mettelus

Realtek has released an ASIO driver, but I have never seen it function, so would recommend ignoring that one. The Realtek is adequate for audio playback, but not audio recording. I am pretty sure that is still 16-bit only, so you could also be seeing bit depth/bit rate issues trying to record with it (the options it has internally via Windows are pretty limited). After updates, Windows could potentially assign the default sound device to something that doesn't actually work (like an HDMI monitor), so start with Windows sound settings (in 1903 there is an extra step getting into that via a link in the upper right of the sound page).

I am not sure the correlation here. Given the track record of OSX updates forcing developers to update (or everything spontaneously breaks) comes across to me more as foreshadowing a possible, and potentially probable, future. There may come a time when the overhead to keep things operational isn't worth the effort to do so. The lead in to his article is to the point "Over the years, many users of non-trivial applications have reported compatibility problems in OSX and it looks like there will be even more reports in the future, starting with Catalina. This may be a good time to review your options and consider switching to a different platform." Again, I am having a hard time seeing how this comment is taking anything out on anyone. This comes across more as stating a valid risk for people to legitimately consider. Most companies are not forthright in any way about business conditions... they cook the books till they go belly up and then leave everyone high and dry. It is nice to actually get a heads up from the people working the issues.

Is it always the same note? Are there any other controller functions going on in that track? Graphically it "should" show in most cases, but there are situations where it may not. The event viewer would be the best place to search, especially for a note ON missing the associated note OFF. Quick edit, if that is a downloaded track, the event viewer would also be the place to strip off non-note events that may causes issues.

I am not sure if this is still an issue, but at one time the limiter indicator was reversed (it was lit, but actually off), so that is another thing to check. Synth presets (for any synth) are something to always be cautious with. They are loud, wide, and full spectrum many times so they sound great solo. When putting them into a mix, you almost always need to address all three of these factors to get them to fit properly. AD2 was one VSTi whose presets blatantly went into the red (and some by a lot), so a good safety tip is to have a limiter on the Master buss that doesn't engage till -3dB or so to protect your ears from that shock, especially when composing and inserting new elements.

1903 has been noticeably faster using xcopy and robocopy, but not via Windows Explorer. I have done composition with the Realtek chip for some time, but not all programs support WASAPI yet. For those few that require ASIO, ASIO4ALL has vindicated itself, and buffers can be set lower than they were in the past.

Kontakt 6 also has no number with it, it simply reads "Kontakt" and there are no multi-out variants like Kontakt 5 had.

I habitually type on my phone, so replies can be a bit curt at times. The first paragraph is more an extension of what Imu2002 said, where passing on a signal should be what you want from the start, not fighting with mirror EQ (complimentary boosts/cuts to prevent collisions). HPFs are common to strip the low end off most tracks (they add mud to the mix, as well as energy), but LPFs can serve the same purpose (if everything is bright, they combine to detract from what is supposed to stand out). Choosing instruments to mix which do not collide from the composition stage makes mixing them easier. If you google "EQ Cheat Sheet" these two come up that have nice overviews of components for common instruments: http://blog.sonicbids.com/the-ultimate-eq-cheat-sheet-for-every-common-instrument https://producelikeapro.com/blog/eq-cheat-sheet/ There is no limit on EQs that you can use, or compressors for that matter (slightly compressing vocals twice is often more effective that one big jump), so EQ (for content scoping)->Compressor->EQ (for mixing) is common, but never absolute. As to the second paragraph, reverb (and delays) can cause grief since if inserted too early, then the follow on processing will process reflections the same as if it were the main signal (which they are not). Most "presets," especially on synths, are often loud, cover much of the frequency spectrum, and are swimming in reverb... all three of those need to be addressed before even considering mixing it with something else. Maybe another way to explain this would be an extreme example... reverb is to replicate "environment" since most DAW practice is to strip that up front to facilitate mixing, then put it back in at the end... if a signal with heavy reverb is passed into an amp sim, it will make a mess of things. The reverb is more how the final signal/mix will sound in the "created environment." Again, there are definitely no hard/fast rules to anything, but a lot of the above is to make mixing easier, and the result cleaner. Lastly, if you have never seen this video before it is worth watching. Dan Worrall does an incredible job packing a lot of information into 10 minutes, and explains the reasons why as he goes. It is a video for FabFilter Pro-Q, but what he is doing applies regardless of the FX used.

This advice applies to ALL FX; i.e., be very conscious at all times of what is passing through the signal chain (and showing up in the final mix). If you compress the unwanted portion of a signal, it takes more EQ to remove it, which can also adversely affect more of the desired signal. Bottom line, be careful of what you are passing, that it will fit the mix (if it won't, don't pass it), and what the next FX is going to do. Time-based FX can do the most damage to an unwanted component, because they effectively "smear" those frequencies down the track, so always be judicious with those (and why they almost always come last).

You could replace "bandlab" and "cakewalk" above with "Noel." AFAIK, it has been consistent throughout because of Noel.

The weakest link will always throttle the entire process, since the end result is an assembly. Think of it like the output audio buffer, but faster; a snare track done in .5 seconds is meaningless if not in the context of the output. You are only going to see max CPU on benchmarks, video rendering, and encryption for the most part. Having a car that does 200mph is meaningless in rush hour traffic; you can only go as fast as the person in front of you.

10 feet? A wireless (computer) keyboard has that range easily. If you do not need any mouse control (that sucks at range due to monitor precision), a wireless keyboard is the most effective "controller" anyone can use. Arm everything, trip over the hi hat with the keyboard, and R/spacebar.

Check the user manual for the smart tool hotspots, and the keyboard shortcuts for switching tools, zooms, navigation. The hotspots can be trickier if zoomed out too far, and some things are different (anything new or updated often contains workflow changes you have to deal with unfortunately). Based on the OP, it seems the zoom and hotspot areas may be an underlying frustration, so the other shortcuts to get where you can readily hit those and know what they do (and swap tools when necessary) is important. Rote memorisation unfortunately, but I would recommend starting there.

If you are going to invest any time/effort in the future, you will want to invest in a decent iron. I got this one about a decade ago (check prices though, I just grabbed that to show the model; is roughly $20) and it solders well in the 3 o'clock position for smaller gauge wires. General comments - It is good practice to check continuity on components before soldering (a meter is good to have, and map out/label complex wirings), pre-tin connections so they solder easily, and refine technique to get good joints without excess solder (sometimes pre-tinning is all the solder you need). Be conscious of stress reliefs where applicable, especially on anything that can get tugged or see heat (wires rarely fail from normal use, but joints will). If in doubt on something pre-made, a meter will also pay for itself over time so you can streamline working and verify component integrity. I visually check things as well, but when starting out it never hurts to be paranoid and use a meter to verify your work.

IIRC, the MPS 2.1 included the Neutron 3 update, but do not recall any side items. The update stream is getting a bit convoluted IMO. There is also a great deal of overlap in modules between apps now, so the comment about pulling RX modules into Ozone appears accurate based on what I have seen thus far. Two assumptions to these new features with that approach: 1) mix adjustment is not possible (since the only the master is available), and 2) people do not own RX7 (included with MPS 2 and higher). In most cases, both would not apply, especially for anyone remotely connected to the upgrade train (MPS 2 was a year ago already).

LOL, yeah the curb appeal is not the greatest; but although "Don't judge a book by its cover" is known to everyone, humans are primarily visually programmed, so DAWs have shifted people to mixing with their eyes and not their ears.