Robert Bone

1 hour ago, Bapu said:

I created my own costumes in 90s for adult only parties.

1. A Fudgcicle (with drips of chocolate on my white pants, the stick)

2. A divot (with huge 10" golf tee)

3. Buttered toast 

4. Third Base

5. The cutting room floor (audio and film clipping with name tags like "The 25 minute middle 8 of Truckin'") 

6. A vibrator called "The Arouser" complete with a button to push with a buzzer attached.

 

The most compact was the cutting room floor. All the others were very "Gumby" like in size (i.e. at least a foot above my head and a foot on  both sides of me.

 

Nice!

1 minute ago, Old Joad said:

were you playing the crocodile rock?🙂

Sadly - I did not, but had a whole bunch of fun, nonetheless.  

1 hour ago, bayoubill said:

"What costume"  is what you'd here around my parts. Gators  possums  nutrias are common sites and it doesn't have to be halloween

In the past I always showed up as myself. I figure I Am scary enough as is

 

 

 

 

Hey, good luck with these storms coming your way.  Stay safe  

Just had this picture of me emailed to me, by one of the other members of an 80's rock cover band I was in,  Dirty Looks, from way back in the late 1980's:

Anybody else have Halloween pics in costume, playing?

1 hour ago, Matthew Sorrels said:

It's not about in the same directory.  It's about how Cakewalk does the scanning.  Cakewalk loads plugin #1, checks it, unloads it, then loads Plugin #2.  That first plugin doesn't clean up things correctly it can cause Plugin #2 to fail to load right.  Cakewalk's scan in a sandbox option is supposed to help fix this.  But it only sandboxes the Cakewalk process.  It can't protect system services (like iLok/eLicenser/etc) that not only use loaded DLLs but also actively running services.

SSD5free claims to use iLok:

https://stevenslatedrums.com/ssd5/#SSD5FREE

 

Understood, on the scanning.

I have no iLOK authorization for SSD5, I checked, yet it loads and works fine, so not sure why there is any mention of it on their site.

2 minutes ago, Matthew Sorrels said:

When Cakewalk scans DLLs to see if they are plugins if the plugin fails to load it will mark it as not a VST.  This happens because some plugin developers mix non-plugin DLL's into the directories that are being scanned.  Plugins that do load then have to respond like a VST/work like a VST as well.

Sometimes when scanning plugins one plugin will do things that cause later plugins to fail to load.  When this happens the later plugins can be marked as not plugins, even though they certainly are.  I actually wrote a Powershell script that would clear out all bad plugins so that they would get re-scanned.  Otherwise the only way to get that to happen is to use the Cakewalk option to re-scan everything which takes a long time.

I suspect the problem with the Slate Drums might be related to iLok libraries.  Loading an iLoc plugin can sometimes have issues (not just with Cakewalk).  I've seen many a iLoc plugin fail during a scan (multiples of them) but then when reset and re-scanned they work fine.

Rather than edit the entry, I'd just delete it and let Cakewalk re-scan it.

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

2 hours ago, Jacques Boileau said:

Hum, strange, I just looked at my installation of the free SSD5 VSTi and it shows up correctly in Cakewalk and I took a minute to check the registry and isVst is set to 1. your problem must not be happening to everyone, but I sure wonder why it happens to some and not to others. I don't know what to make of it.

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

16 hours ago, Anton Pyvovarov said:

 

I have to say I'm not very experienced with windows audio drivers, as I've been using mac since I've learned my first DAW. Until now I wasn't aware, that WASAPI is meant for built in audio engine only. Furthermore I was using a wrong asio driver all along (ASIO4ALL, instead of MOTU Asio) What I did notice though is that, as far as latency is concerned the MOTU ASIO driver will be less efficient, then WASAPI exclusive without the interface.  To  be able to use strings and piano libraries without "cracks" I have to setup buffer size higher and have no less than 15 ms.  So with what I have , if having least latency is needed i'm right now better off using no audio interface, but just usb input and a headphone output with WASAPI exclusive. As I was (unknowingly) trying to use WASAPI, with my MOTU, it worked very unstable and as a result the aforementioned artefacts.  Thanks to all for the tips !

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 

2 hours ago, Anton Pyvovarov said:

It's a MOTU micro Book II

 

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

1 hour ago, abacab said:

The link in the OP appears to be dead now...

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

13 minutes ago, Jim Roseberry said:

Beware of Win10 Pro copies that are ridiculously cheap.

The codes are often pirated.

 

BTW, This can even happen with what looks like a fully legit copy.

You can purchase a copy of Win10 off Amazon/etc... that comes in a fully "legit" package (MS disc/code/seal)... and find out the install key has been pirated.

Even though the package is legit, it's useless.

If you call MS, you'll be told it's not their problem... contact the seller.

 

If it sounds too good to be true... it usually is

 

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

57 minutes ago, LasWaltz said:

I fell for this one...

And then I though of just searching what the current price is.

Surprise. 40 bucks ain't a bargain anymore. Just in case it helps anyone else. Do an open search before buying this one 

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

1 hour ago, Grem said:

Great news Bob. Thanks for the update.

I knew it was all good. PC World has been around a long time. I have never thought of them as rip-offs.

And believe me, I doubted the price at first. $39 for a real, full version of Win10....Pro? MS would never allow that!!

But....

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 

1 hour ago, Grem said:

And so....

I jumped and got another license too!! May get another in a few weeks if it's still going on.

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

7 minutes ago, User 905133 said:

Best wishes for continued good health, and thanks for the follow-up on the activation issue! It makes sense.  I have a new-to-me refurbished PC that came with Win 10 Pro v. 2004.  I didn't want to risk trashing the "new" HDD, so I disconnected it and connected a totally unused SSD.  I did not use the license I purchased via the Computer World offer, but since I had downloaded the Media Creation Tool, I did use that.  I followed the instructions and somehow, magically (at the right time), Windows 10 showed the license with the original ID that came with the refurbished PC.  

So, I assume part of the licensing/activation process involves dialing home (MS) to look up my specific PC.  Evidently it was recognized as having a valid licence and the ID was sent to my SSD. 

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.

Just now, Starise said:

I might need to save these for a clean install then. 

Bob, Hope you begin to feel better soon. That didn't sound like a very good experience.

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

1 hour ago, Robert Bone said:

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

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

5 minutes ago, Sander Verstraten said:

I never bought a retail one. Though it may be a Win 8  OEM that I upgraded with a MS Deal to Win 10 pro. Not sure if that made it a retail one?

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.