Craig Anderton

I just checked and it's indeed at C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\Cakewalk\Cakewalk Core But it is a system file, so perhaps Variorum's advice will solve your issue.

It may not seem Melodyne has an influence, but it does. Try different algorithms and see what happens. I get very different results on the same material if I use different algorithms, even if it appears Melodyne isn't actually "doing" anything.

Try different Melodyne algorithms. Sometimes it seems the percussive one works best, sometimes it's the others.

Here's an article I did about using the PX64 with drums. In the Sonar X1 Advanced Workshop video, there was also quite a bit of information on using it with bass, which is one of my favorite PX64 applications. Unfortunately I have no idea how you could find this, but the info in the drums article should get you started with bass as well. Have fun - it's a great plug-in!

It depends on what you mean by "export." If you want to export for use in a different DAW using OMF, you would need to export the audio and MIDI separately. Or, render the MIDI tracks into audio, and export everything as audio.

The Sonitus effects, which remain wonderful despite being over 20 years old, were updated to 64 bits and are included in CbB. I still use the Sonitus plug-ins, especially the delay and modulator. If a program doesn't support DX plug-ins, I use a wrapper and they work just fine.

Probably your best option is to learn about Lenses, which doesn't allow for an interface overhaul necessarily, but does give you the option to hide elements you don't want to see or find on menus.

Also note there are DIN-to-USB adapters for getting older gear to work with USB. I use the ESI MIDIMATE EX because I played into it with an insane amount of polyphonic aftertouch, turned off local control at the synth, and feed the processed output back to the synth. It didn't hiccup at all.

I've used both Sonar and Studio One since version 1.0. The reason why was mastering in Studio One, multitrack in Sonar. Over the years I realized I could do most of the work in Sonar, then export what I had done as tracks that I could then import into Studio One. So, I could take advantage of Studio One's Song page/Mastering page synergy . As I mastered, if I needed to make tweaks, I didn't have to go back into Sonar, do another mix, export the mix, etc. I could make the tweaks on the Sonar-generated tracks in Studio One, and bounce over to Studio One's mastering page. This was an incredibly efficient workflow that took advantage of what both programs had to offer. In those days, Sonar was IMHO a better mixing environment than Studio One and handled MIDI better, but Studio One had better mastering, analytics, and export functions (like DDP for CD duplication houses). I did the same thing with Ableton Live. Do live sets in Live, record them, then import into Studio One for mastering. The point is there are many ways to approach solutions. To think that "one DAW rules them all" can prevent you from seeing the solution that's going to work best for you. Admittedly, I've been doing this a long time, so it's clear to me what I need to do, and which tools are best to do what's needed for me. At the moment, most of my work is in Studio One because it has particular features that I find essential - but those same features might be irrelevant to other people. As to Cakewalk vs. Reaper, either one will let you make music. The limiting factor will always be the musician's talent, not the program. That said, because I want to know how to pilot a session with any DAW for professional reasons, I've tried Reaper several times. It never quite did it for me, it always seemed to be missing some crucial feature - eventually it would get that feature, but then other programs would have also progressed and leapfrogged ahead of it. I certainly found Cakewalk a far more comfortable, and useful, environment than Reaper. And now, Cakewalk's free. I don't see it as a difficult choice.

Just a few quick comments. Cakewalk was in fact losing money regularly with Roland and later with Gibson, except for a brief period of time (IIRC around when X3 came out). It always seemed like some level of success would be "just around the corner," but it never happened. The only influence the bankruptcy had was that if Gibson had been rolling in money, Henry might have kept Cakewalk going even though it was losing money, because he liked the program. But under any other circumstances, the financial performance had become increasingly unsustainable, especially when the competition started to include Reaper (essentially free), Audacity, FL Studio, etc. As to Ableton being overpriced, there are several tiers for the program - a free lite version, the $99 Intro version, and the $449 Standard version whose price is comparable to other programs ($100 less than Cubase, $50 more than Studio One, $30 less than Samplitude Pro, etc.). The Suite version is loaded with stuff that people may or may not need, and they can choose to pay the extra or not. (Also remember that Ableton is basically a two-product company. If they want to stay afloat, they have to get all the income from Live and Push.) Komplete is done the same way - if you really want EVERYTHING, then you pay $1,599 for the Ultimate version but the $599 version does what most people want. PreSonus Sphere is conceptually similar. If you're a newbie and don't have sample libraries and other extras, it's an inexpensive way to build your studio. But if all you need is Studio One, then you just get Studio One. The bottom line is there are plenty of choices at plenty of price points, and different programs have different strengths. Cakewalk need make no apologies, it's a comprehensive program that is free yet continues to be developed. I do wish BandLab would start selling add-ons, like some of the plug-ins and instruments that came with Platinum, but I suspect they have bigger fish to fry at the moment. There are some things Cakewalk does better than other programs and some things it doesn't do as well as other programs...just like every DAW, right?

Is there a mixer applet in the background?

Is the track interleave set to mono?

The "nuclear option" is a Thunderbolt interface or a PCIe card interface (e.g., RME, ESI), either of which can have lower latency than USB. For USB, MOTU claims 2.5 ms round-trip latency for their M2 interface at 96 kHz with 32 sample buffers.

I've used both since 1995, with the percentage spent on each varying over time. If price was no object, I'd buy the best Windows 10 desktop for Vegas and Cakewalk, and the best Mac desktop available for Studio One and Ableton Live. AFAIC both platforms have roughly reached parity. In theory Windows gives you more for your money, but if you go to a really good Windows system integrator for audio and get the best components, then the price is around the same...although the system integrator will likely give more personalized support. The Mac downside is you have to buy into their ecosystem. The Windows downside is that it doesn't have much of an ecosystem. A lot of your choice depends on what else you do with the computer. If you do graphic arts, you pretty much have to get a Mac. For scientific applications, it's Windows. For keeping your personal life in order, I'd choose Mac if you have an iPhone because the two work so well together.

Reaper users tell me it not only has a hovercraft, but a talent plug-in and language support for Klingon.