Rok TheKasbah

@David Bay My apologies, I did mean to say cwp files, and said wrk files out of habit. The odd thing about this is that for quite a while, Bandlab did not alter any contents of a folder that would cause the files to be read by windows a recent. So if I opened a project and just listened to it, Windows would not read the file or containing folder as having been recently modified. So I dont know If I changed a setting, or maybe my window configuration or something is set up in a way that is doing something with mix scenes I dont know. I would just refresh bandlab to default settings, to see if that solved the issues, but there several really crucial preferences and settings I made along the way that drastically improve ergonomics and workflow, and I do not remember what they all are, so I would rather do that.

@msmcleod My apologies, I used the wrong terminology, I said "wrk" just out of habit. I meant to say this is happening with cwp files.

@base 57 Ok , I tried your suggestion, the issue is not a faulty mouse. I can click on blank space in the project as well and the issue does not happen, so it is only the timeline that causes this to happen.

@ User 905133 Thanks for your reply. Are you referring to just deselecting the area that Cakewalk randomly selects for me when I click on the timeline? If that is the case, I do know that I can do that, and I appreciate the tip on the shortcut key to expedite the select none function. I am just frustrated that I even have to do that. I never wanted anything selected in the first place, so it is very fatiguing to have to keep constantly taking extra steps to deselect something that I never wanted selected to begin with. There are a myriad of these types of redundancies and obstacles, that require the user to constantly have to instruct the software not to do all the things that the user never asked it to do in the first place.

@msmcleod Lol, really? That is amazing, Well done man! That is awesome. I have to say in all my years of identifying weaknesses in software design and many very diplomatic and patient campaigns to get even one minor change made, I have never been able to effect even one change in software. I gave up submitting feature requests a long time ago lol. Well that will be a very big improvement to the ergonomics of manifesting our creativity. So Kudos to you for being a part of this change, and Kudos to the Cakewalk developers for sifting this request out of the millions of other requests and making this a priority!

@msmcleod I could see the benefit of having a library of sections that you could easily select from a vertical list on a sidebar, but I feel that adding an arranger track is an extra layer of abstraction between the user and their end goal. I dont want to make creating and arranging two separate processes. A lot of times I will be shuffling things around experimentally as part of the creative process itself. I feel like the arranger track function is more designed for once you know that you have a final "chorus" or "bridge" etc, then you move those chunks around. So I just want to be able to cut and paste things easily right in the main track window itself using the two vectors that were always available, selecting content, and placing it on the timeline. A DAW is really supposed to already be an "arranger track" just by it's very nature. If you look at the main window of the original cakewalk, there is just a grid of measures for different tracks placed on a timeline. And you just select the things you want and place them where you want. I.E. an "arranger track" The issue I am struggling with is that the original efficiency of simply moving things around directly in cakewalk seems to have been hampered, or at least I have not yet figured out how to do it as easily as I was able to previously, not just in Cakewalk, but many other daws I have had experience with in the past. And that the aspect of what has been hampered on recent versions of Cakewalk, I now need to make up for by addressing those particular aspects by using the arranger track. Which essentially makes what used to one process, now in to two separate processes. Also, because I already have to now create separate midi tracks that are nested underneath a blank instrument track in order to simply mute midi information of different tracks without also muting the track itself, the windows are becoming extremely chaotic. Combine with the way tracks never stay the same size and are always getting really large or small, and are all different sizes, and I am constantly resizing different track heights just to see whether they re muted or not, adding yet another track at the top is adding even more chaos, and what I am trying to do is simplify the chaos so I can put as much focus in to creativity as I can, and not waste creativity on redundant technical complexity.

I agree. This function creates another hurdle to navigate. I get frustrated when I am simply trying to place the cursor on the timeline, and by clicking in the one narrow little band on the screen that has been provided for me to select a new time position, for some reason that will randomly cause a selection to be made, represented by the green indicator. Picking a single point on the timeline should not cause anything to be selected. placing a cursor and selecting a region are two different functions. I havent even figured out what causes cakewalk to make a selection or not make one. Its like if you select on the top several pixels of the timeline bar it doesnt make a selection, if you click in the middle few pixels of the timeline bar it selects something, and if you click on the bottom few pixels something else happens. And then of course when trying to move the loop start or end point I always inadvertently grab the green bar instead, and when trying to move the green selection point, you grab the yellow bar instead. It is detrimental when DAW developers add extra bells and whistles that drastically handicap previous functionality that was already more efficient and intuitive than the new and improved version. Not to single Cakewalk out of course with this phenomena, most all software seems to operate worse and worse, the more the creators try to make it more and more sophisticated.

: (

I must have inadvertently changed a setting in Cakewalk. When I change Windows 10 folder preference to "view recently modified" windows will place cakewalk folders at the top of the list that do not contain recently modified wrk files. However those folders do contain wrk files that I recently opened to listen to, but I did NOT save or make changes to the wrk file. So Cakewalk must be making some kind of change to the associated folders themselves simply by me opening the contained file and listening to it. I think this is my doing somehow because Bandlab was previously not causing any changes to a file that would cause windows to read it as "recently modified", so I think it is one of the many settings I tinkered with trying to figure out other things. I have Autosave disabled with both boxes set to zero. Does anyone know what else could be causing Windows10 to identify wrk files or their folders as being recently saved, even though the wrk files have not been recently saved? Thanks for any solutions. : )

@Jackson White I do appreciate your response about the arranger track. I am not ignoring it. However, I am trying to figure out how to do the cutting and pasting and arranging the way I am accustomed to without using the arranger track. Thanks for willingness to help though. : )

@sjoens The ripple edit setting worked for being able to delete the spaces out of my arrangements that I tell cakewalk to delete. Thanks ! : ) Also, through plenty of trial and error, and hair pulling, I did eventually figure out that if I was already selected on track 1, then I copied and pasted sections of the arrangement, then paste later in the timeline, that my track orientation would be kept. But I was hoping there was a setting that addressed this because it is super frustrating and non-intuitive that I have to tell Cakewalk that when I copy measures of my entire song then paste them later in the timeline that I dont want all the tracks jumbled up. Basically every time I cut and paste I have to take the extra step of first selecting track 1 to inform cakewalk that I don't want the software change all the track orientations : ( I cant imagine a style of composing where every time I cut and paste a section of an arrangement I want the software to randomly shift all of the tracks in the song starting at whatever track I happen to have last been focused on. I actually cant imagine any time at all that I want to shift my bass track midi data to the keyboard track, and shift my keyboard track data to the hi hat track, and shift the kick track data to data to the synth track, etc. your info about the ripple edit setting is a lifesaver : )

when I select one or more midi notes, then move them forward or backward on the timeline, then Undo that move, Cakewalk also deselects the notes, then I have to reslect them to move the notes again, then if I undo again, Cakewalk will deselect the notes again, then I have to select the notes again to move them again. etc. Is there a preference setting that will only undo the action of the move, but not also deselect the notes? Thanks for any solutions. : )

*This question pertains only to editing midi arrangements 1. How can I simply highlight several measures of my arrangement (all tracks selected), Copy those several measures, then go to the place on the timeline I want to paste them, and paste them keeping the same track orientation I copied? Cakewalk always pastes the measures starting at some random track, which somehow even deletes tracks previous to the point on the timeline I am pasting the new section. I know that I can do the multiple step process of "paste special", then go in and manually tell Cakewalk to orient the tracks starting at track 1, but is there a way to just have that be the default setting? Is there a way to easily just cut measures, then paste measures without Cakewalk randomly taking my 1st track and starting it down on the seventh track, and taking my 2nd track and pasting down on the 8th track etc? 2: How can I select several measures (of all tracks) then delete them and have all subsequent measures shifted accordingly? The problem I keep encountering is even when I go through the extra steps of selecting the "delete hole" option, Cakewalk only shifts the tracks that had midi information in the area I selected to delete, but the tracks that had no midi information in the area I selected to delete, do not shift accordingly, and stay where they were, and I wind up just having to use the workaround of deleting the measures I dont want, then selecting all of the subsequent measures all the way to the end of the song, then cutting them, then putting the cursor at the beginning of the deleted section, then pasting. Is there a more direct way to do this? I don;t recall having this problem with earlier versions of Cakewalk so I am hoping there is a setting that solves this. Thanks for any solutions. : )

I found the answer in the reference PDF. I would have deleted this question to keep things tidy, but I dont know how. : ) I would like to select ONE track, and have that be the only that track that is selected for recording, not also other tracks that were previously selected still be armed for recording. Is there a way to do this? I am constantly accidentally recording on tracks that I do not want to record on because they are still armed for recording and they are above or below the screen. But even if I could see that previous tracks I recorded on were still armed, I would rather not have to take multiple steps to disarm previous tracks that were armed simply to recoerd a new track. Thanks for any solutions. : )

Kurre...Thanks so much for the project>insert tempo change tip! That is so much better than opening tempo track to get to the tap tempo function. Do you know if this can be assigned to a shortcut key? Tap tempo should still be an integrated module in the transport area however. Just sayin! : )

That might be worth doing if I am able to use a key from a controller keyboard to tap out the tempo. Using a mouse is excruciating, and it feels like I need to intentionally rush the tmpo slightly to get the proper tempo when clicking a mouse, I think because the extra travel of the mouse click is slightly interfering with perception of timing. Would be sweet to just have an accessible tap tempo button in the metronome module though. 🙁

That is really unfortunate, seeing as how I dont know exactly where that space is. I guess I can make a note of exactly how many seconds/samples there are between the start of the measure, and the first note, then go to the measure where I want to paste, and then scroll exactly that amount of seconds/samples and paste there, but that seems ridiculous. I dont remember having this issue before, at least I dont remember it with cakewalk 3.1. I was using cakewalk for audio after 3.1 so I would not have needed this function if it was eliminated in later versions. Or maybe this problem always existed in piano roll in 3.1 but acted differently in the arrangement view I cant remember. But I am surprised that I can't intentionally copy space prior to midi events, and them paste that space later. I think it works with "clips" in arrangement view does it not? I guess I will try that.

When I make a selection at an interval before a note, say at the beginning of a measure and the note starts somewhere after the beginning of that measure, cakewalk does not copy the space that I intentionally highlighted prior to the the note, so that I can then move further down the timeline and place the cursor directly at the beginning of a measure, then paste. what happens instead is I highlight starting at the beginning of the measure, but cakewalk automatically decides to start its selection at at the beginning of the NOTE, so when I mover further down the timeline, and place the cursor on exactly on the measure then paste, cakewalk pastes the first note directly on the start of the measure, instead of including the space that I intentionally selected prior to the note. Is there a setting that will direct Cakewalk to include the space at the beginning of the selection, and also paste that space?

interesting, so this is a plugin|? is it linked to cakewalks internal tempo somehow and you can see the tempo change in cakewalks tempo module? Thanks so much for the tip! : )

USER 905133...I found the aim assist and turned off that bubble that obscures the timeline increments. would have never found it before because the setting was not found in any of myriad of different places that have preferences, or views, or options etc, but rather it was found under the subheading of the the "edit" menu. Any way thank you so much finally that bubble is gone! : )

You mean like this? The original Cakewalk sequencer had very efficient immediate access to all of the key variables involved with midi sequencing. you could arrow up or down quickly to get to different tracks or click on them with the mouse. To change the Bank or Patch just click or arrow in to the corresponding square in the grid and use the plus/minus to very easily change between patches, banks, etc. You could also shift time of a track forward or backwards for say aligning one shot sample to sound how you want. There was quick access to transposing pitch of midi events on a track by using plus or minus keys, you could shift by an octave in one click. You could even do this in real time on a track while a sequence was playing for a really cool effect. One of the really awesome aspects of such a workflow is how immediate it was to experiment and audition different sounds when adding a new part. You could arrow or click to the patch square on a specific track and play the controller keyboard with one hand while using other hand and plus or minus keys to scroll through different sounds extremely fast. And also you could use this same functionality to experiment with different sounds for a melody or bassline or drum pattern you had already recorded. You could click or arrow to the patch square of a track while the sequence was playing and use the plus or minus keys to instantly scroll through all the patches of a particular synth, drum machine etc. And by clicking in the Midi Channel square of a track, and using plus or minus to change the midi channels, you could instantly switch the actual synth or drum machine entirely that the events on that track would trigger. There was no menu surfing, or opening multiple sets of folders to eventually look at the name of a single sound, then drag and drop it on to a track etc, or look at someone elses taxonomy for how they would classify information to try and find or audition new sounds. Unfortunately all modern DAWS suffer from the condition of losing sight of original efficiency/ functionality. Obviously modern DAWS perform amazing almost miraculous functions that early music software couldn't dream of. Especially being able to compose with an entire studio worth of synths and sampler VSTi all just living in a portable laptop. I wish someone would combine all the good aspects of old and new with ergonomics and intuitive functionality being the central pillar of the design. Perhaps a project that invited tens of thousands of DAW users and producers to join in on the design of the feature set. Requests and design concepts that get suggested by the most people would get put at the top of the list for the build. Or perhaps an open source DAW that was somewhat modular so that if someone really wanted a feature or functionality it would at least be possible for them to either themself or by hiring someone, build the functionality in to the design.

AZslow, thanks for your efforts. I searched "simple" track on this forum and google for bandlab and the only reference that came up was your mention of it. Are you saying that I can set up the midi track feeding the instrument track, but have both of those tracks appear as one track? If so that would clean up a lot of clutter in the arrangement view and make it easier to navigate around. What I was referring to here is that this used to be a standard function in the workflow of composing with MIDI, in particular Cakewalk 3.1. You used to be able to mute tracks on and off while looping and since the sequencer was only regulating the midi events themselves, and the synths and drum machines etc were independent from the sequencer and mixer etc, when you would mute events on and off, the decay and effects etc would continue properly. It is actually a very effective creative tool for finding different combinations and building arrangements. And you would not need to set up an extra track for every track in the project to do this.

Thanks for the answers so far, they are very helpful. 🙂 If the midi plugins filter in real time, that will be a huge improvement to my current setup. So if I understand correctly in order to have a mute work properly, each track will need it's own additional redundant midi track just to press the mute button and have the instrument decay properly? 🙁 I will give that a try as a work around, and hopefully it will at least get me through the projects I need to accomplish with Bandlab. Thanks again for the answers so far, knowledge is power! 🙂

Is there a pre/post setting to set mutes to toggle midi events of tracks instead of muting the console channels, so that decay on virtual instruments and reverb etc. will continue to sound properly after mute. Is it possible to assign external buttons/pads etc on a controller keyboard/surface to toggle mutes of different tracks on or off. If so, what is the name of the function/preference setting etc. in the DAW that facilitates this. Is there a way to temporarily mute events in a track but allow the controller keyboard to still trigger sound from the virtual instrument on that track during song playback so you can try out alternate ideas for that track, and not hear the events that are already recorded on that track. Is there a setting to only have the track you have selected be the track that records/plays sound, and not also the track you were previously selected on recording sound. I understand i can manually deselect/disarm the previous track I was working on after I select a new track I want to work on, but is there a setting that allows you to just select the track you want to work on, and then have that be the only track that is selected. Similarly, is there a setting to just be able to arm a track for recording by just clicking one record button that is right next to the solo and mute buttons of a given track, and not have to also the click the record button in the transport to arm a track for recording. Is there a setting to have the console open to a normal free floating window every time you select "view console", instead of automatically docking to the multidock, because even after I undock the window, the click and drag the height and width of the window, as soon as I try to then move the window to the top of the screen so I can see the entire console from top to bottom, the window re-docks itself at the top of the multidock, making it so I cant see the entire console again. The only way I can see the entire console is to maximize the window, full screen, but then I dont have access to the transport or the tools for choosing between select, move, etc. Is there a setting to keep the tap tempo window floating, or a setting to add a tap tempo module to the transport area. I have figured out how to access it through the tempo track, but I dont like keeping that track open because I never alter the tempo in the timeline of the song, and it is also multiple clicks to get there. Is there a way to turn off the little bubble that pops up over the timeline bar that gives an exact readout of the minutes/seconds etc when hovering over the timeline bar? I cant see the edges of the loop region or other selection region to grab them and move them because the bubble is in the way, or is there a different approach that prevents that. Is there a way to alter the properties of midi events in real time that are coming in to the DAW to calibrate the velocity curve to suit particular keyboards or playing styles. The controller keyboard I am currently using does not have this feature internally unfortunately. Thanks for any answers to these questions if you happen to know them! : )

To anyone who has the same problem in the future, I seemed to have solved the problem. It seems shutting the computer down and rebooting has solved this issue. I cant be entirely sure because correlation doesnt always prove causation, but in my case that is what seemed to work. I had closed and re-opened the software with no success, and tried several related settings, but nothing worked until after a re-boot. Hope this helps someone alleviate some stress and bewilderment. : )