Craig Anderton

I referenced the article How to Use Cakewalk with Komplete Kontrol in the Tutorials section. There was one response, from someone who doesn't have Komplete Kontrol yet. So I get the impression it's not exactly a "hot button topic" around here

Those kinds of devices are inherently noisy, some worse than others. Make sure you're feeding in enough level, and gain-staging properly throughout the effects chain. Also check that you don't have something that brings up the level after the distortion, like compression. I built a little circuit to reduce peaks on guitar, so I can feed in a higher average level and get a better signal-to-noise ratio. It requires only two red LEDs. It also improves the performance of dynamics processors, like sustainers. Details on how to build it are in the article Transient Tamer DIY Project at craiganderton.org.

I have BIAS FX 2. Does this problem happen with all of the effects (i.e., does it affect the entire program, even clean sounds) or is it just particular effects? If so, which ones?

Garageband is a pretty capable program, and it sounds like the OP is the target market for whom it was designed. Apple realized there needed to be an on ramp to Logic. Apple does make the interface and connection process, which is where he seems to be having trouble, easier than Windows. However, you're right that if he'd persisted, we could have at least gotten him up and running. What a lot of people don't realize that when they open CbB (or Logic, for that matter), they're being given the keys to what would have been a quarter-million dollar studio not that long ago - but without an engineer or tape op. It's as if the OP had walked into the Record Plant with no knowledge of what connected to the patch bay, how to sync to time code, etc. I sympathize with people who want to express their musical ideas and then they run into technological roadblocks. But, learning an instrument isn't easy, either.

But seriously...computers aren't intuitive. If you're changing platforms, the program you're using is the least of your problems.

I beg your forgiveness, I couldn't resist. And yes, this was all recorded in Cakewalk (well Sonar actually, but just because Sonart wasn't as good as CbB, it still counts

In his guide, Pete sez... <<I beg forgiveness for the marketing-like blurb, but please do check [Edge] out.>> I know he can't shamelessly promote Edge without looking like a shill, so I will. Edge is fast and efficient, and improvements like Collections shows someone at Microsoft is thinking "hmm, I wonder what would actually help users."

Having spent a LOT of time on researching this subject (and props to Noel for not blowing me off and figuring out how to upsample), I've found out certain things that I'm going to think are true until shown otherwise... Improvements from recording at 96 kHz are due to minimizing foldover distortion, which can be an issue with soft synths and amp sims. Limiter performance can also improve at 96 kHz. A synth that oversamples in real time is at a disadvantage compared to doing it offline. I've recorded many classical (i.e., acoustic-only) sessions at 96 kHz. No one could tell the difference between the original multitrack masters, and a 44.1 kHz CD. If foldover distortion is in recorded audio, there's no way to get rid of it. Interestingly, when the Panasonic DA7 digital mixer appeared, I was sure the EQs sounded better than other EQs I was using in various DAWs and digital mixers. The high end sounded "sweeter." Now, I'm not a wine-tasting kinda audio guy ("I find the Blurfle EQ pert, yet unassuming"), so a difference has to hit me between the eyes for me to think it's real, let alone important. But I couldn't shake the feeling something about the DA7 EQs was better. At a tradeshow, I cornered one of the Japanese engineers who worked on the mixer He said they doubled the sample rates for the EQs, so while the mixer was running at 44.1, the EQs were running at 88.2. It made to sense to me that's why the high end sounded better.

Just for the sake of accuracy... The Retrologue, Padshop, and Halion SE plug-ins that come with Cubase Pro do load into other hosts. [Edit] And Spectralayers loads to in ARA-compatible hosts. PreSonus Hub works with some of their plug-ins, not all of them. (BTW I'm very glad that some of the Sonar plug-ins load into other hosts. As just one example, the Vocal Strip remains a fantastic vocal processor.)

I see 40+ views, has anyone tried this yet?

There's a new tutorial on craiganderton.org - How to Use Cakewalk with Komplete Kontrol. In theory, Cakewalk doesn’t officially integrate with Native Instruments’ Komplete Kontrol keyboards—but in practice, there are ways to make this happen by using ACT. And, even though Komplete keyboards’ documentation says it works as a general-purpose MIDI control surface only when operating in stand-alone mode with the 5-pin DIN connections, there’s a workaround for that, too. It's kind of a long article, but if you want to use the Komplete keyboards with Cakewalk, I'm pretty sure you'll find the answers you need. Just note that you really have to follow the steps carefully, if you miss a step things won't work.

I added the Italics above for emphasis. (And yes, I do a new tip for Studio One every Friday, like I used to do for Sonar.) Sonar, Ableton Live, and Studio One all came out around the same time. I've been using all of them regularly since their initial releases. Because I write books and such I also use Digital Performer (underrated), Pro Tools (closest DAW to a 2" 24-track with mixer), Cubase (can do just about anything, the challenge is figuring out how), Acid Pro (kudos to Magix for not giving up), and Samplitude (the only program other than Studio One that does mastering well). They all have strengths and weaknesses, and each one is ideally suited for certain types of projects. It's really not that hard to become proficient on multiple DAWs, they have more similarities than differences in how they work. Regarding the cost of multiple programs, remember I was raised on tape - so the expense is less than what a 4-track TEAC cost me back in the day! And I don't have to buy tape, LOL. What's different is the applications to which DAWs are best suited. It's the same reason for having multiple guitars. Some songs want beefy humbuckers, some a 12-string, some a Tele twang, some a glassy Strat sound, and of course, some want a Variax

I live in fear of the day that Rapture Pro won't open any more I figured maybe it has to do with support...if all those old plug-ins get released into the world, you never know what people might find lurking in old lines of code with new operating systems and software. ("How come the linear EQ doesn't work with my 32-bit version of Sound Forge 2?")

Real-world example: I went to open Cakewalk a few minutes ago, and a flashing window prevented me from logging in. I couldn't open preferences. The program was totally unuseable. It turned out the problem was the Generic ASIO Low-Latency Driver .dll (which has been the subject of many frustrated forum posts) that's in the Steinberg ASIO folder. It apparently got put in there when I re-installed Cubase after switching computers. I renamed the .dll...problem solved, Cakewalk opens. Cakewalk's fault? Steinberg's? Windows? The RealTek chip grabbing on to the driver and not letting go? I have no idea. Another real-world example was when someone from Cakewalk was about to give a Sonar presentation on his laptop. Sonar was crashing like crazy, doing strange things, and scaring the crap out of him as he rehearsed. It turned out that he had always used a TASCAM interface with his laptop, but had installed ASIO4ALL in case the interface got lost, stolen, crushed by aliens, whatever. Just having ASIO4ALL installed on his computer created a conflict with the TASCAM ASIO drivers he had specified under Preferences in Sonar. As soon as he uninstalled ASIO4ALL, everything worked again. This isn't to start an ASIO4ALL discussion, I know it can work...I'm just the messenger, don't shoot me. And don't get me started on graphics cards, the gratuitous "hi-def" audio drivers they install, and the never-ending graphics card updates that are issued solely to produce 0.005% faster frame rates in Call of Duty...

I've been using software since the mid-70s, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that bugs are inherent and unavoidable. As computer systems, programs, and the way people use programs multiplies, the number, randomness, and severity of bugs increases. There's really no way around it. I recently bought a shiny new computer. It worked fine, but then I started experiencing serious graphics problems after a Windows update. Long story short: the motherboard needed an update. At this point, I've found that frustration does not fix software, and it just puts me in a bad mood where I don't think clearly enough to come up with a solution. So, my solution is embodied in the old joke: [Caller to tech support] "Whenever I sync to SMPTE and select drop frame, if the previous project was at 30 fps and I change to 29.97 while the transport is running, the software crashes." [Tech support] "Then don't do that." I'm come to accept that some things just aren't going to work, and those things will be different for different programs, used by different people, on different systems. As long as software is designed by humans, it will have flaws. It's possible that at some point, a combination of AI and machine learning will be able to run software through stress tests that would be impossible for humans to do, but that won't be happening any time soon in consumer-level products.

MIDI 2.0 is an open standard, anyone can incorporate its features into their products. Of course, it would be great if BandLab joined the MIDI Association, because then they could help shape the spec, as we as get advance notice of changes and additions before they become officially adopted, and available to the public. As to testing products, regardless of whether there's visible public support, the fact that Cakewalk keeps getting updated is what matters. It sure doesn't seem like it's being abandoned! I suppose there's also not much incentive to put money into marketing something that's free; I think a Cakewalk store for plug-ins, add-ons, and such would bring more people into the fold and help justify Cakewalk economically, but BandLab probably has more pressing priorities. Meanwhile, because Noel & Company are on the case in terms of keeping Cakewalk up to date, you can be pretty sure that plug-ins that work with other DAWs will work with Cakewalk. The main concern wouldn't be compatibility as much as whether companies producing something like a controller will have a Cakewalk template. Then again, with MIDI 2.0's profiles and property exchange functionality, the idea of needing to map controllers to hardware will become pretty much a thing of the past anyway.

Thanks!! Even since I was coerced into - I mean, decided to :) - become President of the MIDI Association (formerly the MIDI Manufacturer's Association), I've been quite busy working on MIDI 2.0. I also have a very big project slated for the second quarter that's taking a lot of my time. As to Cakewalk, the new owners weren't interested in what I'm doing, and Sound on Sound said there weren't enough Cakewalk users to justify the column, so I just figured the time was right to see what else is happening. I've become quite a fan of Studio One, but I've also become proficient at Pro Tools, Cubase, and Digital Performer (a very underrated program in many ways). I've been using Ableton Live as long as it has existed, but there are zero opportunities for playing live these days :( I did post my album for 2020, whose favorable response has surprised me, and am already working on the one for 2021. So maybe I haven't been around here much, but I'm not exactly laying low :) When SOS decided not to run the column any more, I had already written several columns but they were never published. I'll be posting them on craiganderton.org as soon as I get some time.

Always glad to help! With Sound on sound no longer carrying my Cakewalk column, and MusicTech not interested, it seems like craiganderton.org is the best place to park stuff for now.

I've posted a new article on in the Library section at craiganderton.org: Cakewalk Quadcurve vs. Sonitus EQ: Which is Better? It describes why they're different, the various features each one offers, and how to test what they sound like with noise (which is very revealing of an EQ's character). I hope you find it helpful.

If you're using the internal sound chip (although it sounds like you aren't), make sure the update didn't turn the chip's "enhancements" back on. They turn any audio to crap. Try using both ASIO and Windows audio and let us know if the sound is the same in both cases. It would probably be helpful to know your interface as well. Finally, you say your drivers are current, but you may think they're current - maybe they were overwritten. A couple of update-related audio problems I had in the past were fixed by removing the audio drivers, then re-installing them.

It depends. Time-stretching that tries to preserve both time and pitch is fraught, although it's getting better all the time. However, "tape-type" time-stretching, which basically resamples, doesn't add artifacts in the usual sense of the word. It's no different from speeding up tape, as was done often back in the day.

I can't emphasize enough that EQ is automatable. If the guitar is pulled back and playing a chunky rhythm part, you can get away with a lot more bass. But then when the volume kicks up for a solo, you can attenuate the low end to give space to the kick and bass so they can really "speak" in the mix. The main thing you want to avoid is a massive buildup from multiple instruments in the 250-500 Hz range, because if you don't keep that range under control while mastering, the music will likely sound muddy and lack clarity.

Yes, hard to tell without context. Sounds like you need to bring the overheads with the cymbals down a bit, though. Also, I'd definitely center the kick instead of having a wide stereo kick. Also it seems like the high-hat is getting lost in the cymbals.

I use condenser mics, because they cut through better on phones and tablets. I'm not sure that there are "rules" any more, it's every voice for itself

Lately I've been experimenting with using emulations of analog filters to "build" cabinet responses. The results are encouraging, to say the least. I analyze the impulse response, then try to create an analog filter curve that matches it. In addition to taking up much less CPU, there's a certain realistic "warmth" to it that I don't always find with impulse responses. The first cab simulation I did back in the early 80s with the Quadrafuzz used analog filtering, and it was decent...but with today's multi-stage parameters, you can REALLY go to town!!