Mike B

Hey all! I thought I'd take a moment to pop in here as someone who works with both BandLab and Cakewalk. First, I'm bummed to hear about @Matt M Luthanen's experience with the Mix Editor. There are tons of factors that can play into the performance of recording and playing back multitrack audio and MIDI over the web, so we'll definitely have to dig deeper to find out what's going on there. To Matt, and anyone else who uses the Mix Editor and runs into trouble, just giving us a heads up at support@bandlab.com will be the best bet for the moment. That said, I also saw a mention about having a BandLab specific section for the Cakewalk forum, or another resource in general. Would you guys like to see a dedicated forum space for BandLab? We currently have a Help Center, a YouTube channel, Discord, etc, but we're definitely on board with the idea of a forum as well. It would likely be tied directly to our Help Center, much like how you can now submit a crash report directly on help.cakewalk.com using the "Submit a request" feature. Just to round back, BandLab's Mix Editor and Cakewalk are so different from a build and tech standpoint that performance will absolutely be different with each. In both cases though, saving early and often will definitely be beneficial. If work in the Mix Editor was saved but you're having trouble finding it, or there are changes to what you're hearing upon playback, reach us at support@bandlab.com. We'll be there to help!

Hey @Dare Rihter- thanks for your reply! When reaching out to any manufacturers support channels (including ours), you normally receive an auto response stating that most inquiries will receive a response within 24-48 hours within normal operating business hours. I did a bit of extra digging and see we actually received six inquiries of yours within a 24 hour span. In an effort to reduce the amount of separate response threads, our team replied with some additional information in one, with a separate followup in a second thread. Apologies if the lack of response to each was taken as not receiving help! While I was not personally involved, I'd be happy to pick up on those conversations if you do decide to give Cakewalk another shot. I'm confident we can work out any issues you were experiencing, but it may require some patience while I gather all the details and make sure all the ducks are in a row! While I am aware that you are not an employee, the end user is the greatest resource we have. As much as I'd like to say our space is filled with hundreds of different computers and every plugin under the sun to test with, that just isn't the case. With PC's, everything inside the machine is customizable, and when using third party content (there are hundreds of plugin manufacturers), it would be a safe bet that not many rigs are identical. Having users help us identify issues allows us to resolve them, and release updates accordingly. Within our update cycle, we work on a fix, test the fix, send a build to our beta team, and even have an Early Access program in place before a production build is released. If there's truly something that needs to be changed within the program itself, that is something we can be proactive about, and utilize all of these resources for feedback. I understand if you choose to try another program. Like a musical instrument, the DAW is a tool for your craft, and it certainly doesn't hurt to work until you find the tools that are best for your workflow. Just know that you have a great support system here in our forum (guys like @Robert Bone are super helpful!), and our team internally is willing to help as well!

Hi @Dare Rihter! I just checked, and it looks like you've sent in 3 inquiries to Cakewalk's support staff, which were all after the latest build. If we find something reproducible and broken, our goal is to fix it, but we do have a roughly scheduled release timetable (which you may have already noticed). At present, we see releases every other month, and even started an Early Access program for users to check out builds prior to the official release. You may find it helpful to keep an eye out for those, and use the Early Access threads to point out any potential issues that still occur. Considering all of your requests were in a single cycle, I'm confident our team will continue working to resolve any issues you may be experiencing. Feel free to PM me if you have any concerns, or as stated in comments above, you can always start a thread here in the forum- just be sure to include the steps you've taken, the expected result, and the result you're experiencing. The users here are generally of quite a high caliber, and may be able to assist you even faster than our in-house staff. Use the forum to your advantage- we're all here to help!

Hey @ChernobylStudios! We were in touch just yesterday- if you can, zip a project folder then send it over to me via email. I would love to know more about the famous long standing problem you mentioned, and if there's a particular project you've struggled with it would be the perfect candidate to test with. Find the biggest pain you can so we can check it out!

Hey @Gunnar Åkerlund! We typically recommend Mac users to run BootCamp with a Windows partition. This will provide the best integration experience for users who need to run Windows on their Mac. Booting separately for each OS is also quite a bit less resource intensive, compared to having both OS's running with Parallels. While Windows 7 support is also dwindling, it would still be good to get some additional info from you regarding the issues you're experiencing so we can try to reproduce anything on our end. Feel free to drop me a line at support@cakewalk.com with details or even a short video so we can help out.

@david40 is your friend currently in demo mode already? Normally, demo mode prevents you from being allowed to save. Recording anything in demo mode is basically moot if it can't be saved! As always, the user can also get in touch with support@cakewalk.com, with some additional details such as version of Windows, any connected audio devices, recent changes to settings, etc.

Hey @CosmicDolphin and @petemus- you guys both mentioned having a problem with stopping playback. Cosmic- are you using an audio interface? If so, which model? Pete- I see you're using a gen1 2i2. Your input echo trick sounds like quite the workaround! Glad you have something while we figure this out. Let's try to connect the dots here. If we can point to an OS, device, even a certain number of tracks or certain plugins used when this starts happening we can start making progress. One of my test machines is a relatively low spec Win10 i7 ThinkPad. I've typically only run up to around 40 tracks at a time and up to 50 plugins per project, but I've never had this particular issue. Of course, it exists because we have your cases to tell us it does, but let's dig in and find out where you all are on the same page, other than the problem itself.

Hey All! Your friendly neighborhood support staff checking in. If you experience any issues, the best route is always to contact us at support@cakewalk.com! I'm bummed to see Scott didn't contact us directly when this issue came up, though I know he's been in touch with Cakewalk in the past. We have a great new support staff, and a blend of new and previous Cakewalk team members working on making Cakewalk by BandLab the best iteration of Cakewalk yet. You can check out what the team has been up to here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aFOe_zJrd3x2EnaZ_Jc3iSbZPG2WANiCD4_RP83OjlA/edit While I certainly don't post to the forum often, myself and my team are always happy to work on any issues via email, and we have some additional resources for help coming soon! As seen in the doc above, the developers have been doing quite a bit behind the scenes, and with your (and Scott's) help, we should be able to continue making Cakewalk by BandLab even better. You may see a little more of my name around the forum soon, so feel free to say hi and drop us a line if you have any questions!

Hey @taccess- @scook pretty much nailed it here. The Cakewalk site is in a legacy format, so it won't perform the functions that require an email to be sent (verification of email change, passwords, etc). That said, support@cakewalk.com and support@bandlab.com with Cakewalk topics will filter through my team, so you can be sure you'll get an answer there. We can generate a new password, or change a username/email address for you. If you try it yourself, you'll be stuck in pending status until we manually push the approval! Just get in touch via email and we'll be there to help.

Hey @taccess - sorry about the trouble. To be clear, Cakewalk.com is a legacy resource and many processes such as changing a username or password are not fully functional. That's why the first thing you see when you hit Cakewalk.com is a pop up message regarding the changes, and the detail "As of Feb 21st 2018, information elsewhere on this website may no longer be accurate."! As such, the best method for service regarding your Cakewalk.com account is to reach out to us directly at support@cakewalk.com or support@bandlab.com. We can modify a username or email address on file, and auto-generate a new password for you, but the Cakewalk site will not generate those emails as it's now a manual process. I've gone ahead and approved the change of email address for you, but give us a shout if you need help with a password, etc.

Hey Greg! It doesn't look like there's a deal attached to this post- just some general update info. Is there also a deal that we should know about? Otherwise, I'm not sure this belongs in Deals! Useful information, for sure, but it may be misplaced- unless there's a deal to be had!

Hey all- drop us a line at support@cakewalk.com and we'll do what we can to assist! If you have an account, we can update the email address for you. In short, if you had created or updated your account between 2014 and 2017, there's a likelihood we can retrieve your account info. Cakewalk utilized a Single Sign On platform during that period, and advised users to migrate to that platform even if they didn't make a new purchase- just to keep up with the latest system and keep those registrations in tact. For those who did not create an SSO account, we may be able to pull registration information, but will not be able to modify, reinstate, or create a new account with that system. Keep in mind, the old Cakewalk site and forum are now legacy resources. New accounts for Cakewalk by BandLab are made via BandLab, and the new program is installed via BandLab Assistant. While we're not offering support for legacy products, we can usually get your registration details, and CbB can open your old project files.

TheSteven beat me to it! The response above pretty much covers it. Use the VST2 if you want to dive right in. It looks like all parties are aware of the issue at this point. I'm thinking the DAW's that it does seem to work in are actually just pointing to a version that works, instead of always looking to use the VST3 when both are installed... anybody with no issue only have the VST3 installed?

Hey Kevin- the quick answer is to reinstall the latest version of BandLab Assistant, update Cakewalk by BandLab, then open the program. There was an auth check built into the program, so normally you'd just need to login to BandLab Assistant then open Cakewalk by BandLab so the two can renew the handshake. It's good practice to make sure you're using the latest versions if something like this does occur, so installing BandLab Assistant from here is a good first step!

Hey Rob, here are all sorts of details you may find helpful: Info on royalty free loops Info about copyright BandLab Terms of Use BandLab Terms of Service In short, all of BandLab's sound content is made by an in-house team, and is considered royalty-free. I also included some additional info about the non-exclusivity of using a service like BandLab. This in a nutshell just means if you're posting publicly on BandLab, that content could be featured in playlists, etc. Also, by allowing Forking, you're allowing the end user non-exclusive publishing as well. You should definitely be in the clear when it comes to creating content using BandLab loops and sounds, just be aware that others are likely using the same sounds as well in some capacity!

AZ, to give you answers point to point: "a period of time" means 6 months. "A period of time", currently (at the time of writing), means 6 months. That could mean something completely different at any point though. You may want to consider a certain level of flexibility as the program and subsequent auth process is still relatively new to BandLab. Refinements should be expected with any program that strives to get better, where both the user and the developers can accurately track that growth. If the period is over, Cakewalk instantly reverts into demo without a warning Yes, if that period expires, Cakewalk will prompt for activation. Activating the program takes seconds in most cases. these dates are no shown Much like with previous versions of SONAR, there was a membership end date listed in our initial launch, which was six months from the date of install. This was removed, as some users misconstrued "membership end date" as something that meant we would eventually require a payment. This is not a "membership" product like SONAR. An auth check doesn't indicate how long until you need to pay, it verifies that a user has the proper content from the proper location, and a handshake has been established between the BandLab Assistant app and the program itself. With development cycles, etc, an exact date shouldn't be calculated, as the focus should be on the betterment of the product. just starting Assistant is not sufficient to reset the period In nearly all cases, you can remove an activation notice by simply exiting the program, logging into BandLab Assistant, then relaunching Cakewalk by BandLab. There may be a case where an update applies to both products, at which point we recommend updating then launching in the same order as previously mentioned. I hope that helps to clarify. We'll definitely listen to the feedback about how to get a notification out there, too, for those users who may need it. Just as a heads up, the terminology should have changed from demo mode to activation, so if you're still seeing something that says demo mode, chances are you were using a pretty early version of CbB!

Hey Silvio, all set. Give it a shot, and shoot an email over to support@cakewalk.com if you have any trouble or need a password reset, etc.

Hey azslow- I don't think there's an argument on Noel's part. Some users have asked why bother authing a free product. If we didn't have that auth, CbB would likely be posted on other sites that are much more susceptible to any of the bad things. To reduce the chance of CbB being illegally distributed, the program auths via BandLab Assistant, there are checks after a period of time, etc. If you saw a demo mode note and updated, you'd likely be set for another six months. That said, that number is not set in stone. As mentioned earlier, we're not even a year into Cakewalk by BandLab, and the way we deliver the product is not the same as Command Center because now Cakewalk is a program within the BandLab ecosystem. BandLab Assistant definitely works a bit differently than c3, but that is ever-changing as well. I personally can't tell you exactly how auth may work in 6 months or a year from now. What I do know, is that we're offering Cakewalk by BandLab for free, and it requires a very small amount of things to keep it running. Still sounds better to hop online every few months rather than paying hundreds of dollars each year!

Hey all, just wanted to get some additional details. You guys who were recently experiencing a demo mode issue, have you performed any updates since your original install? Back when we kicked off, there was an auth check built in with a "membership end date" just like what you used to see in SONAR's Help > About SONAR menu (this version being in Help > About Cakewalk). That initial check was modified in later updates, where you'll now see "Free- Activated by BandLab Assistant". The program is free, but it's definitely safe to say that you should want to check for updates at least every few months, if not more often. There's been a ton of enhancements to help make Cakewalk by BandLab even better, and though I know some users still want to keep their machine offline, it really is beneficial to keep up to date when you can. It's been less than a year since the release of CbB, and while the core program has been around for awhile, BandLab Assistant was pretty much built from the ground up, and has been updated and refined quite a bit! No, that auth check is not something that will be necessary every time we release an update, but there may be another needed at some point. From a personal perspective, it's a much less intrusive way to keep track of some very basic metrics, while in the process making sure we're providing the best product we can. I'd say that's worth the price you're paying for CbB!