Ronny.G

Offline computer, always offline...so go online it's not an option as also sign in. I have my system already activated. When the latest 2024.02 update was released I also activated again my system using the new cakewalk product manager using a different online computer (offline activation). No problems but now after only 14 days I have this activation reminder to close at every start of CbB. Like I said my system is always offline so I have no doubts that now the activation last only 30 days (but after 14 you start to have this reminder popup). Even before we had to refresh the activation (online or oflline) as a requirement but not every 30 days...

Hi, here we go again with this nonsense activation/reactivation scheme. I have activated CbB only 14 days ago and now I have the "beautiful" activation reminder popup at every start of CbB: Activation required Cakewalk must be reactivated within 13 day(s). Update activation status before time runs out. So at least we know that NOW the activation last only 30 days. Worse, 14 days in reality because after these there is again a popup to close at every start of CbB if you don't reactivate soon. From many months before reactivation was required to...14 days...

The problem it's exactly the same also for me. The problem is related to instrument maps. They can be assigned to external midi instruments output but not to an internal vst instruments midi output (only drum maps can be manually assigned to an internal vst output). You can partially bypass the problem as msmcleod suggested using the patch browser. In any case consider that default patch browser have only a GS instruments definition map that is equal to the SC-55 map of Sound Canvas VA. To fully have all the 1600 patches of the SC-8820 module emulation you need to import the 8820 map from the roland.ins file. For doing this you need to have an active midi out device (that can be removed after) then you can "define" an instrument and import from roland.ins the Roland SC-D70 and D70 Drumsets. You have then to remove all the other roland sc that are imported (don't know why...) and leave only the sc-8820 sets or you have double names in the patch browser. If you want you can change the name for the instrument from sc-d70 and also export the new created .ins You can also open it with a text editor and change some names like "88 series controllers" if you want. After this you can select the SC-8820 and SC-8820 Drumsets from the Patch browser. Unfortunately default patch numbers order are from 0 to 99 with 100-127 after the number 10 and everytime you open the patch browser, you have to reorder the patches for have them displayed from 0 to 127. You can remove the midi out from devices if you don't need it anymore and you use only internal vsts. Obviously the best would be if we can manually assign these maps easily also to software internal vst instrument output in some way, to show and select them also in the midi track parameters, when there is some problem in receive patches and banks from the vst instrument (and with vst instruments is pretty common) like in this case where the vst don't expose correctly all its bank and patches and we are left with only bank0 and empty patch names.

@John Vere Exactly, no other DAW can open and play a midi file as fast and with quality comparable to CbB. As I said the TTS-1 is not the most accurate gm/gs module but is, or better say was, integrated, free, fast and soundwise well balanced between instruments and due to this I don't remember a pre midi file that was not good with it. I have to say that from my tests the Roland sound canvas plugin is also as good as TTS-1 or better. Unfortunately it is not free and more important it needs some little user work before play midis (change output and manually send all sysx) but at least is a real VSTi the TTS-1 not so you can use it with every DAW. I know that it will be difficult but let's hope there will be some chance for letting the user select a GM VSTi module to auto open when you open a midi file. In fact at the moment is true the opposite...you can't load a midi file without TTS-1

Are you sure? For what I can see the sysxs can already be sent to a VSTis if the output is a VSTi. What we need in future is an option to auto load a preferred VSTi when you open a midi file so we can for example use the sound canvas plugin or others exactly as it was for the TTS-1, and so also auto send sysxs at load.

If you still have the TTS-1 after you open a midi file, if you have also installed the sound canvas plugin, you can change all the tracks with right click on TTS-1 then "replace synth for all tracks using this synth". If you don't have the TTS-1 anymore you can select all tracks then open tracks menu and select "selected track outputs", here you can choose your vst (sound canvas). The problem is with the auto sysxes. Now when you open a midi file that have these data they are auto sended to TTS-1 for configure or reset various GM options before start to play. But in future this could be a problem. You will have to "manual" send these auto sysxs after you have open the midi and assigned its tracks to the sound canvas plugin. Or when it's possible use an event option on the track alternative to sysx. This is the point in where you sought the old TTS-1 where you didn't have to worry about this passage. I tried all the various vst options to replace the TTS-1 during the years, but TTS-1 was still the best as resources/quality and fast access. Then there is the sound canvas plugin. You can use some .sf2 soundfonts with vsts also but then you have problems in find and setup the right reverbs or choruses for the tracks as most of the time the included one doesn't sound right. Something never sound right with pre midi files and you have to do a lot of small fixes and so you lost a lot of time. I had a system with a perfect .sf2 midi player but was not a vst. In the past I had also a Yamaha DB50XG, that was better than TTS-1 unfortunately it needs a waveblaster soundcard and now it is installed on my master keyboard piano to give it also sound... I think that we need to ask the bakers if there will be an option to choose a default vst plugin (gm multitrack compatible) for midi files to open with. In this case it should work exactly as the old TTS-1. But we need this option to be added. As a note remember that the gm vst must be multitrack compatible as it is the sound canvas plugin or all these suggestion don't work. Example xv-5080 (plugin not the real device) is better than sound canvas but it lacks multitracks.

@Noel Borthwick Problem solved with 29.09.0.093. Thanks! Meanwhile I see that now there is also a 29.09.0.096 update, I tested also this latest EA update and all is still ok! So I think there are no evident problems for offline users with latest EA updates. Thanks again.

Yes, the offline activation of the latest 2023.09 CbB was successful (I used a beta version of the now released product center tool). I installed the EA 2024.02 update and the activation was still present. I suppose the problem is not the activation since CbB even with the EA 2024.02 never lost the activation status. But you are right, for sure my version of CbB has never been signed in ever, as it was installed on an offline pc (always offline) and activated using the offline activation process. I will try asap the updated 29.02.0.093 installer to report if it can fix the problem. Many thanks for your interest on this offline problem. UPDATE: Problem solved starting from 29.09.0.093 update. Thanks!

Let's hope that the 2024.02 early update fix the popup screen problems for all the offline users. And thanks to the bakers for listen to our reports about this problem

Many thanks to the bakers for this 2024.02 early update! Many improvements (restore offline activation for all users) and fixes for offline users (like me), so thanks again for take care of these problems. Please in future continue to support offline users as it was before so problems like the popup screen will remain things of the past... Thanks again EDIT UPDATE: Here we go again...another problem if you are offline. Really I don't know what to think... Everytime I start CbB I don't have anymore the nag screen with coundown however I have now a new different popup screen: "Cannot Reach Internet The requested service requires an Internet connection. Please check your Internet connection, or firewall settings, and try again." I have to click "OK" everytime. Then CbB work as always and stay in activated status. To me it seems again related to something about Sign In or Refresh Activation. Please report if you have also this new popup screen after this early update.

Yes, as I said I used it a lot in the past for solve the problem that some midi files have "words" saved as text and not as lyrics and this plugin is the only one that works. You have to apply the effect not insert it. You have to: - select the track with "words" - right click - Process Effect - MIDI Effects... - Uncategorized - AZ Text2Lyrics - OK Conversion done, now you can view the lyrics tab of the track and the "words" are there. Not perfect as page layout and margin but the syllabs are preserved. This is the best that can be automatically done by the plugin. Consider also that CbB isn't a dedicated fine tuned program for display midi lyrics, so it's limited if you need to display lyrics on screen in a live situation.

I don't know if you want or need to use a CAL script to solve this problem, however if you want to solve the midi text/lyrics problem you can also use this MFX plugin Text2lyrics. I had the same problem as you and I solved with this one. Thanks again to AZSlow for this plugin!

Thanks for take your time for all these tests. What I can confirm for sure to all (as you know I'm an always offline user), is that it's not possible to activate anymore and older version (no matter if online or offline). The activation server was changed. You have only the option to install and activate the newest version. I don't think this is a big problem. Maybe some user has some new bug introduced with this newer version but in my experience it's stable (as before naturally...CbB has still some problems to fix...) and it's a little better than the 2022.11, it has a lot of small fixes and also it still works on every windows, so why not use it... it's pretty much the 2022.11 but with a lot of fixes. Even this newest version will have soon the offline activation option. Trust me, the bakers are working on this. However this post is about Sonar popup screen, that is a different matter. Add this was a "tragic" decision! It's impossible that you have to wait everytime you start CbB when you are offline. Also from what I read it causes a lot of different problems. The solution is not try to find a procedure to activate an older version, but ask to remove this popup nonsense from the latest version. Really, like I said it's a very bad decision to include this nag screen without the possibility after some time of disable it. This is my opinion.

Please do the right thing, it's evident that this popup is only a problem, release an urgent fix update to CbB for remove it. It's the only logical solution to solve this mess...

Exactly, and also CbB situation is little different as is only now that there will be an upgrade path and this message is introduced, not from the start. I mean, I would like to use a product that I know that in it's free version has a reminder screen? Good it's my choice, if it's ok and I'm ok with this limitation,no problem, I'm using a free product with this limitation but I can live with it and who knows maybe in future I choose to upgrade to the paid version. But I know this before... Maybe also consider that CbB has never had a requirement to work online. I understand the speech "we want to add a reminder to make everyone know the new Sonar" but in this way it doesn't make sense, it seems only an introduced limitation of usability (introduced only now) that you can remove by switching to the paid version...the crossing line is thin. CbB only asked to renew the activation after a fairly long time and in two ways:put online the PC on which it was installed and renew or alternatively use another PC through the offline procedure. It shouldn't have been similar also now? Why 20 seconds of wait at every start for being offline? At least as others have said, add the option to remove it after a number of views. It is clear that we say after 20,30,50 views I have already been informed that the new Sonar also exists, why continue "remember" me? Then leave enough long time for renew the activation as it has always been, moreover it does not seem to me that this have created problems for anyone.