mettelus

Wow, there is one you don't see very often... someone who takes so much pride in their work that they actually listen and respond to users without getting indignant. Very good form.

One of the comments in that insolvency thread says it all... "Switching to DaVinci Resolve." The free version is already more capable than most apps and if you ever need Studio (for many this is highly unlikely) it is a one-time $295 (that upgrades forever after, at least thus far). There is a YT video somewhere very damning to Adobe... $600/year for Premiere Pro/Mocha versus a one-time payment of $295 for the same feature set. Resolve is one of the few apps with a free version that has very few limitations to it; very well worth learning since you can do your thing and seamlessly jump to Studio should that day ever come.

This version also fixes the SOP 6.6 VST3 issue. I didn't see that in the release notes but wanted to check that out and it is again functional.

16 hours ago, Doug Steinschneider said:

Instead I got pushback.

I am in agreement with the posts above simply from this comment. If you haven't even started anything substantial with them and are already getting pushback, it is only going to get worse from there. I have never, and will never, chase someone down to give them money; that is simply not how real life works. Life is about time, and it doesn't take long to realize that lazy people end up being a time sink on your life.

There were several posts on the old forums in the X3 days, but I did a quick check of the ones easily found and the links are no longer valid. @Clovis Ramsay has this thread from 2021 that has even more info, but the link to the drum map itself (on Google Drive) is not functioning for me. Maybe they will get a ping from this post and can help you out.

Quick Edit: I clicked the "Download All" in the upper right on Google Drive and that did download everything at once. I couldn't just download the map individually.

MStereoSpread is worth a quick mention here. Unlike MStereoProcessor, which was offered last week and tailors existing stereo material (but won't generate it), MStereoSpread will generate stereo via either classic delay or via Melda's spectral generator. The spectral generator shifts frequency content randomly to one speaker while compensating the other, which allows for things to sit in the "same space" yet avoid frequency collisions (in a stereo field). Caveat to this is the spectral generation will always collapse to mono perfectly, so be sure to consider that (and frequency collisions) depending on intended playback systems.

38 minutes ago, artturner said:

If I pay nothing, I don't get that new lead vst, but I can use 6.6 forever? At some point if there is a v7, I can join Hybrid + then. Is that right? Other than the exclusive vst and other possible exclusive content, there's no reason to pay for Hybrid + now?

Solidos already answered most of this, which is basically V6 has free updates until V7 comes out. They split off the new VSTi as a hybrid push, and the only way to get that is to join the hybrid plan.

The hybrid plan is a Catch22 in that you are locked to the latest release as your "most current" (same as what Platinum's Membership Plan did), and in case you didn't catch the comment in this thread, 6.6 broke several VST3s, and there were not enough updates in it to warrant installing, so staying on the last 6.5 update isn't going to affect you one iota. A "fix" for that VST3 issue has still not been released.

1 hour ago, Victor Flores said:

even though his interface is so high it's almost clipping

We really need more information on his situation if you can get it. There are plenty of guitar VSTs that also have input gain control, and even some like Overloud's TH series that default to expecting a stereo input (which is very uncommon). If he already has the interface set to proper levels, I would walk him though the rest of his signal chain and find out what he has going on in that regard. A line vs instrument level at the interface shouldn't be an issue if he is seeing the levels passed out of the interface, but that is worth checking as well. I am not familiar with that unit, but I am assuming the levels he is seeing are the output since it has no software mixer per Google (which would be another thing to check if that were applicable).

It is possible that is a font issue, but my hunch is that is is more likely a screen resolution issue. When increasing screen resolutions, not all fonts take kindly to that. Unfortunately setting high resolutions on a laptop can also make the screen hard to read, so there may be a balancing act to perform there. A quick check would be to set the laptop to the recommended resolution and see what it looks like.

On 4/16/2024 at 12:04 PM, craigb said:

I've had several times in my life where something I enjoyed doing became an income source, then work, and then lost it's fun so I stopped.

^^^^ This one is massive from my perspective. Pretty much everything I am incredibly passionate about I have kept in the "hobby" bucket for the simple reason that I can do what I want, when I want, how I want, and if I don't want, that is perfectly okay too. It is very important to keep in mind what variables are in play and which ones impact the "fun factor" adversely. Hobbies are for fun, so definitely keep that part (i.e., "I loved making music"), but don't feel the least bit bad about kicking the things that make it not fun to the curb and walking away from those aspects.

After what you went through on the first one, I would have kept that as a badge of courage (and resolve). Another reason I was thinking the luthier as well is I am curious what is the cause of such a repeatable inconsistency. Gut assumption is they used a caul that was a smaller radius than the board (so it would contact the edges first), but then made me wonder if the ends are glued since you said the middle will seat but not stay put. The guy who PLEK'd my main pulled and reseated half the frets before PLEKing (first fret job I did in a dorm room without proper tools) for $50 and they are still fully seated 12 years later. Yours would be a bit more complicated because the tangs are not exposed so a simple fret saw won't work if the slot is filled... but then again, that issue may also be from the machine they used to cut the slots with. Just sucks they sent you something with an issue like that and didn't QC it better.

But that did just make me think of another idea.... get a quote from a luthier, and ask Guitar Anatomy if they will pay for the repair since it isn't your fault, and you shouldn't be shelling out return fees in the first place. Putting you out of pocket for $350 is a bit uncalled for.

The luthier option might be best if you like the neck otherwise. Frets really need to be cauled and then tapped so the barbs are under fresh wood, but a luthier should have all the stuff needed to pull and reseat them properly for you.

2 hours ago, David Baay said:

EDIT:  I should add that the quick and dirty way that will be just as effective for the preview is to bounce the Master bus to a track that outputs directly Main Outs, Autostretch enable just that clip and change the tempo. You might actually find you get fewer artifacts from strething the master than stretching individual clips and then mixing down.

When you are that deep into a project this is probably the least painless. To that end you can also have the vocal recorded to the 113bpm version and bring it into the 110 version and slow it accordingly for final mixing. You would still need to repeat the 113 step on the pre-master.

Also be sure your Windows Sound Options are not giving exclusive control to apps. If another app sees it first, it may be locking the device so Cakewalk cannot access it.

3 hours ago, CSistine said:

An intensive usage of cpu and memory can reveal hardware and software issues that maybe not visible with low processing. This can be caused by processings that are running in parallel and interrupt themselves or by stressing hardware resources.

A lightweight alternative to Task Manager is Moo0 SystemMonitor v1.83. The Portable version is the best option, since it installs nothing on your machine and you can simply run that when needed (and use it from a thumb drive as well). If you right click anywhere on the GUI you can choose to "Keep on Top" (option near the very top) while working. If your machine starts to get sluggish, pay attention to the [Bottleneck] and [Burdened By] at the top and what processes under [CPU Loader] and [HDD Loader] may be triggering them. Although it doesn't go into the detail of the Task Manager, the Bottleneck/Burdened By fields are handy for when they get triggered and it takes up far less screen space to use.

4 hours ago, T Boog said:

I ask because I'm using a pretty humble pc

As Andres said, a lot of this is how the VST is scripted and how it loads samples (if used). There is no cut and dry answer for this unfortunately, but VSTis that load samples into RAM so that they are instantly accessible will often be smoother than ones reading from a disc, but that would also bring up a RAM concern to make sure you can load them all. Internally a lot of VSTs can be CPU-hungry even if they do not have massive size to them, so using only what you need is often best (akin to Ozone Standard is a mastering plugin, do not use that on all tracks). For some instruments it can be better to bypass internal FX, then use a lightweight chain on the output.

A good portion is also the system, so do not forget old school things like freezing or bouncing tracks. CWPs themselves are rather small (as long as Region FX are bounced), so you can save things with a new name when you are "close" to committing, yet still back out to the previous version if you do have tweaks to make.

9 hours ago, Glenn Stanton said:

make sure whatever CC you use has a $50 liability limit

This used to be dependent on the card issuer, but there is now a federal law mandating this (12 C.F.R. § 1026.12). As most major issuers are based in the US, this will almost always apply, as most third party cards are actually issued by a parent company of VISA/Mastercard/Discover/American Express, but as Glenn mentioned it is definitely worth checking.

PayPal is one I do not overly trust, but some vendors require it. You can actually make a transaction then unlink you card from the account right afterwards so that it doesn't stay on file. I have gotten into the habit of that simply because the phishing emails regarding "PayPal" are frequent enough they never fall off my radar.

I am not quite sure why those would be locked, @David Baay would be better to answer that one. As far as the easiest way around, as long as you are working in new cwp file (so you are not modifying the old one), you can delete everything but the guide track to set the tempo map. Once that is complete you can then drag/drop the old cwp into the new one (from the Browser->Projects).... this will import all of the instruments, so you can retain the instruments/settings, but the MIDI notes will need to be redone since you have changed the tempo map and the duplicate guide track will need to be deleted. Save the new cwp before that drag/drop just in case... I do not recall offhand if that actually overwrites the tempo map or not, but is another one David would know better. If it does (but I think it doesn't), you can open two cwps side-by-side and drag tracks between them as well as an alternative.

I admit it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. There have been numerous instances over the years where the VST3 fails, but the VST2 works. Perhaps this is PreSonus' way of holding the developers' feet to the fire (who knows)... I can only imagine a host developer's nightmare of having to "accommodate" VST3s that don't conform to spec (Noel has invested a lot of time troubleshooting 3rd party VSTs over the years). It has been over a decade already, yet still some still shoehorn a VST2 into a VST3 package and assume it works until the bug reports start streaming in.

8 hours ago, bjornpdx said:

Apparently Scaler doesn't work either per Presonus forum discussion.

I do not own Diva, but I opened a project quick with Scaler 2 in it and can confirm the issues posted in this thread. The simplest check is clicking the settings/gear icon in the upper right and that it is unresponsive, but the other noted issues exist as well.

Quick Edit: One post sums it up on there. "Studio One v6.6 features the very latest updated VST SDK and is now exposing a number of existing plugins out there that either do not conform OR need some TLC - OR Studio One v6.6 needs some TLC as well." I am not sure what other VSTs are affected, but guess I need to roll this one back. Just makes me think of the folks who onboarded with Studio One+ Hybrid into this... surprise!

10 hours ago, Roy Slough said:

All the clips begin at Measure 4:1  So I thought if I set  a tempo change at 3:4 to 150 (the correct tempo for the song) and alter the tempo at 1:1 to somewhere between 140&145 Then it would move the time signature just enough so that 4:1 would land where I need it.  However when I changed the tempo at 1:1 All the clips seemed to adjust themselves.

1st was this a bad plan and if not how do I stop the clips adjusting to the new tempo?

This is actually a situation where SM/BAN would be worth learning (will explain that after the "why" part... David replied as I was typing this as well). If you think of putting pins/needles into a bolt of cloth from left to right (what inserting tempo changes or SM/BAN is doing), then if you go back to the left and insert another pin to make a portion shorter/longer, it will pull all of the pins right of it along with it. You must work left to right when setting a tempo map to prevent this, and why the very first pin (the "anchor point") is crucial (the very beginning of the song), where everything to the right is attached to that and will move accordingly if you ever move it.

To use SM/BAN:

1. File->Save As... your current project with a new name (can just add SMBAN to the end for the name to make it simple). This way you can work with another project and not make any changes to the one you have now.
2. Open the Tempo Track in the Track View (ALT-T) and expand it enough so that you can see the content. Also, click the "Show/Hide Tempo Inspector" (metronome icon) at the top of the Inspector (I) if not already open so you can see tempo mapping points.
3. Disable Snap to Grid at the top.
4. If you already have tempo map points showing in the inspector, right click in the left side of the Tempo Track and select "Reset Tempo Map" near the bottom. This will flat-line the Tempo Track and leave you with one tempo insert (the project tempo) at 1:01:000 in the inspector.
5. Since you know the project is 150 bpm, rewind to the start of the project (CTRL-Home) and type 150 in as the project tempo.
6. If your project starts at 4:1, and you have a defined drum track, focus the drum track and zoom in (Z-click drag) enough to see that first downbeat. ALT-Z resets your zoom level, so you can bebop in and out quickly with that.
7. CRTL-A to select ALL track clips (this is important), and drag that first downbeat to 4:1. It doesn't need to be perfect, since you need to drive your anchor in here anyway.
8. Click on the first downbeat and hit SM/BAN (Shift-M). This defaults to the closest beat, and the measure is highlighted already, so you can set them by typing the measure (if needed), then TAB to shift to the Beat, enter that, then ENTER to quickly work them through.
9. Hit ALT-Z to do a sanity check and make sure you moved all clips when you scooted them, then ALT-Z to zoom back in.
10. From there, tempos that are pretty tight only need to be checked every bar or so (I would not go any finer resolution that a Beat even if it is all over the place). Focusing on SM/BAN with the drum track zoomed in, CTRL-Scroll wheel to move right and SM/BAN as needed as you move left to right on the track on places where it begins to drift, and work that through to the end of the song.

Once you get the hang of this, you can tempo map a song in pretty short order. Again, if you are ever going to "insert" a soft synth on a pre-recorded song, this is of utmost importance before doing any MIDI work.

David introduced me to SM/BAN years ago, and with a small learning curve it is one of the fastest and easiest built-in methods to map tempo to pre-recorded material. It doesn't alter the track material (just the tempo map itself) and can be better visualized as "anchor points" in the tempo map... be sure to also anchor the start point. As David mentioned above (and it is important enough to reiterate), MIDI/Soft Synths will want to align to a tempo map, so be sure to do that tempo mapping before diving too deeply into work. Tools like "snap to grid" rely on the grid (tempo map) being accurate.

Being new, another thing to be aware of is that the old forum is abundant with information, but the search engine on both this one and that are terrible (to put it mildly). Many posts try to drop the terms for things you are asking about (SM/BAN, nudge, etc.), and the forums tend to have better explanations than the User Guide in many instances. To that end, the best method to search each forum is to precede your search terms with "site:forum.cakewalk.com" (old forum), or "site:discuss.cakewalk.com" (this forum), and Google searches tend to be better at returning hits. As an example, if you type "site:forum.cakewalk.com SM/BAN" into Google, it will return hits on SM/BAN from the old forum. Some of the questions you are asking are for terms/functions that have been around forever, so both forums will have relevant hits, but the old forum will have better write-ups at times.

Side note: If you get a response and the term/function is not obvious to you, do not hesitate to clarify so that you can get the info you need for a proper search into the forums (or User Guide, YouTube, whatever).

1 hour ago, antler said:

Perpetual is ~300-400 for the first purchase. Then ~150 for an upgrade, which typically doesn't come out every year.

That is pretty much it in a nutshell, but the upgrade tends to be less than $60/year to keep SOP current (the major version upgrades always go on sale for $125 or less every 2+ years). However, what seems to get lost in the kerfuffle is that these products are now so mature that the average user could probably stay with SOP 6, never upgrade, and be none the wiser (and not really care) about features in the future. Notion 6 hasn't been updated in years (many do not even care it exists), and pretty much all add-ons have 3rd-party perpetual alternatives that can be used in any DAW. After the lessons learned from Gibson, I would never buy a VST(i) locked to a DAW, let alone subscribe to one.

After seeing feature requests blown off for years, paying someone for "future work" that has a habit of not happening is a no-go. I pay for products, not promises.

On 4/1/2024 at 8:45 PM, Matt Rayner said:

the varnish on that neck really is thick

This is helpful in a way, since it kept you from digging into the wood itself. Tru-Oil tends to excel in these situations, because it will apply as thin as you want/need to fill imperfections/scratches, or simply re-add a sheen to a surface. Just keep buffing it as it dries to fill and match the original contour.

Ironically, some of the cheapest final polishing solutions come from the automotive industry (ultra-fine polishing compounds, waxes, etc.)... once "guitar" gets applied to its use the price goes up dramatically for the same product.