Jim Roseberry

If no MIDI data is recorded, none is arriving at the "Alesis Nitro" USB interface. Just read the User's Guide. You have to set Local Control to OFF. If it's set to ON, the pads will trigger the onboard sounds (but not send MIDI data). If it's set to off, the pads will send MIDI data. If you want to hear the Nitro sounds (while recording MIDI), make sure the MIDI track's Input Echo button is enabled.

Disable unused Audio Devices. Disable Power-Management (should ideally be disable in a high-performance machine) If you use a USB audio interface (and power-management isn't disabled), Windows can decide to turn off that USB port (to save power)... causing the audio interface to disconnect.

I can understand "hiding" certain aspects via Workspaces (to avoid visual clutter). I can't see logic in completely "locking-out" features not visible. IMO, keyboard shortcuts should still bring up desired views/etc.

First, I'd make sure MIDI data is getting from the drum brain to Cakewalk. Open a new empty test project Add a MIDI track Set the MIDI track's input to Alesis Nitro>MIDI Omni Record-arm the MIDI track Record a few seconds of playing the Alesis Nitro If no MIDI data was recorded, that means MIDI data is not flowing out of the Alesis Nitro brain into Cakewalk. Check the Alesis Nitro to make sure it's set to transmit MIDI data via USB.

This may also help someone: By default, the Key-Binding to bring up the Even List view is Alt+8

Sustain pedal is controller #64. In Cakewalk>Preferences>MIDI>Playback And Recording, make sure Controller is enabled (checked). Can you successfully record other MIDI controller data (pitch and mod wheel)?

What audio interface are you using? You can monitor your guitar in one of two different ways. Via the audio interface's onboard hardware based monitoring (near zero latency) Via software (subject to the audio interface's round-trip latency) If you monitor via the audio interface's onboard hardware, that's controlled by the audio interface's control-panel applet... or on the unit itself. If you monitor via software in Cakewalk, you'll want to make sure the Input-Echo button is enabled. When the track is record-armed, do you see meter activity on the track?

As was suggested, I'd install Cakewalk by BandLab... and see if the issue persists. Installing CbB won't have any effect on your existing Sonar X3 install (completely separate). If the issue persists, I'd check the machine's DPC Latency... using Latency Mon. High DPC Latency will cause symptoms similar to what you describe.

FWIW, Adobe exported MP4 video loads/plays just fine (latest build Cakewalk by BandLab). If you're going to experiment with installing video codecs, make sure to have a backup image file of the boot drive. Playground for malware... and can cause other issues

If the keyboard is connected to channels 1 and 2... and signal is getting from the keyboard to the SSL-2, you should be seeing those input meters firing. As a test, connect an instrument cable to the SSL-2... and touch the tip of the 1/4" (unconnected) other end. You should see activity on the input meter. Try this in both Channel 1 and Channel 2. You may need to raise the gain knob a little... but it should spike when touching the unconnected 1/4" tip. If you have a Mic, test each channel in the same manner (connected via XLR). If you can't see input signal at all (even with gain increased), I suspect the SSL-2 is defective. On your keyboard, make sure MIDI Local is enabled. Otherwise, you'll hear no sound when playing the keys. If it's off, you'll need to setup a MIDI track in Cakewalk, and make sure Input Echo is enabled on that MIDI track. MIDI Local control is a means of (electronically) separating the MIDI keyboard from the tone-generator (to avoid double-triggered MIDI notes when sequencing).

If your audio interface has a control panel with input channel meters: Play the keyboard and look at those input meters. If you only see a single channel via the input meter, the issue is keyboard/cable (outside of Cakewalk).

If Cakewalk is recording two channels on said track... and one is as-expected and the other silence (noise-floor), the issue is most likely outside of Cakewalk (meaning the keyboard/cable/etc).

Recording the Left and Right outputs from a synth/etc to separate tracks allows a bit more control (without using additional plugins like Channel-Tools). You can pan hard left/right... or collapse the stereo image You can have separate processing on the left and right channels You can control the level of the left and right channels (independently) There's no right/wrong... just a matter of which is more convenient.

Quantum is a great choice... as long as you understand the one weak point (there's no onboard DSP for routing/mixing/loopback-recording). ALL monitoring has to be done via software. IOW, If you have an Axe-FX or Helix (guitar processor)... or a keyboard... and just want to sit/play (monitoring thru the Quantum), you'll have to fire up your DAW and use it to setup the desired monitoring (Levels/Routing/etc). Note: You can't add a PCIe Thunderbolt controller to just any motherboard. Motherboard has to specifically support a Thunderbolt-3 controller Motherboard must have a Thunderbolt-3 header that matches the type used by the Thunderbolt-3 add-in-card The Thunderbolt-3 add-in-card resides in a full-length PCIe slot... AND has to be connected to this Thunderbolt-3 header on the motherboard. Thunderbolt-3 works great on a Win10 PC. Just make sure you've covered all the details.

Just a couple of comments: Video capture software puts substantial load on a machine. Working with HD/4k Video is much heavier load than a typical audio project. Running both a DAW project and video capture simultaneously will push some machines to their limit. Increasing the ASIO buffer size allows your machine to better mitigate high CPU load. Using an extreme example: Audio interface set to 64-sample ASIO buffer size Sample-rate 44.1k When running DAW software, your machine has 1.5ms to process the next audio buffer and get it cued for playback. If anything interrupts this process, you'll hear a glitch or (worse) experience a drop-out. The lower the latency, the less efficient the load can be spread across multiple cores. Thus, when working at lowest latency settings, CPU clock-speed is the single most important factor.

Can't go wrong with K240s. I've used them for decades... but tend to use them for another listening perspective (not to actually mix). When mixing, make sure to vary the volume at which you monitor. ie: Turn the level significantly down. Can you still hear all instruments. Over time, our ears become less sensitive... so there's a tendency to keep increasing the monitor level (same as playing live gigs with amps). You can help save your ears (and mix) by turning the level down... and making sure the drums/bass/etc don't disappear.

If you have a Send set to 0dB (no gain change), what arrives at the Return (Stereo Bus) is a "mult" or copy. You've got processing on the original track (which happens before the Send). There's no way to make the original track's EFX Inserts "post send"... as the (Send) signal has left that channel. On the Return (Stereo Bus), you've got EFX Inserts... and you can Send to another Return (Stereo Bus). Let's say you've got a dry DI electric bass track... but want it to sound a bit more like Chris Squire or Geddy Lee. You could create a Send on the DI electric-bass track... to a Return (Stereo Bus) called "Dirt". On the "Dirt" return, use the EFX insert to add your favorite distortion plugin. Adjust the level of the "Dirt" Return... to mix in the desired amount of distortion (added to the original DI bass). Upon listening to the distortion, it's affecting the bottom-end too much (we want to limit the distortion to effecting only the mids/top end). In the "Dirt" Return's EFX insert, add your favorite EQ before the distortion plugin... and use a high-pass filter to roll off everything below 1k. Now, the distortion is adding character... without losing clarity on the bottom-end. On the Bridge of the song, the bass is playing a melodic part... so we want to add some Chorus (just to the distorted mult). Create a Send from the "Dirt" Return... to a new "Chorus" Return. Insert your favorite Chorus plugin in the EFX insert of the "Chorus" Return. Adjust the level of the "Chorus" Return to balance with the original bass track. This is what we've created: Original DI electric bass track Mult (copy) that's 100% distorted Chorus that's applied only to the distorted Mult You may know all this... I just wanted to use an example to explain what's possible. I'd be surprised if you couldn't accomplish what you're looking for... in a multitude of ways. Worst possible scenario, you can create multiple physical copies of the original track (I doubt this is necessary).

Don't know of a way to prevent the issue... but it's easy to grab the end of the resultant MIDI clip (with Snap to bar enabled) and drag to the desired bar. The bounced clip ends at that point... because there's no other MIDI data beyond.

The U-Phoria and Scarlett will have about the same round-trip latency ~6ms (when set to minimum buffer size at 44.1k). Presonus Studio 1810c round-trip latency will be a couple milliseconds higher. Fidelity wise, it's a wash. Driver wise, it's a wash. None have the pedigree of RME. Out of those choices, I'd go with the Behringer U-Phoria. If you've used any of the X-series digital consoles playing live, you've used some of the same technology (mic preamps, etc).

I have a good friend that wanted to have guitars shipped to my address. I let him do that a couple of times... then put an end to it. I told him his wife is intelligent enough to know that his guitars don't reproduce. She's an accountant... and probably already had a spread-sheet with all accounted. 😄

Not a VI, but the Behringer Poly D isn't terribly expensive... and it's an absolute blast to tweak and play. Most fun I've had with a synth in a long time...

As has been mentioned, use Task Manager to have a look at the amount of RAM used by your largest projects. You need enough RAM to avoid hitting the VM Swapfile (in lieu of enough physical RAM)... as that'll kill performance. If your largest project uses 12GB RAM (and you've currently got 32GB)... bumping up to 64GB will have zero effect on performance.

I've had a MODX and current have a Montage (same basic hardware). Both work fine with Cakewalk by BandLab. The MODX USB connection can function as both an Audio Interface and MIDI I/O. Many folks just use the USB connection for MIDI I/O... and use a separate (dedicated) Audio Interface. On the MODX, go to Utilities>MIDI I/O, make sure MIDI In/Out is set to USB. Connect the MODX via USB and load the driver (download the latest version from Yamaha). Look in Device Manager (under Sound Video And Game Controllers)... and make sure the MODX is listed with no yellow exclamation points. If you don't see the MODX listed in Control Panel>Device Manager, there's something wrong with the USB connection. If it's not listed, as far as the machine is concerned, it doesn't exist. If the MODX is listed in Device Manager, it's installed/working. In Cakewalk>Preferences>MIDI Devices, make sure the MODX is enabled as both MIDI input and output devices. Open a new project in Cakewalk. Add an Instrument Track On this Instrument Track, click on (enable) the Input Echo button. Set the Instrument Track's MIDI input to be MODX>MIDI Omni If you now play the MODX, you should see the Instrument Track's LED peak-meter showing activity (MIDI data is flowing to that track).

If you were running your audio interface at much higher buffer size... and/or using latent plugins in the project (especially in series), the latency can become much higher (and could get to the point were it sounds unnatural). That's why I brought this up. If you understand the concepts behind it, you can avoid (latency related) pitfalls.

The OP's video shows how you can combine two sources of monitoring Direct from the audio interface - dry signal (near zero latency) Signal processed thru DAW (in this case with reverb set 100% wet) You need the DAW processed signal to be 100% wet (no dry signal). If the reverb contained any dry signal, it would cause comb-filtering (unwanted phasing/chorusing). The signal direct from the audio interface is near zero latency. The signal processed thru the DAW is subject to ~5ms round-trip latency. Had the Reverb contained any dry signal, it would be mixing dry vocal back in... but delayed by ~5ms. By keeping the Reverb signal 100% wet, only the reverb is subject to the ~5ms round-trip latency. Dry vocal = near zero latency Reverb = ~5ms latency In real physical spaces it often takes a few ms for the reverb (ambience) to reach your ears. Thus, that ~5ms latency (in this example) wouldn't sound unnatural.