John

What happens if you lower the fader?

Do you have any plugins active on that track?

Think of a plugin as a tool you use to do to the sound what you think it needs. I am often amazed at how many plugins a person will use in a project. Unless you have a real issue to work on and you can define it then by all means use a plugin if not don't. Many things can be done with a little EQ and perhaps compression used with care. There is no reason to throw plugins at a mix hoping somehow it will sound better. Know what you want then figure out how to achieve it. This often means listening very carefully to the mix as is and individual tracks soloed. Add as little reverb as you can get away with. As a real help listen to songs that you believe are mixed well. Listen closely. Use the best gear you can for listening. Try to identify how they got the sound you hear. Question the song and then question your own song.

This forum is not for general sales. At least it should be related to digital audio in some more direct way. Therefore I will lock the thread.

I remember those days well. It was difficult for me. Not because of the new version but how so many were so upset with it. My very first impression was not a favorable one for X1. However, at the time I was able to get the manual and read it fully. That helped greatly with how I could make the transition. I also had a bit of an insight as to what Cakewalk was trying to do. With that and the manual I could see where they were going with Skylight. It also meant that Sonar was now a very unique DAW in that with the Pro Channel one could potentially configure it in ways that had a impact on the sound of it. True one could use normal VSTs for this but to me the difference was the lower CPU usage the PC offered. An important issue with me. At times it was a lonely place to be in favor of X1. In the end it proved to many it was a good move on CW's part. An interesting point about users that were use to a particular workflow never was an issue for me. I had long ago moved from one DAW to another without much trouble thus workflow was not an important consideration for me. Heck, I learned Logic without a manual. It took them 3 months to send me the manual for it. In those days manuals needed to be printed and mailed. Mine for Logic Platinum 4 came with a 3 ring binder in a separate bundle. BTW, that manual was awful. Logic did not have a Help menu or help popups at that time. Later, I went with Cubase SX 1. To me it all was much the same as long as it did MIDI and audio I could figure it out. Sonar was a Cakewalk for me with Sonar X1 because I already knew Cakewalk's terms for things. Plus Cakewalks manuals were always top notch. Now we are in a new era with Bandlab taking good care of this great DAW. I can't see any reason for not embracing it as now it is the best it has ever been.

I like this idea very much. +1

Also what happens with a control surface that separates tracks and buses as a Mackie Control does? If your buses are all over the track view how can a surface consolidate them to adjust them in a bus pane? An MCU has a button to access the buses to control. Further, when I setup a multi out VSTi all the outputs are in a folder as a default. Many of those tracks would naturally goto a bus that maybe be different for other tracks in that folder. An example maybe a guitar and horns or strings and so on. As it stands now an Aux track is treated like any other track on an MCU.

I am for most of the items on the list.

We do have the bus pane at the the bottom of the track view. That will give one a ton of information.

You can have a preview of the waveform on any bus in Cakewalk. This has been in Sonar and now Cakewalk for years.

Wonderful! Its good to see Cakewalk back and thriving.

Have you set the channel? Kontakt relies on setting up the channel. Each instrument in Kontakt requires the MIDI channel match for the MIDI to trigger the sound.

I'm not sure the reason for this. Nor do I think it would be a good idea. An explanation is in order. However, you can perhaps by copying and pasting tracks to a single track.

There is nothing wrong with normalizing. However, in Cakewalk there is a trim control for each track, with it one has the option to adjust the input signal as one wishes. Keep in mind that each track adds volume to the mix. Lowering the faders so that the cumulative volume is not clipping may be the best way to get a good sound without distortion. I have routinely placed my faders at infinity and raise one at a time readjusting as more tracks come on line for a preliminary mix. Also if you did not record the project it may be useful to raise and then lower each track to see what it has in it. On occasion I have found tracks that were so low in a mix that they were unheard. When brought up they added greatly to the overall sound. I guess I'm saying use the luxury of a real multi-track DAW to its fullest. It beats a four track hands down.

I would use a bit mapped editor. MS Paint will do the job. You can take a picture of an item you want to use as an icon. You can also take a screen shot with Windows' built in Snip & Sketch or the Snipping Tool.