johnegenes@gmail.com

Further update: I have now completely uninstalled and reinstalled Cakewalk. Still having the same problem. It's this one pesky EQ plugin. Should I be looking into the Registry? Maybe delete all references to it, then reinstall it in CW? I get nervous about messing around with the Registry.

@Glenn: I just noticed your comment about the jBridge. That's leftover from the old 32 bit version. I've removed it from the folder, but it makes no difference. In Windows Task Mgr, I see that Cakewalk launches Bitbridge.exe when it opens. Also, when I install an instance of the EQ, the plugin pops up on screen instantly. I am able to manipulate all the EQ nodes, open presets and save them, and basically use the plugin itself without a problem. It's only when I press PLAY that the program freezes.

Still racking my brain, trying to figure this one out. Have deleted the original DLL file for the MONO EQ, then did a reset and scan of all my plugins. Reinstalled that DLL from a backup source. Still no go. The project loads and plays fine, but as soon as I install an instance of the Timeworks MONO EQ, it freezes. I can install any other plugins, including the Stereo EQ, and it's fine. I can install and uninstall the MONO EQ in other projects and it's fine. But this one is bugging me. I have deleted all instances of it from the project. I have recreated this project from scratch, starting with a completely blank project. When I removed all instances of the EQ it did leave behind 2 orphaned envelopes on a guitar track, and I wasn't able to click on them to delete them. They weren't referenced in the track's edit filter, but they showed on the track and in the automation lane. I thought they might be the cause, so I created a new track and copied only the audio to it, then deleted it. But with the new track in place, it still behaves the same way. I have bounced every track to clips, as well. I'm thinking it might be an artifact, maybe a Registry entry that affects only this particular project and any other new ones I create. I searched the Registry and found several instances of the MONO EQ, but didn't want to mess with them until I know what I'm doing there. I tried a reinstall of Cakewalk, but it wants me to uninstall the old one first. I'm not sure if I'll lose any of my projects or not, so I'll wait for that. I'm about 3/4's through an album mix and I'm hoping the a reinstall of CW might fix the problem. Will uninstalling Cakewalk remove my existing projects and folders? I'm guessing not, but I'm not taking any chances [grin]. Thanks. --je

As an update, I did create a MiniDump file and sent it to the Cakewalk folks. Waiting to hear from them. --je

Thanks, Glenn. Yep, I tried importing the audio into a new, blank project. It seems now, that I can't even create a new project without the Timeworks EQ crashing it. So I reckon something changed in my BANDLAB setup, because my existing projects (Bandlab) all work fine with the Timeworks EQ. If it were any other plugin, I'd probably just find a substitute and move on. But I love this EQ. They did upgrade to 64 bit a few years back, though it's still a VST and not a VST3. And again, the STEREO version is working fine. I have, literally, hundreds of presets for the Mono EQ that I've programmed over the years, and it's so simple and transparent that I really don't want to move to a different one. And it's working fine in Sonar 8.5, and it's working fine in existing Cakewalk Bandlab projects. Could something in my setup... workspace, Mix Scenes, etc, somehow cause this? I use a single workspace for all the projects. I don't really use Mix Scenes, but I'll troubleshoot that. Thanks again.

Here are pics of the Plugin Manager, with reference to the file used. The other one is a snapshot of my plugins folder, with all of the Timeworks files there. I don't know if there are other references/files in AppData, or anywhere else on the computer.

Having problems with the Timeworks EQ plugin. I've used it for years and still love this EQ. I'm using the 64 bit versions (the MONO and the STEREO plugins). It's working fine in all but 2 of my projects, which have been converted from Sonar 8.5 projects into Cakewalk Bandlab versions. I have had freezing/crashing problems with 2 particular projects. I've narrowed the problem down to the Timeworks Mono EQ (the Stereo one seems to work okay). If I open an existing project, everything is fine. I can plug in a new instance of the Timeworks EQ and it works. But in this PARTICULAR project, it doesn't. I have created a new blank project, then copy/pasted the audio tracks into it. The problem starts up again. Those tracks have the same FX, automation, etc, so I'm figuring there's a glitch in the original project that's being copied over. But now, if I create a NEW project, the problem persists. I start with a blank project.... no tracks, no busses. I insert an audio track, press "Play", and it's fine. I insert the Mono EQ on that track and it freezes. I have reinstalled the EQ plugins but that hasn't made a difference. So, I reckon it's something with the way my Cakewalk workspace is set up, that's interfering with that particular plugin. I'm out of ideas.

@kperry: 8.5 is the 64 bit version. I've pretty much switched to 64 bit, though I do run some older 32 bit plugins. It runs Bitbridge in the background, and I see that Bitbridge launches with CW Bandlab as well. Almost all of my projects are now ported over from Sonar 8.5 to CW Bandlab and are working just fine. Just having some problems with a couple of them. But generally, bouncing to clips, exporting audio (quick bounces) is MUCH slower in CW Bandlab. I have some freezing/crashing problems with a couple of projects, which I'm troubleshooting, and will likely post a question about them here. I'm pretty sure they're tied to plugins somehow, and might also be tied to the slowness in bouncing tracks. We'll see... Thanks.

@gustabo: fast freeze (also, fast "bounce to clips") @OutrageProduction: 44.1, 24 bit; Dither = off

Hi, Any chance of being able to right click on an FX envelope and change its color? I generally use certain colors for specific types of envelopes (Red for EQ, Yellow for Hi Cut Freq, etc), so that I know which effect it is, just by looking at it. I don't generally find Automation Lanes very useful, so I normally work right on top of the clip and waveform. Also, oftentimes Cakewalk seems to choose an envelope color that is very close to the clip's background color, so I can barely see it. Additionally, it would be very nice to be able to right click an envelope and choose "Hide Envelope", as you could do in Sonar 8.5. Once I set my FX envelopes, I generally hide them so they don't get in the way when editing my Volume envelope during mixdown. Thanks a lot. best, --john

I've been asking a lot of questions here of late, and I'm appreciative of all the answers. It's really helped a lot in getting settled in with Bandlab's version of Cakewalk. I'm a very longtime user of CW, settling on Sonar 8.5 for years. I installed Producer, Platinum, X3, etc, and never really fell in love with the complicated interface, so I just kept using 8.5. I still use it to do my weekly radio show, since it's so simple, and it still works for the most part. Now that I'm getting into Cakewalk Bandlab, I'm sorting a few issues here and there (thanks again for your help...). Here's another issue, though it's not a deal breaker: Bouncing to clips, or freezing a track (essentially the same thing) is VERY slow. I have opened the same project in Sonar 8.5 and in CW Bandlab. Both projects work fine, are not overloaded with FX, etc. In fact, the project is a test one, and only has 1 track, with an EQ and a compressor plugged in. In Sonar 8.5 it takes less than 3 seconds to bounce to CLIPS. In Cakewalk Bandlab (Ver 2022.11, build 021) it takes almost a minute. This is for a 3 minute mono track. Also, it's slightly quicker in both DAWs if I freeze all tracks beforehand, but in CW Bandlab, it hardly makes a difference. Bouncing to TRACKS also takes a long time, as does a quick bounce of a project. Sonar 8.5 will do a quick export of an entire project in about 30 seconds. CW Bandlab takes almost 3 minutes for the same project. And no, I'm not bouncing in real time. To be honest, for a short song, bouncing in real time is quicker! [grin]. Not complaining.... just curious as to why it takes so long to do quick bounces in CW Bandlab. I've checked all my ASIO settings, sound card (Focusrite 8i6), and all seem to be working fine.

@sjoens: yes, you're correct, presets are very useful for building your own. But are you saying that you don't use them at all? Personally, I ALWAYS start with a preset, and then tweak it. No sense reinventing the wheel, as it were. They save a lot of time. For instance, I have hundreds of EQ presets saved, and I usually name them with the instrument and the song title, so I can find them easily. If there's a particular sound I like on a song that I mixed 5 years ago, I can quickly find the presets for all the FX used in it. I come from the old days when we had to take a Polaroid photo of the outboard gear and the mixing desk (still called a "snapshot", even in software), in order to remember what settings were used in a mix. These were stapled to the track sheets. I love presets! [grin]

@Andres: Yes, I've been doing that, showing and hiding the automation lanes. I don't really like using separate automation lanes, and am more comfortable having the automation directly over the waveforms on the track, so I can line things up more easily. The other issue seems to be that when "Display Ghosted Data" is turned off, you don't see ANY automation on the main track at all. In Sonar, you could simply right click an envelope and choose "Hide Envelope". Right clicking a clip would give you a box where you could create a new envelope, show ALL the envelopes, or hide some of them. It was simple, and you didn't have to go search for a "View-->Display-->Display Ghosted Data" box to tick. I do use keyboard shortcuts extensively and have basically reprogrammed the workspace so that I don't have to use the mouse very much. Thanks for in info. --je

That's really helpful, thanks. But it seems to be an all-or-nothing choice. You either have automation showing, or you don't. Sometimes I have several FX automation envelopes, and once I set them I don't need to deal with them anymore. So, I'd like to just hide them, as I used to do in Sonar 8.5. I still want to be able to look at the track volume automation, though. And I'd like to be able to change the envelope colors. I usually assign the same colors to each type of automation (ie: EQ High Cut Freq = Red, EQ Low Cut Freq = Yellow, etc) so I know what each one is at a glance. Might have to drop this in as a feature request here. Thanks again. --je

Hi, Still working on my various displays, and getting close to having Cakewalk as I'm used to. I'm stuck on FX automation right now. Can't figure out how to change the color of the FX envelopes. Example: I have a track/clip with a light brown background, and the EQ automation I've inserted is almost the same color. In Sonar 8.5 you could choose your automation colors, but I don't see a place to do that here. Also, I'd like to "Hide Envelope", but can't find where to do that. The best I've come up with is: SHIFT-A, then close all the envelope lanes I DON'T want to hide, then shrink that envelope lane as small as I can. That gets the envelope out of my clip, but now I'm stuck with a lane that I don't want. Would rather just hide the envelope entirely. So, my questions are: how to change color on FX envelopes, and how to hide an envelope. Thanks again. best, --je

@scook: Thank you. This has been bugging me, and you have made my day! best, --john

Hello, I'm wondering if I can open more than one FX plugin at a time. For example, I have an EQ and a compressor plugged into a track. Can I open them both at the same time, side by side, and adjust their settings? Was able to do this in older versions (Sonar 8.5, etc), but now, I open the EQ. Then when I click on the compressor to open it, it just takes the place of the EQ in the view. Doesn't matter if I'm in Track View or Console View. Seems I can only view one or the other, at any given time. I'm guessing I have missed something in my Preferences, but can't seem to find it. Thanks. --john

Ah, okay. I misunderstood. Thanks for clarifying. And yes, that's pretty much how I do it now. best, --je

Andres: Thanks for the tip. I didn't know that. But I'm more concerned with the background color of the clips on the various tracks. As I said, I have them set to be alternate colors. In this picture, the 4 tracks at the bottom are ones I inserted ("Insert-Audio Track"), but the clips don't follow the color scheme. Just trying to figure out what I've missed. --john

Hello, Just trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I've set my track/clip colors, using both "Themes" and "Colors" in the Prefs. In Track View, the backgrounds are as I set them, all the way down into the 30s & 40s (track numbers). They follow the color templates fine. But when I insert new audio tracks to record onto, they all come up the same color, and no longer follow the color scheme. I've tried to troubleshoot this, and have looked in the "Colors" and "Theme" settings, and I have used the Theme Editor to try to find which setting I'm missing, but no luck. Any ideas? Thanks. --je

Hello, As I mentioned in another thread, I would love to see a feature like Pro Tools' "Import Session Data". I want to import ONLY the track/buss setups from another Cakewalk project into a new one. To explain what I mean... in Pro Tools you can choose to "Import -> Session Data". This opens a dialogue box that lets you choose a session to import from: You choose which tracks/busses you want to import. It will let you import the settings AND the audio, or just the settings OR the audio. It will then ask if you want to paste them onto existing tracks or create new ones. So, you can assign an existing guitar track's setting to your new guitar track, or a Master Buss settings to your new Master Buss. I don't want to import audio at all.... just the setups. I know I can "Insert--> Track Template", but that's pretty tedious when doing a lot of tracks. Here's an example/scenario: I have 10 songs I've recorded for an album project. They're all recorded, with no FX, Sends, or anything else... just raw tracks. I mix the 1st song. Install plugins, create sends, pans, etc. I start to mix the 2nd song. It already has all the tracks, and the audio, but it has no settings/pans/sends, etc, so I have to do the same thing all over again. I could import Track Templates [ONE at a time, because each is different].... so, anywhere from 10 to 25 or more tracks. If I Insert Track Templates, I need to drag EACH audio file from its original track, onto the new Template track, then delete the original track. You can see where this is going. Lots of painstaking track creations, copying, deleting, etc. Plus, having to do it several times (once for each song). With ten songs, I'm looking at a couple of hundred tracks. The "Import Track Data" method allows you to simply change your existing tracks by pasting a track template onto them. Once you have your first song set up, it's easy to use THAT song as the template for the rest. It also allows you to set up all your Buss Sends, and the busses themselves. It is a very handy feature. Thanks for considering this. best, --je

Lord Tim: Not sure how you do Track Template saves, then copy the data over. I do use Track Templates all the time (see posts above). I've tried to find a Copy/Paste method where I can simply copy track settings, then paste into an existing, recorded track, but I don't see that option anywhere. Can you explain? Thanks. John Vere: You're right, every DAW has its strengths/weaknesses for each of us. I've been using Cakewalk since 1987 (Ver 1.0), back when Greg Hendershott first programmed it as a MIDI sequencer and it ran on a floppy disk. I have upgraded through the years and have always liked the company, as it has always had a good online presence, with a forum full of helpful members. I was sad to see it go, but am very happy to see that Bandlab is continuing in its original spirit, and it now has forums full of helpful folks again. Also, I didn't intend this to be a "Pro Tools vs Cakewalk" thread. I use both (primarily Cakewalk), and several other DAWs, including Cubase, Reaper, Harrison MixBus, WaveLab, and even Audacity. Each has special tools that I use in it. But I have always found the Cakewalk environment to be the most robust for tracking and mixing. Still, I would LOVE to see the "Import Track Data" that Pro Tools has, as a feature in CW. Thanks for the comments and help. best, --je

Thanks for all the responses. I appreciate it. And to John Vere, a big thank you. I had not considered using Mix Scenes (recall...). This might work well. In an album project, it's often the case that most of the songs have the same tracks, although there might be one or two tracks missing, added, or altered during mixdown. But if I can create a master template beforehand, then import a Mix Scene from it, that would work for the most part. Might still have to do some track setups from scratch, but no big deal. Thanks for the tip, John Vere, and I'll save your description and try to go through it. And thanks to everyone for the link to the Feature Requests. I'll drop this request there. On a related topic: I usually end up with anywhere from 6 to 10 busses. Some are just groups (Drums, Bass, Vocal, BG Vocals, Instruments, etc), and I generally have 3 reverb busses as well. I generally use the same plugins and settings, so I just create a Track Template to set them up in a new project. Here's how I do that: Once you have all your busses correctly installed, with plugins, etc: Create a new audio track On that track, create a send TO EACH OF THE BUSSES (so, if you have 6 busses, that track should have 6 sends) Leave the sends set at 0dB (unity gain) Leave track volume and pan alone Type in a track name ("BUSS SETUP", etc..) Right click track and "SAVE AS--> TRACK TEMPLATE Name the template (BUSS SETUP, etc) To create your buss setup in a new or existing project, do this: Delete all existing busses "Insert Track from Track Template" Once it inserts all the busses, delete the new track. As if by magic, you have a complete set of busses! Don't forget to reset your outputs and sends to those busses on your tracks! best, --je

Thanks for the replies. I do, in fact use Track Templates all the time. But here's a typical scenario I'm trying to simplify: I have 10 songs I've recorded for an album project. They're all recorded, with no FX, Sends, or anything else... just raw tracks. I mix the 1st song. Install plugins, create sends, pans, etc. I start to mix the 2nd song. It already has all the tracks, and the audio, but it has no settings/pans/sends, etc, so I have to do the same thing all over again. I could import Track Templates [ONE at a time, because each is different].... so, anywhere from 10 to 25 or more tracks. If I Insert Track Templates, I need to drag EACH audio file from its original track, onto the new Template track, then delete the original track. You can see where this is going. Lots of painstaking track creations, copying, deleting, etc. Plus, having to do it several times (once for each song). With ten songs, I'm looking at a couple of hundred tracks. The "Import Track Data" method allows you to simply change your existing tracks by pasting a track template onto them. Once you have your first song set up, it's easy to use THAT song as the template for the rest. So yes, I do use Track Templates and Project Templates all the time, especially when setting up to record. But for mixing, they involve copying EACH audio file onto them. Thanks for the input. best, --john

Hi, Have been searching for this, and don't know if it's possible in Cakewalk. I would like to import ONLY the track/buss setups from another Cakewalk project into a new one. To explain what I mean... in Pro Tools you can use "Import -> Session Data". This opens a dialogue box that lets you choose a session to import from, and which tracks/busses you want to import. It will let you import the settings AND the audio, or just the settings OR the audio. It will then ask if you want to paste them onto existing tracks or create new ones. So, you can assign an existing guitar track's setting to your new guitar track, or a Master Buss settings to your new Master Buss. I don't want to import audio at all.... just the setups. I know I can "Insert--> Track Template", and I do use that a lot when creating new tracks. But when setting up to mix a session that's already been recorded, once you have all your pans and vols and buss sends set up in your first mix, it'd be nice to transfer those settings to the other songs in your album project. Thanks. --john