have 2 of their mixers the Pro EFx and a Mix8. None USB.  
 

The Mackie ASIO driver was not that great in the past. Hopefully they have released something better since I last used it. 
 

Hi John,

The mixer came with a simple multi-language booklet showing the basic features; but no manual as such. There's certainly no mention of downloading drivers. I believe that one can download a manual from the website. Having said that, the device is supposed to be class compliant...

I downloaded a driver and it seemed to work, at least CbB was able to function. In the Devices panel ( Preferences) it just says Mackie ASIO driver, not the device name, which I find slightly worrying; and the outputs on the Master buss say Analogue1 + Analogue 2. I also have a Mackie Big Knob, and I would like to specify which device CbB should be using. 

As you obviously know a great deal about CbB, please could you tell me if:

a) The current state of the setup sounds a little iffy? (as I suspect)

b) How to correct it? You probably have a video on this but I couldn't find one...

The desired setup is to have the ProFX as the USB input/output device for CbB for tracking and playback, with the Big Knob taking audio input from the ProFX and USB data from other computer applications (eg YouTube, iTunes); that's how I've patched it and it seems to be working... 

I've attached a snip of the devices panel. I think both devices are probably there but I have no idea if that's so; and if it is which is which...

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Dave

11 minutes ago, DSL said:

No, I thought it was done automatically by Windows when it 'found' a new device

Ok I get the prize for being a noodle! I downloaded a driver and CbB now working. Thanks a lot!

No, I thought it was done automatically by Windows when it 'found' a new device

Please help

I've just bought a Mackie ProFX USB mixer to replace my MBox2. I connected up to the computer and audio system, but when I opened up CbB it gave me the 'no audio device' warning. I opened Preferences and there is nothing in the devices panel. I don't know what to do now - is there a way to ask CbB to scan for devices? I can't remember what I did when I first installed MBox2...

Dave

10 hours ago, scook said:

Your time may be better spent learning the plug-in.  It is a large/complex plug-in with the ability to tailor each kit piece individually in the plug-in with the myriad of built-in effects and routing options to mix in the plug-in to a single stereo out.

That said, if you really want to bypass BFD internal mixer, start simple. Do everything in little steps and you should be able to figure out how it works.

Once you get the entire kit setup with MIDI and audio tracks, save it as a track template and use the template to load BFD in the future.

Here are some little steps to get you started -

• In CbB,  drag the BFD3 plug-in into a project with only MIDI source selected in the Insert Soft synth Options dialog. You can always create a folder and move the tracks into it later.
• In BFD3, load a kit
• In CbB
  • add an audio track,
  • change the label to Kick
  • set the interleave* to mono
  • set the input to BFD3m01 (Note: BFD3m... are BFD3 mono outputs, BFD3s... are stereo).
• In BFD3
  • change the Kick in the BFD3 mixer to Mono 1
  • test by clicking on the Kick in the BFD3 kit view
• In CbB
  •  add an audio track
  • change the label to snare
  • set the interleave* to mono
  • set the input to BFD3m02
• In BFD3
  • change the Smare in the BFD3 mixer to Mono 2
  • test by clicking on the Snare in the BFD3 kit view

At this point, chances are the kick and snare will both play albeit at different levels on both tracks. This is because BFD3, by default allows the kick and snare to bleed into each other's microphones.  This is controlled in BFD3 in the tech display to the right of the Kit and Mixer display.

Repeat as desired for each kit piece. 

* Track interleave is located in the track inspector and depending on Workspace and Track Control drop down settings in the track view track headers.

 

Dear Scook,

Thanks so much - once again you have helped me out, and it is greatly appreciated.

I got BFD3 because a friend has it and I have worked with him using it; so I have a little familiarity with it (but not very much!). Unfortunately, he uses Pro Tools and has no knowledge of CbB. I will follow your instructions; AND the one to learn the plugin!!

Thanks again,

Dave