Jim Fogle

First, welcome to the forum and to Cakewalk by BandLab or CbB for short. I should mention I know more about Cakewalk by BandLab than I do about BandLab itself. That is because I have been using predecessors to Cakewalk for many years but have not investigated BandLab much so I am not very familiar with the online product. One difference between BandLab's online product and CbB is BandLab is an online service while CbB is offline. As an online product BandLab is bound to the internet so if there is no internet there is no product to play with. But, when there is an internet connection you can access BandLab using any device with a Chrome browser. Likewise all files are stored online or in the cloud. If you do not have an internet connection you can not access your files. Cakewalk by BandLab exists on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10 64 bit laptop or desktop computers as a standalone program. As a standalone program the internet is not needed. Files are stored offline and in storage maintained by your computer. The BandLab Assistant facilitates file transfers between the internet and the standalone program to provide a method to authorize and update the program. If I remember correctly BandLab is limited to 12 tracks. Cakewalk by BandLab has no built-in track limit. That's all I can think of right now. I'll let some other users chime in.

GarageBand is Apple's entry level DAW while Logic Pro is Apple's professional grade DAW. The former Cakewalk followed the same model by offering Music Creator or Home Studio as their entry level DAW and Sonar as their professional grade DAW. However in the transition, the entry level DAW was abandoned while the professional grade DAW was relabeled from Sonar to Cakewalk . If we assume for a moment that Apple's way of doing things makes sense then the question becomes, "short of adding an entry level DAW, how can Cakewalk by BandLab be easy enough for a novice to use while retaining the features professional grade requires? The answer appears to be by enabling features so users can enable and learn at their own pace. That is almost exactly what workspaces accomplishes.

Thanks for the links. Both reads are interesting. Not having access to GarageBand or logic because I have a pc, duh, it's fascinating to read about "the other side" of the computer world. I believe the Rolling Stone article includes an inaccuracy though. While acknowledging GarageBand was included as one part of a software package the article states the software package was free. The software package originally cost $19 US. But who's counting. Both articles tout the same three GarageBand strong points ease-of-use, loops and included with every Apple computer. Well, Cakewalk by BandLab's GUI appears to be easier to use with the change from lens to workspaces. The BandLab Assistant features midi and audio loops. Finally, Cakewalk by BandLab is available for the cost of an email address and the time to download. Apple and pc differ greatly in one respect. Apple supplies the hardware and operating system software. Apple also has power to allow or dismiss what connects or goes inside its computers . Meanwhile the pc world has two operating systems, Windows and Linux, residing on Intel and AMD cpu platforms and a multitude of hardware vendors. The pc world is inherently more complex because of its diversity.

EA is shorthand for Cakewalk by BandLab's early access program. Cakewalk by BandLab provides details and access of the next release one to two weeks prior to releasing the product to the general public. This initiative lets those that want the latest and greatest an opportunity to test a release and provide feedback. You can learn more about the early access program here: https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php?/forum/36-early-access-program-new/ The newest release, 2019.11, was released this week after being in the early release program since November 20.

I think the answer depends somewhat on your projects and your workflow. If you have 100 tracks and 1000 edits on each track, never freeze a track or consolidate audio, are using many cpu intensive effects or virtual instruments then the computer may not work as you desire. I main issue I encounter on this computer is high cpu spikes cause the power supply fan to shift into high speed. A secondary issue is the cursor changes to a hourglass longer than I'd like sometimes but it isn't totally unexpected. As always it's a toss-up between money (to purchase high specification computer) versus performance. This computer is vintage 2012.

Hi Jerry, I'm sorry but I don't know the answer to your question. There's a good chance many of the folks viewing this video don't know the answer since the video maybe the first experience the viewers have with comping. Your question likely will receive more views and have a better chance of receiving an answer in the Q & A forum section here: https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php?/forum/12-qa/

Can Cakewalk by BandLab do this? Highlight a selection of the project up to and including the complete project and then enter a time and the highlighted section shrinks or expands to that time. Example 1: I want the instrumental break to last for no more than thirty seconds. I highlight the instrumental break section of the song, enter thirty seconds, hit preview, like it and done. Example 2: My client wants various music beds of exactly 15, 20, 30, or 60 seconds. Again, highlight a section, enter the time, preview, like it and done.

? ... and just look at the teeny, tiny menu at the top left of the screen! ?

Music Creator was a consumer product sold in retail stores like BestBuy, Office Depot or Staples. Sonar was a professional product not sold in retail stores. I was a Music Creator user for many years starting with MC2, MC3 (included in the USB to MIDI package), MC4 and MC6. I received a free upgrade to MC6T(Touch) but don't have a touch screen so it's never been installed. I didn't see enough difference between MC4 and MC5 to justify the expenditure. MC7 was barely released before Home Studio became available with neither available in retail stores as a boxed product. Open MC2 and MC6 side-by-side and it would be difficult to say which is which unless you bother to look at the about screen. $49 bought a box, program cd and a printed manual. Even though each edition provided all the DAW I needed and wanted I still updated most of the time because the option was available and I had the money. Support was only available through the archived forum or e-mail. I needed to use e-mail twice. Each time it took about two weeks to receive an initial response but the one time a follow up response was needed the follow up response was quick. I've never seen any of the Sonar editions outside of the archived website, forum or videos. The Sonar (now Cakewalk) Reference Manual was not available to Music Creator users. Cakewalk by BandLab is my first experience with the DAW and it has been overwhelming at times. I miss not having access to the third party content that was available with Sonar Platinum but do not regret my past decisions not to upgrade. Having said that, I'm really glad Cakewalk is alive and well.

Hi Mike, Another informative video. Your video topic selections have been excellent. If you begin to run out of ideas for topics to cover, take a look at the Make Cakewalk Easy discussion in the Feedback Loop section of the forum: https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php?/topic/8356-make-cakewalk-easy/#comments

I think we're responding faster than the electrons can sail across the ocean and be assimilated into the forum! I deleted before I read your post. I'm good if you're good.

If you got to ask you likely can't afford it! ?

Jesse, I apologize. Your second link was not posted when I ran across the Sweetwater video and I didn't think to look if additional videos were posted. My bad, I'll delete my post.

@Some Guy Is F/OSS an acronym for "free and open source software"?

I was frankly surprised to see anything like the "Refresh Activation" selection added to BandLab Assistant. While Cakewalk by BandLab is part of BandLab and BandLab is part of BandLab Technologies the parts are spaced all across the globe. While the nucleus of the Cakewalk by BandLab staff is based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA the BandLab social music creation platform and BandLab Technologies ownership is based in Singapore. Even with e-mail and voice over internet communication across that many time zones and distance must be difficult. I don't know this for fact but I strongly suspect BandLab Assistant was created and is maintained by the Singapore staff. I suspect their main focus is support and media creation for the online BandLab platform. Take a look and you'll discover there is a lot of online activity happening on that side of the world. Meanwhile, for the most part Cakewalk by BandLab remains predominately a standalone product. If my thoughts are anywhere close to accurate it likely takes a mandate from upper management followed by strong oversight or a priority setting meeting for a relatively small task like getting something added to BandLab Assistant to even get placed on the priority "to do" list. Kudos to Cakewalk by BandLab for getting it done.

@RexRed While the idea may, or may not be a good idea the Feedback Loop is the section dedicated to Posting your idea in the Feedback Loop will give forum members that may not frequent this section an opportunity to read, support and discuss your idea. I hope you will take time to create a thread in the Feedback Loop. Here is a link: https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php?/forum/8-feedback-loop/

Deleted.

For What It's Worth, here is a link to Steinberg's webpage focusing on game audio. It provides a pretty good overview of how the DAW and Wwise programs pass data between them. https://www.steinberg.net/en/products/nuendo/game_audio.html Here is a webpage where AudioKinetic, developer of Wwise, lists their technology and content partners. From there you can navigate to the Wwise webpages should you desire: https://www.audiokinetic.com/community/partners/

@marled Thanks for taking time to create this thread. I found your observations, test and results very informative. I have no practical experience using pitch shifting so this thread likely saved me a lot of time and grief sometime down the road. Again thanks for thinking of other users! One question if I may, how likely is it that others have as many pitch shifting tools in their toolbelt as you do? I have five that I know of, the two that are included with Cakewalk, the one in Audacity I didn't existed until I read this thread, Melodyne Essentials and one that is standard with Band-in-a-Box. I was not familiar with TB_VoicePitcher by Toneboosters. I found version 3.1.8 at the KVR marketplace: https://www.kvraudio.com/product/tb-voicepitcher-v3-by-toneboosters

I thought I'd throw in a link to the product: https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/hammondb3x/

The Sonar & Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) Resources and Utilities Content thread presently resides in the former Sonar forum which is archived, locked and can no longer be maintained or updated. http://forum.cakewalk.com/SONAR-Cakewalk-by-BandLab-CbB-Resources-and-Utilities-m3392713.aspx#3472457 Some of the hyperlinks are broken as they point to other sites where content has been removed or the site itself is gone. Other links to content like Themes are obsolete for current and future updates of Cakewalk by BandLab. As Cakewalk by BandLab advances the number of useful links in the archived forum will continue to decline. I realize the thread was maintained by volunteers and there may be little or no desire to continue the effort but it would be REALLY nice if a similar thread could be started in this forum. Any discussion or thoughts?

@Joe DunCbB is an abbreviation for Cakewalk by BandLab. Somehow you mistook the "B" for a "D".

What about this idea, modify the program so the Start window can present a selection of lens in addition to a selection of project templates? As I understand it, lens display or hide global features like control bar modules. How about an "Explore Audio" lens, "Explore MIDI" lens, "Explore Loops" lens, "Explore More Features" lens.

@Some Guy, right on! Agree again! Spot on. Disagree a little. With the Start Window enabled, the first step is to load, or not load a project template. The default template selections are "Empty Project", "4-Track", "Basic", "16 Track", "Guitar Amps" and "Vocals". No project templates for midi, loops, mixing, introduction or tutorials. What's a beginner to choose? When you do not load a template the next step is a blank page, menu bar and control bar. For a new user or a beginner what's next? If you load any template how does a newbie know where to start?

@Some Guy Please describe what "F/OSS package" means. I am not familiar with the abbreviation and am unable to figure out the meaning in context. I really don't know. Thank you in advance. @Joe Dun, I agree with your thought in principle. However some issues are: how to simplify and the definition of simple is different for each potential user. There are solutions to how to simplify and, as suggested earlier, lenses is one tool available. Another idea is to expand Preferences to enable or disable features but each opens another rabbit hole. Lens are not intuitive but are a feature to new users must recognize to use. Expanding Preferences means someone must decide the defaults. Other tools that can be used to simplify each have their own obstacles. The second issue is more problematic though. What is simple? It greatly depends on the intent, knowledge, skill and experience of the user. Here are some examples: A person familiar with live sound likely would have a high comfort level using the console view and possibly using some effects but may not have a clue about what the matrix view or how to use the piano roll view. On the other hand for three middle school students that want to record some tracks to place on YouTube everything is new. Another thought. What kind of knowledge and how much knowledge is needed to create simple lenses? While the steps to perform the task is pretty straight forward how does anyone decide what to leave out and what to leave in? I don't know enough about Cakewalk by BandLab features to know what is simple, what is intermediate and what is advanced. I think the video tutorials show us a good path to follow. First come up with multiple intents, starting points, or objectives like: what's needed to record and playback audio, what's needed to record and playback midi, what's needed to create and playback beats, what's needed to add features back into Cakewalk by BandLab. Strip down the GUI to whatever it takes to answer each question. Create videos and sample content new users can use to learn how to use the software. Simple is difficult to define and will prove hard to achieve. What I'd like to see is a group discussion that will agree on a limited number of how-to-use the software objectives. I think everyone will be surprised at how spirited the discussion will be.