Bill Phillips

On 8/17/2022 at 8:12 AM, Starship Krupa said:

(Crossposted in the Deals subforum because there's not 100% overlap in readers)

@scook (who else?) has unearthed a file that I've been searching for for literally years: The Alesion Arps . He's been kind enough to host it for download by the Cakewalk user community. The link is to the top level of Steve's page, because it has a bunch of other stuff that Cakewalk users should know about. It's the first link on the page.

These were created in the late (lamented by many) Project5, by a user identified only as "b rock." The website goes into greater detail about the theory behind the creation (and possible application) of these patterns. They were apparently derived from the patterns built into an (unnamed) Alesis hardware synth.

To install them for use with Cakewalk, place the Alesion ARP Presets folder from the .ZIP in your C:\Cakewalk Content\Cakewalk Core\Arpeggiator Patterns\ folder.

The next time you start Cakewalk and open the built-in arpeggiator's preset browser, you'll see the new folder, and within it will be 33 subfolders, each with 15 or more new arpeggiator patterns to use. Wish we could edit them, but for now we can at least double the number of ones available to us.

Sorry, but what I find at http://project5.technetos.com/download/Alesion_PTN_Construction_Kit.zip is an Alesion PTN Construction Kit not an Alesion ARP Presets folder and what's inside are PTN files not ARP files. I don't see any other links. What am I doing wrong?

2 hours ago, dhansonnycap said:

hey, guys, is there a tool in Bandlab Cakewalk like Flex Time in Logic Pro?  Thanks

Lots of options for time manipulation, mostly 3rd party. The included audiosnap and stretching algorithms (can't think of name) will do it. As will 3rd party tools like Melodyne. 

4 minutes ago, Lord Tim said:

Apologies in advance if I'm not understanding this properly!

If you're in an Envelope mode in the edit filter and you already have a segment created (by doing one of the methods we talked about in this thread), ie: you have 2 automation points, a segment, and 2 more automation points, then CTRL+drag down on the actual envelope segment itself and it should do what you're after.

Thanks. It sure does! The difference appears to be it leaves an extra pair of nodes that the region adjust tool doesn't. I guess I'd forgotten about that option since, up until recently the region adjust tool has been a more tidy option. But, I'll use CTRL+drag for now. Thanks again.

14 minutes ago, David Baay said:

Sticky-selected = track number is highighted. This is old terminology that may no longer appear in the Ref. Guide, but the functionality is unchanged for ages..

Thanks for the clarification. I think of that as selected which also makes that track the focus which highlights the track name.  Whereas changing the focus by clicking on the track name doesn't change the selection. I think of selected tracks as included in any operation whereas only one track can have the focus.

1 hour ago, msmcleod said:

FWIW - I've fixed the issue for the next release.  The tempo track envelope will now be excluded as part of the envelope selection unless you're specifically editing in the tempo track.

Thank you. I hope that means that I'll be able to click near the top of an audio track between two automation nodes on the envelope selected in the edit filter and use the automation region adjust tool that appears to drag the segment between the nodes up/down.

1 hour ago, David Baay said:

This is working as expected in the latest release for me. The time ruler selection only happens if the track is sticky-selected rather than just focused. But either way works as described in the parent track without having to open the automation lane. I don't know why it's not working in your original video clip. Can your reproduce it in a new, basic  project?

Can you define sticky-selected? Couldn't find in the local or pdf documentation.

What I'm seeing is with no track selected [track no. highlighted] or having the focus [track name highlighted] the time range on the time ruler and tempo track  are highlighted along with the audio track between the two nodes on the envelope on either side of the cursor when I click near the top of the track to engage the automation adjust tool [not sure that's the right name].

4 hours ago, Lord Tim said:

Yeah, valid points there for sure - being able to adjust multiple envelopes is a useful feature! Because I only had a single track open when I was doing this, it felt like it should do the same thing because it'd be contextual as to what envelope you'd want to adjust if I hovered over a particular track, but now I think about it, you'd lose a handy feature by forcing it to be this way. I do typically do the time range over a clip thing rather than the ruler method though.  EDIT: That said, when the cursor changes and it doesn't allow you to actually move an envelope (caused by the Tempo track), it's a bit confusing because you'd expect it to do something based on the cursor changing.

@Bill Phillips - that sorts out my question/issue. Does that apply to what you're seeing too?

Yes. I think so. To edit envelopes in multiple tracks you should be able to select them using methods other than the lasso method. I'm really fond of being able click in the top half of the clip to select the segment between the two adjacent nodes for adjusting automation. 

5 hours ago, msmcleod said:

Ok, found the issue - because you're using the time ruler for the selection, the tempo track is also being selected, and it doesn't like you altering that at the same time as another envelope.

Thank you for the detailed response and suggestions. I'm usually adjusting existing automation and don't have snap turned on. So dragging in the bottom half of clips will just add nodes. Also I don't make selections in the time ruler. I click in the top half of the clip between two nodes on the edit filter selected envelope to select the segment between the two nodes. Cakewalk adds the time ruler selection. 

5 hours ago, Jacques Boileau said:

I am talking about the next version. They have started an open beta, so anybody can try them out and report bugs, which I did. An open beta is available to anyone and usually mean that they are a month or two before a final release.

If you search this forum you will find info about it, that is how I learned of it.

You are correct that the current release (5.3.7) does not contain VST3 but the next release (5.3.8) will.

Thanks. Good to know. Thanks for doing the beta testing. I'm glad to see VST3 versions coming. 

30 minutes ago, Lord Tim said:

What I'm seeing here is that if you select a time range on the ruler and then go to a specific clip and try to drag down the envelope, the cursor will change but the envelope won't move.

On the other hand, if you select a range on the clip itself and drag down, this works as expected.

Not sure if this is a bug or a counter-intuitive UI thing, honestly.  @msmcleod is this as designed?

 

Thanks.  I'm selecting the range by moving the mouse pointer up in the track to the point where the smart tool changes to the envelope adjust tool and clicking. That used to select the envelope range between the two closest nodes and allow it to be dragged up/down. Now it selects the range but won't drag it. releasing and re-clicking doesn't work either.

20 hours ago, Jacques Boileau said:

This happens with the upcoming versions of Soundtoys plugins, which will now include both VST2 and VST3. The version is not shown for both VST2 and VST3, and for some plugins both VST2 and VST3 are listed in the plugins when 'Hide Related VST2 plug-in' is ticked. I have communicated my findings to Soundtoys and they had this to say:

Are you asking about problems you've experienced with SoundToys VST3 plugins or problems you expect to experience? I ask this because I just verified that the version 5_5.3.7.16421_64 that I have for SoundToys V5.3 is the latest version available to me and it doesn't appear to include VST3. No VST3 versions installed and the installer doesn't reference an install location for VST3.

I'm asking this because I've been hoping that VST3 versions would become available but haven't found them.

1 hour ago, msmcleod said:

IIRC the only way you can ever change an envelope from the clip itself (as opposed to an automation lane) is:

1. Holding down CTRL when the cursor is near the top of the clip, which allows you to adjust the clip gain; or
2. Switching the track filter to an envelope

If you blow up the GIF you'll see I used Option 2, switching the track filter to the envelope and it doesn't work. I used to work but it doesn't work now.

Option 1 doesn't apply because I'm trying to adjust a track envelope not clip gain.

I noticed with a recent update that I could no longer use the Smart Tool to adjust envelopes over a time range in the clip pane. I now have to open the automation lane to do that. I've attached a video showing me first attempting to drag an envelope time range in the clip pane with no luck and then opening the automation lane and being able to adjust the envelope time range. Is this a bug? I'd prefer to be able to make these ends in either the clip pane or automation lane.

On 7/15/2022 at 6:53 PM, Starship Krupa said:

Hidden in plain sight, I guess, but I only discovered it today after using Cakewalk for 4+ years. A slip of the mouse and I had it.

We all know about how you can sort plug-ins in the Browser by Manufacturer, Category, and Type (which means you see them sorted into VST3, VST2, and DXi folders, and then by manufacturer within those folders). Ever wanted to see them sorted by where they are in the Windows file system? Read on.

All you have to do to see this is click on the "Plug-ins" tab at the top of the Browser, then whatever sort method it's set to, move your mouse to it and click. You'll see something like this:

It's not sorting by manufacturer, it's showing where my .VST3 files are in the VST3 directory.

As you can see, it winds up being a combination of folders that the manufacturers' installers created and then plug-ins that were installed at the root level of VST3 or whatever folder you use for VST2's.

The possible use for this that I can see is plug-in organization: you can have folders for manufacturers and then categories (which Meldaproduction already does) or even put it the other way around. I supposed there's not much you can do with it that you can't do using plug-in manager, but who knows. It might be good for helping track down where a plug-in's DLL actually is. It uses the friendly names from inside the file rather than the filenames.

Caveats: if you decide to try using this to organize plug-in lists, sometimes plug-ins don't like being moved from their original install location. Also, plug-ins that load via a unified shell, like Waves' or Presonus', will might not appear in this view.

Note: this sorting view also switches in the FX rack and instrument menus.

Thanks for this. It's interesting but I'm having trouble understanding what I'm seeing. Here's a screenshot showing my Browser VST2 folder and the Folder holding the Pitchproof plugin which is in the pink box in the VST2 Folder in the Browser. In the Browser Pitchproof isn't in a VST2 subfolder but it is in Explorer. However the Acon Digital and AirWindows plugins are shown in subfolders as expected. What's this telling me? What am I missing? Thanks.

5 hours ago, GreenLight said:

Sounds like a good resolution for that size. But I can totally get that if it's too wide, you're going to get a "tennis effect" with your head moving back and forth all the time... 😬

Not  yet. 🙄 My Cakewalk window occupies 60-70% of the screen. I use the rest for plugins & docs.

I have a 37" curved LB at the recommended 3840 x 1600 and 100% text size. I picked it because it fits between my monitors. I'm old and have to move my head right to left to see some things clearly at either side. So a wider display might be harder for me to use. I like this one a lot everything is clear in Cakewalk and plugin pop-ups.

6 hours ago, scook said:

Yes, they are handy.

Really would like to see iZotope catch up with Steinberg's ARA implementation of SpectraLayers.

I prefer RX but not having an ARA implementation of the editor makes it a little clunky to use with a DAW.

Yes. RX is clunky in the DAW. So I do RX work using RX standalone and render an edited clip and import that into the DAW.

12 hours ago, steve@baselines.com said:

In Cakewalk, it is easy to connect directly to Melodyne to edit a clip, because there is a menu item (Regions) for it.

Is there a way to do this to connect to iZotope's RX so that I can use the full RX interface on a clip and then save it back to Cakewalk, similar to the way Melodyne interfaces?

Thank you for any tips.

 

Depending on what you're doing in RX, you may be able to use some of the many RX plugins, such as the desser, that install with RX.

22 hours ago, Rick Lang said:

Annoying bug #2:

I have addressed this a long while ago, but seemingly it hasn't changed. When working on projects with a fairly reasonable track count (50-80) and I have a bunch of tracks archived I need to get them out of sight. In mixer/console mode this NEVER works. Opening Track Manager and unchecking said tracks they disappear, only to reappear when I change view and go back again. Same thing regardless if opening from shortcut or under Track>Track Manager.

1) No, I don't have any workspaces assigned.

2) No, my screensets are not locked so track (in)visibility should stick. It doesn't however.

 

If you just de-selected those tracks, you need to click OK for them to disappear. Likewise if you just ticked the Track and Console Views sync box. It won't take affect until you click OK.

Something else to consider is that there are two Track Managers (one each for Track and Console Views). To me they look identical and open in the same spot in the window. That confuses me all the time because I usually have both views open with the Console docked at the bottom, and seldom have the Track and Console views in sync. So I will Open/Edit one when I'd intended to edit the other and don't discover my error until I click OK. I wish the words "Track" and "Console" were added to the Track Manager titles so they'd be easier to tell them apart.

14 hours ago, Promidi said:

Audiosnap is enabled for that clip.

Thanks. That's it! I don't recall doing that but this project was recorded after Christmas in 2011. I disabled AudioSnap in the clip property inspector. Stretching wasn't enabled for any of the clips. So hopefully none of them were altered.

Having a comprehensive icon list for Cakewalk would be really handy. I know it would be huge. I couldn't find that little star anywhere in either the PDF or Offline Help. It doesn't appear to be visible in any of the AudioSnap documentation clips. I'm guessing that the icon is a recent addition, and very handy if you know what it is.

What is the white star icon to the left of the yellow arrow in the screenshot below? What does it mean? How can I interact with it? I can't seem to right/left click on it.

Double click on the screenshot to blow it up. The icon looks like a white 4-point star.

39 minutes ago, scook said:

In the project that does not expand selected track take lanes, is auto track zoom enabled? If so, disable it.

Thanks. Yes! That's it. I'd disabled auto track zoom and it didn't seem to solve the problem. Then I deleted some unused tracks and the problem was solved. So I'd assumed that deleting the unused tracks some was the solution. But now that it's working I went back and re-enabled then disabled auto track zoom and that is the solution.

What is the setting for allowing take lanes for multiple tracks to be expanded at the same time? I can't find it.

I have two versions of the same project that I created using Save As from another project. In one version clicking the Expand/collapse Take Lanes icon for any track with take lanes collapsed will expand the take lanes for that track even though take lanes for other tracks are already expanded. In the second version take lanes can only be expanded for one track. If take lanes are currently expanded for one track and I click the Expand/collapse Take Lanes icon for another track with collapsed take lanes, the currently expanded take lanes collapse and the take lanes for the track that I clicked the Expand/collapse Take Lanes icon will expand.

On page 1011 of the PDF documentation it appears that quick groups can be use to expand/collapse take lanes for multiple tracks, but that only works in one of my two projects.

2 hours ago, sjoens said:

Create a new track exactly like the one in question and try to duplicate the issue in this project and in a new one.

If only happening in one project then could be a corrupt clip or track. This happens to me often when working on long term projects and each issue is unique.

Will do.  Thanks. 

If you own any Antares plugins you don't use because of performance problems, give the new VST3 versions a try. It's likely to require a free WIBU Codemeter authorization upgrade and new license key.

@msmcleod's reply on this thread got me thinking about the AVOX suite I've owned for decades and and never been able to get working well. I'd try new versions from time to time and then uninstall because of performance problems. So I tried again and this time hit a roadblock. My iLOK authorization is no longer acceptable. Antares now requires a WIBU CodeMeter authorization which I didn't have. I contacted Antares tech support and learned I was entitled to and received a new CodeMeter authorization, installed the AVOX 4.2 upgrade, and for the first time for me the AVOX4 suite seems to work fine. I briefly tested a couple of plugins and didn't experience the latency, dropout and crash problems I was accustomed to. The v4.2 installer doesn't offer a VST2 option and only installs VST3s. For now, I'm leaving them in and, for the first time in decades, looking forward to being able to use them.