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Shayne White

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Posts posted by Shayne White

  1. 11 hours ago, sjoens said:

    Color strips are OFF by default.  Same place as before but you have to check the box to see 'em.  Preferences > Customization > Colors > Track Strips.

    I think this was turned off in an earlier version of CbB if I remember correctly, and I had to go find that option as well. So this isn't anything new to Sonar.

  2. I also have always had to install 8.5 off the DVD just to get Lexicon reverb for older project compatibility. As I recall, there was no online "activation" for that version - you just had to have your serial number and reg code written down (there was a sticker on the disc sleeve to do that). You might have to launch the app in Admin mode for it to work, I remember that was an issue for Dim Pro and/or Rapture as well.

    • Like 1
  3. On 1/13/2024 at 9:17 PM, sjoens said:

    I've always wondered why converting stereo to mono increases volume.  Seems to me the process should maintain total output level.  As is, another editing step is required to bring it down if it's too much.

    You're adding 2 audio streams together which will cause the output level to rise by 3db (assuming both the L and R channels are the same amplitude). If you're worried about clipping, you can hold down your CTRL key with the Smart tool enabled and drag the clip gain down 3db prior to bouncing.

    • Like 1
  4. It depends on your genre and desired sound. I mostly produce electro-pop music. First, take a look at the waveforms on your tracks to determine whether you should use compression. Generally, there should be compression on anything with spiky peaks - percussion/beats, bass, plucky instruments. Vocals need a lot of compression so you can hear all the words and your voices rise above the rest of the mix. On the other hands, anything with smooth or constant levels, like filler pads, need little to no compression.

    Use short attack and release times whenever possible - it'll help eliminate the "pumping" sound.

    BTW, I use the Sonitus Compressor that comes bundled with Cakewalk -- it almost always sounds great.

    • Like 1
  5. I took some audio classes that involved recording onto 24-track tape while I was in college. It was in San Francisco so the professor talked about how the fog that seeped in through the building's air vents would get the tapes damp. The damp tapes would shred if you played them, so you had to bake them in an oven to get them playable. Yeah. Don't complain about your DAW.

    • Like 1
    • Haha 1
  6. I've had this issue with other audio interfaces in the past, where only odd numbers were showing up. Just set up friendly names for your I/Os and you're good to go. If you really still need to figure out which input/output is which and you like to think of your I/Os as stereo pairs rather than mono channels, the formula is to add 1 and then divide by 2, e.g. your "Analog 5" > 6 > 3 L/R.

  7. There's an option that allows you to hide VST2 versions of VST3 plugins you have. I actually prefer having both versions because I need to access the old .fxp presets for some synths and effects. I don't remember if that option is in the Plug-in Manager or the main Preferences window, you'll just have to look. It's called something like "Hide related VST2 plugins."

    • Like 4
  8. I just used GarageBand to record some spoken voice because I was reading something on my Mac rather than on the Windows side - man, it sucked!!! I'm really looking forward to Next so that I can have some Cakewalk vibe on Mac as well as Windows!

    • Haha 1
  9. Hey everyone! I just released a new single in the style I call Electro-Dreamwave. I'm posting a link to a video I made about it where you can see Cakewalk running in action! A side note: I've been using Cakewalk since Cakewalk Home Studio 3.0 running on Windows 3.1. So I was like 8 or 9 years old I think?

    And you can listen to the whole song on SoundCloud:

    Thanks everyone for listening!

  10. So, for a long time I wished there were an arpeggiator that would basically repeat notes as I hold them and synchronize to the project timing grid. And do it polyphonically so I can play repeated chords in sync. I just discovered that the "Rhythm" mode in the Cakewalk MIDI arpeggiator does EXACTLY that. And it's been there for years -- I pulled up an old version of Sonar and it was there. HOW DID I MISS THIS??? Thank you Cakewalk! I've never seen that option in any other synth arpeggiator!!

    Speaking of the Cakewalk arpeggiator, I've always experienced this weird bug with it where often Cakewalk will freeze for about 10 seconds when I press play if the arp is switched on any MIDI track. Usually I have to record what I want, bounce it, and then turn it off to stop the hanging problem. Has anyone ever noticed this? I've had this happen across multiple systems.

    • Thanks 1
  11. I don't know if this is a bug or a "feature." I use a trackpad and obviously right-click is a two finger tap. If I'm clicking something and another finger happens to land on the trackpad, Cakewalk immediately treats that as the "View Undo" command, typically either zooming out or going to another location in my project. SUPER ANNOYING. I guess that's nice and convenient if you're using a mouse, but not at all with a trackpad. Is there any way to turn this off? I have the "U" key bound to the "View Undo" command so I don't need that "feature."

    On a side note, I just discovered that Shift + Alt + Z is "View Redo" so that'll help me out in the meantime.

  12. 9 minutes ago, Colin Nicholls said:

    This was attempted a couple of years back, but the results weren't productizable. And now that Cakewalk is free, you'd have to be insane to think that the costs associated with such a development are recoverable.

    How about a crowdsourcing campaign? I'm sure many dedicated fans like myself would gladly donate into the cause to get a Mac version developed.

  13. I feel that Skylight already got an "update" and that was Tungsten. That was the move to a modern, flat, dark interface. It took a little getting used to but I decided I liked it better than Mercury and that's what I use now. Please don't change anything, it's perfect.

    Sometimes in the past Cakewalk went backwards with their interfaces -- for example, going from Sonar 3's beautiful blue scheme to Sonar 4 and 5's gray was int he wrong direction; thankfully, the colors could be fixed easily. But then Sonar 6-8 was so horribly ugly I boycotted upgrading until Cakewalk gave me a special deal for 8.5 ahead of the X1 release, which was when Cakewalk finally got it right again.

  14. VST2 and VST3 plugins install differently. VST2 installers let you choose where to place your plugins; I simply have all my mine in C:\VST. You have to manually tell Cakewalk where to look for VST2 plugins you install via the Plugin Manager. VST3, on the other hand, is automatic -- all VST3 plugins will install into C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3 no matter what. Again I'd recommend going into the Plugin Manager (it's in the Utilities Menu I think?) to make sure Cakewalk is searching in that folder.

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