Robert Bone

Likely a good idea to rescan it, in any case, just to see what happens. Please note, that in the case of the folder contains the Steven Slate Drums 5 Free Edition module, SSDSampler5.dll, that is the only thing in that folder, so it is not possible that some other component/module in that folder could have caused any issues - nothing else there to do so. Also, this product, SSD5, is not controlled by iLOK authorization. Bob Bone

I cannot recall if the 1st install was on my PC, or if I had done it remotely on my friend's, using Team Viewer. The issue would appear, to me, to be something in Cakewalk's VstScan.exe processing, as other VST hosts I launched, found the plugin and loaded it just fine. In addition, even if I had installed it on my PC, the 1st install, when it was uninstalled, CbB's VstScan would have removed it from its inventory, or at least, should have removed it from the inventory entries in the Registry. Bob Bone

Yup quite weird - I used it a month ago, checking it out for a friend who I was recommending it to, and everything was fine. I deleted the free version after that, but quite odd to have it be improperly scanned like that, for me, and for at least the one other other, who I was trying to help in the FB forums. Bob Bone

Howdy - I was looking at posts in a FB group for Cakewalk by Bandlab, and I saw a user who had reported not being able to find the plugin for Steven Slate Drums 5, the Free version. Since I had recently worked with both the free version, and umtimately, the paid full version, about a month ago, I thought it interesting, so I decided to download the free version, to see what Cakewalk thought of it currently. Sure enough, I too had no such luck, after installation of it, properly placed into a sub-folder included in the search paths for VstScan.exe. The plugin, VST2 version - named SSDSampler5.dll, was indeed in place, however it failed to show up as available for use in Cakewalk, in any category. I verified its proper location, in the sub-folder I intended for it to be installed to, and found it IN the Registry entries for Cakewalk VST x64, but when I examined its Registry entry further, I found a Value Name and Value Data pair, that looked a bit suspicious. The Value Name is "isVst", and the Value Data for it was '0' (zero). SOOOO, it looked like the scan found SSDSampler5.dll, but determined it wasn't a synth. It is possible that SSDSampler5.dll could have been determined to be an audio effect plugin, but I had not looked in those categories, in Cakewalk's Browser Pane, and SSDSampler5.dll was a synth plugin a month ago, when I spent 2 weeks working with it, and its full version. Clearly, VstScan.exe had improperly evaluated and classified this plugin. SOOOOO - I compared the "isVst" Value Name and Value Data of another synth in the Registry, and confirmed my suspicion that to be seen as a synth plugin, I needed to change that Registry Value Data, for SSDSampler5/dll, from '0' to '1', so I did. I then launched Cakewalk, and lo and behold, it showed 1 newly found plugin in the VstScan, and sure enough, I could now see and insert SSDSampler5.dll into a new project, and it gloriously opened up its UI just fine, and all was well. Since at least 2 users have had this issue (me, and the person I was trying to help in the first place), it would seem there is something abnormal happening with VstScan, at least with regard to proper processing of Steven Slate Drums 5 Free version, a 64-bit VST2 synth plugin. Cakewalk support - I hope this is some small issue, not affecting scans of VST2 synth plugins in general. If anybody else experiences this sort of issue, the steps I took, described above, MAY (hopefully) help get scanned synth plugins working for use in Cakewalk. Here is a screenshot I took, of the Registry Value Name and Value Data pair, so you know you are in the right place, should you have to try doing such a Registry edit - PLEASE NOTE that you MUST be careful when editing things in the Registry, as unintended edits could cause other things to fail. (just be careful). Screenshot: Bob Bone

I think if you uninstall ASIO4ALL, install the MOTU ASIO drivers, change your Driver Mode in Preferences, set the ASIO Buffer Size to 128 samples, and be careful about any effects plugins adding latency, you should be fine for recording. When mixing, change the ASIO Buffer Size to 1024 or 2048, then you can also use more resource demanding plugins, such as convolution reverbs, or linear phase type plugins. Bob Bone

Hi - I am a little confused. I just looked at the tech specs for the MicroBook II, and it says it ships with ASIO drivers, and though I did not install the most recent MOTU software for it, since I do not own it, I cannot decipher what is within the installer program, but it does seem to have ASIO drivers available. SOOOOO - my questions is - why would you be using WASAPI mode, when there are apparently ASIO drivers available for it? Bob Bone

Perhaps try WASAPI Shared mode? Bob Bone

My guess would be that you do not have Windows maintenance current - perhaps you could hit your Windows Start Button, click on the gear at the lower left, which is for Settings, then click on Update and Security - which takes you to Windows Updates. Some updates require explicit clicking on a link, which would show underneath the Check for Updates button, to actually download and install optional updates, such as feature updates (major updates are treated this way). If you applied any such updates, then when they finish, I suggest manually clicking on the Check for Updates button one more time, in case there are updates to the updates you just applied..... Bob Bone

Yup - Great while it lasted - I picked up 3 of the licenses, used 1 so far. Thanks, for letting me know - I updated the initial post, as well, to indicate this is all concluded, and no longer active. Bob Bone

You can solo the audio track(s) for the Kontakt instrument you want to hear by itself, rather than soloing the midi track for that instrument). Bob Bone

@Starise - on your earlier question about possibly upgrading from Home to Pro - there is really nothing much with Pro, for non-business use, that would be of any real benefit to upgrading for. Just hang on to the license for some new build - I picked up these licenses, simply because they were for $39, and that is quite a bit bit cheaper than the regular price for Home. Bob Bone

Exactly - I do trust PC World, however, and have been a subscriber for years, and I can verify that one of the licenses I bought from this $39 deal, did in fact work properly. (I bought 3 licenses, and have only used one of the three, thus far). I wouldn't even think about buying a discounted license from Amazon or Ebay, or most other unknown sites, though. Bob Bone

I am actually quite happy with my purchase of multiple Windows 10 Professional full retail version licenses, from PC World. I have been a subscriber of theirs, for many years, and I completely trust the integrity of their site, and purchases made. I don't consider myself as "falling for this one" - I consider myself very happy with their content, and certainly with this deal. If you think a deal offered by another site is a better deal, well, good luck - truly. I just thought this was a great deal, and I had immediate use for two of the multiple licenses I purchased. Best of luck with anybody who finds a better deal from some other site, and of course, from THIS site. Bob Bone

Well, one never knows - all I knew, was that I would have felt REALLY horrified, if the deal I had repeatedly promoted, had resulted in a bunch of folks getting SUPER pissed, that they could not use those purchased license - ME being one of them. So, yeah, I am QUITE relieved to find that it worked perfectly, after all, and it just needed to be done per Windows internal logic, on its determination of whether or not an installed version of Windows 10 was legitimate, or not. All good, indeed. A fantastic deal, truly. I now own 3 extra licenses for future needs for installation and authentication, of Windows 10 Profeesional, from this PC World deal. I am so relieved that this all worked. WHEW! Bob Bone

UPDATE - I had warned of my purchased license failing to be seen by Windows, as a valid license. That greatly concerned me, because I had started this thread, and a bunch of folks purchased the Windows 10 Professional retail license. Sooooooo, it turns out everything us FINE, after all. (Yay) I had done some digging into it, and saw that, for clean installs of Windows 10, it might take some amount of time for Windows to decide that the clean install was not authenticated, and it is only at THAT point, and thereafter, that Windows 10 will allow one of these purchased Win 10 Pro licenses can be entered. Sure enough, last night, Windows 10 put up a notification, that when opened, said that the installed Win 10 was not authenticated, and at the bottom of that window, there were two links: 1) purchase license, and 2) enter a different Product Key. THIS time, my purchased license, from this PC World deal, worked like a champ, and I am now showing as an authenticated version of Windows 10 Professional, and all is well. Bob Bone

I suggest you scroll back up, and find the screenshot I made, of those steps a Microsoft Answers had posted, on getting a license code to work, that was flagged as invalid. Save that screenshot with wherever you have your purchased licenses saved, and that way, you will have those steps handy, should you find yourself in the situation I warned about. Here to make that easier: Screenshot of steps I found to work around Windows license issues with valid licenses being detected as invalid

So, that sounds like that newly purchased Win 10 Pro license is still good, for use with some other computer build. It is not explained very well, regarding folks having existing licenses associated with their Microsoft Live email accounts. I will try to get mine working, and post my adventure, later tonight, following my MRI, and hopefully happy pills dosage adjustment.

Thanks for the wishes for feeling better. I did a clean install, setting it up in the Media Creation Tool to load the USB drive as such, HOWEVER, because the Microsoft Live ID had a digital license for Windows 10 Home associated with it, when I was doing the setup process on the new computer build, with the brand new M.2 drive, it never asked me for a product key, and at the end of the setup, it had loaded it with Windows 10 Home, because of the digital license, and after that, it will not recognize the newly purchased Windows 10 Pro license I bought. Potential good news 0 I found a Microsoft Answers post, where they gave some steps to correct the issue, and allow for upgrading to Windows 10 Pro to fix the above situation. Those steps listed were The above steps worked for another responder, in that thread, so perhaps those would work. I will try them later on, after I get back. It seems that is some generic key, so it could be used by anyone in the situation I found myself in. I could just leave it as an activated Windows 10 Home, but I am both stubborn, and an idiot, so I want to make SURE these purchased licenses DO work, since I started this whole thread, and may have talked a bunch of folks into purchasing these licenses. Bob Bone

I will try to figure out the issue and post back, but it will be several hours, as I am currently in excruciating pain in my neck and shoulders (woke up Friday with a knot in my neck, the size of a golf ball, and while the knot dissipated since then, the pain remains, so am going to be heading down to the emergency room, to get an MRI of my neck - I have a bunch of herniated discs in my lower back and neck, and have degenerative disc disease, so this may be new herniation). Anyways - I will try to post back as soon as feasible, and when I I have this issue figured out. Bob Bone

The old pre-10 licenses were still doing free upgrades to 10, at least for a while, not sure what the OEM rules were for that. These licenses from PC World's deal are for full retail 10 Pro licenses.

Uh Oh - I just tried to use 2 different Windows 10 Pro keys that I purchased from this deal, and I am not yet sure what the issue is, but trying to upgrade one PC with Windows 10, to the Pro, neither one of two different keys worked. I will contacting PC World in a few moments. Here is the error message I received: "The product key you entered didn't work. Check the product key and try again, or enter a different one (0x800f0805)" Bob Bone

But that is for a full retail license, not OEM. Bob Bone

I just emailed the product keys to myself, and they are safe, as long as Yahoo is in business.

UPDATE - August 05 - this deal is STILL being offered by PC World - I just snagged 3 more licenses, (2 last night, and 1 this morning), because of friends that bought pre-loaded new PC's from stores, only to find out the hard way, that they came with OEM versions of Windows 10, that do not allow for transfer to a different computer. So - now, they can use these $39 licenses, instead of the $199 it would have cost for them to buy a license elsewhere. Wahoo! (2 of the 3 I just got are for friends, and I am keeping the 3rd for myself, plus I had gotten one for me, back in early July) Anyways, it looks like this sale runs through the whole month of August - REALLY a good deal. The purchase generates a full retail license key for Windows 10 Professional. I suggest NOT adding on the 2 optional add-ons, which are for 2-year access to download, and the other is for a prepared DVD to be sent. The reason I suggested skipping the add-on purchases, are because that 2-year download access is not to download Windows 10, it is to purchase 2-year download access to download the two files for which the purchase gives download links that are good for either 30 or 60 days. Those two downloadable files are 1) the Windows 10 Install Guide PDF, and 2) the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. When you purchase the Windows 10 Pro license here, you use the Media Creation Tool to prepare a copy of Window 10 Pro, on either a USB drive or DVD, and then during installation, you would use the purchased license. Enjoy, I still am Bob Bone

Well, thanks, first of all. Also, I had some help with the recording of the guitar, bass, and bass pedal parts, fom two friends of mine. Both of them played EXCEPTIONALLY well, and that helped me a lot. A would like to add a couple of notes - 1) The bass player owns an actual, real, 40+ year old set of the original Moog Taurus bass pedals. which is what comes thundering in, for this song, with the famous Mellotron strings sound, in the guitar solo. So, we were able to track those bass pedals, which are amazingly still working, though the contact points sometimes did not fire, and required a couple of retakes. But, we got them. 2) I have worked hard to gather up a collection of Kontakt libraries, and software emulations, of almost every keyboard Tony Banks ever used, in their entire history of concerts and on albums, so when you hear, in this snippet, that wonderful synth lead tone, that is pretty much THE sound Tony used on the Seconds Out album, which was an ARP Pro Soloist. Same thing for the organ - I have a really spot on emulation of the Hammond L-122 organ, with Leslie speaker, as well as the RMI Electra piano, and the Mellotron. Here is a another tiny little part of a song - the intro and pre-vocals full band for The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. I played this using a Kontakt library of the RMI Electra piano, and I added a little phaser. While this one has real drums, it is not yet mixed, whatsoever, and the whole song WILL get posted, but this should give you an idea of how closely I was able to replicate the sounds: Cover of Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway Intro and some pre-verse full band Bob Bone