Pathfinder

1 hour ago, John Vere said:

We actually don’t know much at all. Not since 2017. Hi. We bought the Software from Gibson and it will be free.
2023 June Hi we have spruced up Cakewalk and we will re name it Sonar just to cause mass confusion on the internet. We can’t tell you how much it costs but we’ll let you know when we know. 
Oh. And Cakewalk will be discontinued once you get the hang of Sonar. 

2024 - January we have great news Sonar is now available for only $149 per year. 
2024-July  Looks like no one took the bait so let’s make it $99. Or was that $49?

2025 - Gee you people still aren’t taking the bait let’s just give it to you free. 

At least it’s provided some great entertainment here n the forum . but be careful what you say. Locked threads are trending. 

 

Hey John

Yeah, I caused a few locks myself-asking questions.................All very, very confusing. So in that respect, NOTHING has changed here at CW 😉

Guess I should have known this since I have been here since the 90's. 

Been fine using CWbyBL, does all I need. But I figured I would check out the free Sonar.

And of course, the $49 promo disappears and turns into $99?

WHY? That's not a question really-I know by now.

EDIT:We all know the free Sonar will be going bye bye also..............

OK installed it. For my work this makes no difference at all-I don't use CW plugins anymore. But I am guessing this move also means we will be forced to subscribe or move on when this "EVALUATION" is over and bye bye CbyBL!

Says Evaluation which would imply it will be going bye bye real soon. No?

OK I give up-Where is the the FREE SONAR? All I see is the $49 subscription offer?

15 hours ago, Alan Tubbs said:

I wish I’d said yes to reviewing the Neumann but I was too slammed at the time.  But if it is anywhere near the sound quality of the m48 interface I’d assume you’d be a winner.  Crystal clear repro.  But a lot depends on the music.  The Neumann won’t be a thumper but your soundstage and depth and discrimination should be better.  I replaced an almost 50 year old Yamaha amp with a hafler and the old “relaxed” sound got a lot more upfront, which is better for audio work rather than listening for enjoyment.

As for bass, the Yama speaker  I still use are the old ns style monitors with beryllium tweeters.  Mine are 10 inchers and do good bass .  I always checked the bass in “real” studios on barefoots etc., however.  If you have access to such you’ll understand the translation pretty quick

if you have the wherewithal I’d go for the Neumanns but keep the Mackies just to check the bass on.  It probably goes lower if not as cleanly.  At some point you can add the sub that goes with it.  I haven’t heard either, but from what I’ve researched it fixes any bass questions.  At this point, and I’m not ready to buy yet, my first choice would be for the 3 way Neumann 310.

Thanks-I am still looking but keep coming back to the Neumans, I could actually get the6.5" ones, about $2500  a pair, but I normally get a discount at Sweetwater, depending o the item.

Thanks again for the reply and help

3 minutes ago, reginaldStjohn said:

Why do you think the Neuman would be better? Just asking. The Mackie seems to have a 6.25" wooffer. Mackie, in general, makes pretty good stuff. I have found that at a certian price point the differences between speakers, and most equipment,  is minimial.  Especially for home studio setups. If you can afford them and its what you want I would say go for it.

Only you can really decide if they would make a difference and usually only after you try them for a while.

 

Mainly, I am not familiar with Neuman Monitors, so? The price point is DOUBLE here. Quit a difference. so I asked if anyone is familiar basically.

My mackies were purchased REFURBISHED 16 years ago...............Reason I think new ones, of any kind , would be better..................Components do experience fatigue of sorts over the years. 

Hi

I am looking to really upgrade my 16 year old Mackie  HR625mkii monitors. Room is treated pretty well and around 10'x 12' with 8ft ceiling.

These neumans have a 5.25" woofer. Would these be ok in this room. I would have to believe that they would be better than what I have by a long shot.

Thankls for any insight.

2 hours ago, Amberwolf said:

I was being facetious....trying  to be silly

No problem-I was just adding more info. It's all good to me!

14 hours ago, Jim Roseberry said:

There are other builders who assemble custom laptops.

Some specialize doing so for DAW applications.

Hi Jim

Yes I knew that. Always remember the great help you gave to so many of us way back when the forum had Glennbo and SusanG and others.........

I believe my user name back then was either Stratster or Stratman with a number   🙂 

4 hours ago, Amberwolf said:

wink wink nudge nudge say no more? 

 

I have known about StudioCats since the ORIGINAL cakewalk forums long, long ago. He actually is on my list already. But I value the smarts in this forum so I posed the question. Glad I did.

I'll take a look-Thanks for the info. The only real strong options I must have are windows INTEL and an Nvidia graphics card, no intel or other graphics.

Don't want a touchscreen either but I imagine most if not all have an option to disable the touchscreen

Wanting a laptop (my present one is 16 yrs old running W8.1)
I only record 1 track ata time and really want it mostly for using CWBL and playing back and editing. I use all VSTS, except for my vocals, electric and acoustic guitars. 
My present laptop, old, is an Asus i7 and has lasted 16 long years but really not sufficient and also will not take win 10 or 11.
I really want a modern laptop.  I am getting up in years and $$$ is not a big concern for me right now.
I have been building my own desktops since, well forever it seems, but laptops, uh nope.

I do prefer NVidia graphics, I know that raises the price but thats OK.
I do like Asus products, but am open to suggestions

Thanks very much for any ideas. 

On 2/18/2025 at 2:16 AM, mettelus said:

+1 to the above, you will typically only see issues with power management on some "efficient" profile, or running on a laptop without it being plugged in. I only use desktops for connections, so cannot speak to the laptops much. As always, ground loops need to be considered.

I am, however, more curious about how you got from there to here? Initially it seemed your setup was fine, but you wanted the ability to monitor FX. Is that still the case or has that expanded? Also, how many channels do you record in one go? I have a similar setup to yours that I use most often (AI->PA system), but record only 2 channels of audio at most (vox and guitar) in one go. Unless you are recording multiple channels, the SSL 18 might be extreme overkill, and that is in the same price range as the HELIX Floor. The reason that caught my eye is the HELIX Floor also has a single mic input, and can be set up to record DI and FX channels for both guitar and vocals. Again, that may be extreme overkill for your situation (just to monitor FX but not record them). I may have missed a post where you explained more what you are seeking.

Short answer is the Focusrite control is severely lacking, for me anyway. To explain better, My old trusty echo Layla 3G had the perfect PC app-you could see EVERYTHING all at once, You can adjust everything easily. The focusrite 3r gen 18i20 with a similar interface would be ok. But also I monitor thru a mixer and use the OUTS from each channel into the mixer to monitor in the room when creating\learning whatever. The output signal from the outs of the 18i20 are so low it's basically useless my needs. Of course hen recording I use headphones.

so mainly the computer interface (focusrite control) just sucks imho. Sad because the hardware itself is fine except for the low output I mentioned but I could live with that if the interface were better.

I definitely will not be buying any bus powered AI.  I know the SSL 18 would be super overkill for me but the PC interface is perfect. I sold a guitar I didn't use anymore so I do have the $$$ but of course they are not in stock yet.

I appreciate all the input and advice folks so thanks very much.

Ridiculous. CWbyBL is not only free but IMHO is on par and better than many of the supposed big boys.............It's a killer daw.

The only downside is we have no idea when the Sonar SUBSCRIBE think tank will end CWbyBL..............

Also, Filmora by Wondershare, is a killer video editor and has great tools to  align\sync the audio with the video. That is the main reason I purchased it. Great app imho. 

It's not free but it is inexpensive and  has tons of tutorials. 

I believe their is a free 30 day trial without limitations. Used to be anyway........

NEVER MIND-GOT IT! Duh!

So I am ready to plug in the Octa capture. But do I have to UNINSTALL the 18i20 drivers or can I just pull the USB cable out of the focusrite?

Thanks

2 hours ago, Sidney Earl Goodroe said:

I have done commercialy released cds, radio commercial projects, video soundtracks, and on and on with those Rolands and no one has ever said anything about not having pro quality results!

I have mastered tracks for a music hall of fame producer and he liked the results so much, he wouldn't use anyone but me to do all his mastering for the past 12 years!

Yes, there are more advanced interfaces out there but these things have held their own. 

OK-Thanks Sidney- I wasn't sure and wanted o ask. Sounds good to me! Pun intended!

Curious? What about the older technology the Rolands are based on? Preamps, converters, etc. Haven't they come a long way i the last 10-15 years?Is this something the human ear is going to hear\notice. IOW, the quality of the recordings themselves.

I tried to research it myself but mostly came up with nothing that helped

Probably not the best way to ask the question.

Thanks so much folks. I always like the computer app that Roland used for these and I was very used to them. where as, now, I speak only for myself I feel the Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen fous control is terrible i comparison, for me anyway. Just not intuitive. I understand many like it. 
Anyway will be trying out the octa Capture today
The only reason I ditched the Octa capture years back was the echo Layla 3G intrigued me and it fit my workflow (for better ot worse) better than any so far. I even used to use 2 AP2496 cards digitally connected for more i\o and that worked well also.

I still have all of the interfaces   🙂  The Octa-Capture is basically new.

Thanks again

First I understand the "convenience" factor in certain situations. That's it though, for me. 

I so wanted the SSL 12 but refuse to not have an AC Power options. 

Just some scenarios from Google:

USB-only powered audio interfaces are problematic because the limited power available through the USB connection can lead to issues like noisy audio, inconsistent performance, especially with high-power requirements like phantom power for microphones, and potentially compromised sound quality due to the potential for power fluctuations from the computer's USB bus, impacting the sensitive analog circuitry within the interface. 

Key reasons why USB-only powered audio interfaces can be problematic:

Power limitations:

The USB standard provides a relatively small amount of power, which may not be enough to adequately power the audio interface's components, especially when using high-quality mic preamps or multiple channels simultaneously. 

Noise issues:

Power fluctuations from the computer's USB bus can introduce noise into the audio signal, particularly noticeable when using sensitive microphone inputs. 

Limited phantom power:

Many USB-only interfaces may not be able to provide enough phantom power to properly power condenser microphones. 

Headroom limitations:

When the interface is drawing near its power limit, the dynamic range of the audio signal can be compromised, potentially leading to clipping or distortion. 

Dependency on computer power:

If the computer is running on battery power, the USB power available to the audio interface can be further reduced, leading to performance issues. 

sadly, my wish to get the SSL 12 is what started me down this rao. But I have to pass. SoI am looking at the SSL 18, which is overkill for me and expensive.
The SSL 12 is $499 without discounts which Sweetwater and MF and other do regularly, especially for car holders and frequent buyers-like me and  many of you. 

Seriously thinking about the  SSL 18, especially since I can get a discount and pay it off no interest............................
Just venting.................

46 minutes ago, IgoRr said:

Hello!

A close friend of mine had a Rolland Quad Capture card, the driver for it was absolutely the same as for Octa Capture, but I remember how my friend suffered with this card all the time. The audio engine (driver) often crashed in the most unpredictable situations - he opens YouTube, tries to watch some video, but there is no sound, or tries to watch some video (or listen to audio) on his computer, and ends up exactly the same way. He starts checking, but there is no sound at all in the system, and there was no way to fix it on the go, I had to restart the computer. Sometimes, after restarting the computer, the Rolland audio driver was completely absent from the list of sound devices, and I had to reinstall it. Quite often, the driver crashed right while working in Cakewalk, which led to a partial loss of projects and recorded material. After a year of such torment, my friend sold this card and bought a Rolland Rubix (the younger sister of the Capture series), but hopes were not justified - problems with the driver continued to appear from time to time.

I was left with the impression that Rolland failed to bring these cards to a reliable condition, after which my friend simply bought another card from SSL.

Thanks for the reply and info. Of course that is the card and not he hardware dev ice. But point well taken! 

Found an old thread , late 2023 where I asked this same question:
So, anyone (still?) using Roland Octa Capture? Roland says it's win 10\11 drivers work fine.  
Thanks.............

Got it. Well Got the SC 88VL dump. Need to switch the UM-1 mkii to the Alesis midiverb-But I'll do that tomorrow. THANKS..................ProMidi

2 minutes ago, Promidi said:

Hey, I am with about the old gear thing.  I still, to this day, still a (circa 1999) Yamaha SW1000XG card in another PC (for current paying projects).  This has pretty much made me immune to the loss of TTS-1 fiasco Roland created.

Cool! I sometimes use the Sound Canvas for midi playback instead of the tts-1.  Have one those edirol UM 1's connected all the time to the SC 88 VL.

I remember doing with the older versions, I mean years and years ago. Thanks I will try-Appreciate it. I know it may sound crazy to some but I like this old gear. I have plenty of new gear of course, but., I even still have my Bos GX700, one of the first guitar modelers-All cooper finish, very cool. collecting dust in the closet but still!