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I had an issue where I was using my old Sonar templates folder path for CbB, and for some unknown reason after I added a new template, that started causing slow load times in CbB. Solved that by moving all of my templates to the Cakewalk Core path and updated CbB preferences for the template path. Load times back to normal now! So no telling what all Cakewalk is looking for at startup. Probably just try ruling things out.

Studio One 5 Artist now supports VST plugins out of the box. Add-ons for VST are no longer required! I tried the Cubase Elements demo a few years ago and quite liked it. A lot of nice features are included in Elements, and no license dongle thingy needed either! 😁

Spitfire BBC Symphonic Orchestra Discover edition is available for free. https://www.spitfireaudio.com/bbcso/

I'm very happy with my Rokit 5 G3's. They fit my stands just fine, and I really don't have the room for anything larger. Got a pair for $199 (with a $100 discount) at Musician's Friend 3 years ago. These G4's sure look nice, though!

This is beginning to look like it may be another one of those "drive-by" first posts where the OP never returns.

I was amazed that the 5.2 update download was only some 200MB or so in size!

Did you get a crash code, of just a "poof" disappear suddenly gone? Here is a small free utility for Windows that may show what the application fault was. https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/app_crash_view.html When running as standalone, a synth program usually needs direct access to your system's MIDI and audio drivers. When used as a plugin, the DAW host provides that. DS500 runs OK standalone here on Windows 10. I can access the settings (gear icon) and choose my MIDI input and audio settings. What hardware and drivers is your PC using for MIDI and Audio? Perhaps it had an error when accessing them on startup?

Have heard good things about Affinity. Got my hands full of tools that fit my needs at the moment, but if I was looking that would be next on the list... 😉

I got that version too. Last of breed. The best digital darkroom tool for photographers. And as further avoidance of subscriptions, I use Adobe Photoshop Elements for light photo editing, and have the CorelDraw Graphics Suite and some other stuff for any more challenging graphics tasks.

What you are looking is probably something like Band in a Box. Select a style, plug in some chords, and let it generate backing tracks for you. Cakewalk does not have a built in capability to do that, however the recent releases of Band in a Box come with a VST plugin that you can run directly in Cakewalk (or any DAW that supports VST). So you can drop your generated tracks right into your Cakewalk project. Handy!

For those of you familiar with Unify from PlugInGuru, they have converted the factory library for the free Pendulate synth into a free Unify library. He has added 10 "bonus" patches that he has layered up. You would need the Standard version of Unify ($79) rather than the demo to check out Unified Pendulate though. Unify is designed to combine multiple instruments, samples, and effects in unlimited layers into a single preset. Unify is worth it though, because PlugInGuru has already included many free synths and samples in their stock factory preset library. He has included (with permission) Dexed, OB-Xd, Surge, etc. plus 3.2 GB of samples from 12 PlugInGuru Libraries. So right out of the box you get over 500 usable patches without adding anything. Then you can add your own plugins, and if he has already "Unified" their libraries, you can download a .guru file that makes the presets appear in native Unify format. Some examples of free synths that already have Unified libraries are Surge, Pendulate, and Spitfire Audio Labs. There are many commercial synths that also have Unified libraries available. Full list is here (demo available): https://www.pluginguru.com/products/unify-standard/ Here is the Guru himself (John "Skippy" Lemkuhl) in a recorded livestream demonstrating the Pendulate Unified library:

As mentioned in other threads about clicking on a plugin GUI, such as with Studio Drummer, a click event doesn't generate any MIDI data (at least not in most plugins). Using automation is a good way to get the event recorded in the MIDI track. There also appears to be some MIDI CC controls pre-mapped to Speed (1) and Brake(47). Edit: sorry, but I mis-read it earlier as T-RackS Leslie, instead of Amplitube 4 Leslie. I don't own Amplitube Leslie. It seems that in Amplitube 4 you will need to select the module and assign an automation parameter first, before you can use that parameter in the DAW automation. Alternatively, that parameter may also be available for a MIDI CC assignment. See AT 4 user guide (MIDI Control/Automation sections) for details.

I have the full version of MODO Bass, and I'm still looking for the 50 string option... So far only 4, 5, or 6 for me.

Is that a "G" string? That's probably banned on this forum... 🤪

Yep, well that GK is better than no amp sim if you are using a virtual bass, as it fattens up the sound and eliminates that 100% DI quality of raw bass samples. But I understand it's probably not the most popular choice out there. But since I now have IK Amplitube 4 MAX with the Ampeg SVX and SVX 2 collections (including the SVT Classic, the SVT 4 PRO, the SVT VR, & others), my choices for bass amps are a bit better, including a nice selection of cabinets! Then toss in some Ample and MODO, and I'm good to go for virtual bass!

The last time that I saw Rush live in concert, there was an amazing drum solo from Neil Peart (RIP) that blew me away. In addition to his legendary acoustic kit, he was using electronic triggers on his kit to play synthesizers or samplers and all kinds of crazy sh*t I'd never heard before. Jaw on floor after! 🤪 So I'm all for channeling my inner Neil Peart inspiration into this cheesy AIR electronic drum instrument. Doubt I'll even get close, but it might be fun to try!

Yeah, I went ahead and grabbed the Drum Synth 500 at $9.99 after watching a few video tutorials. Electronic drums are really not my thing, and I'm pretty well covered with acoustic drums. But the features that I thought might be handy to have for $10 are: 1. The two Sampler "channels", that let you import your own sample folders. And then you can play them forward, reverse, and looped, as well as select the playback start point. 2. The last four "channels" [Toms, Percussion, Sampler #1, Sampler #2] allow you to assign a note range to play them back as a tuned pitches. 3. The Toms and Percussion channels are FM synthesis based, so might be some flexibility for creative sound design. 4. The audio output defaults to a stereo Master pair, but you can enable discreet audio from the plugin for each channel to your DAW (and mute the Master) for further mixing and FX. It also comes with some 50 kits, 500 presets, and 500 MIDI files (the MIDI files are not mentioned in the user guide, so I assume you will need to use a DAW to preview and trigger them, as there is no on-board sequencer included here).

Sure, but that has pretty much been the business model for all "paid" DAWs for years. Their marketing gurus have to add features on a regular basis in order to justify asking you to pay them for upgrades, or subscriptions. You may recall that even Cakewalk under Gibson did so starting with Sonar Platinum, which basically tied their developers to a new release every month. If you want to see this, just take a look at the Sonar release archives and the "rolling updates" from 2015-2017. http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR/Rolling-Updates Kind of refreshing how we get bug fixes, and occasionally a new feature, from the Cakewalk bakers for free now! Different business model entirely with the focus on bug fixes!

$9.99 deal is still good! Last chance for all of the Akai daily deals right here. https://akaipro.onfastspring.com/SpringForward

What is a MacBook? Can it run Cakewalk?

All vendors suck. They just want your money. Solution: only buy free stuff!

Oops, you are correct! I spoke too soon. Must have been a glitch in my browser or the store earlier the first time I tried to go back.

It seems a lot like Syntronik. Plus there's an additional RetroMod deal at Tracktion: You can use the following code at checkout to get 50% off any other RetroMod plug-in: FOCUSMOD The RetroMod Lead looks interesting, is sampled from the Nord Lead series. So with 50% off from retail @ $79, that one would be about $40. Edit: You apparently have to use that "FOCUSMOD" code at initial checkout with the Focusrite redemption. You can't go back later and apply the code for another RetroMod purchase. Edit (again): Working now. Must have been a browser glitch earlier...