GreenLight

Some requests to speed up keyboard workflow and usability for the Bounce to Track(s) dialog box: It should accept the "Enter" key as OK (as the old box...) It would be great if focus could be on Destination when the dialog opens (as the old box...) Underline specific characters for quick ALT + character focus jump Have a focus highlight that jumps around when you jump focus with TAB See GUI mockup below: Pretty please...? An example of my fast keyboard workflow with the old box: Press (my personal customized shortcut) CTRL + T for Bounce to Track Press Arrow up/down to select destination track Press Enter to start bounce To get a really polished application, I think we need a little more attention on small (but important) usability things, like keyboard shortcuts, dialog box focus and underlined shortcuts (for fast usage with the ALT key).

Ah, the bug requires a very specific circumstance: it only occurs if the track in question is below a folder track, and that folder track itself is the first track in the project. (Compare the order of my tracks in the video compared to yours in your image.) I clarified the folder track "requirement" in the original post, thanks for pointing that out! 👍 About your second issue - yeah, I think I've had that too... let's see if we can figure out any repro and/or consistency to it... 🤔

Will try this, thanks @Bristol_Jonesey! I'll give staff a few days to see and reply here, then I'll email this bug report to support@cakewalk.com to make sure they notice it.

Thanks for the Sitala tip, looks simple and fast but powerful! ...but let's just for a second entertain an alternative future. Imagine the sweet and fast workflow of dragging a sample from the browser to, say, an audio track and voila - suddenly you have an instrument track with Sitala (or something similar) that has your sample loaded. One drag & drop and you'd be off sequencing audio samples - 808s, cowbells or even slap basses, whichever floats your boat... Update: This has been discussed a few times earlier:

Thanks a lot @billp and @Klaus! Another workaround in addition to yours, Klaus: once the nodes have been created, one can switch to the Move tool to drag the section all the way up. Let's hope the Bakers see this thread.

Hi all! Can someone please help me reproduce this bug? I have been running into it for a long time, but just now I figured out how to reproduce it. Cakewalk version This bug is reproducible with Cakewalk 2021.12 (Build 102). (Updated Jan 9, 2022) Short version: Using the region selection with the smart tool, one cannot drag automation to the maximum if the track in question is a) below a folder track and b) that folder track is the very first track in the project. Steps to repro: Start with a blank project Insert a track folder at the top Insert an audio track below (but MIDI tracks have same bug) Enable automation for, say, volume, and make it a flat line at the bottom Using the smart tool, drag a range in the track and then position it near the top of the track Try to drag the automation range to the maximum Video demonstration In the video, I first demonstrate that dragging works OK with the track folder below. Then I place a folder track above, whereby I no longer can drag the automation to its maximum:

There was a heated 😛discussion about this detail in the Early Access... so you are not alone in this request.

The dotted outline on the waveform indicates that specific portion has been muted with the mute tool. To unmute, use the mute tool and drag in the lower part of the muted part. See details in the manual below. (Maybe the PDF manual is more up to date, but I think the online version below should be accurate.) Mute tool https://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=Cakewalk&language=3&help=Tools.16.html All the best! 😀

Thanks for the info. I have long assumed that the .cwb format was deprecated and not recommended, but good to know it works well when needed. 👍 (I was going to say that about reliability, but you beat me to the punch and also proved me wrong. 😉 I love to be wrong, that way you learn!)

Just out of curiosity, what's the use case of saving in the old .cwb format?

Noel wrote that there was no time for this release, I don't think he dismissed the idea completely. 🙂 Note that VST3s can still sometimes be buggier and have less features than their VST2 counterparts. This was the case for many years with u-He synths like Diva... (as an example, see this old u-HE FAQ that was true for many years, but note that it's no longer current news).

I need to try it, it IS conveniently located... I guess I've just been wary of built-in effects, somehow I have perceived external VSTs to be more reliable over time, with version changes and upgrades. But maybe it's the other way around? 🤔 I agree. I am familiar with the side-chain concept in hardware as well and I think Cakewalk (and most other DAWs with a long heritage) have imitated hardware routing, it's a natural studio evolution. That said, I believe Cakewalk could simultaneously offer other routing options as well, while still keeping the options of the old paradigm. An example from Live: you select two audio tracks and press CTRL+G - an aux track is created, the selected tracks are grouped and routed to the aux. It's brilliantly modern, simple and FAST!

Hm, you're saying that Cakewalk's sidechain routing concept imitates hardware? Yes, I suppose that's very likely, I believe most older DAWs do. About PC, I have to confess that I'm not using ProChannel at all... and never have. Maybe it's time to start?

While this new sidechain feature will be exactly what I need, I can appreciate not everyone has the same workflow. As you say, a checkbox for "Include sidechains" maybe? 🤔

Wow, this gets me excited as well! 😄 It sounds almost too good, so I have to double-check: one doesn't have to include the side-chain source in the selection when using Bounce to Tracks anymore, it will be automatically calculated? It really improves workflow with sidechaining, great work Noel & Co!

Hahahaha, brilliant! Loved this, laughed extra at Samplitude and Cubase! 😂 And you Cakewalk description "Fun for everyone, but it's especially loved by men over 35 who think that anything newer (which is just about everything) is for kids or dilettantes." is frighteningly accurate... 😂

I am not a car person... but what kind of a car would Cakewalk be then? A 🚙or maybe🏎️? 😂

Well said! I need stability for guaranteed productivity, but I'm too curious to stay out of these threads anyway... I think the tone in this thread - and mostly all EA threads - has been great, we Cakewalk users are a happy and friendly bunch! 😃Hey, I even made a joke in this thread (even though you put 👎 on it, but I most definitely deserved that with my bad word pun humor... 😂) Cheers!

Not hungry? 😁

Thanks! Ooh, nice to be able to speed up exports. Two quick thoughts: Would it be a good idea to have a mouseover popup explaining just that? It's not self-evident how an export buffer affects operations, even to a long-timer like me. (But maybe I'm just a slow learner... *laugh* don't answer that. 😉 ) Any ballpark figures of how much faster the new export could be compared to the old for a "reference" project?

I am sorry if this has already been explained: why is a bounce buffer size user selectable, I mean, what is the use case or benefit of changing that? Thanks!

Thanks @Jim Fogle! All methods listed above are currently still valid in Cakewalk, they differ due to different pre-requisites and needs, like if your sidechain plugin is inserted on a track or a bus. But method #1 (Will's method) is my new favorite, as it's quick and only generates a bounce of the original track (of course with the sidechain plugin effect printed), but it skips bouncing an unnecessary copy of the sidechain source track, as method #2 does. Sidechaining tracks from kickdrum tracks isn't probably as common as it used to be, since doing the same with a VST ducking plugin instead is a lot faster and simpler. And with such plugins it's easier to freeze audio tracks and VST instruments without considering any dependencies to other tracks. But if one needs to feed the sidechain input with something more irregular than a kick drum, then "real" sidechaining is still the way to go.

I see, thanks. I'm humbly hoping you'll consider simplifying sidechain bouncing a little in the future. Until then, the clever trick of bus-bouncing works pretty well. 😃

Thanks a lot, @Will_Kaydo! 👍 Seems to work great! 😀 Ah, the concept requires that the track you want to bounce ("original track") is routed to an intermediary bus, before going to Master, and the you bounce with the intermediary bus as source. (If it goes straight to Master, you will get the sidechain source audio mixed in.) I think this is a faster and cleaner way, than the way described in the Cakewalk documentation. To not hi-jack this thread, I have continued that discussion here. Thanks again, Will!

I thought I'd post this for a discussion and for easier referencing in the future. There are several ways to bounce tracks and buses (tracks are easier!) with side-chained plugins. I think this one that @Will_Kaydo told me about is the easiest (see embedded video at bottom): Bounce tracks with SC plugins using Source Category set to Buses - It requires that the track you want to bounce ("original track") is routed to an intermediary bus (say, "Synths"), before going to Master, and you select your "Synths" bus as a Source Category instead. If you would do this while the original track goes straight to Master, you will get the sidechain source audio mixed in (assuming it's an audible track). A couple of other ways I've done it in the past: 2. Bounce tracks with SC plugins using Source Category set to Tracks - This is how I've done it for years, with sidechained plugins according to the Cakewalk manual. In the Bounce to Tracks dialogue, select both the original track and the sidechain source, and set Source Category to Tracks. It works, but the downside is that you get two new tracks, which is slow and also a slight nuisance to have to delete. 3. Bounce buses with SC plugins using Source Category set to Entire mix and a silent sidechain source - Create a copy of your source (say, a kick drum track), set the Output to None (this will generate warnings at project load, though), or turn down the fader and set send level to pre-fader. Use Entire Mix as Source Category. The pros are that you can bounce it without it being audible and you can easily create pumping/ducking effects even when your kick is muted. But the downside is the increased project complexity. It was a few years since I did it this way, and nowadays plugins like the LFOtool are a way easier. Hm, did I get all things right? Please chime in if you have thoughts or improvements. Will's great video: