Bobby Thistle

I bought some more software from them yesterday. I got an email this morning from tech support - Paul Ohegyi. He was looking in my file and saw that I had a bit of trouble installing the first software and so took it upon himself to send me directions on how to install the new stuff. He said that if I was still having problems I could just phone their 800 number and he would do it for me. I think I've already said that I'm in Canada and so there's a bit of a bite when I buy US because of the exchange rate on the dollar. But for something like software, it would cost me just as much or more after tax is thrown in there. And I can assure you that I wouldn't be getting the same after sale support that Sweetwater gives me. Of course, it wouldn't pay me to by anything that requires shipping from Sweetwater. The cost of shipping and duty I'd have to pay would put the price way out of the ballpark. /OM

Good morning all I installed Addictive Drums yesterday and all was working well. I left my computer for dinner and when I returned I lost the sound in Cakewalk BbB. AD is working fine. When I do a drag and drop into CW it goes in as a midi track with no problem. The track is playing according to the meter but nothing comes out. I’m sure it must be a setting in Cakewalk that I’m missing somewhere. As I said, it was working well before I left it. But now after changing so many things looking for the problem it’s probably messed up even more. Some ideas about what I can do to get it working again would be so appreciated!!!

Hi abacab... thanks for your reply. Yes, as you say, once I was shown how to install the samples they automatically put themselves in the SampleTank folder on "C:\Program Files\IK Multimedia\SampleTank". . Easy stuff. I'm going to have to have a better look within SampleTank itself because I'm thinking that I may not have found all of the instruments and samples. I just haven't had a lot of time to mess around with it. So far, as much as I can tell, the only problem I'm having is the way it will crash without warning at times. I know this is being caused by SampleTank because once I have a sound in Cakewalk and I shut down SampleTank there hasn't been even one crash. But there were a few crashes when I was running SampleTank as a stand alone. I'm pretty sure that my computer is equipped to handle running ST4... Intel Core i7 3770 @ 3.40GHz Installed RAM 16GB I'm thinking that at some point down the line I'm going to get another faster internal HD and use it just for my music... Only SampleTank and Cakewalk, VSTs, etc. will be installed on it. After reading and watching others who are using SampleTank 4, there have been a few who are experiencing this "crash" syndrome as well. Oh well... we'll get it sorted.

I phoned Sweetwater, where I bought ST4, and the tech showed me how to get them installed. I'm glad that I did call because there were a few system options that had to be changed. I would never have found them on my own. He then did a couple of installs while I watched him doing it and then had me do a few while he watched, just to make sure I had the gist of it. He even opened up Cakewalk to make sure that everything was showing up properly. (they did/do) I am really throwing flowers to Zach and Tyler over at Sweetwater... without them I would still not have my software up and running. Thanks to everyone here who responded to my question. Very much appreciated!!!

At the risk of sounding like a Sweetwater fanboy (which I am 😁) once again I'm sending high praises to Sweetwater!!! I bought some "download" software - from them on Friday evening - SampleTank 4. (I may have said this before) In no way shape or form was I able install it. I'm a sixty-three year old geyser who's brain doesn't run on all cylinders at times. My sales rep is Zach Smith. I sent him an email last night explaining my frustration. This morning I got a response from him, giving me a direct phone number to Tyler. I shared my screen with him and I watched as my pointer flew around at warp speed. Apparently, there were a few adjustments that had to be made in my OS... something that I would never have found or even known about on my own. In no time he had the install going. With a lot of patience he watched me do some installing on my own, making sure that I was able to do it. And even though he "doesn't use Cakewalk" he opened it up to make sure I would know how access ST4 in there. I'm very sure that I would be able to do a re-install on my own if need be. Where I live, there are only three places for me to do business with. No real mom and pop stores around here. The smallest of the three, where I do most of my shopping, doesn't carry music software. The other two carry it for the exact same price - plus tax - no downloads to be had and so I would also have to pay shipping. All of this is in Canadian Dollars. Sweetwater had it for $100 less than what my local stores were asking, albeit in US dollars. But even with the exchange it still cost me a lot less than if I bought it here in Canada... Downloading = no tax, no shipping. And through experience, I know that I would never have gotten the same after sale help that Sweetwater has given me. Doing the happy dance today!!! 🤗

Last night I bought and downloaded what was supposed to be SampleTank 4 from Sweetwater. Because it was getting late I decided to wait until this morning to install it. It was then that I noticed that the zipped file I downloaded was in fact SampleTank Custom Shop version 3.7.3. I called Sweetwater’s 1-800 number to tell them that I didn’t get the software that I paided for. In no time at all the service rep took me to where I needed to go and started to download the correct version for me. This was the first time that I’ve dealt with Sweetwater and I can’t say enough great things about them. Their attitude and help was beyond any other store that I have had any dealings with. For sure I’ll be a return customer.

Happy Saturday all!!! I have quickly outgrown the plugins/vst's that are included in Cakewalk by BandLab and so I pulled the trigger on SampleTank Custom Shop. After doing a lot of research I decided that this will suit my needs - and then some. Kontakt was totally out of the question because of cost. I also don't need the kazillion sounds that it has in order to do what I'm gonna do musically. Being a total newb at working with vst's and plugins, I want to make sure that I don't make a mess when I install it. This is my question... where do I install it? Do I need to put it somewhere in Cakewalk? Or do I just install it as another program in C/ program files/SampleTank? If so, how do I access it from within Cakewalk once it is installed? So sorry for this maybe being a dopey question but as stated, this is a first for me and I want to get the installation right the first time. All help is much appreciated!!!

Well, that's it. It was time to retire my trusty old MIDI modules and catch up with today's technology. I've decided to start making my music with VST's and plugins. My old Roland JV-1010 must be at least 25 years old. My Ketron SD-2 is a bit newer but has still become long in the tooth. But they both served me well over the years. I've been playing around with the plugins that come with Cakewalk over the past couple of days. and am catching on quite quickly. I'm also having a lot of fun as I am virtually starting from scratch and learning a whole new and different way of making music. Welcome to the game. 😁

Hi guys... Well, it took me a while to figure out what you were saying all along. My Ketron SD2 has to go into the audio interface (6i6) Do keep in mind that I'm a total newb at setting this stuff up - so many cables to figure out when I don't know what I'm doing - and it takes me a while to understand what you're telling me to do. And finally, it is working. The way I now have it set up is like this: I'm back to using my M-Audio midi interface. My midi controller keyboard goes in the M-Audio and then comes out and goes into the midi module. The outs from the midi module go into the 6i6 front audio in plugs. And voila... I have sound coming out of the 6i6. Although this has cleared up my problem ( caused by my lack of understanding) I'm wondering about something. What do the two "line in" inputs on the back of the 6i6 do? Shouldn't I be able to plug the module into them and get the same results as when it's plugged into the front inputs? When I've tried like this it doesn't work. This isn't a biggie... I am just wondering why. Using a front input isn't really a problem because I'm only using the other front input with one mic or one guitar at a time. Never both at the same time. And so, it works for me. Thanks so much everyone for all your help. I'm sorry it took so long for my brain to figure out what you all were telling me. 😬

Well you were right about the controlled surface not being there, Mark. Unfortunately it hasn't fixed my problem. With everything showing that its working aside from not hearing anything through the phones I can't think "so close and yet so far." We'll get it going somehow tomorrow.

Hi Mark... Please forgive me for not knowing what you mean as a "Control surfaces". Don't forget, I'm a total newb when it comes to this.

Greetings all… I have decided that I want to clear up a lot of desk space and get rid of my cheap Mackie ProFX8. Not only does it take up a lot of room, it also “hisses” a lot when you give it any real volume, even though the phones. I want to use my new FocusRite Scarlett 6i6 in its place, but there’s a bit of a problem with MIDI. I can’t hear any MIDI sounds going in or coming out. I’ve searched all over looking for the cause but have yet to find any solutions. My wiring setup is: MIDI keyboard out to MIDI in on the 6i6 MIDI out on the 6i6 to MIDI in on the Ketron SD-2 MIDI module MIDI Thru from the SD-2 to MIDI in on the Roland JV-1010 All MIDI sounds that were already recorded into Cakewalk (by BandLab) are showing that they’re playing as they should, judging by the level meters on their assigned tracks. Both MIDI sound modules are flashing, indicating that they’re playing their parts as the song plays. The MIDI indicator light on the 6i6 is a steady on/off flash. I just can’t hear any MIDI sounds – or anything else through the phones on the FocusRite. I also can’t record any new MIDI sounds. In Cakewalk’s Preferences setup, MIDI device, input and output have the 6i6 checked. MIDI Record/Playback seems to be as it should with the exception of “Driver Mode” which is showing “MME”. This is greyed out. When I close the project and check the “Driver Mode”, it gives me the choice of MME or UWP. I get the same results with either or the other. MIDI Playback has “Always echo current MIDI track” checked. MIDI Files has “Always use Syx Banks for MIDI files (instead of Syx Data) checked. My "Instruments" are entered and show up as they should. I know I must be missing a setting somewhere. The problem is, I’ve checked and unchecked so many settings now, I don’t know which ones are the right ones. BTW... Audio works like a charm… and sounds a LOT better than when I was using the Mackie as the audio interface. Perhaps someone can guide me to the settings that I need to get MIDI sounds up and running? It would be so much appreciated.!!!

Yep... I think you're right, Mark. Everything is running smoothly the way it is set up now. Best to leave it as is. The less time spent plugging and unplugging and getting frustrated when it doesn't work, the more time I'll have to make music. After all, isn't that why I have all this gear? 😁

Well... I picked up the FocusRite 6i6 this afternoon and just put it through it's tests. I'm not going to lie... I'm totally ecstatic with the results it gave me!!! Hooking it up was easy. In the back, from the numbers 1 and 2 outputs I have it plugged into it's own channel on the Mackie, which allows me to monitor everything through my phones on the Mackie... audio and MIDI. I'm actually thinking that I'll leave it hooked up the way it is because I prefer the bigger sliders and phone knobs on the mixer as opposed to the little knobs on the 6i6. That being said, I will review the responses you all gave me to see how to hook up my M-Audio 2x2 MIDI interface into the FocusRite and have everything coming from it into the mixer which I'll keep just for monitoring. Thanks Mark for your fantastic suggestion about picking up the FocusRite. All my problems were solved in just the amount of time it took me to get it set up. In fact, thanks to all who sent replies!!! So much appreciated. 😁

I'm thinking that I'll pull the trigger on the Focusrite as it sounds like an easy way to cure my problems. Can I plug the line outs on the Focusrite into their own channel on the Mackie - again, using the Mackie as a sound card? I'm thinking yes but I have been known to be wrong - especially in wiring up gear. 😁 Another option I have is to daisy chain my two MIDI modules and plug them into the Focusrite. But to do this I have to be taken by the hand and shown how to do this. 🤤 Thanks to all for the replies... very much appreciated!!!

Greetings all… This is my first post, but I have been lurking around here for a while. I’m hoping that I’m posting this in the right place. But if not, please forgive me. I am a long time (Sonar Platinum) Cakewalk user. I go back to Cakewalk 3 (Twelve Tone Systems anyone?) I made the jump from version 8.5 – which I loved - up to Sonar Platinum once I upgraded to a 64-bit computer. I loved, and still love that too. But lately my version started to do little annoying things and I guess my mucking around pressing all kinds of settings here and there just made things worse. So, out of frustration, I decided to take BandLab up on their offer to give me a completely new install for free. I can’t help but wonder, if they took over the “product/business” from Gibson and are giving it away, how are they making any money with it? But this isn’t the reason I’m posting. Up until today I haven’t been putting any audio tracks in my songs. I use strictly MIDI with two VERY old modules, a Roland JV-1010 (hundreds of sounds that are still very cool) and a somewhat “newer” Ketron SD2 that also still sounds great. The modules are connected to an M-Audio 2x2 Anniversary USB MIDI interface and they go into a Mackie ProFX8 (USB) which I also use as my audio interface. This whole setup is working just fine – for MIDI. I added an audio track today. I wanted to record my bass guitar. Trouble is, the sound isn’t making it into Cakewalk. I can hear it in the Mackie but that’s as far as it goes. I should also say that there are no drivers for the Mackie. It is USB and shows up as a generic soundcard. As per the audio driver in the Cakewalk setup, my only choice is ASIO4ALL. I’ve seen where a lot of guys are saying that this driver can be a disaster and should be avoided at all costs. My question is; is there another 64-bit driver that I can download from somewhere that will make things easier for me and give me the results I want? Or, is there an audio interface that would make things a lot easier for me out there that won’t break the bank? I will only be recording one audio track at a time so I don’t need an interface with hundreds of inputs. I still like the way my Mackie handles both of my MIDI modules. Could I still use it along side another audio interface? The perfect scenario would be to just find another driver and use the gear that I already have. But I have learned that there aren’t very many perfect scenarios in life. While quickly scanning through some audio interfaces at my favorite music store, I’ve noticed that most only have one MIDI in/out connection. I have two modules that I want to use. By now I’m guessing you noticed that I’m no expert when it comes to this stuff. Therefore, I humbly put my trials and tribulations before all of you, the real experts. I’m sure that there’s more info you’d need before you can offer me any solutions and I’ll be glad to provide it to you once you tell me what you need. I guess I should at least tell you that I’m running Win 10. Any help and suggestions would be gratefully appreciated!