RexRed

I am really lucky I had a credit card I could max out InstrED. Yea, HMH, I thought this was the way the unit was suppose to function, I am actually glad it just quit on me. Indeed Azslow3, it was faulty from the factory. I got one of the new ones at Sweetwater when they were backordered everywhere else. You take a chance when stuff is that new. RME backed it up 100%. And I only had to send it to Florida, not Germany. The unit smells like it has been in a fire, "Fireface" my one of a kind firebird phoenix dragon. I am sure everything was replaced with better parts. It barely gets warm now.

Would XLR to TSR transfer a better signal than XLR to unbalanced 1/4 inch jack? I assume the inputs on my GAP Pre 73 are balanced. I am looking for this cable because I would rather plug a TSR into my preamp than accidentally turn on phantom power and burn up my dynamic mic.

Okay, the female vocals went in, my own harmonies with the main vocal in the chorus, the brass (you got to listen for it) and a bit of honkytonk piano as well! I also added the electric lead guitar solos, I played them on my hollow body Grote guitar. Mine is like this but matte red. https://www.amazon.com/GROTE-Electric-Semi-Hollow-finished-Sunburst/dp/B08PY14Q3D/ref=sr_1_2

They sent me a replacement not a repair. It smells like it has been in a fire. But, it works! And remember that lag thing I had a problem with? When I would insert a blank track it would take a few seconds? GONE! Now it works really nice! And, it also does not get hot enough to fry eggs on anymore! It stays nice and cool! And the sound is GOLDEN! No higher sound is capable through any other device! The routing capabilities as you probably know are so fluid. I could not be any more pleased! RME all the way Cakewalk peeps! If you buy an RME Fireface UCX II device and it gets really hot when using it, send it right in for a replacement. I keep putting my hand on the top of the device and pinching myself to wake up, I must be dreaming. I got a great one now! I feel it is good for the long haul. I have 4 outputs going out of the Fireface into my Rodecaster pro II. Stay tuned for new tunes summoned up on the great and powerful Cakewalk DAW!

Both excellent suggestions! I plan for some background female vocals and main harmonies to my voice and I will try out your advice! Thanks Andy!

Still in the early stages of completion. All suggestions very welcome! Thanks awesome Cakewalk peeps! Yes, that is me singing, lol... 😁 There is still a lot of stuff not in the song yet.

I just installed the drivers for my new Rodecaster Pro II. Get this, ASIO version 1.0.0 lol If you think about the very idea of a "Rodecaster", it is that some of us do not make music in isolation anymore. I appreciate the artists, of which I was once one, who like to limit multitasking and background processes. But, today we live in a hyper social climate and we are interconnected with the world in ways like never before. Being able to track while broadcasting is not only an artform but also a way to get your music out there. And what could be better than seeing your favorite artist make their songs in real-time? I utilize three computers to broadcast my Cakewalk sessions. One computer is my Cakewalk workstation, the other is my streaming computer and the third is the quadcore CPU in my Rodecaster pro II and if you add my phone into the mix that has a Snapdragon Octa-core. When I am working in Cakewalk, having a full load of effects and processing while simultaneously mastering my project, I am only utilizing about 3% of my processor cores. My 2TB M.2 drives barely register while storing and accessing files. Modern music making has morphed into a public event. 😁

My RME drivers are actually not very good, and the hardware died after 8 months. I did really like Total Mix. I will amend this pose if the drivers work better after the unit is replaced. I broadcast live on YouTube while I am making a lot of my music. It is nice to share the experience rather than doing it alone. Sometimes I like to explain to my viewers where I bought a plugin and even take them to the website. Some of my in studio live YouTube sessions have lasted 12 hours before. Being able to alt tab out of Cakewalk and to a browser or even another app is very necessary. It was really hard figuring out how to use the same microphone for announcing and for tracking. So in doing this I have expanded my knowledge of the studio. Windows is good at changing the focus of my drivers (generally). Each driver has quirks. If I can avoid adding any more latency I will. I spent many long solitary years working alone in the studio, I prefer having company now if I can arrange it. It is nice to have live input as well when in the creative process. A few compliments here and there are also very nice and a few people have enjoyed the experience of listening and seeing how I use Cakewalk. I have been using Cakewalk since MSDOS, I might as well share some of my experiences. My YouTube channel is, CBBTV check it out, click the bell for a notification of when I go live. It would be nice to have some Cakewalk people in the live studio. I will warn you, it is sometimes boring and tedious. lol Luckily I have a few people who still like to hang around anyway while I edit and ramble on about, the good old days! (shameless plug) 😁

I every so often have Cakewalk suddenly close on me or freeze up. I will sing a take and it will appear in the track delayed. I will add tracks and it can take three seconds for them to appear yet this only happens with a certain interface. Chrome will not play sound while using Cakewalk. All of these problems can be attributed to drivers and not Cakewalk itself. The newer a device is the worse performance you can get out of it due to driver related issues. Even if you pay thousands for that device. Some of the oldest interfaces, like my Roland Quad Capture can have the very best (glitch free) performance. And Windows loads the best driver automatically when I plug it into a new PC. Did they simply just write better drivers back then or were the specifications somehow set in stone? My ever elusive search for a better interface seems plagued these days by poor drivers. I have heard audiophiles talk about drivers and their importance and not until now has that really sunk in. And the worry that an older device's drivers will no longer work with a new OS... But eventually they get included in the OS's driver compatibility specs. It seems that each driver comes with a different horror story. The driver landscape seem so riddled with problems that I worry about purchasing new interfaces due that issue mostly. Each unit has drivers that come plagued with problems. Meanwhile many people think the problem is Cakewalk and nearly 100% of the time it is the device and its poorly written drivers. I am wondering about Focusrite Scarlett AI's I have heard a lot of good about them. I am wondering if buying an older, discontinued generation, I might actually get a more stable driver? Any suggestions on a 4 in 4 out Scarlett AI? And what is your experience using them with Cakewalk? I feel like I am being duped when buying more of these interfaces. But the quest for a good, stable recording experience is an ongoing thing.

After spending some time on Google, it seems 96khz seems to be the hotspot for DAW recording. But the question still is, are the samples and effects we own up to that level? Are they being "upsampled" to accommodate that frequency?

Well it does not keep me up at night (much) but, I do care about the quality of my final product. When I buy samples and instrument I do look at the khz but I need to look with a keener eye/ear now. And when I decide which cello or piano I am going to use in a song, it is not just what sample fits best but also which sample is going to give my song the best fidelity. I often wonder if I compensate for poor sample quality by just adding more junk into a song. Furthermore, most people do not think about the quality of their samples and instruments because the vendors hide this info on their websites deep in the fine print if they even supply this info at all. This is why when i try and make a qualitative judgment on which instruments I own have the best samples I currently draw a blank. I like to think that most of them are at least 48khz. Another thing I have not tested, do all of my effects even work at 192khz? I think it is quite possible they will not even be listed if they do not work at the frequency. Is it worth it making a song at 192khz if the song will sound REALLY good when rendered down to 24 bit 96khz?

Well, I visited this song again.. This time I think I got it fixed. I have had difficulty figuring out the guitar rhythm pattern. There is a kind of shuffle in the guitar strum pattern that does not conform to linear time as I can see it. Perhaps some kind of triplets that always throw me off. I uploaded/replaced what may be the last render of this song tonight. I also added a Lounge Lizard EP briefly in three spots. The previous mixdown of this song, the rhythm guitars were appalling, all over the place muddy and chaotic. I think I got them a lot better now. The Pre 73 sure gave the acoustic pickups some delicate sound, unlike anything I have ever been able to achieve before. My acoustics guitar recordings have always sounded boxy and boomy, way off. This song has been really difficult to figure out but I think I have given it a good go at it. Let me know if you hear anything that sticks out. Lots of love awesome Cakewalk peeps! Red

How about some ballpark figures? For instance, my favorite FM synth Native Instruments FM8, If I have a 24 bit, 96khz project, when I load FM8 will it load 24bit 96khz sine wave in its operators and carriers? If I have a 24 bit, 96khz project and I load Overloud REmatrix will it load 24bit 96khz convolution waves? I have some Native Instruments instruments that take a long time for waves to load. Where is the theoretical top where the waves no longer get bigger if the project has higher stats? 48khz, 96khz, do some instruments and/or effects load 192khz files? And if these instrument samples have an average upper limit, wouldn't I still want my projects to have a higher khz so it could meld these effects into a more pristine environment? Forgetting file size, what level of fidelity reaches diminishing returns on average? Where do these instrument's samples usually top out at? And do some effects/instruments not even function right at 192khz? How does Cakewalk handle these differences in wav khz, can different khz files exist in the same project? Thanks for any clarification on this subject.

Thanks for pointing this out, I was unaware that this was a software only forum but it seems so. How do I find this Cakewalk hardware forum? I have noticed lot of people talking about Mackie gear here in this forum, I have owned Mackie mixers as well. I grew up with reel-to-reels several mixers, now those are done in the box. Okay, I found the "Gear" discussion thread, thank you for bringing that to my attention.

Unfortunately, the streaming services that my files are uploaded to only accept mp3.

I just found out the Rodecaster has 48khz, 24 bit... Big drawback, of course I found this out after I bought it. I like to record in 96khz. Well, I have my RME Fireface coming back at some point. I still like this for broadcasting. I can run my Cakewalk RME interface out to the Rodecaster.

Hey Tim, Thanks for your input! The thing I need most is, well quality reproduction of my sound and then interconnectivity. I have 4 YouTube channels and 3 of them are entirely live. Being able to access all of my audio sources, effects and route them to a myriad sources, all from on interface seems like the most appealing of scenarios. YouTube does also pay my bills... 😁 I just bought one...

Thank you Msmcleod for the comment. I will not be using a USB mic with the Rodecaster Pro II, I will be using the XLR inputs. Rode Rodecaster Pro II Podcast Production Console https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Rodecaster2--rode-rodecaster-pro-ii-podcast-production-console I only plan to use one of the 2 internal audio interfaces per PC. I am going to buy this thing today, it will cost about $700 but I need to be on the in with this new technology and function. Let's talk some of the pros and cons of this unit.

Then I thought to ask about this in this Cakewalk forum. Many of the features I am very interested in: The Rode and the RME Fireface interface could both be plugged into my workstation PC. The Rode having two USB C interfaces one for each computer is really too much to believe it is true. This would be useful for YouTube broadcasts. It is supposed to have a really quiet preamp. I will still use my GAP PRE 73 MKIII preamp instead, I will just send it in line level. As for the Rode interfaces, I hope they are "true" ASIO drivers. And, while the RME Fireface is getting fixed in Germany they might suffice. I have a lot of questions mostly about routing. Sending tracks from each computer back and forth (my workstation computer with Cakewalk and games, and my streaming computer.) I will still probably use the RME Fireface and still will use the GAP PRE 73 MKIII preamp as well. The preamps in the Rode are supposed to be really good but I just can't imagine they have placed a nice warm transformer inside that Rode box. Any thoughts, critiques, suggestions?

Okay, I've made lots of changes on this song. I think I have addressed all of your awesome critiques peeps! (I hope). The guitar squeaks are gone... I added some drums in spots. And I picked some guitar parts to add some other arpeggios. Let me know if there is more fine tuning I can make. All of your suggestions are VERY helpful! Thanks very much!

Thank you OutrageProductions for your very helpful response! Now I can stop "troubleshooting"... lol

My chrome will not communicate with my Behringer UMC 1820 deck when Cakewalk is open. Splice will not make sound while Cakewalk is open. I close Cakewalk and suddenly they work again. I feel like I should know what is causing this but I am stumped... Thanks in advance peeps!

I have heard some people on YouTube recommend both the inline Mic Booster CT1 (Cloudbooster) and the preamp both at the same time. I am running the GAP Pre 73 preamp quite high (at 65db boost) on the Shure SM7B . What are your thoughts on that? The GAP Pre 73 has 80db boost that is enough, but the Shure SM7B needs a lot of gain. Most of my vocals I sing quietly and very close mic. I am wondering if there is really any benefit in using the booster so I can turn my preamp down some (about 25db)? Will I get better tone just using the GAP Pre 73 alone?

This vocal was done with the Shure SM7b, GAP pre-73 and the Behringer UMC1820. I am not sure if I like the Shure dynamic better than the Audio-Technica AT4040 condenser yet. The preamp made a HUGE difference though. The UCXII Fireface is heading back to Germany for repairs soon. The Audio-Technica seems to be hotter on the high end, I kind of prefer that clarity on the high end but the Shure SM7b has a nice warmth. Not certain which way I will go forward yet. I will probably stick with the Shure for now.

Thanks for the answer about the cable, very helpful!